Afleveringen
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EXODUS 19-20:
Yesterday in Exodus, we heard of God satisfying the thirst of the Israelites by commanding Moses to hit a rock. Israel defeated the Amalekites. And Jethro brought Moses’ wife and sons to him and stayed around long enough to give him good advice.Note that in Hebrew, God often talks of _Himself_ in what we might term the royal fashion— as ‘The Lord’, and as ‘He’ or ‘His’ (instead of ‘Me’ and ‘My’). Many translations into other languages must use ‘I, the Lord’ and ‘Me/My’, as to speak of oneself in the third person is ungrammatical. To speak that way is highly unusual in English. An example of this happens in today’s reading in Exodus 20:7, in the commandment about not taking the Lord’s name in vain.
JOB 40:
Yesterday in the book of Job, God continued to challenge Job with questions too hard for humans to answer. In today’s chapter, starting at verse 15, we read about the Behemoth. The GNT footnote tells that some identify this as a hippopotamus. But the description of Behemoth's tail in verse 17 doesn't fit with a hippopotamus. Maybe a sea crocodile would be a better choice, but they don’t eat grass. It is perhaps better to simply say that the Behemoth and Leviathan are legendary or mythical sea creatures.LUKE 1:
Yesterday we finished 2nd Peter with his advising us to get ready for the Lord's return.Luke— as we will find out in other NT books, was the physician who was a traveling companion of Paul. His goal was to write a well-researched and ordered account of Jesus' life— as he says in his formal prologue.
Robert Maddox states:
“[Luke] writes to reassure the Christians of his day that their faith in Jesus is no aberration, but the authentic goal towards which God’s ancient dealings with Israel were driving.” More Muslims have become followers of Christ through reading Luke’s Gospel than from reading the other three, because of its emphases.
Luke is the longest book of the NT, and if we put Luke’s two books together, they form 27% of the NT.
Luke wrote to Theophilus, who may have been a Roman dignitary, but since the name means “Lover of God” Luke may have intended his book for all of us who love God. Luke's explanations show that he was writing to the Greeks, and so he appropriately brings out that Christ came for all mankind— Jews, and Gentiles. Luke also highlights the roles played by women. A major example of this is the material in this gospel that clearly from Luke’s interviews with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke includes more poetry than the other Gospels, tells more about Jesus praying, and chronicles Jesus' parables and teaching.
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EXODUS 17-18:
Yesterday in Exodus we heard the wonderful victory song of Moses. Then we heard how the people of Israel grumbled against Moses, Aaron, and most importantly, the Lord. Even about a simple command like the one about gathering manna, the people of Israel disobey repeatedly. They are not called stubborn for nothing.
JOB 39:
Job 39 is the continuation of God’s harsh challenges to Job.2PETER 3:
I observe about 2Peter chapter 2, that sadly, even in Peter's day, there were greedy false teachers. Peter's descriptions of the false teachers are some of the most colorful in the Bible. -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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EXODUS 15-16:
Yesterday in our reading in Exodus, we heard that because of the Passover plague which killed Egypt's firstborn, God claimed the firstborn of Israel for all time to come. Then we heard of Pharaoh's final hardening of his heart, and the parting of the red sea.JOB 38:
In the 6 chapters before this, Elihu has said that God uses multiple means of communication with humans. He maintained that God is just, and said that Job— in his despair, had gone too far in saying it doesn't make any difference if one tries to serve God. He said that God is amazing in His power, and God does notice and punish the wicked. Then it so happened that as Elihu was speaking, a storm was blowing up that showed God's awesome majesty. Then— in today’s chapter, the Lord answers Job, not the last speaker, Elihu.2PETER 2:
Yesterday in 2nd Peter we heard that we can employ God's promises to supply power for godly living. This power can even enable us to share in God's own nature, thereby escaping the world's corruption. For many years I was disappointed in Peter because he did not tell us WHICH promises we need to claim to escape worldly corruption and evil desires. I have concluded that everyone is different, and what works for me may not work for you. But if you are interested in what works for me, I recommend a seven day YouVersion reading plan I made called Buckling the Belt of Truth.There is a stark contrast between chapter 2 of 2nd Peter and the end of chapter 1. So before we start our readings for today, let me remind you what we read at the end of chapter 1.
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EXODUS 13-14:
Yesterday In Exodus we heard of the final plague— the death of the firstborn, which happened at the first Passover. And we heard the rules for the Passover celebrations. Note how Christ is foreshadowed in the Passover lamb, including the detail that not a bone was to be broken.JOB 37:
Today we read chapter 37 of Job, which is the conclusion of Elihu's speech.2nd PETER 1:
Yesterday in the last chapter of his letter, James railed against the rich to encourage the poor. He also told us how to be patient in our suffering. The last section teaches about prayer for the sick and finally about repentance. I add a little footnote here. So often I hear the part about praying for the sick quoted by people who do not bother to fulfill all the instructions that James gives. If we are going to claim promises in Scriptures, we need to fulfill the conditions given!The 2nd letter of Peter's was probably written not long before he was martyred in AD 68. Or it could have been written as early as AD 65. A different person with a very different vocabulary served as Peter’s secretary to write this. One of the things that tell me that Peter really was the author is his consistent humility. In 1Peter 5, he spoke of himself as a fellow elder and a fellow in looking forward to the glory that will be revealed to us. And he starts this letter in a similar vein, calling his listeners those ‘who share the same precious [faith/way of believing] we [apostles] have.’
Constable quotes Vernon McGee:
“Second Peter is the swan song of Peter, just as 2 Timothy is the swan song of Paul. There are striking similarities between the two books. Both epistles put up a warning sign along the pilgrim pathway the church is traveling to identify the awful apostasy that was on the way at the time and which in our time has now arrived. What was then like a cloud the size of a man’s hand today envelops the sky and produces a storm of hurricane proportions. Peter warns of heresy among teachers; Paul warns of heresy among the laity.”
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EXODUS 11-12:
Yesterday we heard of the plague against the livestock, the plague of boils, and the plague of hail. We are not told how much time there was in between each plague. It seems there was enough time for many Egyptians to buy more livestock before they were again decimated by the hail. Then we heard about the plague of locusts followed by the plague of darkness.I hope you noticed Who is doing the hardening of hearts and causing the stubbornness. Paul talks about that in Romans 9.
JOB 36:
Job chapter 36 is Elihu's 5th chapter preaching to Job.JAMES 5:
In the 4th chapter of his letter, James preached against the way the world had infiltrated the church— and we could say, still infiltrates the church. He gave an important clue about why God doesn't answer our prayers. And he taught that we need to purify our hearts from pride and having divided loyalty between God and the world. He gave a big clue on how to be rid of Satan's influence. Finally, James taught us how prideful it is to judge others, and warned about prideful planning.Note that in verses 1-6 of today’s reading, James is using the rhetorical device called ‘apostrophe’— where he harshly rebukes rich people who are NOT actually in his audience. He is doing this to give comfort to his actual audience, which includes many who are poor. It is almost certainly the case that any rich people who were actually part of James’ audience had not done the crimes James mentions.
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EXODUS 9-10:
The two chapters of Exodus we read yesterday included the story of Aaron's staff becoming a serpent, and the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, and flies.Note verse that in our reading today:
9:19 GNT Now give orders for your livestock and everything else you have in the open to be put under shelter. Hail will fall on the people and animals left outside unprotected, and they will all die.’ ”
Evidently, enough time had passed between the plague against the livestock so that the Egyptians were able to again purchase livestock, and I am sure the people of Israel profited in many of those transactions!
JOB 35:
Chapter 35 of Job is Elihu's 4th chapter preaching to Job.JAMES 4:
Yesterday James preached about controlling the tongue, then he taught about the qualities of wisdom from God. -
EXODUS 7-8:
In yesterday’s reading in Exodus, we heard of Moses and Aaron's first disastrous meeting with Pharaoh, and Pharaoh's retaliation against the Israelite people. God spoke with Moses again, reaffirming his promises and his covenant with the people of Israel.JOB 34:
Today in chapter 34 of Job, we hear the third chapter of Elihu's six-chapter monologue.JAMES 3:
Yesterday James warned that showing favoritism breaks the Law of Love that our King Jesus taught. And he talked about dead religion, which consists of easy believism with no acting out of what we believe. There is no contradiction between what Paul and James wrote. Here is a famous statement that sums up the complementary nature of Paul and James on this topic: “We are saved by faith alone (= fully believing), but saving faith will never be ‘alone’.” In other words, saving faith will always produce some proof.I have mentioned before that the Greek words for ‘faith’ and ‘believe’ share the same root. Faith is simply the noun form of the verb believe. I mentioned how cohesion in the discourse is damaged for us English speakers when in close proximity the two dissimilar looking words are used for the same concept. This happens in James 2, verses 19-24. To show you what I mean, I will list the two words in the order of their occurrence in the NLT: have faith, believe, believe, faith, faith, faith, believed, faith. The reader may be tempted to look for some deep shade-of-meaning reason for this variation, but no such reason exists. Now listen to that passage when I read it using various forms of the verb ‘believe’ in a consistent manner:
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EXODUS 5-6:
In Exodus so far we have heard that Moses accepted God's call, returned to Egypt with Aaron, and had a successful meeting with the leaders of the Israelite people.JOB 33:
Today’s chapter in Job is Elihu's second chapter of six in his speech.JAMES 2:
Yesterday James told us to consider it a great joy when troubles come our way. Don't miss the reasoning he gives for this seeming contradiction. Then he spoke very strongly about not just being people who merely listen to God's Word. We must do it.I would like to remind you of some of those frequently quoted verses from chapter 1 which express the theme of this letter, verses 22-24. I also share my slight tweak to
James 1:22-25 NLT 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see [that you have dirt on your face, and then just//yourself,] walk away, and forget what you [looked/look] like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. -
EXODUS 3-4:
In yesterday's beginning to Exodus, we heard of Moses' birth and his young adulthood in Egypt. He murdered a man and had to flee for his life, going to Midian. We also read of his helping the seven daughters of Reuel, a scene that I can't read without thinking of the Cecil B. DeMill movie.JOB 32:
Job having finished his defense, Elihu takes the stage. HC Mears says,Eliphaz basically said, “God never makes a mistake. What have you done to bring this on yourself?” Bildad essentially said, “God is just. Confess your sin.” Zophar suggested, “God is all-wise. He knows man.” Elihu’s name means, ‘My God is He’ or ‘He is my God.’ So Elihu is God's man, and he said the wisest thing: “God is good; look up, and trust Him.”
Note that at the end of the book, Elihu is not mentioned as having misrepresented God— unlike Job’s three friends. He does seem to speak wisely, but we can fault him for his arrogance.
JAMES 1:
Yesterday in 1Peter 5, Peter gave a very stern warning to rich people, and also important encouragement to elders within the church. And among other things, he gave an important word about spiritual battle with Satan. I summarize his commands as Stay alert, Stand firm, and Remember.The letter of James is similar to 1 Peter in several ways. In the first verse of both letters, both mention that their audience is dispersed throughout the world. Both describe their audience using Jewish catchphrases. James’ style is also similar to Peter’s in the way he sets out several themes and keeps returning to them. Moyer says of this book, “As soon as we read through the letter of James we say to ourselves, ‘This man was a preacher before he was a writer.’”
James is probably the oldest book of the New Testament, written perhaps only 15 years after Jesus' death and before the first council of Jerusalem in AD 50. This was written, not by the disciple named James, but by James the half-brother of Jesus. While Jesus was alive, his brother James was not a believer. But he came to believe when Jesus appeared to him shortly after His resurrection. Sometime after this and before his martyrdom in AD 62, James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.
James does not call himself ‘the brother of Jesus’ but His slave!
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EXODUS 1:
Yesterday we wrapped up Genesis with Jacob's very prophetic blessings for each of his sons. Then we heard of the conclusion after Jacob was buried, including the account of Joseph’s death and his instruction about what to do with his bones.Exodus is clearly a continuation of the story of Genesis since the first word in the Hebrew text is ‘And’. Tradition holds that Moses is the author. The name Exodus derives from the name that was given by the Septuagint translators— which is the translation of the OT into classical Greek made during the period from three hundred to one hundred and thirty-two years before Christ.
Here are two perceptive summary statements about Exodus— quotes by Durham (from Constable’s Notes):
“No other biblical book surfaces elsewhere in the OT as frequently as the Book of Exodus does; in the NT only the Books of Psalms and Isaiah are cited more, and that for the fairly obvious reasons of liturgy and messianism.”
“The story of the first half of Exodus, in broad summary, is Rescue. The story of the second half, in equally broad summary, is Response, both immediate response and continuing response. And binding together and undergirding both Rescue and Response is Presence— the Presence of Yahweh from whom both Rescue and Response ultimately derive.”
Here is a quote by J. Daniel Hays:
“The deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by Yahweh in the Old Testament is parallel in importance to the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament. The historicity of these events is a critical foundation for a proper understanding of the rest of the Bible.”
And finally, Henrietta Mears in her handbook says this:
“Exodus is connected to Genesis in much the same way that the New Testament is connected to the Old Testament. Genesis tells of humanity’s failure under every test and in every condition. Exodus is the thrilling epic of God rushing to the rescue. It tells of the redeeming work of a sovereign God.”
JOB 31:
No matter how you divide the discourse in the book of Job, today’s reading of chapter 31 is the final one in Job’s long speech. In today’s reading Job makes his final protest that he is innocent. After this, Elihu struts his stuff.1PETER 5:
Peter finished chapter 4 talking about proudly bearing the name of ‘Christ’— which is part of the word ‘Christian’, and being patient under suffering— if that is included in God's will for you. -
GENESIS 49-50:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Joseph led powerfully during the worst of the famine, and Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh— putting the younger Ephraim above his older brother. (And if you remember Jacob's story, you'll know how he got that idea.)JOB 30:
In the book of Job today, if you are following the GNT, this is the 2nd of Job’s three chapters stating his complaints. In the NLT, this is the 5th chapter of his monologue. Yesterday Job spoke of his previous blessed life and high position. In this chapter, he tells of his anguish.1PETER 4:
Yesterday in 1st Peter chapter 3 he gave instructions to wives, husbands, and all Christians— particularly when we suffer. NOTE: The final verses of chapter 3 having to do with Noah's day and spirits in prison have caused much debate. I agree with the maxim that states that in interpretation “Context is king.” It is, therefore, best to let the ending verses of chapter 3 be interpreted for us by what Peter says in chapter 4, verse 6. When we get to the NT portion for today, we’ll begin by re-reading 1PETER 3:17-22. -
Welcome back for Day 29 in our reading plan.
GENESIS 47-48:
In yesterday's reading, Jacob arrived in Egypt with his family. Excluding more extended family, the whole group numbered 70 people at that time.JOB 29:
Yesterday in Job 28, we heard the chapter in praise of God’s wisdom. I think NLT is right attributing this to Job rather than to Zophar. Today Job speaks of his former blessings, in the first of three chapters which are the final statement of his case.1PETER 3:
In his first two chapters, Peter packed each sentence with meaning. I encourage you to take time to re-read those chapters slowly and think about Peter’s descriptive words. Yesterday, for instance, we read the wonderful “Living Stones” passage— which pictures deep meaning about our spiritual identity because of our being built upon (or, joined as one with) Christ, the Cornerstone.At the end of chapter 2, Peter taught about submitting to governmental leaders, and slaves submitting to their masters.
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GENESIS 46:
In yesterday’s two chapters of Genesis, Joseph's brothers went back to Egypt with Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin. Joseph contrived a creative way to reveal his identity. When Pharaoh heard about Joseph's brothers, he helped provide for Jacob's family to come to Egypt.JOB 28:
Today’s chapter in Job and part of the previous chapter are assigned to Zophar in the GNT. NLT goes strictly with the assignments of speakers as in the Hebrew, where all of this is assigned to Job. Starting in 27:13, NLT, therefore, makes it clear that Job’s words— which sound mighty like what his opponents have said, are Job sarcastically repeating their arguments.1PETER 1:22—2:
Peter addressed his letter to “To God's chosen people who live as [refugees/foreigners] scattered throughout” various provinces. But it is clear that Peter also has a spiritual meaning in mind. As the song says, “This world is not my home.” In chapter 2, Peter again comforts us and gives wonderful descriptions of our identity because of being joined to Christ. The first verse of chapter 2 starts with ‘then/So’, so let’s start out by reviewing the last verses of chapter 1, starting at v22.In my prayers in these audio devotionals, you will notice that I do not finish with an Amen. I do this intentionally because I hope that some of you will pause the playback and continue to pray. And I also hope that we can continue in a spirit of prayer as we listen to God’s Word.
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GENESIS 44-45:
Yesterday we heard of Joseph's brothers on their first and second trips to Egypt.At the end of chapter 43, Joseph’s giving wine without limit might be considered as the typical generosity of a wealthy host. The GNT and NET say that Joseph’s brothers became drunk. But under these circumstances, I very much doubt that his brothers would have allowed themselves to become drunk. I prefer NLT and NIV’s translation, saying that the brothers drank freely. We pick up the story, still in Joseph's palace on the second trip.
JOB 27:
When we turn to Job 27, if you are reading or listening to the NLT, this chapter is the 2nd chapter of Job’s six-chapter-long speech. But if you are reading in the GNT, Zophar interrupts starting at chapter 27 verse 13 and carries on through chapter 28.FIRST PETER 1:
In the last chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we read about the resurrection of Jesus. Since Mark very likely wrote his gospel based on Peter's information, it seems fitting that we move to Peter's two letters now. Evidently, Peter spent the last decade of his life in Rome, where he was martyred around the year 64. Mark (whom Peter fondly refers to as ‘his son’ in chapter 5) was with him in Rome when this was written. Silas— whom we will hear of later in Acts, was the secretary for writing this letter. Scholars do not doubt that this letter is from Peter.For those who want to delve deeper in studying this short letter, I encourage you to search out and mark every occurrence of these repeated words: trials/suffering, hope, joy, grace, and glory.
As we start this letter, I want to remind you that in Greek, the abstract noun ‘faith’ and verb ‘believe’ have the same root word. It would be better if our translations mirrored this, but instead they have used two dissimilar looking words, faith and belief. Using two dissimilar words damages the cohesion of the text. Unfortunately the NLT has further damaged the cohesion by using the word ‘trust’ in 1st Peter to translate ‘believe’. I encourage you to keep in mind that ‘faith’ and ‘trust’ means ‘fully believing’.
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Today I will do my best to convince you that the last 12 verses of Mark 16 shouldn’t have brackets around them or footnotes that cast doubt on their authenticity. I believe that they are authentic Scripture inspired by God.
Now, I try to stay away from saying anything controversial in the Daily Bible Reading Podcast series, and it kind of bothers me that here in this first Day 7 extra podcast of the year, I will say things that quite a few people with seminary training will consider leaning too much to the conservative side of the scale. But I feel constrained to be controversial now so I will come right out and say it:
I believe what Moses (Deut. 8:3) and Jesus (Luk. 4:4) said: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word of God.”
If we are to live by ‘every word’, then it makes sense to me to believe that God would preserve every word for us.
Please remember that all Bible translations were made by humans. This means that there is no such thing as a perfect Bible translation, as almost all good versions state in their prefaces. Even the KJV translators admitted this in their Preface. So I ask for your patient understanding as I set out a weakness in the NLT.
The NLT has this at Mark 16:8:
8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[c]
c The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the Gospel. A few include both the “shorter ending” and the “longer ending.” The majority of manuscripts include the “longer ending” immediately after verse 8.
Then with a sub-heading in bold and italic font:
[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.] [Shorter Ending of Mark]Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
[Longer Ending of Mark]
verses 9-20 …When you get to Day 26 you will note that I didn't read the shorter ending for the podcast. That ending has extremely thin support in ancient manuscripts, and where the words occur, the manuscripts often also have the longer ending, verses 9-20.
Some experts today think that Mark intended to end his Gospel with the words, “they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.” But this defies imagination! I don’t think authors started using the type of endings where you leave-the-audience-hanging until centuries later, like perhaps just two centuries ago. Remember that Mark starts with the words, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Mark shows a pattern of telling the outcome for every miracle. He is not about to leave the main thesis of his story without its fulfillment. The fulfillment of the starting thesis is found in the next to last verse (16:19), which says, “19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” That verse is also an important doctrinal statement, since no other Gospel includes those words as part of the story of Jesus’ resurrection. And the same verse very appropriately links Mark’s Gospel with Peter’s teaching in 1Peter 3:22.
I believe that God has preserved His Word for us. Therefore it is unacceptable to me to say that the Holy Spirit would leave a whole book of the NT without a clear ending. We have two choices for the ending: One says the ladies didn’t tell anyone because they were afraid. The other ends with Jesus at the right hand of God. Which one seems to be the proper ending to you?!
The NLT has words in bold italics before Mark 16 verses 9-20 which say, “[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.]”
Well, how many manuscripts are we actually talking about with the words ‘The most ancient manuscripts’? Then the footnote says ‘later manuscripts add’ the last 12 verses. What are the real numbers? Two of the very oldest manuscripts plus one other do not have the last 12 verses of Mark. But the manuscripts that include the last 12 verses number more than 1,650! 99.99% of ancient manuscripts contain the longer ending of Mark.
The NLT also has a footnote that starts with “The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8.” But this statement is, in my opinion, totally false. The two manuscripts they are talking about (Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) cannot be said to be ‘reliable’. They are, however, recognized as the very earliest, dated at 325 and 345. However, for Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus to be considered reliable, one would hope they would be reasonably consistent with one another. Instead they differ from one another in 3,036 places. I believe that early scribes recognized that they were defective, and this offers a plausible explanation for why there are no extant copies made from them.
Many old-school ‘experts’ (by that I mean seminary teachers from the mid-20th century) will say that the two oldest manuscripts outweigh all of the 1,650 other ancient manuscripts. But an increasing number of today’s informed experts will not agree with the people I just called the ‘old-school experts’. Here are some points to consider:
Both of the two oldest manuscripts I just mentioned have an odd blank space at the end of Mark, showing that the scribe realized the manuscript he was copying had something left out. This is called a ‘memorial space’. Such memorial spaces are found in various places in other ancient manuscripts. So even though the two manuscripts do not have the last 12 verses of Mark, the scribes telegraphed to us that they knew such an ending existed. Remember that Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are from the early 4th century. There are quotes of verses from Mark 16:9-20 by church fathers that predate those two manuscripts. Earlier support for the longer ending of Mark include “four second-century witnesses, and 99.9% of the [other ancient] Greek manuscripts, and 99.99% of the [ancient] Latin manuscripts, and 99.5% of the [ancient] Syriac manuscripts, and 40 Roman-era patristic writers.” (These statistics are quoted from Dr. James Snapp’s article: https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2013/08/robert-stein-and-ending-of-mark.html) Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in 1844. This touched off a lot of excitement, and a revolutionary new text of the NT was published by Westscott and Hort in 1881. Please consider that there are multiple examples in history where excitement over new discoveries resulted in mistaken theories. For example, Darwin’s theory of evolution from the same time period is now discredited. Just like you have university teachers still bone-headedly holding on to the theory of evolution, so the theories of Westscott and Hort are no longer upheld by many of today’s experts but are still being repeated by seminary teachers. Westscott and Hort’s faulty decisions about what verses are not authentic are still seen in today’s Bibles. I’m sure that you will hear someone claim that the last 12 verses of Mark contain non-Markan vocabulary, but that assertion has been repeatedly disproved. Please see the resources for the podcast that I link at the end of today’s episode notes. According to one ancient writer, Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome. It is likely that Mark or one of his friends made several copies of the first manuscript. Let’s say that one stayed in Rome and was copied, and let’s say that four other copies were sent toward the north, south, east and west. Each copy was painstakingly copied by hand over and over again and sent to an ever-widening circle of locations until the Gospel arrived all over the ancient world. Each scribe worked independently to copy the text of an earlier manuscript. 1650 manuscripts could not have the last 12 verses of Mark if the verses had not come from the first papyrus copy written by Mark.The Greek text of the New Testament that is the direct descendant of the Westscott and Hort 1881 text is published now in various editions of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, and also published as the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. There are, of course, slight changes in these editions coming down to the present day. But even today, the main text is still remarkably similar to the 1881 text by Westscott and Hort. These texts are referred to collectively as the Critical Text or the Eclectic Text. Most of our English Bible translations of the last century have been based on that text, including NASB, GNT, NLT, NIV, and ESV. It is for that reason that you will find faith-destroying footnotes in them. By ‘faith-destroying’, I mean that thinking readers ask, “If whole verses could disappear and marr the conclusion of Mark’s Gospel, how many other corruptions might there be in the New Testament?” Opponents of Christianity seize on such things to say that the Bible text is not reliable. Islamic people frequently repeat that criticism.
It is for that reason that our New Testament translation into the Indonesian language is based on the Majority or Byzantine Text. The Majority Text is not the same as the text that was the basis of the KJV, but it is similar to it.
I am so pleased that I can announce that at the end of 2022 Adam Boyd published his Text Critical English New Testament, which is an English translation of the Majority/Byzantine Text. (You can get this for free. I have included links to this and other resources at the end of the episode notes.) This is a real game changer because at last modern scholarship is able to give us accurate statistics about the percentage of manuscript support for variants in the Greek text. (The collating of manuscripts is still in process, and the percentages will continue to increase in accuracy.)
Let me give you two short examples. It would help if you could open your Bible to Mark 1 and also open ebible.org/study/ on your computer and navigate to Mark 1. You will see two columns for Scripture. Put the TCENT in the first column and the NASB in the second column. You will see that both translations give the first verse as “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” But click the superscript footnote at the word ‘Christ’ in the TCENT. It shows that 98.2% of the manuscripts have the last words, “the Son of God.” No matter what translation you are holding, it is likely that verse 1 ends with “the Son of God.
Move to verse 2. The NASB starts with, “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,” whereas the TCENT begins with “As it is written in the prophets.” Which is right? The footnote in the TCENT shows us that 96.2% of ancient manuscripts say ‘in the prophets’. Only 1.3% of manuscripts say ‘Isaiah the prophet’. Well now look at the NASB and you will see a superscript cross reference symbol at the start of the quote. The quote in the last two lines of verse 2 is not from Isaiah, but from Malachi! (The quote in verse 3 is from Isaiah.) So the Majority Text is proved right. The NASB chose to follow the Critical Text. But at the time the NASB was translated, they would not have known that their translation was supported by only 1.3% of the manuscripts.
I hope that finding a weakness in your printed Bible doesn’t upset your belief in God preserving his Word. He has preserved his Word, and we humans have a persistent habit of messing things up. If you follow the links at the end of today’s episode notes, you can find some good literal translations of the Majority/Byzantine Text. But unfortunately, we still do not have a good meaning-based translation of that text that rivals the NLT or GNT for understandability. We’ll keep on with the NLT and GNT podcasts for now. But please join me in prayer that an easy-to-utderstand translation of the Majority Text will soon be made!
Wow, what a difficult topic this is! If you have listened to this point, I thank you! Normally my extra podcasts on the 7th day of each month will not deal with such complicated topics!
Until next time, may the Lord bless you ‘real good’.
Resources:
Please consider supporting the work of James Snapp by buying and reading his 400-page book entitled Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20: 2016 Edition. The Kindle book is only 99 cents. https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Case-Mark-9-20-2016-ebook/dp/B01EU1OR9O
Phil Fields, 2019, Playing ‘Follow the Leader’ in Bible Translation:
https://map.bloomfire.com/posts/3446975-playing-follow-the-leader-in-bible-translationPhil Fields, 2020, EveryWord podcast 005:
https://dailybiblereading.libsyn.com/website/everyword005-mark-16
Please follow that last link to find the supplemental PDF for that episode containing an essay on the ending of Mark by Dr. Wilbur Pickering, plus two other articles. (The last one deals with Markan vocabulary.)Adam Boyd, 2022, Text Critical Greek New Testament (TCGNG) and Text Critical English New Testament (TCENT):
https://byzantinetext.com/study/translations/
https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=engtcent&all=1
https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=grctcgntThis page has a downloadable PDF of the Introduction to the TCGNT: https://alkitabkita.info/bahasa-sumber-alkitab/ (Scroll down the page until you see the PDF file displayed in a box.) You will need the information in the Introduction to understand the abbreviations in the TCENT/TCGNT footnotes.
My favorite way to access the TCENT using this nifty online study app provided by ebible.org: https://ebible.org/study/
You can also easily access the Introduction at the top of the book menu. (Click on the zero.) -
GENESIS 42-43:
Yesterday in Genesis chapter 41, we heard of Pharaoh's dream, and what happened to Joseph as a result of his correctly telling the interpretation. Note also that Joseph was careful to give the glory to God for that interpretation.JOB 26:
In yesterday’s reading in Job chapter 25, Bildad only had a six verse response, because Job interrupted him with the speech we will read today. Bildad implied Job’s guilt in more than one way, including this most obvious rhetorical question:25:4 GNT Can anyone be righteous or pure in God's sight?
MARK 16:
Yesterday we heard of the death and burial of Jesus. That chapter was full of fulfilled prophecies. Psalm 22 includes several of those prophecies and helps us remember what Jesus suffered. We will read the first 18 verses of that psalm before reading Mark 16. After the part of Psalm 22 which we read today, that psalm continues with 13 more verses, which prophetically give praise about our victorious Messiah and God. So also we find that something better is coming in Mark chapter 16. -
GENESIS 41:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis 40, Joseph interpreted two dreams. He said something quite significant: Interpreting dreams is God’s business.JOB 25:
Yesterday in Job chapter 24, Job said,Job 24:1 GNT Why doesn't God set a time for judging, a day of justice for those who serve him?
And speaking of the helpless and downtrodden he said,
12 “In the cities the wounded and dying cry out, but God ignores their prayers.
Starting in 24:18 GNT follows a number of other translations in saying that Zophar chimed in, disagreeing that the wicked are indeed punished, contradicting what Job was saying. NLT doesn’t do that. When you find a place like that and want more information, it is always a good idea to see if the NET (New English Translation) has a footnote. The NET footnotes will often give information about alternative translations and their basis in the source text. If you are using the YouVersion Bible reader, and do not see the footnote marks in NET, click the Menu button, then choose Settings, and activate Show Notes.
In chapter 25, Bildad only has time to speak a few lines when Job interrupts him.
MARK 15b:
In the first half of Mark chapter 15, Jesus was tried by Pilate and condemned when Pilate caved in to pressure orchestrated by the religious leaders. The soldiers beat and mocked Jesus, he was nailed to the cross, and then everyone mocked him. The two Marys observed the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. They would have known that they were to come back after the Sabbath to move the body and perform the customary anointing of the body. -
GENESIS 40:
Were you shocked by yesterday’s reading in Genesis?! We heard the less than auspicious beginnings of Judah's line— particularly involving Tamar, who was more righteous than Judah. Then we heard of Joseph working for Potiphar and then being thrown in jail. Even in jail, he rose to the top.JOB 24:
In Job 24 today, Job continues his response to Eliphaz.MARK 15a:
At the end of chapter 14, Jesus was arrested, was tried before the council, and Peter denied knowing Jesus.Mark. 15:2 GNT Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “[Phil’s translation: Yes, as you said.//GNT So you say.//NLT You have said it.]”
Jesus literally says “You say” in Greek. I am told that this would normally be interpreted as an affirmative response. For English, I don't like the NLT here, because “You have said it” might mean an enthusiastic affirmative. On the other hand, if we say something like “Those are your words,” it implies that Jesus is disagreeing. I also am not happy with the GNT. When we say, ‘So you say,’ in English, we are implying that we are skeptical of the previous speaker’s statement. In this case, Pilate has asked a question, and the response ‘So you say’ seems inappropriate. Probably the best way to translate in the affirmative is to add a 'Yes' to make clear the meaning.
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GENESIS 38-39:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis 37, we heard of Joseph's dreams, his brothers' jealousy, and Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt.JOB 23:
Yesterday Eliphaz said:GNT 4 It is not because you stand in awe of God
that he reprimands you and brings you to trial.
5 No, it's because you have sinned so much;
it's because of all the evil you do.And he also said,
21 Now, Job, make peace with God
and stop treating him like an enemy;
if you do, then he will bless you.
22 Accept the teaching he gives;
keep his words in your heart.
23 Yes, you must humbly return to God
and put an end to all the evil
that is done in your house.
24 Throw away your gold;
dump your finest gold in the dry stream bed.
25 Let Almighty God be your gold,
and let him be silver, piled high for you.
28 You will succeed in all you do,
and light will shine on your path.Beware that some teachers of prosperity in our age say things just like that, and quote such verses without understanding the message of this book. They also will be happy to assist you in knowing where to throw away your gold and silver.
MARK 14b:
Yesterday we heard the story of the Last Supper, the prophecy that Peter would deny Jesus three times, and the prayers at Gethsemane. -
GENESIS 37:
The focus of Genesis 36 was on the descendants of Esau, and the ethnic groups they spawned.JOB 22:
Yesterday in Job chapter 21, Job— refuting what Zophar said, gave a very convincing argument that God does not always punish wicked people. Today Eliphaz begins the third set of exchanges between Job and his ‘friends’. The promises Elifaz gives at the end of his speech sound rather hollow to me.MARK 14a:
Yesterday we read the prophecy chapter of Mark, chapter 13. The theme of that chapter is “Be ready” and Jesus says, “Keep watching for Me.”In Mrk. 13:14 Jesus says, “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ standing in the place where he should not be.” Then there is a note that is often in parentheses, “Let the reader understand.” Following good exegetical experts, I translate that this way, “Hey, public reader, explain this!”
At the time Mark wrote his gospel, only a small percentage of a congregation would be able to read. In Greek ‘the one reading’ (ho anaginoskon) probably means ‘the one reading out loud (to others)’. The word often translated ‘understand’ (noeito) would then take on the meaning ‘explain’ to the listeners. This would make three Greekwords (Ho anaginoskon noeito) to be Mark’s parenthetical comment, saying, “Hey public reader, explain this!” This makes sense because Jesus was speaking, and would more likely say, “If you have ears, listen.” Mark was the one writing, so it makes sense for him to address the reader.
Following Marks advice, like the well-read reader of old, it behooves me to explain to you: In saying ‘the Awful Horror’ Jesus is referring to the Antichrist, which was first clearly prophesied in Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. Here we see a prime example of the way God repeats the fulfillment of important prophecies. In the immediate context in Mark 13 of fleeing to the hills, we can clearly see that Jesus was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in AD 70— just 40 years after he gave this prophecy. But Paul in 2Thessalonians 2 teaches that ‘the man of lawlessness’ or alternately translated ‘Wicked One’ “will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God’s temple and claim to be God.” While there have been many intermediate fulfillments of the Antichrist, the ultimate Antichrist still has not been revealed. We all must still keep watch.
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