Exodus 27 ~ it is to be square

Acacia tree and Acacia wood



The Table - made and shown today in Israel by the Temple Institute
The Lampstand made by Temple Institute. Today in Jerusalem Museum for Temple Institute
The Altar of Incense - Temple Institute

Relief of King Darius of Babylon and slaves (Link to Scripture of the Day)
Gate of Ishtar in Ancient Babylon (Link Scripture for Today)
Rebuilding of the Second Temple went on for centuries, this is a model (Link Scripture for Today). Although the Second Temple was given the listed Temple Treasures back, the Babylonian king could not return the Ark of the Covenant, because it has already been hidden and never was in the Second Temple. It's interesting the First Temple, built by Solomon, simply stood while the Ark was there, but the Second Temple was always being destroyed by war, or remodeled.


 Jerusalem falls in 70 A.D. to Titus, this would have been about the end of Jesus' natural life on earth.
Model of the Coliseum, built from the money taken out of Jerusalem by Emperor Titus.
The Arch of Titus in Rome today.
Relief carved on the Arch of Titus showing the Truimph after the destruction of Jerusalem, these are the Temple Tools, but not the Ark of the Covenant. After 1,935 years, Roman Jews proudly walked under the Titus Arch, for the first time, because Israel was again a nation, May 14, 1948.
About the 3rd to 4th century AD, the Jews collected enough money to rebuild the Temple, but the building was destroyed by earthquake while still in construction. Then war.

How the relief appears today - 2,000 years later.

Exodus 27

“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

9 “Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, 10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 11 The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

12 “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. 13 On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. 14 Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, 15 and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases.

16 “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer—with four posts and four bases. 17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. 18 The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. 19 All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.



According to talk radio tonight, the "people who would believe an aramaic papyrus of doubtful origins and authorship - translated through ten languages or more - centuries old - have" issues.

I'm thinking... the talk radio speaker, tonight, on Free Talk Live, might accept what is put in front of him, without finding what wind stirs the soul, invigorates the mind, tickles the sense of mystery and serves to advance an honest mind.

For instance - J.I. Packer - James Innell Packer (born 22 July 1926) is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North America.

Sounds hep up.
However.

J.I. Packer has fought for the New Testament with the courage of those willing to face the lions and sing. He was defrocked in his eighties, (striped of his rights and retirement after six decades) from a major denomination, for proclaiming his belief in the Word of God.

Perhaps Free Talk Live might be intrigued by this C.S. Lewis (Narnia) student, who was willing to kick the lawgivers enough to bring such anger to an old 'Don'. Raise your hand if you're in favor of firing someone in their eighties publicly.

And J.I. Packer has a knack of reading ancient aramaic and bringing us the English Standard Version of the Bible. Well worth the investigation before the rush to judgment. And Oh. The Follow UP Potential.

What these ol' things? Pure gold. 
From where? Oh, Egypt. The gold the Egyptians gave the slave as recorded in the Ipuwer Papyrus housed in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden.
Documentation found on the Exodus? A few items not covered over like Mao. 
The Exodus. Circa 1447-1446 B.C. connects when the words Joseph, Israel, Goshen, Yahweh appear in tax records and official Egyptian documents. 

[1. In Ramses II's topographical list (ca.1275 BC) the place-name "Jacob-El" (#9) appears again (ANET 1969, 242; Simons 1937). The first appearance was in Thutmose III's list. This means that this city of Jacob has been around for two hundred years. Another interesting name that was found is yhw which is "Yahweh" in Hebrew (Horn 1953, 201; Giveon 1964, 244). 

2. It seems abundantly clear from all these topographical lists concerning Canaan that the Hebrews were in Canaan at this time, but they did not use the name "Israel" until there league of tribes was well formed by the time of Merneptah.

3. On a statue-base of Amenhotep III at Kom el Hetan which is the funerary temple of Amenhotep III there is a topographical list with the place-name Yspir (Series a:1; Kitchen 1965, 2). This is the same name translated "Joseph-El" in Thutmose III's Topographical list (ANET 1969, 242). After Yspir in both lists the place-name Rkd appears (Series a:2 in Amenhotep III's list, and #79 in Thutmose III's list; Simons 1937, 112). Rkd is the same place-name as Ruhizzi in the El Amarna letters (EA 53:36, 56; EA 5426; EA 56:26; EA 191:2; Rainey 1982, 354). The ruler of Ruhizzi is Arsawuya who seems to be located in northern Palestine or southern Syria (EA 53:36, 56; Moran, 125)]



Temple Tools are recorded again in 500 B.C. being carried out by King Nebuchadnezzar. Sustainable facts for reporting? Try the Museums. Complete Documentation of the Babylonian Exile as paralleled in - Scripture. Israel driven down into total annihilation and brought back to life by a character almost from the movie "The 300." That particular king was completely covered up and discredited by bureaucrats. Check this out as well. Except we took a historical leap there of a few feet. (Hollywood style.)

The Temple Tools? Returned by Emperor Darius. He took a shine to the God of the Hebrews and wanted that Good God to be restored. His funeral etching in the side of cliff is an ancient shape - recognizable today...

So the next time we hear about the Temple Tools - Arch of Titus - which is - very visible today in Rome. Matter of fact,Benjamin Netanyahu, got a tip from one of the finest espionage sources in the world - and went to see Pope John Paul II - asking for the Vatican Archive return of an unnamed Temple Tool - still intact from Moses.

So Free Talk Live - you are a reporter - find out.

P.S. The author of the Bible probably never went on Caribbean holiday - and tells us about Jesus during the Big Bangs of Genesis 1. Paul spoke about this in the first century. (The illiterate fisherman - ha.) Saying a day to God is - thousands of years.

Proverbs 8:27
When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep

Father God -
Give us the day! The wonders of Your eternal Word in Jesus. Amen! 

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Matthew 16:18 ~ Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church

Matthew 16:18 

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Jesus just did NOT kid around with prophetic Word.  

 Jesus took His Disciples to the city, the Herod brown nose built city of Caesarea for this day of Peter being named a rock.

  Jesus and His Disciples, James Tissot

Recently, it was pointed out to me that the word for rock here is the aramaic for pebble. That's right. God using what is weak and fallible to become strong for 2 millenniums. And 80 feet below the altar was an amazing find.


Imagine:

Indiana Jones style. A Pope dies. Long live the new Pope. He begins to realize that we need a new place to bury the Popes in a row, like display. Perfect place... under the Vatican. And voila the city of Rome appears during Emperor Constantine. Even the wooden doors appear.

In 1939, Pius XII began an underground excavation to organize the space into a proper underground chapel for the bones of the popes. By 1941, it had become clear that a major area of archaeological importance had been discovered. A whole street of tombs came to light, some 300 feet long, with tombs on both sides.

After more that 25 years of research, Paul VI shared his knowledge and his joy with the world on 26th June 1968: the bones of St. Peter, the rock, had been found. On the evening of the 27th, at a ceremony before the aedicula attended by the Pope, Professors Guarducci and Correnti, the bones were restored to the loculus in the Graffiti Wall. A short prayer was said and the shrine to Peter was closed off from the street of tombs by a heavy wrought iron gate.

The Graffiti Wall was very similar to the wall found in Peter's house in Capernaum ~ it declared: "Petr[os] en[i]", "Peter is here within". Alpha and omega combinations were present, as references to Christ, but they were also found in reverse order, signifying Christ's role as the gateway to eternal life. Alpha and omega might also be separated from each other and connected by a thin line. Other letters signified other mysteries: tau indicated the cross, epsilon stood for Eden and nu for "nika", victory. But most important of all, curious combinations of rho and pi were references to the apostle Peter. Not only did Guarducci uncover the spiritual richness and hunger of those who visited the Graffiti Wall, she revealed that there were no fewer than twenty references to Peter on it.

Most important of all, the remains of an elderly man, aged between 60 and 70 of robust stature with the feet missing. Peter was crucified upside down and removed from the cross without his feet. The bones also had traces of earth clinging to them, showing that they had once been interred in the ground. When Correnti carried out tests on the soil beneath the aedicula it provided a perfect match. And finally, mingling with the bones from the loculus were the slightest traces of a distinctive garment: purple in colour and containing fine strands of gold thread. Under Constantine, early in the fourth century, the bones were taken out, wrapped in an expensive purple and gold cloth as a sign of their revered status.

Sceptics do not agree that these are the bones of Peter, but faith is of substance unseen.

Basilica of Saint Peter today.

Altar of the Vatican, where Peter's bones are 80" underneath, The Vatican was built upon Peter's grave.

What does a relatively large house in ancient Capernaum have in common with the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano? They are both the homes of Peter, who loved and followed Jesus Christ. Both the house in Capernaum and the 2nd century grave site have the same graffiti proclaiming this is Peter, follower of Jesus. Where is the 2nd century grave located?

Important Dirt analysis agree and decades of archaeological studies and historical documents of Emperor Constantine - this is Peter's remains 80 feet below the altar.


Basilica of St. Peter from 331 until 17th century A.D. It was destroyed by a fire.

G is the representation of the foundation of the 4th century Church, the rest is beneath the foundation - as it would have appeared in the 4th century.

Overview of Peter's area. The undisturbed 4th century shrine for Paul's remains, built by Constantine.

Several excavated streets under the Vatican. Surrounded by tombs of the 2nd and 3rd century.

Peter's grave is 80 feet down, it took 10 years of amazing discoveries before they reached the Peter's area; most bodies clearly identified by name, art, poetry, mosaics, statuary. Pius knew they had rediscovered Peter's bones in the 2nd century grave, surrounded by the 4th century shrine built by Constantine.
Peter's bones were kept in a box. His bones were different than the others because they contained one man, wrapped in remains of purple cloth with gold thread, a tile saying "Peter is here" in Greek, was found in the box.

How the 4th century shrine appeared in 1949.

Compared to the descriptions of Constantine in  the 300s A.D.

c. 1966 the remains of Peter's house in Capernaum, Israel. Similar graffiti as Paul's tomb.

Here is the actual  'rock' slab ceiling that kept these particular bones - intact.

The slab 'rock' that kept out moisture, thieves. Slab (a rock) helping to preserve Peter's body when the others around him were already dust.

The red wall with graffiti saying this is Peter, follower of Jesus Christ. Identical art found to Peter's home in Capernaum.

Original 2nd century tomb the 4th century tomb surrounded.

The discovered bones were found in the repository wall and later returned.

Caravaggio, Peter on the cross

1 Peter 3:14-16a
But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience

Darker bones are the remaining bones of Peter.
Photos of Peter's bones.


Peter's tomb today, located under the altar in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Italy.

Glory to God the Father for times we need more assurances. Glory to Jesus, the friend, the Savior of Peter and the world. Glory to the Holy Spirit, helping Peter to follow God's plan.

We begin our story with Jesus

Matthew 4:19
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We still agree in the end of the Gospels and this post - this is still about Jesus.

John 21:19
19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus knew where Peter would be buried, He knew where His Church would grow therefore He took Peter to Caesarea to give him the prophesy:

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.



Peter's final resting place was rediscovered in the 1939 dig; began when Pope Pius XI died and there wasn't a good place to bury him. The workmen of Pope Pius XII discovered it wasn't going to just be pagan people underneath the floors of the Basilica. After 10 years of amazing discoveries, most bodies clearly identified by name, art, poetry, mosaics, statuary, Pius knew they had probably rediscover Peter's bones in the 2nd century grave surrounded by the 4th century shrine built by Constantine. Pius decided they would wait until the evidence looked completely irrefutable, they waited until December 23, 1950, when Pius told the world.

From 1939 to 1964, conclusions the scientists decided were:

- An"elderly man" between sixty and seventy years, about five feet seven inches tall, of heavy build, a man of robust constitution. Missing the feet bones. The bones had lain - and for a considerable period of time - in a bare earth grave. (Peter had been martyred, buried as a criminal). All these bones, it appeared, at some time after dissolution of the flesh, had been taken from the earth and wrapped in a purplish, gold-threaded cloth. Enclosed was a plaque /tile with two Greek words "Petros Eni." Peter is here.

- Many, many of the tombs had bodies that had already turned to dust, the bones of Peter were amazing in their completion. There was even water in the area, which had been a problem to the Basilica for centuries. A single, huge outcropping of rock had preserved the carefully cared for remains.

- Sumptuous marble housing erected by Constantine, in the 4th century, over the 2nd century tomb, was intended to preserve forever both the true original grave of Peter's remains. It has never been tampered or violated.

- Soil adhering to the bones in the repository proved they had originally been interred in the earth. Chemical analysis proved that this soil exactly matched the soil in the original grave under the monument.

- The bones, where as others in the vicinity contained a lot of different types of bones thrown together, these were the carefully preserved bones of one man, missing the feet. In the repository, they had been wrapped in cloth of royal purple, an indication of the unusually high dignity accorded. Threads of gold in the cloth reinforced this impression, since the combination of purple and gold was a fact well attested from antiquity as indicating imperial honors. The robe was older than 4th century.

- An inscription within the repository, in Greek, declared "Peter is buried in here." Other inscriptions on the outside the repository, in Latin invoked his name in prayer.

- 2nd century Graffiti on the tomb's red wall was very similar to the graffiti in Peter's Capernaum house.

- Pope Damasus, in the fourth century, seriously encountered the problem of cemetery vandalism growing out of religious bigotry, it was a violent age. The repository in the sturdy little wall guarded against intrusions by permanently enclosing the precious remains on all sides.





One of the main scientists working on the archaeological dig:
http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Necropolis/MG/TheTombofStPeter-1.htm
THE TOMB OF ST. PETER
by Margherita Guarducci
© 1960, Hawthorn Books


The Bones of St. Peter. The First Full Account of the Search for the Apostle's Body by John Evangelist Walsh. © 1982. http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Necropolis/JW/TheBonesofStPeter-1.htm

It's interesting to see Peter's house (photograph above) is just the remains of a house. The Church - the Bride of Jesus Christ has amazing depth and splendor.

1 Peter 5 

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive!

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.


12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

So many amazing archaeological discoveries in the last 100 years. To name just a few: Dead Sea Scrolls, Lazarus' tomb in Spain, the entire Hittite Nation, the cities of Nineveh, Ur, Sodom and Gomorrah. Tile piece in Goliath's hometown with his name and David's name. The walls of Jericho. The walls of Babylon. The Capernaum Synagogue with Zebedee's name (father of disciples James and John) on a pillar. Written record of King David. King David's Palace found by description in the Bible for location. Many steeles ( antiquity plaques) found to confirm biblical fact written by other nations. Many, many artifacts in the Museum of Israel.

Blessed are You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus Christ. We pray Your blessings upon Your Churches honoring You and upon Your followers. The blessing each and every day of Guidance, Grace and Your Governing, in Jesus, Amen.

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Bishop Papias of Hierapolis, said Mark scribed Peter’s teachings. The Gospel of Mark were Peter's memories.

Bishop Papias of Hierapolis (60-130AD) repeated the testimony of the disciples of the Apostles who claimed Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome as he scribed the preaching of Peter (Ecclesiastical History Book 2 Chapter 15, Book 3 Chapter 30 and Book 6 Chapter 14). Papias wrote a five volume work entitled, “Interpretation of the Oracles of the Lord”. In this treatise (which no longer exists), he quoted someone he identified as John the elder:

“And the elder used to say this, Mark became Peter’s interpreter and wrote accurately all that he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the things said and done by the Lord. For he had not heard the Lord, nor had followed him, but later on, followed Peter, who used to give teaching as necessity demanded but not making, as it were, an arrangement of the Lord’s oracles, so that Mark did nothing wrong in thus writing down single points as he remembered them. For to one thing he gave attention, to leave out nothing of what he had heard and to make no false statements in them.”

Irenaeus said Mark wrote his Gospel from Peter’s teaching
In his book, “Against Heresies” (Book 3 Chapter 1), Irenaeus (130-200AD) also reported Mark penned his Gospel as a scribe for Peter, adding the following detail:

“Matthew composed His Gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul proclaimed the Gospel in Rome and founded the community. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, handed on his preaching to us in written form”

Justin identified Mark’s Gospel with Peter
Early Christian apologist, Justin Martyr, wrote “Dialogue with Trypho” (approximately 150AD) and included this interesting passage:

“It is said that He [Jesus] changed the name of one of the apostles to Peter; and it is written in his memoirs that He changed the names of others, two brothers, the sons of Zebedee, to Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’….”

Justin, therefore, identified a particular Gospel as the ‘memoir’ of Peter and said this memoir described the sons of Zebedee as the ‘sons of thunder’. Only Mark’s Gospel describes John and James in this way, so it is reasonable to assume that the Gospel of Mark is the memoir of Peter.

Clement said Mark recorded Peter’s Roman preaching
Clement of Alexandria (150-215AD) wrote a book entitled “Hypotyposeis” (Ecclesiastical History Book 2 Chapter 15). In this ancient book, Clement refers to a tradition handed down from the “elders from the beginning”:

“And so great a joy of light shone upon the minds of the hearers of Peter that they were not satisfied with merely a single hearing or with the unwritten teaching of the divine gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark, who was a follower of Peter and whose gospel is extant, to leave behind with them in writing a record of the teaching passed on to them orally; and they did not cease until they had prevailed upon the man and so became responsible for the Scripture for reading in the churches.”

Eusebius also wrote an additional detail (Ecclesiastical History Book 6 Chapter 14) related to Mark’s work with Peter:

“The Gospel according to Mark had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it. When Peter learned of this, he neither directly forbade nor encouraged it.”

This additional piece of information related to Peter’s reaction to Mark’s work is important, because it demonstrates that Clement is not simply repeating the information first established by Papias, but seems to have an additional source that provided him with something more, and something slightly different than Papias.

Tertullian affirmed Peter’s influence on the Gospel of Mark
Early Christian theologian and apologist, Tertullian (160-225AD), wrote a book that refuted the theology and authority of Marcion. The book was appropriately called, “Against Marcion” (Marcion was a Jew-hater, who rejected the Old Testament, and any bits of the New Testament, books or passages, which disagreed with him.) and in Book 4 Chapter 5, he described the Gospel of Mark:

“While that [gospel] which Mark published may be affirmed to be Peter’s whose interpreter Mark was.”

The Muratorian Fragment confirmed Mark’s relationship to Peter. Commonly dated to approximately 170AD, the first line reads:

“But he was present among them, and so he put [the facts down in his Gospel]”

This appears to be a reference to Mark’s presence at Peter’s talks and sermons in Rome, and the fact that he then recorded these messages then became the Gospel of Mark.

Origen attributed Mark’s Gospel to Peter
Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History Book 6 Chapter 25) quoted a Gospel Commentary written by Origen (an early church father and theologian who lived 185-254AD) that explains the origin of the Gospels. This commentary also attributes the Gospel of Mark to Peter:

“In his first book on Matthew’s Gospel, maintaining the Canon of the Church, he testifies that he knows only four Gospels, writing as follows: Among the four Gospels, which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism, and published in the Hebrew language. The second is by Mark, who composed it according to the instructions of Peter, who in his Catholic epistle acknowledges him as a son, saying, ‘The church that is at Babylon elected together with you, salutes you, and so does Marcus, my son.’ 1 Peter 5:13 And the third by Luke, the Gospel commended by Paul, and composed for Gentile converts. Last of all that by John.”

An Anti-Marcionite Prologue affirmed Peter’s connection to Mark
There are three Gospel ‘prologues’ that appear in many Latin Bibles from antiquity. Known as the “Anti-Marcionite Prologues”, they date to the 4th century or earlier. The prologue for the Gospel of Mark is particularly interesting:

“Mark declared, who is called ‘stump-fingered,’ because he had rather small fingers in comparison with the stature of the rest of his body. He was the interpreter of Peter. After the death of Peter himself he wrote down this same gospel in the regions of Italy.”

Now, it can be argued that Papias’ description of Mark’s collaboration with Peter in Rome is the earliest description available to us. In fact, skeptics have tried to argue that later Church sources are simply parroting Papias when they connect Mark to Peter. But there is no evidence to suggest that Papias is the sole source of information related to Peter and Mark, particularly when considering the slight variations in the subsequent attributions (such as Clement’s version). The subtle differences suggest that the claims came from different original sources. In addition, Justin Martyr’s tangential reference to the ‘sons of thunder’ strengthens the support for Peter’s involvement coming from a source other than Papias (who never makes this connection). In essence, a claim of dependency on Papias lacks specific evidence, and even if this were the case, there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of Papias’ original claim in the first place. The consistent record of history identifies Mark’s Gospel as a memoir of Peter’s life with Jesus.

J. Warner Wallace is a Cold-Case Detective, a Christian Case Maker, and the author of Cold-Case Christianity
- See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/is-marks-gospel-an-early-memoir-of-the-apostle-peter/#sthash.NgyiQIOC.dpuf

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Philemon ~ for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you

Philemon 1

1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ [service]. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus [Useful], whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave [bondservant] but more than a slave, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

In 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God" let us know Valentine was not famous, but well known and loved by the Lord. Valentine was like all of us. Someone who loved Father God and used his time on earth relying upon Father God's love.

What we can say, in certainty, with gratitude, Valentine's life refreshed many hearts in love. We cannot say he was a martyr, but his life is remembered with love letters. Not a bad thing when we consider God tells us His nature is Love. Like this passage of Paul's; he is in prison, but uses the opportunity Abba gives him to set others free.

Valentine is our beloved brother in Christ. In the promises of Jesus Christ, we have an eternity in front of us, Christ dwelling within us, to discovering the love and joy of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us our acts of faith, hope and love are known and appreciated, strengthened by Father God.


Our benefit to the Lord today... strengthening the bonds of love. Seeing to it the next generation knows the joy and comfort of God's Enduring, Eternal, Steadfast Love.

Father, we put our hands out to You, in prayer, asking the work of so many saints will be able to shine even more brightly as we act upon Your Love. Recognize us each day, the lives of sinners redeemed from imprisonment by Jesus to be Your beloved, Your saints. May Your Love and Your glory shine brighter each day. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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John 20 ~ you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have Life in His Name.

Rembrandt Van Rijn's drawing of Jesus, Healing and Teaching

1 Corinthians 15:6
 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.


John 20


Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 

Peter and John Running by Dan Burr

3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 

13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

 She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” 

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 

17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 1

8 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Rembrandt Van Rijn

 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, [Greek, Ioudaioi probably refers to Jewish leader and others under their infuence] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 

20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, [Didymus] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Rembrandt Van Rijn

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Matthew 27
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.




It's disconcerting, to me, Jesus was reported to walk among them and His disciples didn't recognize him. I always look to this portion - and I am grateful His disciple John records seeing Jesus appear in a locked room with absolute recognition of Jesus and the wounds He bore for us. It is a portion of Scripture I hold on to. And think on when I need Spiritual reassurance. I think this is a good thing. Not something to be embarrassed about. The disciples were confused and afraid ~ and they were there with Jesus.

Another portion to consider is the time frame of Jesus - announcing the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Thomas cried out John 20:28
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Other people saw and believed:

Matthew 27:54
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Faith is like the parable of the workers arriving through the day- Nathanael got there much earlier than Peter:

John's First Chapter of His Gospel:
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”


Jesus was not recognized for a very good reason. Jesus was eating fish. Making Breakfast for the disciples at the end of the Gospel of John. The Good News of Jesus Christ is concrete, the promises we can hold on to are real. Jesus was becoming a New Creation of Heaven.


Revelation 21
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Jesus was showing us about concrete and new bodies for His Kingdom.

2 Corinthians 5 
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.

Romans 8:23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:51
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--

I wonder if Jesus was younger. Back with his family. Mary, Joseph, James, Joseph (Joses), Judas (Jude) and Simon Also, Scriptures mentioned sisters of Jesus. Third century history of famous historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314 A.D., wrote of their descendants desposyni,  from the Greek δεσπόσυνοι, plural of δεσπόσυνος, meaning "of or belonging to the Master or Lord" It wasn't later until the Catholic Clergy abolished marriage from priests did the Church maintain these were not the Scripture references to His family.


[Priest celibacy began to spread in the Church during the Middle Ages. The by the seventh century it had been affirmed in a number of ecumenical councils -the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Please note the Church very much relies upon the Bishop of Caesarea (notice with me the proximity to the event) to tell - today - of Church History. It would seem these seams could be woven together by the witnesses in Nazareth the Holy Spirit places in two Gospels.

In the early 11th century Pope Benedict VIII responded to the decline in priestly morality (the priests were terrible about taking a wife and sometimes a mistress) by issuing a rule prohibiting the children of priests from inheriting property. A few decades later Pope Gregory VII issued a decree against clerical marriages.

The Church was a thousand years old before it definitively took a stand in favor of celibacy in the twelfth century at the Second Lateran Council held in 1139, when a rule was approved forbidding priests to marry. In 1563, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the tradition of celibacy.] [Let's all write Pope Francis and tell him respectfully God initiated marriage as from Him, early on. Peter was not shunned for being married by Jesus.]


1 Corinthians 15:53
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.


His Mercy Endures Forever.


I am grateful, too, for the way John closes His Gospel Chapter. I like Spiritual Wonder. I'd really, really like to know more of what Jesus did. And some Glorious Day. We will know more about the days Jesus chose to wade into the fray. Being Glory, Grace and Truth. For from His fullness we have all received, Grace upon Grace.


Thank You, Father God, for providing a Thomas to do what we all do. Take a deep breath and be let faith fill our hearts. The Holy Spirit of God prays for us, all the time. Alleluia. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen

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