An Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother-goddess Asherah, consort of El.
The relation of the literary references to an Asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered much debate. The ashram were also cult objects related to the worship of the fertility goddess Asherah, the consort of either Ba’al or, as inscriptions from Kuntillet ‘Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom attest, Yahweh, and thus objects of contention among competing cults.
The insertion of “pole” begs the question by setting up unwarranted expectations for such a wooden object: “we are never told exactly what it was”, observes John Day.
Though there was certainly a movement against goddess-worship at the Jerusalem Temple in the time of King Josiah, it did not long survive his reign, as the following four kings “did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh“.
Further exhortations came from Jeremiah. The traditional interpretation of the Biblical text is that the Israelites imported pagan elements such as the Asherah poles from the surrounding Canaanites.
In light of archeological finds, however, modern scholars now theorize that the Israelite folk religion was Canaanite in its inception and always polytheistic, and it was the prophets and priests who denounced the Asherah poles who were the innovators; such theories inspire ongoing debate.
Asherim are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Judges, the Books of Kings, the Second Book of Chronicles, and the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah.
The term often appears as merely אשרה, referred to as “groves” in the King James Version, which follows the Septuagint rendering as ἄλσος, pl. ἄλσοη, and the Vulgate lucus, and “poles” in the New Revised Standard Version; no word that may be translated as “poles” appears in the text.
Scholars have indicated, however, that the plural use of the term provides ample evidence that reference is being made to objects of worship rather than a transcendent figure.
The Hebrew Bible suggests that the poles were made of wood. In the sixth chapter of the Book of Judges, God is recorded as instructing the Israelite judge Gideon to cut down an Asherah pole that was next to an altar to Baal.
The wood was to be used for a burnt offering. Deuteronomy 16:21 states that YHWH hated Asherim whether rendered as poles: “Do not set up any [wooden] Asherah [pole] beside the altar you build to the LORD your God” or as living trees: “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God which you shall make”.
That Asherahs were not always living trees is shown in 1 Kings 14:23: “their asherim , beside every luxuriant tree.”
However, the record indicates that the Jewish people often departed from this ideal. For example, King Manasseh placed an Asherah pole in the Holy Temple. King Josiah’s reforms in the late 7th century BC included the destruction of many Asherah poles.
Exodus 34:13 states: “Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.”
Asherah poles in biblical archaeology
Some biblical archaeologists have suggested that until the 6th century BC the Israelite peoples had household shrines, or at least figurines, of Asherah, which are strikingly common in the archaeological remains. Raphael Patai identified the pillar figurines with Asherah in “The Hebrew Goddess.”
Will The Earth Be Destroyed With Fire?
Many people read 2 Peter 3:7 and 2 Peter 3:10 to mean God will burn up the Earth with fire.
2 Peter 3:7 King James Version (KJV) “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.“
“Heavens and the earth” refer not to the literal planet in this verse, but to the Jewish leadership and the people. This is purely apocalyptic language that was so common in Jewish literature.
To understand what Peter is saying, one must understand the nature of apocalyptic language.
Apocalyptic language uses superlatives and metaphors to describe natural events and their supernatural causes. It uses poetic hyperbole and picturesque exaggerations.
Discussing the use of apocalyptic language, the Jewish philosopher Maimonides says:
The very same thing happens to the ordinary reader of the Prophets: some of their words he does not understand at all . . . the metaphor frequently employed by Isaiah, and less frequently by other prophets, where they describe the ruin of a kingdom or the destruction of a great nation in phrases like the following: the stars have fallen, the heavens are overthrown, the sun is darkened, the earth is waste and trembles and other similar metaphors.
Resurrecting the Past: A Case for Fulfilled Prophecy, 120 min., Zephon Ministries, 2016, DVD.
This same type of language is used in other forms of literature in the Bible, in addition to its use in prophecy. For example: “Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks (Amos 2.9).”
“The elements shall melt with fervent heat …” 2 Peter 3:10
2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.“
2 Peter 3:12 “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
2 Peter 3:10 says the elements were going to burn. THE ELEMENTS! The Greek word for elements (στοιχεία or stoicheía ) in the Bible is used 7 times. It always, ALWAYS, refers to the Temple worship and the Jewish religious practices. Those elements of temple worship were burned in 70 AD. 2 Peter 3:7 has been fulfilled.
Galatians 4:3 “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements (stoicheía) of the world.”
Galatians 4:9 “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements , (stoicheía), whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?“
Galatians 4:9 makes it very clear the elements Paul is referring to is the Old Testament Law and the Jewish Talmud.
Colossians 2:20-22 “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments, (stoicheía), whereunto of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using; after the commandments and doctrines of men?“
In the NASB, Colossians 2:20-22 says, “If you have died with Christ [a]to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch! which all refer to things destined to perish with use in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?“
So we see again, the “elements” referred to in the New Testament are the Jewish laws and practices.
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles, (stoicheía), of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
The elements that were going to burn in 2 Peter were the elements of Jewish worship. This happened in 70 AD when the Roman armies burned Jerusalem and the temple.
With the destruction of the temple, the Old Covenant practices were finished once and for all. Christians live under the New Covenant.
For forty years, the Old and New Covenant practices co-existed in Israel. Christians still went to the temple to worship at this time.
Paul gave many warnings for the Christians not to return to the Jewish religious practice or to place themselves back under the Mosaic Law.
Peter was warning that these elements were going to be destroyed, just as Jesus proclaimed on the Mount of Olives in 30 AD.
The Bible is clear, Earth will never be destroyed, burned in fire, or replaced.
The Bible teaches that God created the earth to be inhabited forever.
- “ The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. ”—Psalm 37:29.
- “ Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. ”—Psalm 104:5.
- “ One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. ”—Ecclesiastes 1:4.
- “ For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. ”—Isaiah 45:18.
If a nation is destroyed, the Bible often refers to that as the destruction of heaven and earth.
The Babylonians conquered Israel in the sixth century BC. Jeremiah described it like this:
Jeremiah 4:23-26 “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.“
Ezekiel 32:7-9 describes the defeat of Egypt by Babylon.
“And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God. I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.”
And in Isaiah 13:9-13 concerning the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C., the Bible says, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.”
Now, do we believe the earth actually moved “out of her place” in 539 BC? Of course not, but to the Babylonians, it certainly would have felt that way.
Describing the fall of Edom, the Bible says the heavens will be dissolved and rolled together as a scroll.
Isaiah 34:4-5 “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.“
Revelation 6:12-14 uses the same language as these Old Testament passages.
“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.“
Considering God’s promises that the Earth would always remain and the use of apocalyptic descriptions throughout the Bible, there is no exegetical or scriptural reason to believe that Peter is saying the literal earth and sky will be literally destroyed with fire.
Are women to remain silent in the church? 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Are women to remain silent in the church?
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 cannot be used legitimately to prohibit women who are called, gifted, and qualified from exercising a ministry which includes public speaking. Paul did not silence the Corinthian women who prophesied and prayed aloud in church meetings.
New Testament women prophesied (Acts 2:18; 21:9; 1 Corinthians 11:5).
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”
This verse has been used over the years to cause division and hurt in churches. Churches have split over this verse.
Sadly, few understand why this verse is in their Bible and its proper application. Understanding the context of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians will help us get a better grasp of its content.
The first letter from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians is a response to a letter he received concerning problems in the church. In several places within the letter, Paul is quoting what the Corinthian leaders have said and responding to their errors.
For example, in 1 Corinthians 10:23, the KJV says, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. “
The CEV and NLT translate the same verse, “ Some of you say, “We can do whatever we want to!” But I tell you not everything may be good or helpful.”
The big difference is the CEV and NLT show clearly that Paul was responding to claims the Corinthian leaders were making.
In 1 Corinthians 6:13, the New International Version (NIV) says, “You say, ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.’ ” And Paul responds to this claim, “The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
The KJV says in 1 Corinthians 15:32-33 “If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. 33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
Paul’s words only makes sense if we notice the quotes being used—first from Epicurus, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” and second from Menander, “Evil communications corrupt good manners.”
The Corinthians had been influenced by the thinking and philosophy of the Epicureans. Paul had to correct their misconceptions.
The Epicurian dictum noted above is a prime example. Since the philosophers of the time also believed in the immortality of the soul, they argued that the body was merely a vessel for the much more important soul.
Many in the church were living lasciviously, saying how you lived in the flesh was not important since God would destroy the flesh. Only your spiritual condition was important in their thought. Paul exposes their error by quoting them and refuting their assertion.
The KJV merely says, “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.”
The KJV is not wrong in its translation, but because the Greek language does not have quotation marks, it is not always obvious where Paul is quoting the Corinthians’ statements and where he is responding. The modern translators have added the “you say” and quotations to help the reader understand this.
There are several places in the first letter to the Corinthians where Paul is doing this including 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
“Modern interpreters recognize that Paul cites the Corinthians’ own words in trying to conform their thinking and behavior to the wisdom of the cross.” —David Garland, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
“Watson and Culy have written a very interesting and timely volume on 1 Corinthians that advances our understanding of both how quotations were indicated and functioned in the ancient world and how Paul and the Corinthians were dealing with issues of ancient and contemporary relevance. This is a volume that will be attractive to New Testament scholars and to those simply interested in the issues discussed.” —Stanley E. Porter, President, Dean, and Professor of New Testament, McMaster Divinity College
At first glance, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 seems clear: women are not permitted to talk in congregational meetings and must be silent. This is the stance that many have taken throughout much of the Church’s history.
“From Tertullian to Thomas Aquinas, commentators concluded that women could not even sing or pray audibly among men. Although the Reformers relaxed some of these restrictions, as late as the 1890s certain Presbyterians still forbade women’s singing in the context of church worship.” (Grenz 1995:121)
When the church began on the Day of Pentecost, women, as well as men, came into it in great numbers (Acts 5:14). There were no distinctions made in conditions of membership between the sexes. Furthermore, the importance of women to the whole church is reflected by the concern which the early church had for widows who needed care and help (Acts 6:1-6).
The good works of women are frequently mentioned in Scripture. Dorcas is cited as an example of faithful, loving service (Acts 9:36-39).
Lydia is shown to be a woman of great hospitality, “constraining” Paul and his company to abide in her house (Acts 16:1-15). Phoebe is described as a “servant of the church that is in Cenchreae” (Romans 16:10).
1 Cor 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”
Silence is called for three times in 1 Corinthians 14: in verses 28, 30 and 34.[5] In 1 Corinthians 14:28 and 30, silence is called for in specific situations to regulate congregational contributions to the meetings. (The “silence” in verses 28 and 30 is not gender specific.)
It is very likely that the silence called for in verse 34 is also addressing a specific situation and is not meant to be a blanket statement to silence all women for all time in church meetings.
In fact, Paul’s intention could not have been to silence women at all times during church meetings. In 1 Corinthians 11:5 Paul acknowledges, without disapproval, that women prophesied and prayed aloud in church.
Paul not only approved of praying and prophesying by women in the assembly but he encouraged it! Reading 1 Corinthians 11:10 with the literal, active voice (“has authority”) instead of the presumed, passive voice (“sign of authority”), Paul states that a woman has authority (has the right!) to pray and prophesy. (Hicks 1990)
If Paul condones verbal ministry from women in chapter 11 it is very unlikely that he censures it in chapter 14.
Notice what follows 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. “What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:36-40
The Greek reads in verse 36, ” 36 ἢ ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν, ἢ εἰς ὑμᾶς μόνους κατήντησεν; ”
Notice the ” ἢ .” According to Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon, ἢ means nonsense. ἤ (B), an exclamation expressing disapproval, ἢ ἢ σιώπα Ar.Nu. 105; ἢ ἤ· τί δρᾶς; E.HF906 (lyr.), cf. Suid.
Greeks use the symbol ἢ to indicate the refutation of the previous passage. This is used many times by Paul to show that the previous statement is false and gives his opinion after it. In English translations it should be translated as ‘Nonsense!’.
For example, 1 Cor. 6:1,2 “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? (Nonsense eta) Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?“
In 1 Corinthians 14:34 ,Paul is saying “What???” or “Nonsense” to their claim that women must keep silent in the church.
Notice also, verse 34 says, “ they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. ” Yet nowhere in the Old Testament do you find this command.
The Corinthians are quoting the Talmud and claiming it is the law. Other places Paul rebukes men for making the traditions of men equal to scripture. No way would Paul have made such a false statement as verse 34.
First Corinthians was written in response to a verbal report from Chloe’s people (1 Cor. 1:11), and in response to a letter Paul had received from the Corinthians asking his advice (1 Cor. 7:1).
At times it is evident in his letter that Paul is quoting from the Corinthian’s letter as he deals with its contents. Some of these quotes include, “It is not good for a man to touch a woman” (1 Cor. 7:1); “We all possess knowledge” (1 Cor. 8:1); “There is no resurrection” and “Christ has not been raised” (1 Cor. 15:12, 14).
Scholars believe that 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 may also be a quote. This would account for the way it does not seem to fit with what Paul is saying in the surrounding verses.
1 Corinthians 1:10 tells us that there were competing factions in the Corinthian church (cf. 1 Cor. 11:18-19). It is possible that one of these factions was trying to silence women in church meetings. This would have been a real concern for Chloe!
Paul quotes the faction’s injunction for women to be silent in 14:34-35, and then reprimands the faction, which includes men, with, “What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? ” (1 Cor. 14:36).
The Greek adjective monous, which occurs in verse 36 and is translated as “you only” in the KJV, is grammatically masculine. According to Greek grammar, this adjective cannot refer only to women. The masculine gender in verse 36 does not seem to follow logically after 14:34-35 and its instructions to women. (Flanagan 1981)
The view that 14:34-35 is a non-Pauline quotation is one of the few which offers a plausible explanation for the jarring change of tone which verses 34-35 bring into the text, and the subsequent abrupt change of topic, tone and gender in verse 36.
If this explanation is the correct one, then Paul is not silencing women in 14:34-35. Rather, Paul quotes and then rebukes the people who are trying to silence the women.
CHLOE OF CORINTH
One woman who may have ministered in the church at Corinth was Chloe. In the opening chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul writes that he has learned that there are problems and factions within the Corinthian church from some people who had come from Chloe (1 Cor. 1:11). These people somehow belonged to Chloe. They may have been members of her household and members of her church.
Chloe had probably sent these people to Paul. Sending a delegation is clearly something only a person functioning as a leader can do. Considering the purpose of the delegation, it seems that Chloe was a church leader. Perhaps Chloe’s people did not just bring a verbal report to Paul about the problems in the Corinthian church, perhaps they also brought the letter which Paul responds to in 1 Corinthians.
In New Testament times, most Christian congregations met in homes, and some house churches were hosted and led by women. Nympha was the host of a house church (Col. 4:15), and so was Priscilla, with her husband Aquila (1 Cor. 16:19). It is unlikely that Paul would restrict Christian women from ministering in their own homes, especially as the New Testament provides ample evidence that Paul greatly valued the ministry of many of his female colleagues. Knowing that some early churches were hosted and led by women, makes the interpretation that women were not permitted to speak in church meetings unlikely.
Men and women both have gifts they may and should share with the church.
MEN & WOMEN ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
Both men and women are made in the image of God, not just men. When we silence the woman, we are missing out on the image of God as it is reflected in the female. God’s image is shown both in men and women and in their differences.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Matthew 19:4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ’made them male and female,’”
Mark 10:6 “But at the beginning of creation God ’made them male and female.’”
Men and Women Are Dependent upon Each Other
Inspiration clearly stresses the mutual dependence of men and women in Christ. Paul says, “Nevertheless, neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11). Neither is complete without the other.
Women Rule the Household
The New Testament authorizes women a domain of authority within the home. Younger widows are advised to marry, bear children, and “rule the household” (1 Timothy 5:14).
Lenski says: “To rule the house” means as the wife and mother in the home, to manage the household affairs. This is the domain and province of woman, in which no man can compete with her. Its greatness and its importance should ever be held up as woman’s divinely intended sphere, in which all her womanly qualities and gifts find full play and happiest gratification (1961, 676).
This does not indicate, of course, that woman’s authority in the home equals the man’s. He is the head of the wife and she is to be willingly in subjection to him (Ephesians 5:22, 23). Yet, he should lovingly allow her the freedom to exercise authority in the management of domestic matters, for God has ordained it.
A historian has noted: “The way in which the Church began to lift woman up into privilege and hope was one of its most prompt and beautiful transformations from the blight of paganism. Too long in the darkness, she was now helped into the sunlight “(Hurst 1897, 146).
Such a transformation impressed even the heathen world; Libanius, a pagan writer, exclaimed: “What women these Christians have!”
The Divine Subordination of Woman
By divine design, man is to be the “head” of woman—in society, in the church, and in the home (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-24). This graduation of authority rests on two bases: first, the original constitution of the sexes as created, and, second, woman’s role in the fall.
Concerning the former, the Bible teaches:
Woman was made as a help for man—not the reverse (Genesis 2:18, 20).
Paul wrote: “For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man: for neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (1 Corinthians 11:8, 9).
And again, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13).
As to the woman’s role in the fall, she believed Satan’s lie that she might become as God, and hence, was “beguiled” (Genesis 3:13; 2 Corinthians 11:3) or “deceived” (1 Timothy 2:14); whereas Adam, laboring under no such deception (1 Timothy 2:14), merely sinned due to his weakness for the woman (Genesis 3:12). Accordingly, woman’s subjection was increased after her fall (Genesis 3:16).
These facts do not suggest that woman is inferior to man, but they do mean (to those who respect the testimony of Scripture) that she is subordinate in rank to man.
It ought to be emphasized that as Christ’s subjection to the Father involved no deprivation of dignity (Philippians 2:5-11), so there is none in woman’s subjection to man. So, as we shall presently observe, because of these historical facts, the sphere of woman’s activity has been divinely circumscribed.
New Testament women prophesied (Acts 2:18; 21:9; 1 Corinthians 11:5). 1 Corinthians 11:5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head
It is assumed that prophesying was preaching, hence, women of the first century preached. The word “prophesy” is from two Greek roots, pro (forth) and phemi (to speak). It is a very general term and may mean “to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort” (Thayer 1958, 553; cf. 1 Corinthians 14:3). It can simply suggest the idea of “giving thanks and praising God” (1 Chronicles 25:3). The meaning of the word in a given situation must be determined by the context as well as other information in the Scriptures.
Paul limits the extent of a woman’s forth-speaking (teaching, etc.) when he writes: “I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness” (1 Timothy 2:12).
The negative conjunction, oude (nor), here is explanatory in force, revealing that the kind of teaching prohibited by the apostle is that which assumes dominion over the man (Lenski, 563).
Certainly women may teach (cf. Titus 2:3); they may, in certain ways, even teach men. There is a reciprocal teaching in singing (Colossians 3:16), and privately, in conjunction with her husband, Priscilla was involved in teaching Apollos (Acts 18:26).
But a woman may not assume the position of teacher, with the man subordinated to the role of student, without violating a New Testament command.
1 Timothy 2:8-15 “ I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”
CONCLUSION:
God’s women make a vital contribution to the kingdom of Christ on earth. Whether they are continuing steadfastly in prayer (Acts 1:14), doing good works and almsdeeds (Acts 9:36), showing hospitality (Acts 12:12; 16:14; 1 Timothy 5:10), teaching the word in harmony with divine authority (Acts 18:26; Titus 2:3, 4), being good wives (Proverbs 31:10ff), rearing godly children (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15), or accomplishing various other commendable tasks, let us “rise up and call them blessed.”
The summaries presented in this article are just a sample of some of the better-known interpretations of 14:34-35. Still more interpretations have been proposed by respected scholars. Because of this vast variety of interpretations, it is difficult to know precisely how to apply these verses, especially in the context of the contemporary church.
One thing is certain, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 cannot be used to completely silence women from speaking in church meetings, as Paul condones the verbal ministries of prayer and prophecy from women. Taking into account that Paul condones women who prophesy, it is difficult to see how 14:34-35 can be used to exclude women from other equally influential and authoritative speaking ministries in the church.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 cannot be used legitimately to prohibit women who are called, gifted, and qualified from exercising a ministry which includes public speaking.
Paul did not silence the Corinthian women who prophesied and prayed aloud in church meetings.
Our Ministry To Churches: Evangelist Available For Your Church
Dennis, Karen, Eleanor and Joelle would love to come to your church to share with you.
TESTIMONIALS
Karen plays Silent Night
Amazing Gospel Magic presentation on the blessing of giving.
Stars “magically” appear in an empty bucket.
A fun object lesson demonstrating that we can not over rule God’s will by our power. A science contest that only God wins.
Dennis preaching at a pastors meeting. Short message on justification.
A Challenge To The Church To Separate From Worldly Lusts
A Presentation Of The Gospel
Amazing Object Lesson On The Trinity
Diamonds Under Pressure – Where Is God When I Have Troubles?
A Presentation Of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ With A Chemical Reaction
Should KJV Bible believers use the Greek and Hebrew Lexicons?
Here are two responses I received to this thought on Facebook. There is so much ignorance among so much of the KJV-Only camp because men like Ruckman and Gipp have convinced their followers to abandon scholarship. I encourage Bible believers to study into the words God uses to find the meaning he has for us.
When Are The End Times According To The Bible?
According to the Bible, the end times were during the lifetimes of the apostles. The end of the Jewish Temple age and the Old Covenant was the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Jesus said, in Matthew 24, that the generation he was talking to would see all those things come to pass.
If you go into a Christian bookstore, there are probably more books on the shelves on Eschatology, than you’ll find on any other subject. Plus , you would find that this has been the case throughout the 20th century. If you were to go back 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years, you would see the same Bible verses being used today that were used back then to make the case back then that the end times was in their day.
There’s got to be something wrong with a methodology that is so dogmatic, yet based on a person’s particular time perspective that they get it wrong every generation. And what we as Christians need to do is stop trying to find prophecy fulfilled in the newspaper and get back to what the Bible says.
Prophecy in the Bible is used in order to account for the character of God as well as the authenticity of scripture. So if you can point to specific Bible verses and specific events that were in fact fulfilled to the letter and to the time, then you say, “Wow, this is great!” We need to see what the Bible says about predicted events.
We have to do away with the proposition of prophecies not being fulfilled 100%, which is what the Bible requires. Every single time throughout scripture, you’ll see that the bible has been vindicated based upon prophecy. But if you have a modern-day prophetic system that proposes to take the Bible literally and to make pronouncements about certain prophetic events and those prophetic events don’t come to pass the way that they’ve proposed them, then it seems to me that it turns the Bible upside down. Why would anyone want to believe the Bible when these prophetic pronouncements are made? And liberal skeptics have looked at Bible prophecy, especially in New Testament Bible prophecy and have made that very point.
Biblical prophecy must be fulfilled 100% accurately
Bertrand Russel wrote a book called “Why I Am Not A Christian.” And in that book, he took some of the prophetic pronouncements in the New Testament and used those against the veracity of the scriptures because he said that they did not take place as prophesied.
Modern day prophecy writers tend to to try to write them off. I will give you an example of this. If you turn to Matthew Chapter 16, Bertrand Russell used this particular passage, Matthew 16:27-28.
Matthew 16:27-28 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
And Bertrand Russell said, “Look, this seems to be indicating that this is a prophetic event that was near so near, in fact, that the, some of the disciples would still be alive when this event took place.” And if you read prophecy writers today, they would say that this has not taken place yet, but yet it’s very clear that Jesus is saying, that there were some standing there with him. He is not talking about here today here, but their here. He has a particular audience in mind and that this particular event has already taken place.
If you read contemporary prophetic literature, they say, “Oh, no, no, no, this hasn’t taken place yet because this refers to the second coming of Christ and this certainly hasn’t happened.”
Bertrand Russell said, “Jesus said he was going to come in some way prior to the last disciple dying. He didn’t, therefore the Bible isn’t true.” That was how he argued, which I believe is a pretty good argument. And then he also went to Matthew Chapter 24, verse 34, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
Each and every time the phrase “this generation” is used in the gospels, it always refers to the generation to whom Jesus is speaking and never refers to a future generation.
C.I.Scofield said “this generation,” (in Greek, genea), meant the race Jesus was speaking to. This was his attempt to make Jesus’ proclamation fit his eschatology. But never in the Greek does “this generation” mean “this race.” It means generation.
Jesus was saying that all of the events prior to verse 34 had to have been fulfilled prior to that particular generation having passed away. And Bertrand Russell saw that and said, obviously this didn’t take place given what modern prophecy people say about this passage.
They see all of this as an end time event and that these things have not taken place yet. And so Russell understood the argument. If you’re going to appeal to prophecy and you’re going to appeal to specific prophecies found in the Bible, and you’re going to use those to support the veracity of scripture, the truthfulness of scripture, then they must be fulfilled as stated.
Bertrand Russell said, “Jesus obviously was wrong about his messiahship. He was wrong about the nature of his coming. Therefore, Jesus was wrong about who he claimed to be.” And he used this as an argument as to why he wasn’t a Christian. That’s it. That’s a powerful statement to make. And in fact, you’ll find liberals today making the same kind of case.
And so the modern day prophecy writers look at a passage like Matthew 24. You also see it duplicated in some form in Matthew 13 also in Luke chapter 21 and they’ll say that these events have not taken place yet. I maintain that they have taken place because that’s what scripture says. When it says “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” you take Jesus at his word and that they have in fact have taken place.
Now the question comes down to how can you say this when there’s so many things here and in other passages? How can you say that Matthew Chapter 24 has taken place when it talks about wars and rumors of wars and earthquakes and famines and the Gospel being proclaimed in the whole world, the great tribulation, the sun, moon and stars be darkened, the moon not giving it’s light. The stars will fall from heaven, the appearing of the son of man, etc. How can you say that has already taken place?
One simple reason, Jesus said in verse 34, all of these things would take place before that particular generation passed away. That’s what you’re left with. If these things did not take place and within that particular time period, then Jesus was wrong and Bertrand Russell was right.
Trying to fudge these passages to say this is a mix of things taking place within that generation and things taking place in the future or there’s a double fulfillment to make it fit your view is bad exegesis. This particular passage doesn’t give any room for modification. It’s very, very specific. That particular generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
How do you fit all these things into that time period without twisting these passages? I don’t want to make something fit that doesn’t fit. And it’s very, very simple and it takes a little bit of skill and a little bit of a practice to do. And it’s something that most of us have never been taught to do.
Sadly most Christians are never taught how to study their Bible.
Usually, the first thing that happens when you become a Christian is you’re told to do two things. You read the Bible every day, have a quiet time, and pray. And you read, you get a devotional, maybe Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost For His Highest” or “My Daily Bread.” You get a daily devotional. And that’s how most Christians end up starting their Christian faith. But they’re never really given the techniques on how to study the Bible. And yet, in any class you’ve ever taken, if you take a class in Shakespeare, what happens? You are taught how to interpret Shakespeare. No matter what type of literature class you take, you’re taught how to interpret that particular writer.
There are whole books on all this, but you had Christians who come into the Christian faith, rarely are taught how to interpret the Bible for themselves. Literal blood was shed over the proposition that you and I have the right and the obligation to study the Bible for ourselves. We need to allow the Bible to interpret itself, but we need to know how to study it for us to find the correct interpretation. And that’s what all of us should learn how to do. And my guess is that most of us have never been taught how to do it. So generally what happens is that people fall back on an already developed system. I’ll let the system be my grid by which I’m going to evaluate the Bible. And so we’ll pick up a bible with study notes.
I’m not saying you know, bibles with notes in them aren’t bad. But it’s very much like a crutch. You start reading the scriptures and you get to a difficult passage and what happens is your eyes immediately go down to the bottom and you let this guy or this group of guys tell you what they think this passage mean and you never get the practice.
Let’s look at a passage. Look at the book of Hebrews chapter five. You have to understand the book of Hebrews is dealing with how the New Testament fulfills what we call the Old Testament. The New Testament didn’t bring anything new. You have got to understand and believe that the New Testament didn’t bring anything new. That is one of the main points of Hebrews.
The Old Testament prefigured what was going to be fulfilled in the New Testament. Jesus comes in as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. In fact, if you just hold it there for a second, if you go to Luke’s Gospel, the very end of Luke’s Gospel and listen to what Jesus says, Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
The Old Testament is not just a hodgepodge of stories that we take as moral lessons. How many times have you heard a sermon, for example, on the story of David and Goliath and heard this application? God will beat all of your giants in your life. We’ve heard that, but that’s no better than reading AESOP’s fables. If you read the Bible like that, you’re doing no better than reading AESOP’s fables.
AESOP’s fables has some great lessons in them, but that’s not why that story is in there. Why is the story in there? Who Was David? Why is David in there? Because he prefigures the coming of Christ. It’s the seed line. It’s going to take us to Jesus. What you find in his coming up against Goliath, of course is that if David dies, what happens to the seed line? If Israel is wiped out by the Philistines, what happens? It’s all over. And so David goes up against Goliath and there are some motifs earlier, all the way back to Genesis chapter three verse 15. It talks about the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent and talks about the serpent striking at the heel of the woman, but the heelof the woman comes down and crushes the head of the serpent.
David goes up against Goliath. This isn’t a moral story how God this defeats giants in your life, although God can do that. That’s not the purpose of the story. The purpose of the story is to show the how God is faithful to his covenant promise. And bringing the promised redeemer into the world to save us from our sins. And so David goes up against Goliath and he takes that early motif about what? Crushing the head of the opposition that’s gonna attempt to crush the seed line. And so David doesn’t go after the feet, doesn’t go after the hands, he goes after the head. He takes a stone, whacks him in the head. Then what does he do? He cuts off Goliath’s head with a sword.
You see, that story isn’t in there to teach some more or less than it’s in there to move us closer to the promises that are fulfilled in the New Testament. And you can see that.
In the New Testament. Jesus is crucified where? What’s the name of the place where he’s crucified? Golgotha and which means what place of a skull. And so the instrument that Satan believe he was going to use to defeat Jesus, that comes down literally on his head and crushes him. And the application of that to the churches in Romans Chapter 16, Verse 20 is God will soon crush Satan under your feet. You see, that’s, that’s the Bible.
Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
The Bible isn’t bits and pieces of little stories that we use to enhance our life. This Bible is a story that tells us how God fulfilled his promises and brought us a redeemer that changes our life. We don’t change our lives from the outside in, by applying all of these moral stories to ourselves. We are changed because of what Christ did on the inside of us. So without these promises being fulfilled in Jesus, you and I don’t have a new life in Christ. That’s what this is all about. So what we have to do is practice figuring out what the biblical message is everywhere.
Too often today with prophecy, it seems to be more about us than about God.Prophecy teachers want to make the story all about us. e are self-centered and this approach sells books.
But the Bible is centered on who Christ is, not centered in on who we are. And I’ll even go a little further. It’s not centered on a people and a piece of land, which seems to be the focus of so much prophecy today. The New Testament’s focus is on Jesus Christ and his redemption, Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all those passages.
Jesus said, “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Luke 24:44
So it’s about him, not about anybody else. It’s not about any group of people. It’s not about a piece of land. It’s about who Jesus is. And you see those Old Testament prophecies, especially the one prophecy where God says “out of Egypt, I called my son,” (Hosea 11:1). The Old Testament applied to the nation of Israel, but in the New Testament, Matthew applies it to Jesus, (Matthew 2:13-15). It’s applied to Jesus himself because even Israel prefigures the coming of Christ. Israel brings Jesus into the world for our redemption.
Look at Revelation 12:1-4, “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
This woman, this isn’t a giant woman standing on a moon somewhere. This woman depicts something and it depicts Israel. How do we know that? Because of the way she’s adorned. She’s standing on the moon with the 12 stars overhead. Now what does that remind you of it? It reminds you all the way back to Genesis chapter 37. Joseph has a dream of the Sun, moon and stars bowing down to him. See this is about Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 5:11-14 “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
This is not about us and that’s why when you get to the book of Hebrews, the writer of the Hebrews goes to a point and it says here he’s, he wants to deal with Melchizedek again because Melchizedek points to Jesus. I would say today that the church has become dull of hearing related to the topic of who Jesus is because they are preoccupied with a prophetic system that moves the emphasis of scripture away from Christ and puts it elsewhere for that.
The writer says, “by this time you ought to be teachers. You have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Basically he’s saying, you should’ve picked all this up already. You should be teaching this stuff already.
The focus of history is Jesus Christ. It’s nothing else for everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe, but solid food is for the mature who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. So here we find even very, very early on that the early church missed out on many things because they took the preoccupation off of Christ and put it elsewhere.
Probably not in a prophetic sense like so much today. But if you read the books today, they are dealing with prophecy. You’ll see the lack of emphasis on the coming of Christ, the first coming of Christ, which did everything. It’s as if there’s still prophecy to be fulfilled because Christ somehow didn’t finish it all. And yet one of the things Jesus said on the cross was “It is finished.”
Then what else are you waiting for? That is essentially what the Bible is saying. So it comes down to methodology. What is the best approach? That isn’t even a good way of asking the question. The better question is what approach does the Bible give in terms of how to interpret the Bible? Have you used the Bible to interpret itself? That sounds so simple and so basic and sometimes the simplest and the more basic things are the right way to go. So instead of looking outside of the Bible, trying to figure out what scripture says, you look within the Bible itself.
And so when you get to a difficult passage, like Matthew chapter 24 or whatever it is, how do you figure out what this is saying here? Jesus tells us when these things are taking place for his immediate audience. Jesus tells us who will see these things he is proclaiming.
Look at verse six, “you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars.” Verse nine, “then they will deliver you up to tribulation.” Verse 15, “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation. “
Matthew 24:6,9,15 “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.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. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”
These are basic principles of Bible interpretation. When it’s dealing with prophecy. When does the Bible say something will take place?
Matthew 24:34 says, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
How do you figure out what this generation means? You go to other places in the Bible where this generation is used, especially you go within Matthew’s Gospel because you want to get Matthew’s use of a particular phrase or word and he uses it.
Many times you see how it was used in other contexts. You take that meaning and probably it’s going to have the same meaning. In verse 34, you figure out who the audience is. Who’s Jesus talking about. That’s important because this is primarily prophecy to questions that the disciples asked. Therefore, Jesus is answering them and he’s telling them, it’s going to happen to YOU, meaning those he was speaking to. The next thing that you do is you actually start comparing. Okay, where’s this found in scripture? If there are any places in the, in the New Testament where earthquakes are mentioned. Are there any places in the New Testament were famines are mentioned? Is there any place in the New Testament that says anything about a famine that would be significant enough to see this as being fulfilled.
Is there anything in the Book of Acts? If you read the book of Acts Chapter 11 it says there was a famine all over the world. That was then and so Jesus gives us a prophecy about a famine. Acts chapter 11 there’s a famine and what does Paul do? He thanks to churches for raising money. For what? For famine relief in Jerusalem. What about “wars and rumors of wars?” There’ve always been wars and rumors of wars. That can’t be a sign of the end if it’s so common. f
Look at verse 15 when YOU see the abomination of desolation. Now Verse 29, the sun, moon and stars, that language is right out of Isaiah chapter 13, so you use that.
Isaiah 13:6-11 “Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.”
The Bible helps you understand these things. When we see similar language in the w Testament, these Old Testament passages help understand what is being said.
Matthew 24:30 “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
That’s straight out of Daniel. Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
You have to allow the Bible to interpret itself rather than super imposing a certain prophetic system on the Bible. And you should be able to use it just with the Bible, with a couple of what I call biblical helps. A good concordance and a Greek and English interlinear are very helpful to help you figure out what these words mean because you don’t always want to trust translators.
To see the Bible tools I use, read my article here: http://godeeperbiblestudy.com/2019/01/five-tools-for-effective-bible-study
Let me give you a good example of this. If you look at Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
The problem with that is the Greek word that’s translated world there isn’t the usual word for world. Now you read that and so that certainly hasn’t happened yet because the gospel hasn’t been preached in the whole world.
But when you dig a little deeper and you look at a Greek text of this, you find out that the Greek word cosmos, the one you would expect, (we get the word cosmic out of it), that’s not the word that’s there. The word that’s there is oikoumenē. Oikoumenē basically means the inhabited earth and it’s traditionally been translated as the Roman empire or the known world.
In fact, if you go to Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.”
It’s the same Greek word. Do you really believe that there was a census that was taken over the entire globe? If the Romans did that they’d still be working on it. So when Jesus says the gospel will go to the whole world in Matthew 24, he means the known world. And Paul says it happened in his lifetime.
Romans 16:25-26 “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, 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:” Again, Paul says that the gospel was made known to all nations. Not “will be,” but “now is made manifest.” It was finished then, not in the future.
Colossians 1:6 “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:” Again, as it is in all the world. It was a present and known thing, not a future event.
Read my article “When The Whole World Heard The Gospel: Matthew 24 Fulfilled” HERE.
What I’ve learned over my years of doing this study, the best way to interpret the Bible is to use the Bible to interpret itself. Just by using the Bible itself to kind of extract from the Bible what the Bible actually says in terms of fulfillment. What ends up happening is the bible is vindicated by this particular interpretation. And it also allows you to be the interpreter without having to depend upon a system. And this is the methodology that we all ought to practice doing.
And you don’t have to be a seminary student to do it. It does take a little bit of work, but what doesn’t? And eventually you’ll learn, you’ll learn how to interpret the Bible for yourself really quite well without using a system.