Bible critics point to symbolism in the Old Testament and claim that the writers of the New Testament borrowed from this information. Ironically, if the prophecies in the Old Testament that foreshadowed the plan of God were ignored by the New Testament, this would then be touted as evidence against the Bible by these same critics. The truth is that God has always used these symbolic foreshadows in order to reveal the foreordination of His plan. The apostle Paul states it well in the following passages:
Colossians 1:26 Even the
mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints:
Hebrews 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly
things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the
tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to
the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Colossians 2:16-17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in
drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to
come; but the body is of Christ.
All the things in the Old Testament were a shadow or pattern of things to come, but the body (or literally substance) is Christ. Much of the Old Testament is symbolic to point to what would be fulfilled in Christ. This shows the power of God to perform His word for He has ordained the events of the Old Testament in order to reveal the glory of God in the New Testament. What was veiled in the Old Testament is unveiled through Christ and made manifest to the saints by the Spirit through the word of God.
It also should not be surprising to see how many pagan religions mimic the symbolism of the Bible. Even though we have archaeological evidence that dates back to the time of Moses and biblical accounts that go back 6,000 years, critics of the Bible will imply that the Bible borrowed from pagan cultures without even considering the idea that pagan cultures would borrow from the Hebrew culture of the Bible. It is clearly demonstrated that pagan cultures have always evolved their myths as they discovered new ideas from other cultures and religions and this continues to this day.
Consider the fact that so many religions borrow from Christianity today and even claim to be religions from the same Bible. Ask any Mormon and they will tell you that they are Christian and that they believe the Bible, yet when you examine their beliefs it is far different than that of the scriptures. Joseph Smith began the Mormon religious movement in 1827 and published the Book of Mormon in 1830. The Book of Mormon is replete with symbolism, events, angels and people borrowed from scripture, yet the belief system greatly differs from the Bible. Here is an example from the Bible and the Book of Mormon:
The Bible, Isaiah, 9:1 says, "When at first he lightly afflicted the land of Nebulun and the land of Naphtali; and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by the way of sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations."
In the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi, 19:1, it says: "When at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations."
There are hundreds of exact phrases from the King James Version of the Bible that are interwoven in the Book of Mormon. While there are similarities, there remains a clear distinction from the beliefs of Mormonism and the doctrines of Christianity derived from the truth of scripture. The Mormon religion teaches that God was once a man and that man, if he follows their religion, will become a god. The Bible teaches that God has never been anything but God and the Lord Himself declares that no god existed before Him and no god will exist after[i]. The Mormon missionary that goes door to door presents a gospel that, on the surface, is very similar to the scriptures, but when examined deeper it is clear that only certain ideas are borrowed from the Bible.
There are many doctrinal differences that create a wide
distance between Christianity and Mormonism, yet this does not prevent there
from being similarities between the Bible and the Mormon religion. If we can
see in our modern era a pagan religion adopting portions of scripture, it
should be of little concern that ancient pagan religions would also borrow from
scripture. The challenge of the critics is to find examples where the Bible
changed by adopting pagan rituals and beliefs. We see many evidences of pagan
cultures borrowing ideas from the Bible, but no examples of the Bible borrowing
from paganism. Even in the height of
There are other modern religions that borrow ideas from scripture. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have an altered translation (The New World Translation) and have many similarities with Christianity, but they do not accept the divinity of Christ nor do they accept the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion. Like the Mormons, the Watch Tower Saints have a merit system rather than accepting the Bible’s call to receive salvation by grace through faith without works. This religion began by Charles Taze Russell in 1874 and the New World Translation was first published in 1961. The beliefs of this religion did not arise until the late 1800s so it cannot be denied that all similarities with biblical Christianity are borrowed from the Bible.
There have been literally thousands of pseudo-Christian cults over the last two thousand years and all have had many parallels to biblical Christianity. In fact, the similarities between new religions and Christianity are tools used to proselytize new recruits into the movement. In order to deceive, these movements must persuade followers that they are biblically based. Once a follower joins the movement, unbiblical ideas are slowly introduced until each person is led into the belief system of the cult. You may remember the Heaven’s Gate cult that committed mass suicide in 1997. This was founded by Marshall Applewhite when he claimed to be the return of Jesus Christ. In his teachings, he said that he was saying nothing different than what Jesus said in the New Testament. He backed up his claims by presenting many similar teachings but did so along side pagan ideas. His goal was to make the cult sound biblical so that people would accept his pagan teachings.
Even during the time of the apostles this was a serious
problem. Gnosticism was being introduced into the church by taking the gospel
message and mixing it with pagan doctrines. While the label of Gnosticism is
not specifically used in the Bible, the teachings and ideas are specifically
addressed in several epistles and rebuked by the apostles. It wasn’t called
Gnosticism because it was being passed off as biblical Christianity. Almost
every letter from the apostles contains some type of warning against the subtle
deceptions of false teaching. The apostle Paul states it well in Galatians 1:8-9
8 But though we, or an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now
again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed.
The apostles instructed the church that even if they should return and teach something different than what has already been delivered, the church should consider them accursed by God for they would have obviously turned from the truth. They also warned that many ministers will appear as ministers of righteousness, but they are workers of Satan[ii]. They appear to be of Christ because of their similarities to the Bible, but the deviation from the message of scripture proves they are not of God. The church had to know what true doctrine was and be on guard against subtle shifts away from the truth that would lead into pagan ideas. The church was even warned many would preach Jesus, but it would be another Jesus than what has been revealed through the scripture[iii]. The Bible warns that false teachers will have their own Jesus, Holy Spirit, and gospel[iv]. So even though there will be many similarities to the scripture in false religions, they are still contrary to God and His word.
If this has been a problem between the time of Jesus’ life and our modern era, there should be no doubt that pagan religions would adopt from the scriptures during the Old Testament era. Pagan cultures adopt biblical accounts and integrate them into mythological stories. They also adopt numbers, names, and other significant symbolisms into their religious beliefs as well. This should not be a concern for when a pagan religion sees something deemed to be of significance, it is integrated into that belief system. When similarities are integrated into pagan religions, this also becomes a tool for drawing new converts which may also explain why so many Jews were lured into idolatry in the Old Testament. If they stood upon the word, they would not have fallen. If we stand on the word, we will not be lured into the false religion that the Bible says will cause the church to depart from the faith in the last days.
So hopefully you can see that similarities do not indicate plagiarism in the Bible, but indicate the practices of pagan religions to mimic scriptural beliefs as we even see today. Symbolism in the Bible is a powerful testimony of God’s providence as it reveals His plan through events both past and future. Let us take a moment to look at some of the examples of symbolism that testify of God’s glory and foreknowledge.
According
to Hebrews chapter 10, the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to Christ and the
redemption of His sacrifice on the cross. The Bible clearly states that these Old
Testament sacrifices were a shadow of what was to come and was ultimately
fulfilled in Christ. Once Jesus atoned for sin, purchased our redemption, and
reconciled us to God, there was no longer a need for the symbolic sacrifices
given in the Law. Jesus did not do away with the Law, but fulfilled it[v]
through His life, crucifixion and resurrection. Many of the symbolisms in the
Old Testament were sealed from man’s understanding until they were revealed in
the New Testament through Christ. This is explained in Daniel 12:9-10
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel:
for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall be purified, and made
white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked
shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Daniel
was considered the wisest man in
25 Now to him that is of power to
stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the
world began,
26 But now is made manifest, and by
the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting
God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
True wisdom comes through Christ and we are promised that
the wise shall understand but none of the wicked shall understand. We are all
viewing the mystery through the wickedness of the flesh until we receive the
Spirit of wisdom when we receive Christ and abide in Him. The world in its
wisdom does not understand the wisdom of God but it is foolishness to them;
however, to those of us being saved, the wisdom of the message preached is the
power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18-21). What was veiled in the Old
Testament is made known through Jesus Christ for He is the key of knowledge and
this is only understood through those who have the Holy Spirit[vi]. God’s
wisdom is only given to those born into the Spirit[vii]
as a new creation[viii]. So
we not only receive wisdom through Christ, but through Him we are made to know
all the mysteries of the
10 And the disciples
came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall
be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him
shall be taken away even that he hath.
The mysteries of the kingdom are no longer mysteries to those who are made to know the truth. Without the Spirit of God, the natural man cannot understand spiritual things God has revealed in the scriptures[ix]. This is why those without the Spirit have such diverse interpretations of the Bible and confusion of doctrine. The scripture states that there are no private interpretations of God’s word[x]; therefore, if we study the word, we will rightly divide the truth[xi] and understand all the mysteries of God. This is why we can study the scriptures and come to the same conclusion as the faithful teachers of God’s word discovered long before us. When men deviate from the word or bring in outside influences, new doctrines emerge that conflicts with scripture; however, when scripture is the sole source of doctrine, those who study the whole word of God consistently come to the same conclusions even without collaborating their doctrines.
When man refuses to receive the truth, the Bible says that God gives him over to the deception he has chosen[xii]. Those who receive the truth and apply it to their lives will receive more for God gives to those who have, and takes from those who have not. Those who have are those who have the Holy Spirit within them and hold to the word, while those who have not have rejected the word either through apathy or rebellion.
Consider the wise men who arrived at
Why
did the Magi of Babylon recognize the birth of Christ from so far away? How would
they have known when to look for Him? These rulers came from the East in the
region of
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.
This is a very significant prophecy for it instructs
And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the
prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they
builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of
Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes
king of
According to scripture, three kings issued decrees
to fulfill this prophecy. The ultimate fulfillment was the command of
Artaxerxes when he commissioned Nehemiah to finish the task by building the
walls of
In his book ‘The Coming Prince’, Sir Robert
Anderson calculated the years from Artaxerxes through known historical dates to
find when 490 years would expire. A Roman mathematician named Ptolemy provided
much of the calculations for this work. Ptolemy used ancient writings that
pinpointed historic events using the alignment of planets and stars and
calculated their movements based on their known patterns. Ptolemy used this to
calculate the reign of kings in antiquity. With surprising accuracy, Ptolemy
dated Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes and the remaining world leaders down to
Alexander the Great. Sir Robert Anderson took this timeline and applied it to
the 360 day calendar that was used throughout the scripture and found that Jesus’
triumphant entry into
It is by calculating
from Artaxerxes, therefore, up to the time of Christ that the seventy weeks are
made up, according to the numeration of the Jews. For from Nehemiah, who was
dispatched by Artaxerxes to build
The promise given to
37 O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as
a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38 Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate.
Also look at Jesus’ words in Luke 19:41-42
41 And when he was come
near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known,
even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy
peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
The Lord fully foretold when the Christ would appear in
The
evidence testified of His glory from the Old Testament to the New and His own
words and works revealed His salvation, yet the world rejected Him. They
refused to see even in the midst of a cloud of witnesses. For this reason, we
should not be surprised when men reject Him in spite of mountains of evidence.
Evidence may affirm our confidence, but evidence will not turn the heart to the
Lord. The gospel must remain the focus and we must realize that the masses will
reject the gospel in spite of any amount of evidence. Jesus plainly stated this
in Matthew 7:13-14
13 Enter ye in at the strait
(difficult) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.
Evangelism is our call to direct others to the narrow gate,
but we cannot force them to enter it. The flesh is drawn by the wide gate for
it promises the things of the world, the pride of accomplishment, and
gratification, but the Spirit calls us to die to ourselves and enter the narrow
gate so that we pass from death into life. Jesus is that gate and through Him
we are born into the Spirit and find life. Just as few recognized Jesus in
There were seven feast days given in the Law of Moses which
the children of
Passover
Passover was a feast to remember the day when
Unleavened Bread
The Feast of Unleavened Bread began the next day on the fifteenth of Nisan. Unleavened refers to bread that has no yeast so that it cannot rise. Jesus often referred to false teaching as leaven and the apostles warned the church not to allow sin to go unchecked in the church “for a little leaven, leavens the whole lump”. In other words, one man’s sin can affect the whole church. The feast of Unleavened Bread was to be celebrated for seven days.
First Fruits
The feast of First Fruits was to be celebrated the day after
the Sabbath during the feast of Unleavened Bread. On this day, the bread was
presented as a wave offering before God. This pointed to the resurrection of
Christ who is called the first fruits of those who were raised from the dead[xviii].
In the Law, the priest would wave a sheave of grain and then offer a lamb
without blemish. Jesus also fulfilled the wave offering for He was the bread of
life and He was the lamb without blemish.
Pentecost (Feast of
Weeks)
This feast was not on a specific date, but was to be celebrated exactly 50 days after the First Fruits celebration. During Pentecost, every male had to present themselves before the Lord along with a wave offering of the bread made from the first fruits. This pointed to the day of Pentecost when the disciples were gathered in the upper room awaiting the promise of the Holy Spirit. They were created as a new creation by the first fruits (which was Christ). Jesus was the first fruits and because of Him the disciples were in the will of God.
Trumpets
The
Feast of Trumpets was to be celebrated on the first day of the seventh month.
The people were instructed to blow the shofar (or ram’s horn) as a memorial. It
was a call of God’s people to be set apart for Himself and to remember their
redemption. As Christians we know that we await the trumpet of God when our
final redemption will be announced[xix].
It is also foretold that the last trumpet to be sounded in Revelation is a
declaration that all the kingdoms of this world will be set apart for God. Look
at Revelation 11:
15 And the seventh angel sounded;
and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are
become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign
for ever and ever.
Day of Atonement
The Day of Atonement was a feast to be celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month (the month Ethanaim). On this day the high priest had to be dressed in white linen and be thoroughly washed. He would then enter into the Holy of Holies and atone for the sins of the people by sprinkling the blood of the lamb on the Mercy Seat and Altar. This also points to our redemption in Christ who is our High Priest forever[xx] and has entered the Holy of Holies once, for all to atone for our sins[xxi].
Tabernacles
The
Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month
and was celebrated for seven days. Every Israelite was to live in a tabernacle
(or booth) as a remembrance of God bringing them out of bondage and causing
them to live in booths apart from the culture that enslaved them while they
journeyed to the Promised Land. God led His people through the wilderness and
covered them by a cloud by day and lighted their way with fire by night. As the
redeemed of the Lord, we are called to live separated from the sinful culture
around us as we journey to our eternal promise as well. Ultimately this will be
fulfilled when we see the
And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The word ‘dwelt’ is the Greek word ‘skenoo’ (pronounced skay-no'-o), which means ‘to fix a tabernacle’. So literally, the word was God (John 1:1) and the word became flesh and fixed His tabernacle among us. In the end, we have the promise that He will dwell again among us, but at that time His kingdom will not end.
A very interesting observation was made by Zola Levitt in his booklet entitled ‘The Seven Feasts of Israel’. He observed that the feast days coincided with the development of a child in the womb. He interviewed a Pediatrician without letting her know what information he was after and asked about what happens on each number of days from conception. The times he put forth were the number of days given in the feasts but did not share his reasons until after the interview.
The average pregnancy is 280 days and is counted from the first day of the menstrual cycle prior to conception. On the fourteenth day of the first month the egg appears (which coincides with the Passover). Fertilization must occur within 24 hours or the egg will pass on (which coincides with Unleavened Bread which must be celebrated the next day).
The next step in the development life is for the egg to pass down the tube into the uterus. This can take anywhere between two and six days. Ironically, the next feast day is not a set date. It can be anywhere between two and six days after Unleavened Bread depending on what day the next Sabbath arrives. This step coincides perfectly with the feast of the First Fruits. The egg implants and begins to grow – just as the feast of First Fruits celebrates the new planting as the people look ahead to the coming harvest.
The egg now goes into a slow development stage and fifty days after implanting it is developed into the fetus stage. Pentecost is fifty days after the feast of First Fruits. The next major milestone in the baby’s development occurs on the first day of the seventh month. According to ‘Williams Obstetrics’, this is the time when the hearing has fully developed and the child in the womb can distinguish sounds. Interestingly enough, this is the exact time of the Feast of Trumpets.
On the second week of the seventh month, the fetus completes its transition in blood circulation. Now there is a change in the hemoglobin which allows the child to be able to carry oxygen in its blood and break its dependency on the mother. The Day of Atonement is the tenth day of the seventh month (which is in the second week). This is where the believer was atoned for by the blood of Christ so that man is no longer dependent on a priest or symbolic ordinance, but has the life of God within them through the Holy Spirit.
The final feast day (tabernacles) falls on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. As you are probably anticipating, there is a significant event in development on this date as well. On the fifteenth day, the lungs in a normal child are fully developed and can sustain life without difficulty if born early.
Birth Pangs and the
Restoration of all Things
There is one step in development that Zola Levitt did not
discuss but I believe the Bible addresses. If the plan of God is coming to
maturity as a child in the womb as it coincides with the feast days, the birth
must follow after development. As a child’s delivery nears, birth pangs begin.
The pangs start slowly and increase in intensity until the mother is
overwhelmed with temporary grief. The birth is very traumatic but is followed
by complete joy. The Bible compares the coming of the New Creation of God to
the birth of a child in many places. Begin by looking at Romans 8:22-23
22 For we know that the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption
of our body.
This passage in Romans uses a metaphor that is
easier understood when compared to the description that Jesus gave His
disciples. Jesus compared the pain His disciples will endure to the pains of a
woman in labor. The purpose of using this analogy was to both prepare His
disciples to endure and to give them hope. What seems like great sorrow is
actually the final steps in the fulfillment of God’s plan which is leading to
complete joy for His people. Consider Matthew 24:3-13
3 And as he sat upon the mount of
Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall
these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the
end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name,
saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the
beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to
be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my
name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall
rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved.
The church must follow the doctrine of Jesus and
prepare His people to endure tribulation with hope in His promises. This was
taught only a few days before He was crucified. As the cross drew near, Jesus
gave the most important instructions to His disciples. He stated that He did
not tell them these things before because He was with them, but now that He is
going away, it was time to give these instructions[xxii].
Jesus instructed His disciples concerning the fall of
Jesus encourages us that we should not allow our
hearts to be troubled because His peace He leaves with us[xxiv]. The
Bible also instructs us that we should not be anxious for anything but through
prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving we give our requests and concerns to
God. Then the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding will guard
our hearts and minds as we set our minds on the things God has given us through
His word[xxv]. So
it is through the lens of faith by the Spirit that we must view the troubles of
life so that we see the hope being brought to us through these things. Jesus
then compares these troubles with labor pangs. Look at John 16:20-22
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be
sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail
hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the
child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the
world.
22 And ye now therefore have
sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no
man taketh from you.
The sorrow we may have to endure cannot overcome
us if we walk by faith and understand the arriving plan of God. We endure
through hope knowing that even though these are the beginnings of sorrows, we
do not let our hearts become troubled but find joy in the hope He has revealed.
Jesus instructed His disciples (of which we are a part) that we should not let
our hearts be troubled even though the end times will produce more tribulation
than that which was since the foundation of the world[xxvi].
Tribulation cannot rob the Christian of joy for even though Jesus foretold that
we would have to endure great persecution, He also explained that even in
sorrow, no one can take our joy. Happiness is a temporary excitement that only
occurs when something gives us pleasure or when we get what we want. Happiness
fades very quickly and is dependent on new excitement and temporary pleasure.
Joy on the other hand is not dependent on circumstances but it comes from the
hope of God that does not disappoint for it is given by the Holy Spirit to
those who walk by faith[xxvii]. Joy
comes from the knowledge of hope as we endure with great expectation for the
promises of God.
Even in tribulation the Christian has hope and we
press on because of the joy set before us. We are instructed to remain focused
on Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Just as He endured the
cross for the hope set before Him, we also endure because of the hope set before
us[xxviii].
The hope before us can be found in Revelation 21:3-5
3 And I heard a great voice out of
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these
words are true and faithful.
So as the delivery of this promise draws near, we
have been foretold that the world will have increasingly more pain as that day
approaches like a woman who travails in labor. The book of Revelation reveals
the increasing intensity of these pangs as the promise draws near for the
believer. Regardless of the pain, when the promise comes, we will no longer
remember the pain for the joy that has passed from hope to sight. Throughout
the New Testament believers are encouraged to endure hardship and Jesus
promised that those who live godly in this world will suffer persecution. The
joy of God’s blessings are not found in possessions or a life of pleasure that
will all pass away; our blessing is the fellowship with God and the promises
that we see through His word.
How could the prophets have known that God would tuck away this symbolism in the feast days seeing that it would not be known until this modern time? Truly all of creation testifies to the glory of God.
In the book ‘Cosmic Codes’, Chuck Missler makes an amazing observation. This book has an interesting study on the names of the generations of Adam. Many times in the scripture you see that the name given to a child is prophetic. In the genealogy from Adam to Noah we see this also. Here is the Hebrew interpretation of the meaning of the names from Adam to Noah:
Hebrew / English translation:
Adam - Man
Seth - Appointed
Enosh - Mortal
Kenan - Sorrow
Mahalalel - The Blessed God
Jared - Shall come down
Enoch - Teaching
Methuselah - His death shall bring
Lamech - Despairing
Noah - Rest, or comfort.
If you read the meanings as a sentence, you get:
Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (and) His death shall bring (the) despairing (to) rest.
Or as 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 states it:
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Matthew 11:28 adds to the completion of this testimony:
Come unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Through Adam, we all suffer and are appointed to death, but through Christ we are made alive and the door is open for us to enter into God’s rest. So we can see that the names given to the generations leading up to the flood were a foreshadowing of the coming salvation through Christ. Likewise, the ark is also a symbol of salvation in Christ. God called many to deliverance, but only eight souls responded and entered the ark. These were delivered from the judgment of God that punished the whole world. Those who believed God were saved by faith, not because of any merit on their part.
Genesis and the rest of the first five books of the Old Testament are called the Torah. The Torah is considered to be sacred to the same Jewish priests, scribes and Pharisees that rejected Jesus and plotted His crucifixion. Yet many times their own sacred scriptures point directly to Christ. The generations of Adam lead directly to the ark and the meaning of the names point directly to Christ.
Since Jesus was not yet revealed, there is no way the prophets could have conspired to produce such an amazing testimony that pointed directly to Jesus Christ.
The Bible does indeed use many symbols throughout its pages and this should not be thought to be a cause of suspicion, but rather it serves as evidence to its divine origins as well as something that guides us to understand a connection to God’s foreordained plan. The book of Revelation is filled with symbolism that is intended to point us back to truths revealed elsewhere in the Bible. For example, the Old Testament temple had twenty-four elders that tended to its service. This foretells of the twenty-four elders that will sit on the throne with Christ in Revelation 4:4.
In Exodus 27, God gives instructions to make the breastplate
worn by the priest during their service for the people. Each of the tribes was
given a different precious stone to represent that group of people. In
Revelation all the stones that were on the breastplate are used to describe the
glory for
It has been claimed that the zodiac was originally a
testimony to the works of God and some books go on to attempt to explain this.
Since I haven’t read these books I can’t state anything for or against them;
however, we do know that God stated that all creation testifies to His glory.
If the sun spends three days in the Southern Cross in order for creation to
proclaim God’s foreordained plan, we should not see that as a problem. Clearly
God hid this from mankind for 1500 years so that it was not integrated into
worship. Astrology is a corruption much like any other form of idolatry. The
testimony of creation should be viewed as just that – a testimony. We as
Christians see the proclamation of God throughout creation, but it only serves
to encourage us. We do not worship creation or any of the hosts of heaven.
Those who integrate creation into worship fall into the error of those who
change the truth of God into a lie as described in Romans 1:25
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
The word ‘creature’ is the Greek word ‘ktisis’ which means creation. God never allows man to worship creation on any level and He has also warned that we never make anything that has an appearance like angels, God, any of the host of heaven, or any living creature to be integrate it into our worship[xxix]. Even something that symbolizes God or anything in heaven cannot be brought into our worship. If we bring in any likeness of anything in heaven, we have slipped into idolatry. There are those who say that images help them to focus on God, but in reality it is causing them to create a mental image of God after the likeness of creation rather than God. We cannot worship through an object and we cannot approach worship based on our own ideas. Worship must be according to God’s design or it is no longer worship. Imagery that God forbids can never lead us into true worship.
Pagan religions have always done this and we have been instructed not to do as the heathen do in worship. This is also why so much biblical symbolism is found in pagan religions. Paganism takes the symbolism and makes it the object of worship. Sometimes it is a subtle shift, but when our focus in worship is drawn to something created, idolatry inevitably follows. It is amazing that when there is a similarity between the Bible and paganism, critics immediately accuse the Bible of borrowing from paganism even though all the evidence points in the other direction.
Let us take a moment and consider the overall view of what we have been learning about paganism and the Bible. The critics of the Bible argue that the Bible borrowed from paganism, but the evidence clearly points to paganism as the plagiarists instead of the Bible. Consider the ideas communicated in pagan mythology. Pagans worshipped the sun and other events of nature and tried to explain them through mythology. Pagan mythology states that an evil god and a good god are warring for daylight. In the evening the evil god drives away the sun and in the morning the good god wins the victory in this never ending battle for light. There are gods to explain lightening; gods to explain the moon; gods to explain birth; gods to explain plant growth and so on.
If the Bible borrowed from pagan myths, why are there no
pagan gods in the Bible? There is not one account of a god of the moon, god of clouds,
god of sun or any other event. Why is it that there is not one pagan god found
in scripture? This is despite the fact that
In
each case where the Bible is accused of borrowing from religions, we see that
the evidence is fabricated or the Bible predates the emergence of similar ideas
in paganism. We have already looked at many things through our examination of
the claims of several bible critics, but we can also see this in Greek
mythology. In high school I took a mythology class and was surprised to see
stories similar to several biblical accounts. For example, in the Bible John
criticizes the Pharisees for trusting that they were automatically in God’s
will because they were descendents of Abraham. John states the following in Matthew 3:9
And think not to say
within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you,
that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
The
Greeks integrated something similar in mythology by saying that Pyrrha and Deukalion
cast stones over their shoulders to create men to populate the earth. There are
other examples of the Romans merging other religions (including biblical
accounts) into mythology but this is not unexpected. This is spoken of in Acts 17:16-21
16 Now while Paul waited for them
at
17 Therefore disputed he in the
synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily
with them that met with him.
18 Then certain philosophers of the
Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this
babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods:
because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
19 And they took him, and brought
him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou
speakest, is?
20 For thou bringest certain
strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (For all the Athenians and
strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to
tell, or to hear some new thing.)
These men who believed in gods and were given to idolatry
also looked constantly for someone to tell them some new thing that they would
then bring into their philosophies and religions which were then retold. The Areopagus
was also called Mars Hill where the Romans believed that twelve gods held a
trial to judge Mars for killing Halirrhothius, the son of
So it isn’t hard to see why so many Christian teachings made it into Roman mythology during the first century. These men who were always looking for something new picked out the parts of Christianity that they felt were interesting and brought it into mythology. Some received the message of the gospel and others held to their pagan beliefs. Those who turned to Christ were repeatedly urged by Paul to turn from idolatry and cling to Christ alone. Knowing this, it should not be hard to see how pagan mythology in antiquity borrowed the Jewish scriptures and slipped them into their own beliefs. We also know from scripture’s testimony that the Jews who turned to idolatry also brought some scriptural ideas into their own pagan practices. This would affect paganism, but it does not detract from the scriptures themselves. The scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments stand against idolatry and confront and condemn those who attempt to serve God while practicing paganism.
The scriptures even confront the church that tried to
integrate faith through Christ into the keeping of the Law of Moses. Once the
Law was fulfilled by Jesus, it was a sin and denial of the faith to return
again to the Law. Look at Galatians 3:1-3
1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that
ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been
evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun
in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
This was in response to Christians who were submitting
themselves to be circumcised in order to be saved. After receiving salvation by
faith, they were caught up in false teachings that told them that they must
also keep the Old Testament Law in order to be saved. Circumcision was an act
of the flesh that was a foreshadowing of faith in Christ. In the Old Testament,
God’s people entered the covenant of God’s promise by having the flesh of their
foreskins cut away as a symbolic ordinance. Jeremiah 4:4 explains to the Old
Testament believers that true circumcision was of the heart even though the
ordinance was carried out in the flesh. After Christ, the Christian is
circumcised in the heart by the removing of the bondage of our flesh so that we
enter into a new covenant by being born again into the Spirit. This is
explained in Colossians 2:11-15
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the
flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in
your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with
him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having
spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing
over them in it.
To bring in anything that points away from Christ is a form of idolatry and the Bible warned them that if they did so, they would have fallen from grace[xxx]. Each time man attempts to add to the doctrines of scripture, God rebukes the practice and points back to the right way. If God will not allow His people to return to the Law that came before Christ, He certainly will rebuke any attempt to return to pagan practices that He has called His people out of. So rather than seeing the Bible invaded by paganism, we see paganism borrowing from the Bible. The Lord has always protected His word but there is nothing to protect paganism or maintain its consistency through the ages. Pagan religions can be shown to evolve and change over the centuries, but the Bible has not changed. The discovery of older manuscripts stands as a testimony that the word we have today is consistent with the word of God in antiquity. The same cannot be said about any pagan religion.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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[i] Isaiah 43:10
[ii] 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
[iii] 2 Corinthians 11:4
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Matthew 5:17
[vi] 1 Corinthians 2:14
[vii] 1 John 2:27
[viii] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[ix] 1 Corinthians 2:14
[x] 2 Peter 1:20
[xi] 2 Timothy 2:15
[xii] 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11, Romans 1:18-19
[xiii] Daniel 2:48
[xiv] Nehemiah 4:17
[xv] Zechariah 9:9
[xvi] Luke 2:13-18
[xvii] Luke 2:25-32, and 2:37-38
[xviii] 1 Corinthians 5:20-21
[xix] 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16
[xx] Hebrews 7:17
[xxi] Hebrews 10:10-13
[xxii] John 16:4
[xxiii] John chapters 14 and 15
[xxiv] John 14:27
[xxv] Philippians 4:6-8
[xxvi] Matthew 24:21
[xxvii] Romans 5:2-5
[xxviii] Hebrews 12:2-3
[xxix] Exodus 20:4-5
[xxx] Galatians 5:4