"Where World History Ends"
On the same day the Lord #made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates. . ."[Genesis 15:18]
What on earth is happening in the Middle East? It seems that all we hear about in the news from this region is another outburst of violence—or a threat of one.
In his address at the U.N., then Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had threatened once again to eliminate Israel. Also in another speech, he spoke of some Islamic "messiah," as well as a new world order.
As we look at the attacks on our embassies around the world, and specifically the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, it is now clear that the war on terror has not been won.
When Osama bin Laden was killed, we hoped that might be the end of it. But after Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, were murdered in Libya, there were people rioting in the streets and burning American flags. As they waited for their close-ups from the American media, they chanted together to the cameras, "Take a picture, Obama! We are all Osama!" That pretty much says it all. The message of Osama bin Laden and the terrorists appears to be alive and well.
And what about the so-called Arab Spring? What some thought might be a hopeful sign, perhaps a surge of democracy in the Middle East, has not turned out so well. So what is the explanation of all of this chaos and confusion? What in the world is happening?
The short answer is that Bible prophecy is being lived out in real time before our very eyes. The Bible has predicted the things that are happening in this part of the world. Scripture is very clear in pointing out that the end of the world will be centered in the Middle East. And it has all been foretold in the only book that accurately predicts the future: the Bible.
Thousands of years ago, Hebrew prophets predicted the Jewish people would be scattered across the earth and then later regathered. Jesus, in fact, gave a very specific prediction when He said the temple in Jerusalem that was being rebuilt by Herod at the time would not only be destroyed, but also would be dismantled, stone by stone (see Matthew 24:1).
Did that prediction reach fulfillment? Yes, it did. Because all historians agree that in A.D. 70, Titus and the Roman legions marched into Jerusalem, slaughtered thousands of Jews and dismantled the temple. Why did they dismantle it? Because there was gold in the temple, which had been burned, and they had to dismantle it to extract the melted gold. This fulfilled, to the letter, the prophecy of Christ. Also at this time, the Jews were scattered.
Fast-forward many years to the Holocaust, when Hitler sought to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the earth. Thankfully, the United States, Great Britain, and their allies stopped the Nazi war machine. And what happened in the aftermath of the Holocaust was nothing short of amazing. The Jewish people began to return to their homeland. And on May 14, 1948, a modern miracle happened. The state of Israel was officially declared.
Here was a nation that had been dispersed for centuries, and then it was regathered. This has never happened again in history. And this was a super-sign that started the prophetic clock ticking. The people of Israel were back in their homeland again.
But there was still a problem. Israel did not have control of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem plays a key role in the end-times scenario. Although they had declared their statehood, Jordan was still controlling the old city of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and most of the historic sites. Then, the Six Day War broke out in 1967, in which Israel was attacked. No one expected her to survive. Not only did Israel survive the attack, but she won the war and gained back a lot of the things she had lost, including the old city. And for the first time in more than 2,000 years, the city of Jerusalem was under Jewish control.
Yet to this present day, Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Arab leaders worldwide insisting that Jerusalem and the entire West Bank are rightfully Palestinian territory and ultimately must be given back as a condition of peace.
Of course, I am going to side with God on this issue. God gave Jerusalem to Israel. He said to Abraham in Genesis 15:18, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates. . ." (NKJV). He gave that land to Israel, and the Israelis are not going to give up the city of Jerusalem.
The Bible predicts that the city of Jerusalem will be at the epicenter of it all, and the attention of the planet will be directed toward Israel and toward the city of Jerusalem.
Is this happening now? Yes, it is. All of this is happening just as the Bible predicted it would.
So let's go over the chronology of events the Bible has predicted: Israel will be scattered. Has this happened? Yes. Israel will be regathered after her people are scattered. Has this happened? Again, yes. Israel will regain the city of Jerusalem. Has this happened? Yes. Israel will be isolated from the other nations of the world and basically will stand alone. Has that happened? Not quite, but it appears to be moving in that direction. Lastly, Israel will be attacked. Has that happened? Not yet, and not on the scale the Bible predicts. This is still in the future, but perhaps the near future.
Scripture specifically tells us that world history, as we know it, will culminate in this part of the world. Some people would assert that it is not important to study Bible prophecy, but I beg to differ. We must study Bible prophecy. The reason we should want to learn about the future is so we will be motivated to live rightly in the present.
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Weekend Bible Reading
Leviticus 4: The purification offering
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 Say to the Israelites: Do the following whenever someone sins unintentionally against any of the Lord’s commands, doing something that shouldn’t be done:
3 If it is the anointed priest who has sinned, making the people guilty of sin, he must present to the Lord a flawless bull from the herd as a purification offering[a] for the sin he has committed. 4 He will bring the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the meeting tent and press his hand on the bull’s head. Then he will slaughter the bull before the Lord. 5 The anointed priest will take some of the bull’s blood and take it into the meeting tent. 6 The priest will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, toward the sanctuary’s inner curtain. 7 Then the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of perfumed incense, which is in the meeting tent before the Lord. But he will pour out all the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of entirely burned offerings, which is at the meeting tent’s entrance. 8 Then he will remove all the fat from the bull for the purification offering: the fat that covers and surrounds the insides; 9 the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys, 10 just as this is removed from the ox for the communal sacrifice of well-being. Then the priest will completely burn these on the altar of entirely burned offerings. 11 But the bull’s hide and all of its flesh, along with its head, lower legs, entrails, and dung— 12 all that remains of the bull—will be taken to a clean location outside the camp, to the ash heap. It should be burned there at the ash heap on a wood fire.
13 If it is the entire Israelite community that has done something wrong unintentionally and the deed escapes the assembly’s notice—but they’ve done something that shouldn’t be done in violation of the Lord’s commands, becoming guilty of sin— 14 once the sin that they committed becomes known, the assembly must present a bull from the herd as a purification offering. They will bring it before the meeting tent. 15 The community elders will press their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord and then slaughter it before the Lord. 16 The anointed priest will take some of the bull’s blood into the meeting tent. 17 The priest will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord toward the inner curtain. 18 Then he will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the meeting tent. But he will pour all the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar of entirely burned offerings that is at the meeting tent’s entrance. 19 Then he will remove all the fat from it and completely burn it on the altar. 20 He will do the same with this bull as he did with the other bull for the purification offering; that is exactly what he must do. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for them, and they will be forgiven. 21 Then the priest will take the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as the first bull was burned. It is the purification offering for the assembly.
22 If a leader sins by unintentionally breaking any of the commands of the Lord his God, doing something that shouldn’t be done, and becomes guilty of sin— 23 once the sin that he committed is made known to him—he must bring as his offering a flawless male goat. 24 He will press his hand on the goat’s head. It will be slaughtered[b] at the place where an entirely burned offering would be slaughtered before the Lord. It is a purification offering. 25 The priest will take some of the blood from the purification offering and, using his finger, will put it on the horns of the altar of entirely burned offerings. But he will pour the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar of entirely burned offerings. 26 He will completely burn all of its fat on the altar just as the fat of the communal sacrifice of well-being is burned. In this way the priest will make reconciliation for the leader to remove his sin, and he will be forgiven.
27 If any ordinary person[c] sins unintentionally by breaking one of the Lord’s commands, doing something that shouldn’t be done, and becomes guilty of sin— 28 once the sin they committed is made known to them—they must bring as their offering a flawless female goat because of the sin that was committed. 29 They will press their hand on the head of the purification offering. It will be slaughtered[d] at the place for the entirely burned offerings. 30 The priest will take some of its blood and, using his finger, will put it on the horns of the altar of entirely burned offerings. But he will pour all the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. 31 He will remove all of its fat, just as the fat from a communal sacrifice of well-being is removed. Then the priest will completely burn it on the altar as a soothing smell to the Lord. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for them, and they will be forgiven.
32 If you offer a sheep as a purification offering, it must be a flawless female. 33 You must press your hand on the head of the purification offering. It will be slaughtered[e] as a purification offering in the place where the entirely burned offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest will take some of the blood from the purification offering and, using his finger, will put it on the horns of the altar of entirely burned offerings. But he will pour all the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. 35 He will remove all of its fat, just as the fat of a sheep would be removed from the communal sacrifice of well-being. Then the priest will completely burn it on the altar along with the Lord’s food gifts. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for you for the sin you committed, and you will be forgiven.
Unintentional sin
5:1 If you sin:
by not providing information after hearing a public solemn pledge even though you are a witness, knowing something, or having seen something so that you become liable to punishment;
2 or by touching some unclean thing—the dead body of an unclean wild animal, unclean livestock, or unclean swarming creature—but the fact goes unknown so that you become unclean and guilty of sin;
3 or by touching human uncleanness—any uncleanness that makes one unclean—and the fact goes unknown, but you later learn of it and become guilty of sin;
4 or by carelessly swearing to do something, whether bad or good—whatever one might swear carelessly—and the fact goes unknown, but you later learn of it and become guilty of sin concerning one of these things—
5 at that point, when you have become guilty of sin in one of these ways, you must confess how you have sinned 6 and bring to the Lord as compensation for the sin that was committed a female from the flock, either a sheep or goat, as a purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for you, to remove your sin.
Alternative offerings
7 If you can’t afford an animal from the flock, you can bring to the Lord as compensation for your sin two doves or two pigeons, one as a purification offering and the other as an entirely burned offering. 8 You will bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the purification offering. He will pinch off its head at the back of its neck without splitting it. 9 Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the purification offering on the side of the altar. The rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a purification offering. 10 Then, with the second bird, the priest will perform an entirely burned offering according to the regulation. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for you because of the sin you committed, and you will be forgiven.
11 If you cannot afford two doves or two pigeons, you can bring as the offering for your sin a tenth of an ephah[f] of choice flour as a purification offering. You must not put any oil on it, nor any frankincense, because it is a purification offering. 12 You will bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful from it—the token portion—and will burn it completely on the altar along with the food gifts for the Lord. It is a purification offering. 13 In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for you for whichever one of the sins you committed, and you will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.
The compensation offering
14 The Lord said to Moses, 15 Whenever you commit wrongdoing, unintentionally sinning against any of the Lord’s holy things, you must bring to the Lord as your compensation a flawless ram from the flock, its value calculated in silver shekels according to the sanctuary’s shekel, as a compensation offering. 16 You will make amends for the way you have sinned against the holy thing: you will add one-fifth to its value and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make reconciliation for you with the ram for the compensation offering, and you will be forgiven.
17 If you sin by breaking any of the Lord’s commands, but without realizing it, doing something that shouldn’t be done, and then become guilty and liable to punishment, 18 you must bring a flawless ram from the flock, at the standard value, as a compensation offering to the priest. The priest will make reconciliation for you for the unintentional fault that you committed, even though you didn’t realize it, and you will be forgiven. 19 It is a compensation offering. You have definitely become guilty before the Lord.
6:1 [g] The Lord said to Moses, 2 If you sin:
by acting unfaithfully against the Lord;
by deceiving a fellow citizen concerning a deposit or pledged property;
by cheating a fellow citizen through robbery;
3 or, though you’ve found lost property, you lie about it;
or by swearing falsely about anything that someone might do and so sin,
4 at that point, once you have sinned and become guilty of sin, you must return the property you took by robbery or fraud, or the deposit that was left with you for safekeeping, or the lost property that you found, 5 or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. You must make amends for the principal amount and add one-fifth to it. You must give it to the owner on the day you become guilty. 6 You must bring to the priest as your compensation to the Lord a flawless ram from the flock at the standard value as a compensation offering. 7 The priest will make reconciliation for you before the Lord, and you will be forgiven for anything you may have done that made you guilty.
Priestly instructions
8 [h] The Lord said to Moses: 9 Command Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the entirely burned offering—the entirely burned offering that must remain on the altar hearth all night until morning, while the fire is kept burning. 10 The priest will dress in his linen robe, with linen undergarments on his body. Because the fire will have devoured the entirely burned offering on the altar, he must remove the ashes and place them beside the altar. 11 The priest will then take off his clothes, dress in a different set of clothes, and take the ashes outside the camp to a clean location. 12 The altar fire must be kept burning; it must not go out. Each morning the priest will burn wood on it, will lay out the entirely burned offering on it, and will completely burn the fat of the well-being offering on it. 13 A continuous fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not go out.
14 This is the Instruction for the grain offering: Aaron’s sons will present it before the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest will remove a handful of the choice flour and oil from the grain offering, and all of the frankincense that is on it, and burn this token portion completely on the altar as a soothing smell to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons will eat the rest of it. It must be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place; the priests must eat it in the meeting tent’s courtyard. 17 It must not be baked with leaven. I have made it the priests’ share from my food gifts. It is most holy like the purification offering and the compensation offering. 18 Only the males from Aaron’s descendants can eat it as a permanent portion from the Lord’s food gifts throughout your future generations. Anything that touches these food gifts will become holy.
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the Lord on the day of his anointment: one-tenth of an ephah[i] of choice flour as a regular grain offering, half in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It must be prepared on a griddle with oil. You must bring it thoroughly mixed up and must present it as a grain offering of crumbled pieces[j] as a soothing smell to the Lord. 22 The priest who is anointed from among Aaron’s sons to succeed him will prepare the offering as a permanent portion for the Lord. It will be completely burned as a complete offering. 23 Every priestly grain offering must be a complete offering; it must not be eaten.
24 The Lord said to Moses, 25 Say to Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the purification offering: The purification offering must be slaughtered before the Lord at the same place the entirely burned offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it as a purification offering will eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the meeting tent’s courtyard. 27 Anything that touches the purification offering’s flesh will become holy. If some of its blood splashes on a garment, you must wash the bloodied part in a holy place. 28 A pottery container in which the purification offering is cooked must be broken, but if it is cooked in a bronze container, that must be scrubbed and rinsed with water. 29 Any male priest can eat it; it is most holy. 30 But no purification offering can be eaten if blood from it is brought into the meeting tent to make reconciliation in the holy place; it must be burned with fire.
7:1 This is the Instruction for the compensation offering: It is most holy. 2 The compensation offering must be slaughtered at the same place where the entirely burned offering is slaughtered, and its blood must be tossed against all sides of the altar. 3 All of its fat will be offered: the fat tail; the fat that covers the insides; 4 the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which must be removed with the kidneys. 5 The priest must burn them completely on the altar as a food gift for the Lord; it is a compensation offering. 6 Any male priest can eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
7 The compensation offering is like the purification offering—they share the same Instruction: It belongs to the priest who makes reconciliation with it. 8 The hide of the entirely burned offering that a priest has offered belongs to the priest who offered it. 9 Any grain offering that is baked in an oven or that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle also belongs to the priest who offered it. 10 But every other grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, will belong to all of Aaron’s sons equally.
11 This is the Instruction for the communal sacrifice of well-being that someone may offer to the Lord: 12 If you are offering it for thanksgiving, you must offer the following with the communal sacrifice of thanksgiving: unleavened flatbread mixed with oil, unleavened thin loaves spread with oil, and flatbread of choice flour thoroughly mixed with oil. 13 You must present this offering, plus the leavened flatbread, with the communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being. 14 From this you will present one of each kind of offering as a gift to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who tosses the blood of the well-being offering.
15 The flesh of your communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being must be eaten on the day you offer it; you cannot save any of it until morning. 16 But if your communal sacrifice of well-being is payment for a solemn promise or if it is a spontaneous gift, it may be eaten on the day you offer it as your communal sacrifice, and whatever is left over can be eaten the next day. 17 But whatever is left over of the flesh of the communal sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire. 18 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it. It will be considered foul, and the person who eats of it will be liable to punishment.
19 Flesh that touches any unclean thing must not be eaten; it must be burned with fire. Any clean person may eat the flesh, 20 but anyone who eats the flesh of a communal sacrifice of well-being that belongs to the Lord while in an unclean state will be cut off from their people. 21 Whenever anyone touches any unclean thing—whether it is human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean and disgusting creature—and then eats the flesh of a communal sacrifice of well-being that belongs to the Lord, that person will be cut off from their people.
22 The Lord said to Moses: 23 Tell the Israelites: You must not eat the fat of an ox, sheep, or goat. 24 The fat of an animal that has died naturally or the fat of an animal that was killed by another animal may be put to any use, but you must definitely not eat it. 25 If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which a food gift could be offered to the Lord, that person will be cut off from their people. 26 You must not consume any blood whatsoever—whether bird or animal blood—wherever you may live. 27 Any person who consumes any blood whatsoever will be cut off from their people.
28 The Lord said to Moses: 29 Say to the Israelites: If you wish to offer a communal sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, you are allowed to bring your offering to the Lord as your communal sacrifice of well-being.[k] 30 Your own hands must bring the Lord’s food gifts. You will bring the fat with the breast so that the breast can be lifted as an uplifted offering before the Lord. 31 The priest will completely burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will go to Aaron and his sons. 32 You will give the right thigh of your communal sacrifice of well-being to the priest as a gift. 33 The right thigh will belong to the son of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the well-being offering. 34 I have taken the breast of the uplifted offering and the thigh that is given by the Israelites from their communal sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a permanent portion from the Israelites.
35 This is what Aaron and his sons are allotted from the Lord’s food gifts once they have been presented to serve the Lord as priests. 36 The Lord commanded that these things be given to the priests by the Israelites, following their anointment. It is their permanent portion throughout their future generations.
Conclusion concerning offerings
37 This concludes the Instructions for the entirely burned offering, the grain offering, the purification offering, the compensation offering, the ordination offering, and the communal sacrifice of well-being, 38 which the Lord commanded Moses at Mount Sinai on the day when he ordered the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord, in the Sinai desert.
The priests’ ordination
8:1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, the priestly clothing, the anointing oil, a bull for the purification offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread, 3 and assemble the whole community at the meeting tent’s entrance.
4 Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the community assembled at the meeting tent’s entrance. 5 Moses said to the community, “This is what the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them in water. 7 Moses put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, and dressed him in the robe. Moses then put the priestly vest on Aaron, tied the woven waistband of the vest around him, and secured the vest to him with it. 8 Then Moses placed the chest piece on Aaron and set the Urim and Thummim into the chest piece. 9 Moses placed the turban on Aaron’s head and put the gold flower ornament, the holy crown, on the turban’s front, just as the Lord had commanded him.
10 Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the dwelling[l] and everything in it, making them holy by doing so. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its equipment, as well as the basin and its base, to make them holy. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, thereby anointing him to make him holy. 13 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward, dressed them in tunics, tied sashes around them, and wrapped headbands on them, just as the Lord had commanded him.
14 Next Moses brought forward the bull for the purification offering. Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. 15 Moses slaughtered it, then took the blood and, using his finger, put it on all of the altar’s horns, purifying the altar. He poured the rest of the blood out at the altar’s base. Then he made the altar holy so that reconciliation could be performed on it.[m] 16 Moses removed all the fat that was around the insides, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and he completely burned it on the altar. 17 But the rest of the bull, including its hide, its flesh, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp just as the Lord had commanded him.
18 Then Moses presented the ram for the entirely burned offering, and Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. 19 Moses slaughtered it, then tossed the blood against all sides of the altar. 20 He cut up the ram into pieces, and then completely burned the head, pieces, and fat. 21 After he washed the insides and lower legs with water, Moses completely burned the whole ram on the altar. It was an entirely burned offering for a soothing smell; it was a food gift for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
22 Moses then presented the second ram, the ram for ordination, and Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. 23 Moses slaughtered it, then took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. 24 Then Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, their right thumbs, and their right big toes. Moses tossed the rest of the blood against all of the altar’s sides. 25 Then he took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was around the insides, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat—as well as the right thigh. 26 From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one loaf of unleavened flatbread, one loaf of flatbread made with oil, and one unleavened wafer, and he placed these on the fat pieces and on the right thigh. 27 Moses set all of this in Aaron’s and his sons’ hands, then lifted them as an uplifted offering before the Lord. 28 Next Moses took this out of their hands and completely burned it on the altar, along with the entirely burned offering. This was an ordination offering for a soothing smell; it was a food gift for the Lord. 29 Next Moses took the breast from the ram for the ordination offering and lifted it as an uplifted offering before the Lord. It belonged to Moses as his portion, just as the Lord had commanded him. 30 Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes, and on his sons and their clothes as well. In this way, Moses made holy Aaron, his clothing, and Aaron’s sons and their clothing.
31 Moses said to Aaron and his sons: “Cook the meat at the meeting tent’s entrance. You may eat it there along with the bread that is in the basket of the ordination offering, just as I was commanded,[n] ‘Aaron and his sons can eat it.’ 32 But you must burn whatever is left over of the meat and bread with fire. 33 You must not leave the meeting tent’s entrance for seven days, until the period of your ordination is completed, because your ordination takes seven days. 34 What was done today was commanded by the Lord, to make reconciliation for you. 35 You must stay at the meeting tent’s entrance for seven days, day and night, observing the Lord’s requirement so you don’t die, because that’s what I was commanded.”
36 Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.
The priests’ initiation
9:1 On the eighth day, Moses called for Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and Israel’s elders. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull from the herd as a purification offering and a ram as an entirely burned offering, both flawless animals, and bring them before the Lord. 3 Then tell the Israelites, ‘Take a male goat as a purification offering; a young bull and a sheep—both one-year-old flawless animals—as an entirely burned offering; 4 an ox and a ram as a well-being sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today the Lord will appear to you.’”
5 They brought what Moses had commanded to the front of the meeting tent. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. 6 Moses said, “The Lord has ordered you to do this so that the Lord’s glorious presence will appear to you.” 7 Moses said to Aaron, “Come up to the altar and perform your purification offering and your entirely burned offering, making reconciliation for yourself and the people. Then perform the people’s offering in order to make reconciliation for them, just as the Lord commanded.”
8 Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the young bull for his purification offering. 9 Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the altar’s horns. He poured the rest of the blood out at the altar’s base. 10 He completely burned on the altar the fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver from the purification offering, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 But he burned the flesh and hide with fire outside the camp.
12 Then Aaron slaughtered the entirely burned offering. Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he tossed it against all sides of the altar. 13 They handed him the entirely burned offering in pieces, including the head, and he completely burned them on the altar. 14 Then he washed the insides and lower legs and completely burned them on the altar along with the rest of the entirely burned offering.
15 Next, Aaron presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s purification offering, slaughtered it, and offered it as a purification offering like the first purification offering. 16 He presented the entirely burned offering and did with it according to the regulation. 17 Then he presented the grain offering, took a handful from it, and completely burned it on the altar, in addition to the morning’s entirely burned offering.
18 Aaron then slaughtered the ox and the ram—the people’s communal sacrifice of well-being. Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, which he tossed against all sides of the altar, 19 and the fat pieces of the ox and ram—the fat tail, the covering fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver. 20 They placed these fat pieces on the animals’ breasts, and Aaron completely burned them on the altar. 21 But Aaron lifted up the breasts and the right thigh as an uplifted offering before the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.
22 Aaron then raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. After performing the purification offering, the entirely burned offering, and the well-being sacrifice, he came down. 23 Moses and Aaron then entered the meeting tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the Lord’s glorious presence appeared to all the people. 24 Fire flew out from before the Lord and devoured the entirely burned offering and the fat pieces on the altar. All the people saw it. They shouted for joy and fell facedown.[Footnotes:
Leviticus 4:3 Or sin offering (Heb hatta’t, which recurs frequently in Leviticus)
Leviticus 4:24 Or He will slaughter it … where he would slaughter
Leviticus 4:27 Or one of the people of the land
Leviticus 4:29 Or They will slaughter it.
Leviticus 4:33 Or You will slaughter it.
Leviticus 5:11 Two quarts; one ephah is approximately twenty quarts dry.
Leviticus 6:1 5:20 in Heb
Leviticus 6:8 6:1 in Heb
Leviticus 6:20 Two quarts; an ephah is approximately twenty quarts dry.
Leviticus 6:21 Heb uncertain
Leviticus 7:29 Heb uncertain
Leviticus 8:10 Or tabernacle
Leviticus 8:15 Or to make reconciliation for it (i.e., the altar)
Leviticus 8:31 LXX, Syr, Tg; cf 8:35; MT as I commanded]
Acts 14: Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
1 The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas entered the Jewish synagogue and spoke as they had before. As a result, a huge number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 However, the Jews who rejected the faith stirred up the Gentiles, poisoning their minds against the brothers. 3 Nevertheless, Paul and Barnabas stayed there for quite some time, confidently speaking about the Lord. And the Lord confirmed the word about his grace by the signs and wonders he enabled them to perform. 4 The people of the city were divided—some siding with the Jews, others with the Lord’s messengers. 5 Then some Gentiles and Jews, including their leaders, hatched a plot to mistreat and stone Paul and Barnabas. 6 When they learned of it, these two messengers fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area, 7 where they continued to proclaim the good news.
Healing a crippled man in Lystra
8 In Lystra there was a certain man who lacked strength in his legs. He had been crippled since birth and had never walked. Sitting there, he 9 heard Paul speaking. Paul stared at him and saw that he believed he could be healed.
10 Raising his voice, Paul said, “Stand up straight on your feet!” He jumped up and began to walk.
11 Seeing what Paul had done, the crowd shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have taken human form and come down to visit us!” 12 They referred to Barnabas as Zeus and to Paul as Hermes, since Paul was the main speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was located just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates. Along with the crowds, he wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 When the Lord’s messengers Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes in protest and rushed out into the crowd. They shouted, 15 “People, what are you doing? We are humans too, just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you: turn to the living God and away from such worthless things. He made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.[a] 16 In the past, he permitted every nation to go its own way. 17 Nevertheless, he hasn’t left himself without a witness. He has blessed you by giving you rain from above as well as seasonal harvests, and satisfying you with food and happiness.” 18 Even with these words, they barely kept the crowds from sacrificing to them.
19 Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and won the crowds over. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing he was dead. 20 When the disciples surrounded him, he got up and entered the city again. The following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
Returning to Antioch
21 Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the good news to the people in Derbe and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, where 22 they strengthened the disciples and urged them to remain firm in the faith. They told them, “If we are to enter God’s kingdom, we must pass through many troubles.” 23 They appointed elders for each church. With prayer and fasting, they committed these elders to the Lord, in whom they had placed their trust.
24 After Paul and Barnabas traveled through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25 They proclaimed the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia. 26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been entrusted by God’s grace to the work they had now completed. 27 On their arrival, they gathered the church together and reported everything that God had accomplished through their activity, and how God had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. 28 They stayed with the disciples a long time.
The Jerusalem Council
15:1 Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we’ve received from Moses, you can’t be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas took sides against these Judeans and argued strongly against their position.
The church at Antioch appointed Paul, Barnabas, and several others from Antioch to go up to Jerusalem to set this question before the apostles and the elders. 3 The church sent this delegation on their way. They traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling stories about the conversion of the Gentiles to everyone. Their reports thrilled the brothers and sisters. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, the church, the apostles, and the elders all welcomed them. They gave a full report of what God had accomplished through their activity. 5 Some believers from among the Pharisees stood up and claimed, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must be required to keep the Law from Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After much debate, Peter stood and addressed them, “Fellow believers, you know that, early on, God chose me from among you as the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and come to believe. 8 God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. 10 Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
12 The entire assembly fell quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through their activity. 13 When Barnabas and Paul also fell silent, James responded, “Fellow believers, listen to me. 14 Simon reported how, in his kindness, God came to the Gentiles in the first place, to raise up from them a people of God. 15 The prophets’ words agree with this; as it is written,
16 After this I will return,
and I will rebuild David’s fallen tent;
I will rebuild what has been torn down.
I will restore it
17 so that the rest of humanity will seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who belong to me.
The Lord says this, the one who does these things[b]
18 known from earliest times.
19 “Therefore, I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter, telling them to avoid the pollution associated with idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood. 21 After all, Moses has been proclaimed in every city for a long time, and is read aloud every Sabbath in every synagogue.”
Letter to the Gentile believers
22 The apostles and the elders, along with the entire church, agreed to send some delegates chosen from among themselves to Antioch, together with Paul and Barnabas. They selected Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who were leaders among the brothers and sisters. 23 They were to carry this letter:
The apostles and the elders, to the Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings! 24 We’ve heard that some of our number have disturbed you with unsettling words we didn’t authorize. 25 We reached a united decision to select some delegates and send them to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul. 26 These people have devoted their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore, we are sending Judas and Silas. They will confirm what we have written. 28 The Holy Spirit has led us to the decision that no burden should be placed on you other than these essentials: 29 refuse food offered to idols, blood, the meat from strangled animals, and sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid such things. Farewell.
30 When Barnabas, Paul, and the delegates were sent on their way, they went down to Antioch. They gathered the believers and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it, delighted with its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas were prophets, and they said many things that encouraged and strengthened the brothers and sisters. 33 Judas and Silas stayed there awhile, then were sent back with a blessing of peace from the brothers and sisters to those who first sent them.[c] 35 Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, where, together with many others, they taught and proclaimed the good news of the Lord’s word.
Paul and Barnabas part company
36 Some time later, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all the brothers and sisters in every city where we preached the Lord’s word. Let’s see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. 38 Paul insisted that they shouldn’t take him along, since he had deserted them in Pamphylia and hadn’t continued with them in their work. 39 Their argument became so intense that they went their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. 40 Paul chose Silas and left, entrusted by the brothers and sisters to the Lord’s grace. 41 He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.[Footnotes:
Acts 14:15 Ps 146:6
Acts 15:17 Amos 9:11-12
Acts 15:33 Critical editions of the Gk New Testament do not include 15:34 Silas decided to remain there.]
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