Clarifying the Bible and Jesus’ Wound

October 9, 2023

My continuing research a few days ago began with a question of who exactly were the Hebrews. “Hebrew, any member of an ancient northern Semitic people that were the ancestors of the Jews. Biblical scholars use the term Hebrews to designate the descendants of the patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) — i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,.” The Semites were descendants of one son of Noah named Shem. Hence, the Semites came into being.

The importance of such details cannot be overemphasized, if you are a person who wants to fully understand the Bible. You see, part of my continuing purpose is to show the continuity of the Bible, challenging the mindset of Establishment thought and enlightening the truly conscientious cynic.

Now, Genesis is foundational to the Bible’s unfolding revelation of God’s character and purposes. The Hebrews were given instructions to make a large tent, or “tabernacle,” as their Church building. It is where they had their worship services and where the Ark of the Covenant stood. To enclose this compartment- called the Holy of Holies — a huge curtain was hung. All ensuing Biblical history becomes allegorically woven into the fabric of that curtain at the entryway. “The Curtain was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide and a man’s hands breadth (approximately 4 inches) thick. A horse on each side could not pull it…” So, in a manner of speaking, the Bible is not a sheer curtain, filtering sunlight, but it is a complex interwoven work, impossible for any natural light to pass through. What I mean by this is serious study or deep contemplation or even great wisdom and University diplomas cannot fully comprehend what all is beyond that curtain. Therefore, we need the insightful instruction of the Spirit of God. And how in the world does one obtain His insight?

First, on the cross, “Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom…”

Jesus had previously said, “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

Jesus opened the way to the Mercy Seat of God, represented by the lid on the Ark of the Covenant. We need God to fully understand the Bible, and the Holy Spirit is our Advocate pleading the facts of our case, revealing what we need to know and understand. Yet, we must first come to the seat of His mercy. (God’s rule, not my opinion.)

Now, in the Creation account in Genesis, Chapters 2 & 3 recall the story of Adam and Eve. However, looking at the preceding Chapter 1, God created Mankind. How the accounts were inverted is immaterial; just knowing that they were inverted is the important fact. First came Mankind. Then, God set aside Adam and Eve for a whole separate and specific purpose. Maybe that fact made things too complicated for earlier religious doctrine. Yet, this is a theme permeating throughout the Bible… “Come out from them and be separate…” says the Lord. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” The word “holy” compels this separation: Greek, “hágios — properly, different (unlike), other (“otherness”)… Born Again Christians are to comply and to conform, subjecting themselves to this precept of “otherness.” God doesn’t force us to, but if we are willing to, He will empower us both to will and to do for our own benefit and for the benefit of others.

As for my insistence on the continuity of the Bible, over the years, people have challenged the veracity of the Genesis accounts, asking “Since Adam and Eve were the first people, where did the wives of their sons come from?” As I just pointed out, it is because of the inversion of the Creation account. God had first created Mankind. So, there were plenty of ladies to flirt with and to marry. “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive, they took as their wives any they chose.” So, there’s that.

Following another line of thought concerning God, Jesus, and the Bible (specifically Genesis) are my comments written in previous essays concerning the so-called “Original Sin.” What I’ve learned is that the phrase should be plural, “original sins.”

While listening to a song by Charity Gayle in the early morning, the lyrics mentioned the stab wound in Jesus’ side. Immediately a thought lit up my brain and started to mix in: “Eve was taken from the side of Adam, the first son of God.” Then, the theme of the song turned to the only begotten Son of God, Jesus, who shed His blood for forgiveness of our moral failures. So, the ingredients continued to mix. Next, I remembered the ten dollar word “propitiation” in the Bible. It means that He took our place, offering Himself to take upon Himself the consequences that we deserved. It comes from Greek and Hebrew origins, again referring to the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant — “mercy” here being the essential operative word.

Then, these ideas began to raise the bread like yeast: Was this signifying Jesus’ death on the cross not only offered forgiveness to Mankind, but it specifically focused on Eve’s forgiveness, emphasizing, in no uncertain terms, Women were being offered the same gift — the opportunity to become children of God: “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” There should never be any question about God’s love and caring for women.

As I got up to fix our breakfast, it also occurred to me that maybe that is why most men have a particular affinity for daughters and granddaughters. The sons and grandsons after a time of instruction and demonstration are pretty much on their own. The daughters remain near and dear to their Dad’s hearts.,, If the father has any decency at all, that is.

I think I;\’ll have some toast now.

To conclude, in my understanding of apostle Paul’s discourse on marriage, before anyone gets upset, I will explain my understanding further after this passage: “…And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church…” — Ephesians 5:21–25.

This idea is also bound to the understanding that the “Original Sin” was actually a series of sins, the first and most egregious being Adams’ failure to not only nurture but to protect Eve, who was part of the Garden just as much as the Garden itself.

Others in the series of “TheOriginal Sin” were:

• Disobeying God’s direction
• Hiding from God
• Blaming someone else
• Not remembering God’s character (after all, He walked with them “In the cool of the day” (“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden…”)

Well all of this essay becomes a moot point if the reader does not believe that God exists and the Bible is true.

If God didn’t exist I would be dead and buried.

If Jesus wasn’t true to His word, I would still be suicidal.

If the Spirit of God had no healing power, I would still be addicted to cigarettes and drugs.

If God didn’t exist I would still be a foolish incompetent.

God does exist and He still rewards the earnest seeker.