Books, like buildings, often take longer to complete than anticipated. Many have written asking, ”What has happened to my copy of the book Wrested Scriptures?” The answer is, nothing has happened to it, it isn’t in existence yet, but we are busy working on it. The making of the index for such a reference volume turned out to be a herculean task. Many hundreds of hours have now been spent in preparing it and proofing the pages which are now all set in type. It would be a great pity to have such a worthwhile book printed haphazardly, filled with irritating typographical errors.
This is not to say that you will not find some but every effort has been made to keep them to a minimum. At any rate the book is now back in the hands of the printers and should be coming off the press in due time. Your impatience to receive your copy illustrates how anxious each one of us is to have this valuable book as an aid to Bible study and to help teach the Truth to others. It should also act as a warning to those who have not yet ordered their copy to do so without delay. Certainly no one wants to be left out when the copies do come rolling off the press. The cost is $3.00 for a soft binding and $4.00 for the hard covers. Send your order in now along with your check to reserve your copy.
Apparent Contradictions
Some have attempted to discredit the Bible by pointing out what appears to be a contradiction. Here are some examples of these along with the explanation. These serve to illustrate how valuable the book “Wrested Scriptures” will be to own.
Exod. 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, [Ail Shaddai] but by my name Jehovah [Yahweh] was I not known to them.”
Problem: There is an apparent contradiction between what God says to Moses in this passage and Abraham’s use of the divine name in Gen. 14:22. (The divine name, Yahweh, occurs 165 times In Genesis.)
Solutions
- It is not said that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not use the divine name, but that they did not know it. Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, [Yahweh] that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.” (Exod. 5:2). Pharaoh came to know the power of the name when the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.” (Exod. 14: 25). Yahweh had declared: “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD [Yahweh] when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt . . . ” (Exod. 7:5 cf. also 8:10,22; 14:18).
- The apparent contradiction is resolved once it is seen that Ail Shaddai was the name by which God was known to the patriarchs and although “Yahweh” was in use, the import of the name was not known in the way in which God was about to manifest Himself to
Exod. 33:11 “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man peaketh unto his friend . . “
Exod. 33:20 ” . . Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me. and live.”
Problem: These two references are cited as contradictions in the Bible. The one verse says that God spoke to Moses face to face and yet nine verses later the writer says that no man can see God’s face and live.
Solution:
- Moses did not see Yahweh (the LORD) literally “face to face”. This is indicated by the following New Testament passages:
a) “[God] who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see . (1 Tim. 6:16).
b) “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God .” ( I Tim. 1:17 cf. Heb. 11 :27 ).
c) ”No man hath seen God at any time . . ” (Jn. 1:18). - It is clear from Stephen’s exposition in Acts 7 that Moses spoke face to face with God’s accredited representative an angel, and not to God, Himself. Note these verses:
1. vs. 30________ “there appeared to him … an angel”
2. vs. 35______ “the angel which appeared to him in the bush”
3. vs. 38—”the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai”
4. vs. 53—”who have received the law by the disposition of angels” (cf. Gal. 3:19 “ordained by angels”) - The principle of “God-manifestation” is illustrated in Exodus 33, and elaborated in Stephen’s commentary in Acts 7. When God acts through accredited representatives, the work is accomplished by God although executed by chosen messengers. An example is recorded in Exod. 23:20,21: “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, [Israel] to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.” Moses, therefore, conversed with an angelic messenger, “face to face” and not with the invisible Creator who dwells in light unapproachable by mortal man.
- God-manifestation in the angel which spoke unto Moses is illustrated in Acts 7 in the shift from “an angel” (vs. 30), to “the voice of the Lord” (vs. 31), and “then said the Lord to him” (vs. 33)
1 Kings 15:14 “But the high places were not removed . “
2 Chron. 14:5 “Also he {Asa] took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images .
Problem: These two passages are cited as contradictions in the Bible. The one passage says that the high places were not removed. The other passage says they were removed.
Solution:
- In 1 Kings 15:14 and 2 Chron. 15:17 the reference is to the complete removal of the high places. Notice 2 Chron. 15:17 says the high places were not taken out of Israel This implies that in Judah, where the King had authority,’ the high places were removed, but in Israel, where he did not have control, the high places remained.
- Asa, therefore, took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images (2 14:5), but was unable to complete his reform in Israel, hence: “But the high places were not taken away out of brad . . (2 Chron. 15:17). The allusion might also be to the high places not removed in the country areas as distinct from the cities of Judah.
A state of war existed Salween Asa. King of Judah. and Baasha. King of Israel (1 Kings 15:32) as there had been between Abijam King of Judah (ahe father of Asa) and Jeroboam, King of Israel. (1 Kings 1 2 Kings 18:5 “He [Hezekiah] trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.”
2 Kings 23:25 “And like unto him [Josiah] was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.-
Problem: It is argued that mutually exclusive statements are made, therefore, both statements cannot be true. Both kings cannot “be like no other king before or after” in the same respect.
Solution:
- A careful reading is all that is necessary’ to indicate that there is no contradiction. Hezekiah is commended because he “trusted”, 2 Kings 18:5. Josiah is commended because he “turned”, 2 Kings 23:25. Mutually exclusive statements are not made.
- It is also noteworthy that David is the rule by which the later kings are evaluated, e.g., 1 Kings 11:33,38; 14:8. He is, therefore, excluded from comparative statements about Josiah and Hezekiah, that “like unto him was there no king before him.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One