Lay it to Heart

Other False Historical Teachings

The Order of Creation
Bible teachers tell us that on the sixth day of creation God made the animals and then he made Adam and Eve. This is not true. Genesis 1 tells us:

	24	And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
	25	And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
	26	And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
	27	So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
	28	And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 1 is a list of things God did the sixth day but it does not give an order of how he did it. Genesis chapter 2 gives the details:

	18	And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
	19	And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
	20	And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
	21	And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
	22	the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Adam was made first. There was not a help meet, a helper or an ideal companion for man so God made the land animals in verse 19. These were wonderful but God knew that man was still alone, so God created women who was perfect for man. God man Adam, the land animals and woman in that order.

Adam's Rib
Genesis 1:21 says God took one of his Adam's ribs to make woman. Now I often hear something at weddings along these lines. "God did not take a bone out of Adam's head, because woman was not to rule over him. God did not take a bone from Adam's foot because man was not to rule over woman. God took a bone from Adam's side because God created man and woman as equals." This is not true. The exact reason is not given as to why God took a rib. A reason is given for why God made woman. The Bible says God created women as a help meet for man. Preachers are reading their own precepts into the passage and teaching it as the doctrine of God.

How Old Was Terah When He Died?
The scholars have failed once again. Some scholars point out what they think is a conflict in the Bible. According to them, Abraham left Haran when his Father, Terah died. They use Acts 7:4 to support this. The Bible says Terah died at the age of 205 (Genesis 11:32). Terah was 70 years old when Abraham was born (Genesis 11:26). Abraham was 75 when he moved to Canaan (Genesis 12:4). Therefore, Terah was 145 when Abraham left Haran. Did Terah die at 145 or 205?
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Behemoth
What was the Behemoth mentioned in Job 40:15? Was it an elephant or hippopotamus as some think? Such a theory is not consistent with the Bible. Check out the Answers in Genesis web site. They handle the subject well. Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?. When preachers provide pathetic explanations for scriptures it's no wonder the world laughs at Christians. Answers in Genesis, however, has some of the answers you need.

Leviathan
What was the Leviathan mentioned in Job 41:1? Was it an crocodile? Again, such a theory is not consistent with the Bible. Crocodiles do not have breath which kindles coals per Job 41:21. Unlike leviathan, men are able to fight crocodiles. Read the whole passage of Job 41 and you will find the crocodile explanation is ridiculous. For more information see the Answers in Genesis web site. More on Dinosaurs

Bible Maps
Do scholars really know where all of the tribal boundaries of the nation of Israel were? Look at the tribe of Zebulun. Jacob said of Zebulun in Genesis 49:13, "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon." If this were not a valid blessing or prophecy, why would God have it written in the Bible? None of the maps I find of the tribes of Israel show Zebulun with a haven or port on the Mediterranean Sea. Moses, inspired by God, said in Deuteronomy 33:18-19 says, "And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand." I would guess, and let me emphasize, guess, that as far as the abundance of the seas or the treasure hid in the sand, the people looking for oil would do better to find where Zebulun would have a port on the Mediterranean and look there. The treasures hid in the sand have not been found so far so this must refer to a time in the future. Are there any ports in northern Israel today other than Haifa? Matthew 4:12-13 says, "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:" Zabulon is the same as Zebulun. Here we see Zebulun, along with Naphtali, having a border on the Sea of Galilee. Modern maps show neither Zebulun nor Issachar with border by the Mediterranean Sea. Modern maps do not show Zebulun with a border by the Sea of Galilee. These maps must be wrong.

David Wrote the Psalms
Sure, most pastors know better but it keeps slipping out and a lot people do not know better. David wrote some of the Psalms but he did not write all of them. Do not forget that ultimately God was the author. Some of the Psalms, such as chapters 1 and 2 do not tell who wrote them. Asaph wrote chapters 50 and 73 through 83. Moses wrote Psalm 90. Ethan the Ezrahite is given as the psalmist for chapters 88 and 89. The name is not given for 62 of the Psalms. As it turns out, King David wrote about half of the Psalms.

Solomon had 700 Wives
1 Kings 11:3 says, "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart." Notice that the number is that of wives and princesses not just wives. The exact ratio and relationships of these women is not known.

Cyrus Did Not Order the Restoration and Rebuilding of Jerusalem
Almost all scholars say King Cyrus of Persia did not order the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem prophesied in Daniel 9:25. They rework history based on a faulty view of scripture. Actually, Cyrus did give an order to rebuild Jerusalem. Isaiah 44:28-45:1 says, "That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;" If God prophesied it, we can trust that it was done and the scholars who say otherwise either don't know scripture or are not trusting God.

The Innkeeper was a Cruel or Greedy Man
When Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem they found no room in the inn. Luke 2:7 says, "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Preachers assume the innkeeper was a man without mercy, an evil man or a greedy man. This is ridiculous. They weren't there and the Bible does not say why this happened. So why slander the innkeeper? How do they know the inn wasn't full of other women giving birth or elderly people or sick people? Why were Joseph and Mary there? They were traveling for the same reason that others may have been traveling for; to go and pay taxes per the order of Caesar Augustus as mentioned in Luke 2:1. If they innkeeper had already taken people in, why should he break his agreement and ask them to leave? Would that be right? Why was the inn Bethlehem full? It could have been from the feast of tabernacles. Once a year, the Jews were to live in temporary shelters, tents or sukkas. Leviticus 23:42-43 says, "Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." It may have been that Jesus was born in a stable so he would celebrate the feast of tabernacles even from the beginning. John 1:14 says that he dwelt among us. The Greek word skhnow (skenoo pronounced skay-no'-o) means to fix, have, abide or live in a tabernacle. The Bible really says he tabernacled among us. This would suggest that Jesus was born in a stable so as to celebrate the feast of tabernacles and that there was nothing wrong with the innkeeper.

Big Burly Fishermen
I have heard Bible teachers mention that the Apostles were big burly fisherman. Does big mean tall, fat or muscular in this case? Burly means what? Check the dictionary. I use the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. How do they know they were big and burly? Did God only call the strong? Were they there? Did they find reliable historical accounts about the Apostles? What did the digital photos show? Oh, that's right we don't have pictures from back then do we? The historians of the day, such as Josephus, are not reliable. Actually, they don't know.

Paul's Got His Testimony Wrong
The verses in the Book of Acts are historical accounts of what was done and what was said. Keep in mind, that just because somebody said something that is repeated in the Bible, it does not mean what they said was correct. Comments made by the Pharisees are in the Bible but the Pharisees' comments are not correct. 2 Peter 3:3 tells what the scoffers will say in the last days but what the scoffers will say, and are saying today, is not right. Paul made a mistake. I do not believe it was for the same reasons as the Pharisees or scoffers, but he did make a mistake. Here are the passages about Paul's conversion:

Acts 9:
	1	And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
	2	And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
	3	And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
	4	And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
	5	And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
	6	And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
	7	And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

Acts 22:
	6	it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
	7	And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
	8	And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
	9	And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

Chapter 9 says the men heard a voice but saw no man. Chapter 22 says they saw a light but heard nothing. When Paul gave his testimony to king Agrippa in Acts 26 he did not address the details of what the other people saw or heard. Acts chapter 9 is the account of what actually happened. Acts 22 and 26 were what Paul gave as his testimony. We should get the details of Paul's conversion right and teach people ahead of time to know the difference between the accounts.

What Paul Says Here
Bible teachers will tell you, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16) A lot of times they will say, "Now what Paul says here is..." Why don't they say, "What the Bible says here is..."? For other books they will never say, "Now what Moses says here is..." or "Now what Isaiah says here is ...". Now it is not the case all the time, but in some cases there is a desire to de-emphasize the inspired nature of the Bible verse or passage and make it look like it is just Paul's opinion. Paul gave his opinion once with respect to marriage and the Bible identifies it in 1 Corinthians 7:25 as his "judgment". Unless noted otherwise, understand that it is not Paul, it is God who is speaking to us through his word, the Bible.

Israel Was Reestablished in 1948
Some fantastic scholars think Israel was reestablished as a nation in 1948.

Isaiah 11:
	11	And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
	12	And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
	13	The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
	14	But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
	15	And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
	16	And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

It's a good thing these guys aren't bankers. If bankers were happy getting paid back 50 per cent of the money they were owed they would go out of business. A debt is not paid off until it is completely paid off. Unless something is fully redeemed, it is not redeemed. Israel did not get the land back that God gave them until they got it all back. Jews lived in Israel before 1917 but that did not mean that Israel was restored. There were several waves of immigration or Aliyah prior to 1948. The Balfour Declaration was issued in November 2, 1917 establishing a Jewish homeland but they were not recovered then because all of the land was not given to the Jewish people nor was complete control of the country reinstated. The United Nations recognized Israel in a 1948. They did not, however give all the land to the Jewish people that had been theirs, either.

Numbers 34:
	1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
	2	Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)
	3	Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward:
	4	And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon:
	5	And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea.
	6	And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border.
	7	And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor:
	8	From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:
	9	the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazarenan: this shall be your north border.
	10	And ye shall point out your east border from Hazarenan to Shepham:
	11	And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:
	12	the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.

God also described the coasts or borders of Israel in Genesis 15 and Joshua 15. The land of Israel includes Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. Israel really did not have complete control until June 7 or 10, 1967. During the Six Day War Israel recaptured all of the land. It was then they were fully recovered. Look at the verses in Isaiah 11 where it mentions God's people being recovered. In verse 14 they fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west. This happened in 1967. They spoiled them of the east together: they laid their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon obeyed them. The West Bank was recaptured in 1967. Were they recovered when they had control or when the war stopped? I do not know the day or hour but it did happen in 1967. Unfortunately, Israel didn't put their faith in God but for fear of its enemies gave control of the temple mount to Jordan. It has sold its birthright to Gaza for less than a pot of red stew. Oy Vey! That was forty years ago.