Armageddon, har and megiddo, an action or a place

Armageddon:

Fact or Fiction?

What is Armageddon, when will it happen and what will happen?

Armageddon is often thought of as being a huge, violent event on a global scale, whether it be a natural disaster such as earthquakes, tidal waves, asteroids, volcanoes, or plagues, or something less natural like alien invasion or nuclear war.

In the article of 'The Bible Study' the authors look at what the Bible tells us about Armageddon, it's perhaps not quite what you think!

+

The Apocalypse is a Greek transliteration of our word revelation, and apokálypsis simply means unveiling or uncovering, or as is the case of the last book of the New Testament, The Revelation.
Armageddon only appears in the Bible once. That’s in Revelation 16:16.

And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. (Rev 16:16)

This word Armageddon comes from the Ancient Greek, Harmagedon and will be according to the Book of Revelation, the site of a battle during the end times, with some interpreting it as literal and others interpreting it as a symbolic location. It will be the battle when God sends Jesus and all the saints to battle against the nations that come against Israel.

There are a couple of thoughts as to where the word comes from, one of them being that it is made up of two Hebrew words, har and megiddo, meaning “mountain of Megiddo”.
Megiddo is mentioned twelve times in the Old Testament, ten times in reference to the ancient city and twice in reference to the plains of Megiddo. None of the Old Testament passages describe Megiddo as being associated with any particular prophecy which you would think likely if it was to be the scene for the battle at the end of the world. Neither is there a mountain at Megiddo, there is a range of hills, but not a mountain. Megiddo is in the north of Israel some 50 miles from Jerusalem.

Some conclude that Armageddon is symbolic place rather than a physical place because there are no mountains of Megiddo, only plains. Others think that the word is more likely to be har moed, or the mountain of assembly, which would then refer to Mount Sinai, and therefore to its replacement at Mount Zion, in Jerusalem.
But, as it was originally a Hebrew word we should perhaps we should be looking more carefully at the word in the Hebrew language. As there is only one letter ‘d’, it might be more correct to break it down in to ‘arma’ which is a heap of sheaves, ‘ge’ which is valley and ‘don’ which means judgement.
That translates as the nations will be gathered together as heaps of sheaves in the valley of judgement.

> Continue reading: 

Armageddon: Fact or Fiction?

+++

Related articles

• "Battle of Armageddon?"
• Caesarea, Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth, Galilee - Netanya, Israel
• When the Judge Calls His Court to Order
• Revelation and Reality
• The End of the World
• when JESUS returns to ISRAEL
• How We'd (Hopefully) Halt Armageddon

One God the Father, a compendium of essays

Available from www.lulu.com/willowpublications

One God, the Father (Ed. T. Gaston, sponsored by the Christadelphian EJournal of Biblical Interpretation (www.christadelphian-ejbi.org), and published January 2013, 310 pages, £8.99)

Synopsis

One God, the Father is a compendium of essays about Biblical Monotheism. It explores the continuity of monotheism from the Old Testament presentation of God through to the Synoptic Gospels, the writings of Paul and John. It traces the development of Christian ideas about God from the original, biblical, monotheism to the emergence of the doctrine of the triune God, a doctrine that has dominated Christian thought ever since. It describes thinkers and communities, both historical and contemporary, who have held to Biblical Monotheism, often in the face of significant opposition. It also explores the implications of Biblical Monotheism for Christian doctrine and practice.

Essays and contributors are:

PART ONE: THE BIBLE

One God: The Shema in the Old and New Testament (J. Adey)

Jewish Monotheism in the First Century (A. Perry)

Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels (P. Heavyside)

Jesus in John’s Writings (P. Wyns)

Jesus and Paul: A Summary of Pauline Christology (J. Thorpe)

The Holy Spirit (M. Allfree)

PART TWO: HISTORY

After the Apostles (T. Gaston)

The Trinity in the Fourth Century (D. Burke)

Before the Reformation: Medieval Christianity (K. Stewart)

Biblical Monotheism in the Radical Reformation (J. Andrews)

Antitrinitarian Textual Criticism in Early Modern Europe (S. Snobelen)

Biblical Monotheism in the Nineteenth Century (A. Wilson)

Biblical Monotheism Today (R. Hyndman)

PART THREE: DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE

Manifestation or Incarnation? (A. Perry)

Monotheism and the Atonement (R. Benson)

Worship, Prayer and Jesus (M. Morris)

> One God, the Father By Tom Gaston (Ed)

Te Ouderwetse Kerkgemeenschap reden tot verlaten

Jaap Marinus deed vorig jaar een onderzoek naar Grote Woorden in protestantse kerken en legde de verbinding met kerkverlating. Bijna zevenhonderd christenen, twijfelaars en atheïsten vulden de vragenlijst in.

Uit de vele, vaak uitgebreide antwoorden op de open vragen, heeft hij vijftien oorzaken van kerkverlating gefilterd.

Kerken sluiten massaal de deuren, maar er zijn ook gemeenschappen die juist explosief groeien. Daarom verstaat hij onder kerkverlating iedereen die een kerk verlaat, ongeacht of er een nieuwe gemeenschap gevonden wordt of niet.

De twee grootste oorzaken,
1. Verhuizing +
2. Kerkgemeenschap te ouderwets

behandelt hij in:

De grootste oorzaak van kerkverlating: ouderwetse kerkdiensten #onderzoek

Gerelateerd:

• Onderzoek #CHEde: Grote Woorden oorzaak van kerkverlating?

Shelter in the morning

"Do not say, 'It is morning,' and dismiss it with a name of yesterday.
See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name."
- Rabindranath Tagore

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."
Psalm 143:8

“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,
but for the heart to conquer it.”
- Rabindranath Tagore

Cover of Rabindranath Tagore

+++

Related articles

• A Moments Indulgence
• Quote of the Day
• Satyajit Ray showed bold presentation of Rabindranath Tagore's Ghare Bhaire.
• Handwriting Analysis: Rabindranath Tagore
• Rabindranath Tagore
• The memories will never die.
• "Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it."
• Daily Snap: Pink

Engaging the enemy

A a sold out, born again chaser of Christ write on his blog sheanwages:

You want to start winning the war, you have to start engaging the enemy.  The best weapon against hate, Love.  Don’t attack someone because a lifestyle choice is sinful, you are probably in sin too.  Instead why not work together to seek out salvation just like the scripture tells us to?  The church is not a building, the church is us – and it reflects, or should reflect the mind of Christ as we are his hands and feet here.

Christ Church in Newton, New Jersey, United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Continue reading:

And do everything with Love…

Related articles

• And do everything with Love...
• If Not Christ
• Pastors as Shepherds or 'Culture' Trend Setters?
• Tim Blanks 'In Fashion' Interview with SHOWstudio
• Disciplemaking is Imitation
• Christ of The Minerva - Juliana Harn
• The language of politics and the Church: the Mind of Christ
• If Christ Finally Came

Abrahamic Faith Gathering – July 22 – July 28, 2013

The Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith (CGAF) is pleased to announce the 38th Annual Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith Gathering to be held July 22 to July 28, 2013 at Denison University in the charming town of Granville, Ohio. The theme for this year’s conference is Psalm 130:

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Details:

• Fellowship with brethren from near and far
• Private, secluded campus
• Suites w/kitchenettes & 2 bathrooms (limited availability)
• Air-conditioned rooms for those with medical need
• Full range of classes for children/teens
• Swimming pool, gym, volleyball, golf outing
• Free, professionally staffed nursery
• Reduced rates for seniors/fixed incomes
• Confidential financial aid available
• Monthly payment option
• Golf cart transportation provided
• Free shuttle service to and from Columbus airport
• Special dietary needs fulfilled
• Evening programs for musical praise
• Evening talks on the theme passage
• Afternoon Bible discussions

Date: July 22 – July 28, 2013
Location: Denison University – Granville, Ohio [Click here for Google Maps Location]
Speakers:

• Ken Curry: “Stewardship: Guiding Principle of a Godly Life”
• Joe Fordham: “Judgment and Discernment”
• Alan Curtis: “Forgive Us as We Forgive”

• Monday, July 22 at 1:30 p.m. Slayter Hall – Brother/Sisters Conference:
  Brother’s topic: “Seeing God Today”
  Sisters’ topic: TBA

Registration:
Registration forms for the Gathering will be available in late March 2013 either by mail or on our website (see link below. In the meantime, you can visit our website to listen to or download all the main classes from previous gatherings. – Brother Brad Rek, Abrahamic Faith Gathering Committee Secretary.
[Click here for the Online Registration Form]
Gathering Website: [www.abrahamicfaithgathering.org]

Related articles

• Psalm Chapter 130
• Realize
• Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 130
• Forgive Like God

A dialogue about the earth moving and spinning around the sun

The dangerous dialogue

Galileo’s groundbreaking book is finally translated into Dutch – and it’s a good read

There are some persistent misunderstandings about the Italian physicist Galileo Galilei and his historic “argument” with the Catholic Church. After his trial for heresy in 1633, in which he was condemned to house arrest for the rest of his life, 69-year-old Galilei is said to have uttered the famous phrase: “And yet it moves.”

Almost four centuries have passed since the trial, and the idea has become generally accepted that Galilei was a true martyr of science, prosecuted by the Inquisition and, according to many historians, even tortured. Some say that it was not only Galilei who stood trial, but science in general.

In reality, Galilei was put under house arrest in his Tuscan villa, where he could spend the rest of his life (he died nine years later) in relative luxury. The subject of the trial, a book, was put on the infamous Index, the church’s list of forbidden books, from which it was only removed in 1835.

English: * Description: Tomb of Galileo Galilei (Location: Santa Croce, Florence, Italy.) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That “pagan” book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, was originally written in Italian in 1632. Only now, after nearly 400 years, has it been translated into Dutch.

In Dialogue, Galilei introduced his “new” world view, with the earth moving and spinning around the sun – taking away the former status of the earth as centre of the universe. It was a clear rejection of the philosophy of Aristotle, which was, in Galilei’s time, the main theory on how nature worked.

“Above all, Galilei wrote his book in a very understandable manner, so that even the common man could understand his ideas,” says Hans van den Berg, who has translated the Dialogue into Dutch. “Maybe that was why the church was so concerned about it. Also, the original is in Italian and not in Latin, which made this book accessible for everyone in Italy who could read – and not only for academics and priests who understood Latin.”

Revolutionary reading

A replica of the earliest surviving telescope attributed to Galileo Galilei, on display at the Griffith Observatory. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Presumably it takes a background in science, not just linguistic expertise, to translate a book like this? “Yes, I trained as a scientist,” explains Van den Berg. He lectured for decades in mathematics at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands until he retired a few years ago. “In 2001, I started to learn Italian as a hobby, which led to training to become a professional translator.”

And what, according to Van den Berg, makes the Dialogue so special? “First of all, it’s the content: Galilei gives fierce opposition to the theory of Aristotle, who was at that time the Catholic Church’s ‘house philosopher’. The science in this book really was revolutionary. Galilei’s ideas about movement, speed and acceleration were totally new – and, most importantly, they were backed up by evidence, thanks to the many observations he made with his self-constructed telescopes.”

And the book is, says the Dutch translator, “astonishingly well written. Galilei limited the pure maths to a minimum. And, like the title says, he wrote in a highly polemical way. He presents his ideas during a fictional discussion between three people: Salviati, who shares Galilei’s point of view; Sagredo, a neutral moderator; and Simplicio, a dedicated follower of Aristotle.” As you might have guessed, simplicio means “simpleton” in Italian.

Mural of Galileo Galilei (Photo credit: Children of the Concrete)

“As the discussion progresses, Salviati has no mercy with Simplicio’s arguments, and in some excerpts he just makes a fool of him,” continues Van den Berg. “It was this merciless style of writing that got Galilei into trouble. In the years before the publication of the Dialogue, he had quite a good relationship with Pope Urban VIII. So if he had written his ideas in a more conciliatory way, he might have avoided a trial – however, we can’t know for sure. Nevertheless, thanks to his polemical style, Galilei’s Dialogue remains one of the cornerstones of Italian literature – quite exceptional for a science book.”

Senne Starckx 

 

+++

 

Related articles

• Vatican seeks to rebrand its relationship with science
• How different is science and magic?
• How different is science from magic?
• HumanistLife : Vatican seeks to rebrand its relationship with science
• Are great scientists always heretics?
• Vatican seeks to rebrand its relationship with science
• The Earth Is an Interesting Place by Axj
• Help! I've just been savaged by a toothless American bulldog.
• Europe gets 1st fix from its own satnav system
• Prospects in Observational Astronomy