Tomb of the Queen of Sheba Discovered!

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Earlier this year, archaeologists discovered what they believe to be the tomb of the Queen of Sheba, an ancient Biblical character shrouded in mystery.

Professor Joseph Yang of Oxford University led a team of archaeologists in the discovery of the tomb in Northern Yemen near the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Saba. You can read the full article of the discovery here:

http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/archaeologists-discover-tomb-of-biblical-queen-of-sheba/

Professor Yang lists several reasons why he believes this to be the tomb of the ancient queen:

“The carbon-dating, the location, the inscriptions, the characteristics of the skeleton and the nature of the artefacts on the site all seem to confirm that the bones are indeed those of the famous queen regnant who visited Salomon. The tomb is located just outside the ruins of Ma’rib, the ancient capital of the kingdom of Saba or Sheba, and many inscriptions in the tomb refer to “Bilqīs,mqtwyt of Sheba’ which means Bilkis, high chieftess on Sheba. All the evidence we have found until now seems to suggest that this is indeed the biblical queen of Sheba.”

 

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Persecution in Cuba

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Just a couple of days ago, Cuban authorities announced that they were withdrawing their plans to seize the property of a Baptist church in eastern Cuba. The pastor, while grateful, did remark that over 100 other churches were still being persecuted and facing similar threats. You can read the full press release here:

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/06/midday_roundup_cuba_lets_baptist_church_stay_open

In America, it is hard to understand the types of persecution that other Christians are facing around the world. It also a reminder that Communism is still very much anti-gospel, anti-Christ, and anti-God and as responsible for much of the persecution of Christians as any institution or doctrine in the last 100 years.

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Baptism & Ancient Fabrics

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Although much has been made about the meaning of the Greek word baptizo, very little attention has been given to its cultural usage – primarily in the ancient fabric industry. This really is a shame since there is much to learn regarding baptism just by learning about the culture in which this word was mostly used.

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The Greeks dyed fabric much like we do Easter eggs today. Photo by Christian Kadluba via Flickr.com

The Greeks dyed fabrics by immersing them in colored liquids for long periods of time until the fabric clearly identified with the color in which it was immersed. What a great spiritual truth can be found here when we remember that when we got baptized we identified with Christ. For a detailed article on this please read the following:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/06/16/is-full-immersion-necessary-for-baptism/

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Rare Inscription Found!

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The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) just announced this past Tuesday that a rare inscription has been found inscribed on a clay jar near the site of David’s famous battle with Goliath. The name was that of one of Saul’s sons and a rival of David’s for the throne. Here is a link to the article:

http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/rare-inscription-bearing-biblical-name-found-in-israel-150616.htm

The Valley of Elah was one of my favorite places when we visited Israel. It is relatively quiet and peaceful; and very rural. I remember finding handfuls of little clay pieces from pottery that was very old. It was very enjoyable to visit. We also climbed up a very steep hill where the army of Israel was hiding from the Philistine giant. At the top pf the hill was a very old, stone altar. We also gathered smooth stones from the creek bed below to take back with us!

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A Journey Through James Post 3 “Nazareth, Home of the Just”

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Journey Through JamesAs mentioned earlier, James was the oldest son of Joseph and he lived much of his early life in Nazareth. There is much we can learn from this historical fact. Around 100 years before the birth of Christ, a small clan of Davidic descendants migrated back to Israel from the Babylonian exile. They formed two small villages on either side of the Jordan River: Kochaba, which means village of the star, and Nazara, which means village of the shoot. These descendants of David were very Messianic, believing that Israel’s deliverer would indeed come from their ranks. They refused to marry outside of the Davidic line and they kept very detailed genealogies. Those found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were doubtless provided by members of Christ’s extended family in Nazareth.

The village became synonymous with this religious sect. Given that archaeological discoveries have determined it was no larger in population than 120-150, it is safe to assume that many of the families were related, and thus a close-knit community.

The Hebrew word netzer means shoot. The significance of this word comes from Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 11:1. The prophecy of Isaiah was greatly esteemed in this village, the importance of which cannot be overlooked when studying Luke’s account of what took place in its synagogue. James undoubtedly was a zealous follower of this group. For more information and details on the historical context of both Jesus’ and James’ upbringing , please sign up for A Journey Through James at TheDivineLibrary.com.

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A Journey Through James – Post 2 “The Dispersions”

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Journey Through JamesWhen addressing the recipients of his epistle, James uses a very interesting term, one very familiar to his audience: the Diaspora.Since the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, the Jewish people had  been scattered throughout many countries; the Jews often referred to  this as the Dispersion. Much of the longing for a Messiah came about as   a direct result of this scattering. But James had something more in mind when he coined this term. His audience was more than just Jewish; they were Jewish believers; 19 times in his epistle, James calls them brethren.

Acts 8:4 tells us that due to severe persecution, many of the early Jewish Christians were scattered abroad. James, as a leader of these people, wrote this epistle as a handbook for practical, Christian living to help them in their trials. Just as the first dispersion prepared God’s people for Christ’s first coming, so too this second dispersion had created within the hearts of God’s people a longing for His return.

James also wrote this epistle with the knowledge that these Christians would form the foundation of the Gospel in the communities they had relocated to and many would be leaders in their local congregations. Thus the epistle of James provides a clear foundation both for the practical, Christian life and for the potential Christian leader.

Journey Through James

Interested in learning more? Firebreak University offers the course “Journey Through James.”

Learn more about “Journey Through James”

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Just, Like His Father

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Journey Through JamesJames, the author of this epistle, was someone very familiar with the Lord Jesus Christ. Being the eldest son of Joseph, he grew up in the same household as Christ. The Scriptures tell us very little about Joseph, James’ father. In the account of Christ’s birth, Joseph is described as a just man (Matthew 1:19); the Greek word dikaios is translated both as righteous and as just. Today, the term just is used almost exclusively to describe someone’s decision making i.e. a just judge.Throughout the Christmas story, Joseph consistently made the right choices no matter how hard or difficult the decision was. The same can be said of his son James as well. He was known throughout Jerusalem as a righteous and devout man. Many called him James the Just. Historians tell us that when forced by the high priests to renounce Christ as the Messiah in front of the large crowds that had gathered for the Passover, James refused, deciding to use the opportunity to reaffirm his faith in the Lord Jesus as the Messiah. It led to his martyrdom. Another right decision in the face of difficult circumstances -just like his father, I guess you can say that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Journey Through James

Interested in learning more? Firebreak University offers the course “Journey Through James.”

Learn more about “Journey Through James”

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