BIBLE CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCELESSON-SERMON*

June 19, 2005

For CSDirectory.com

Compiled by C. Norman Wood, Burke, VA22015 703-898-8818, woodcn@aol.com

SUBJECT: Is the Universe, Including Man, Evolvedby Atomic Force?

GOLDEN TEXT: In Praise ofWisdom (Prov 3: 19)

“Thepossibility that wisdom might be misunderstood as a deity alongside, and evenon a level with, the Lord God of Israel is further precluded by the addition in3:19-20 of the hymnic assertion of the supreme sovereignty of the Lord God asthe Creator of the world.” (Eerdmans Commentary)

B.,I.A., “ThereforeGet Wisdom,” Christian Science Journal (October 1885), p.126.

--Thatwhich heals the sick is the statement that produces harmony, i.e., one God, theLaw giver, infinite Life, infinite Intelligence.

• To comprehend the full significance of this is tobe "endued with power from on high," not only over disease and pain,but over sin and death and misfortune, so that all the conditions andcircumstances of life are under our dominion.

--This,it seems to me, is the full accomplishment of the purpose of Theology — theentire application of Deus immanens, non transiens; a doctrine preached in itsperfection by no other church militant in the universe but the ChristianScientists.

--Andbecause there is this living power in the acceptance of its theologicalpremises and proof, it lifts its deathless front to the world of error arrayedagainst it, and writes on the banner of every disciple — Victory over sin,sickness, death!

Osgood,F.M., “Wisdomand Understanding,” Christian Science Journal (November1900), p. 494.

--Theworld for ages has sought for, and is still seeking after, wisdom, but it hasyet to learn that some of the knowledge it has gained is not true wisdom, forthe result of this so-called wisdom is not the understanding that enables thelearner practically and scientifically to prove that it can save him from hisdestroyers, sin, sickness, and death.

--The term common Christianity will serve toillustrate the difference, by means of comparing the Christian faith that doesnot trust God in all its dis-eases (by going to Him for the healing of sicknessas well as sin) with the scientific Christianity, or Christian Science that isshowing its faith by its works and is proving itself to be the Scientificunderstanding of true Christianity.

SECTION II: Moses andAaron (Num 20: 1-11)

“Thereis one further act of rebellion at Kadesh [WSyria] before the journey to the land resumes.  This is the incident in which Moses andAaron are found to be seriously at fault, and which culminates in theirexclusion from the land.” (Eerdman’s Commentary)

Moses

[Mō’zez](Egyp. “extraction, a son”/Heb. “drawn from the water”)

“MOSES. Acorporeal mortal; moral courage; a type of moral law and the demonstration thereof; theproof that, without the gospel, — the union of justice and affection, — thereis something spiritually lacking, since justice demands penalties under the law.” (S&H 592: 11)

TIME LINE: 1526-1406 BC (some say @1300 BC)

Kingsof Egypt: Thutmose                 1529-1517

ThutmoseII 1517-1504

ThutmoseIII 1504-1453

QueenHatshepshut 1504-1483

AmenhotepII 1453-1426

FirstPassover @1446

Exodus/WildernessWanderings @1446

TenCommandments

ThutmoseIV 1426-1416

AmenhotepIII 1416-1377

Jacob

Levi

Gershon

Libni

Shimi

Kohath

Amran(father)=Jochebed (mother)

Miriam(sister)

Aaron(brother) =Elisheba(tribe of Judah)

Nadab

Abihu

Eleazar=(daughterof Phinehas Putiel)

Ithamar

Moses =          Zipporah(wife/Jethro’s

daughter)

Gershorn (son)

Jonathan

Eliezer(son)

=          Tharbis(Ethiopian wife)

Izhar

Hebron

Uzziel

Merari

Mahali

Mushi

Jochebed (Amran’s aunt and wife)

(11other sons/Dinah)

Moses was the first and preeminent Hebrew leader, wholed the people in their exodus out of Egypt to the threshold of the promisedland; and he was a lawgiver and the archetypical prophet.  He is the most majestic figure in theOld Testament. His role was socentral that the Pentateuch was called the Five Books of Moses, and the code ofreligious laws, the Law of Moses. For all his greatness, Moses never loses his humaneness, displayinganger, frustration, and lack of self-confidence in addition to his leadershipabilities, humility, and perseverance.

FAMILYAND EARLY LIFE

Moses was born in Egypt to Hebrew slave parents inexile during dangerous times, and we come to know him first as an infant whenthe king of Egypt decreed that all infant males should be killed.  Moses was hidden among a river’s edgewhen Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe, saw the basket with the baby, and hadpity on this baby boy. Miriam,Moses’ sister, was nearby and suggested a Hebrew nurse to suckle thechild. When Pharaoh’s daughteragreed, Jochebed, Moses’ mother, was surreptitiously selected to be thatnurse. The boy then grew up at theroyal court but, through his mother, remained aware of his Hebrew origin.

YOUTHAND YOUNG MANHOOD

Slewan Egyptian. Later, he had to flee Egypt when he killed an Egyptian who wasflogging an Israelite slave.

He Flees to Midian [presentday Saudi Arabia, just east of the Gulf of Aquba].  He joined a nomadic shepherd, Jethro,and subsequently, married his daughter, Zipporah.

ATTHE BURNING BUSH: Called toLeadership

Movingdeep into the desert in search of pasture for his father-in-law’s flocks, Mosescame to the mountain of Horeb (or Sinai). He turned aside to examine a strange sight: a bush that was burning without being consumed.  God’s voice came out of the bushdemanding him to halt and remove his shoes as he was on holy ground.  Moses was told that he had been chosento lead his brethren out of their oppression, and bring them to the PromisedLand. Slowly his reaction changedfrom curiosity to awe as he realized that he was in God’s presence.

MAKESFOUR EXCUSES

Moseswas reluctant to accept the task of bringing the Israelites out of Egypt andgave a series of excuses for which God provided retorts.

PersonalUnfitness.

Moses shrank from this task, saying, “Who am I,that I

shouldgo unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out ofEgypt?” (Ex 3: 11)

FearsUnbelief of the People.

To reassure him the name of the Lord (“Jehovah”) was

revealedto Moses and he was given certain magic signs to impress Pharaoh and theIsraelites: turning his staff intoa snake, making a hand white with leprosy, and turning water into blood.

Lackof Eloquence.

Still reluctant, Moses pointed out that “I am slowof

speech,and of a slow tongue.” (Ex 4: 10)

RequestSome Other Leader Be Sent.

The Lord became impatient with him, and replied thathis

brotherAaron could be his spokesman.

THERETURN TO EGYPT

Asan adult, Moses was sent to lead the people out of Egypt, and there is noquestion that he was a successful leader. He took a mixed multitude and under his guidance they were shaped into anational entity. Moses led the people from encampment to encampmentand directed them when conflicts with other nations arose.  Like most leaders, he was subjected tocomplaints and grumbling and even rebellions, and he was called upon to providesolutions to problems and psychological encouragement.  Moses served as the link between theIsraelites and God; he interceded with God on behalf of the people.

THETEN PLAGUES SENT

ThePassover. Each year Jewscommemorate the Exodus in the seven-day spring festival of Passover, asenjoined in Exodus 10. They eat“matzot” (flat cakes of unleavened bread) to recall the haste with which theirancestors departed. At the “Seder”or ceremonial meal, bitter herbs are the symbol of the bondage in Egypt, and aroasted shank-bone represents the paschal lamb eaten that fateful night.

THEEXODUS

He later returned to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh“let my people go.” His parting ofthe Red Sea to bring the people out, his wandering in the wilderness, thehanding down of the Ten Commandments, and his continued march to the PromisedLand consumed the remainder of his life.

ATMOUNT SINAI [almost at the southern tip of theSinai Peninsula]

The Divine Appearance on the Mount:  “There is a strict hierarchy ofpersonnel: Moses at the apex ofthe Mountain, with Aaron in attendance (the status of the priesthood as a wholeis recognized in 19:22…), while the people have to be rigorously excluded atthe base of the mountain. Theelders interposing as representatives of the people (19:7…) may belong to thesame scenario.” (EerdmansCommnetary)

TheDecalogue Given: “When the Israelites arrived at MountSinai, Moses went up onto the mountain for 40 days (Ex 24:18).  The Lord appeared in a terrificstorm—‘thunderings and lightenings, and a thick cloud’ (Ex 19:18).  Out of this momentous encounter camethe covenant between the Lord and Israel, including the Ten Commandments (Ex20:1-17).” (Who Was Who in the Bible)

TheDivine Presence Restored: Moses intercedes, and receives in reply the gracious assurance that Godwill go with them. Without thatassurance he would desire to go no farther but to remain at Sinai, where theyalready had the evidence of his presence and power. Better the Sinai wilderness with God, than the land flowingwith milk and honey without him.

SINAITO KADESH-BARNEA [southwestern border of Israel]

Ambition of Aaron and Miriam. “Aaron and Miriam started speaking against Moses, of whomthey had become jealous. The Lordwas angry at this attack, and Miriam was stricken with leprosy.  Moses prayed that she be forgiven, andshe recovered after seven days of isolation in the desert outside thecamp. Oddly enough Aaron was notpunished—perhaps because of his priestly role.”  (Who’s Who in the Old Testament)

ATKADESH-BARNEA

TheIsraelites resumed their journey northward, and came to rest at Kadesh-barnea,a green and well-watered oasis some fifty miles south of Beersheba.  They were now nearing the southern rimof Cannan, but it was for them unknown country.

SpiesReport. Moses decided to sendinto it a scouting party of twelve picked men, one from each tribe to “see whatthe land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whetherthey are few or many” (Num 13: 18)—also, whether the inhabitants lived infortified towns or in tents and whether the soil was fertile.

FORTYYEARS WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS

Rebellionof the People. The leadershipof Moses and Aaron was challenged by a revolt—all the more serious because itstarted with their own tribe of Levi, which was dedicated to priestly duties.

Aaron’s Atonement. Moses felt the need of some act to bolster the status ofAaron and the priests. Hecollected and placed in the Tabernacle a stave from each of the tribes, withthe Levites represented by Aaron’s own rod. When they were taken out and shown to the people nextmorning, it was seen that Aaron’s stave had spouted with blossom and bornealmonds.

ATKADESH [W Syria] THE SECOND TIME

Deathof Miriam

The People Murmur Because of Thirst:  The Children of Israel now settled downfor some decades to the life of nomad shepherds and cattle-herders roaming thewilderness of Zin, with their base at the oasis. “Two or three times some fault is attributed to Moses, asevery saint has failed in some point at some time.” (Peloubet’sDictionary)

Moses’Sin

LASTDAYS

Moses’ Farewell Address and Blessings:  In three farewell addresses, recordedin the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses recalled for the Israelites the story oftheir wandering; expanded their religious and legal code; and instructed themabout their coming settlement in Canaan.

Ascends Mount Nebo [westof Ammon, Jordan]: Ironically, although Moses must certainly be judged successful in hismission, he himself was not permitted to partake of this success; he was notgranted the privilege of entering the promised land but was given a distantview of the Promised Land from Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which isopposite Jericho [eastern West Bank]across the Jordan. At his death,he was a hundred and twenty years old.

THELAW OF MOSES

The Mosaic code goes farbeyond religious observance in the narrow sense. It deals with political, social, and family affairs in aprogressive spirit well in advance of its period.

Aaron

[Air’uhn] (“mountaineer; mountain ofstrength”)

TIME LINE:  13^th Century BC

Levi

ß

Amram (father) =          Jochebed(mother)

Miriam(sister)

Aaron =          Elisheba(tribe of Judah)

Nadab

Abihu

Eleazar(succeeded Aaron as

highpriest)

Eli

Abiathar

Ithamar

Zadok

Moses (brother) =          Zipporah(Jethro’s daughter)

=          Tharbis(Ethiopian wife)

Aaronwas the brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Hebrew nation.  Very little is known about Aaron’searly life, other than his marriage to Elisheba, daughter of Amminadad, whobore him four sons. He was of thepriestly tribe of Levi, and Elisheba was of the tribe of Judah.  He was younger than his sister Miriam,but three years older than Moses. “His first two sons perished when they offered sacrifices with fire thatGod had not commanded them to make (Lev 10:1,2; 16:1,2).”  (Holman Bible Dictionary)

Whenthe Lord ordered Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites leaveEgypt, Moses pleaded that he was not a good speaker. The Lord told him that Aaron, his brother, would serve ashis spokesman because he was a good speaker.

Aaronwent into the wilderness and met Moses. The two brothers embraced, and Moses repeated the Lord’scommandments. They then sent forthe Israelite elders. Aaroninformed them that the Lord was about to release them from their slavery, andconvinced them by performing magic signs.

Mosesand Aaron appeared before Pharaoh, and at first asked for permission for theIsraelites to journey into the wilderness to hold a feast to their God.  Pharaoh refused, and increased theburden of the Hebrew slaves, who then blamed the brothers for these newhardships. Once again theyappeared before Pharaoh to urge their plea. To impress Pharaoh with a miracle, Aaron threw down his rodand it turned into a serpent. Pharaoh sent for his sorcerers who performed the same feat but Aaron’s“serpent” swallowed their rods.

Twentyyears after this, when the children of Israel were encamped in the wildernessof Paran, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram conspired against Aaron and his sons; afearful judgment from God fell upon them, and they were destroyed, and the nextday thousands of the people also perished by a fierce pestilence, the ravagesof which were only stayed by the interposition of Aaron.

Aaronwas anointed (Lev 8:12), as was the Israelite king, and the special vestmentsthat he wore were those worn by pre-exilic monarchs (Ex 28:1-38); such seemscertainly to be the case with the breastpiece (Ex 28: 15-30) and the turban andits gold plate (Ex 28: 36-38).

Aaronwas implicated in the sin of his brother at Meribah (Num 20:8-13), and on thataccount was not permitted to enter the Promised Land.

Beforethe Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, they reached Mount Hor, nearthe southern end of the Red Sea. The Lord told Moses to take Aaron up the mountain, together with his sonEleazar. Aaron’s vestments wereplaced upon Eleazar, who succeeded him as high priest.  Aaron then died, at the age of one-hundredand twenty-three.

“Thepriest was an important figure in Israelite religion, a member of a specificfamily.” (Complete Bible Handbook) The special role of the priesthood, and the details of Temple worship,were elaborated in the P (priestly) Document in the post-exilic period, inabout the 4^th century B.C.. It is mainly from this late source that these themes were injected intothe Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Aaron’s importance as the founder of the priesthood and thefirst high priest was thereby magnified in retrospect.  (The main part of the story of Aaron istold in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.)

Benedict,Verne Taylor, “The People Murmured,” POEM, ChristianScience Sentinel (20 August 1938), p. 1017.

WouldGod that we had died while yet in Egypt.

Thepeople murmured when they weary grew.

Thereis no food in all this tangled wilderness;

Wehunger and we thirst. What can Goddo?

Heheard their cry, and fed them with His manna;

Andwaters had flowed freely when a rod

Smoteon the rock of their bewildered thinking

Andshowed to them the tender care of God.

Butstill they murmured while their mortal blindness

Hidfrom their sight the truth that Moses saw.

Alonehe climbed the mount of revelation

Andbrought to them the tables of the law.

Andwhen at last they ceased to weep and murmur,

Thepromised land unfolded to their sight.

Theirfather’s God had led them ever onward

Withpillar of cloud by day, and fire by night.

Bergenheim,Richard C. (CSB, Editor-in-Chief,Director, and Contributing Editor; New York, NY), "Water in the wilderness," Editorial, ChristianScience Journal (March 1994), p. 40.

--Haveyou ever seen pictures of the Sinai Peninsula, where the children of Israeljourneyed for forty years?

•The landscape is often stark: barren, arid, and desolate.

---Moseshad urged the Israelites to leave Egypt and their life of bondage and to followhim to Canaan, to the land that God had promised to Abraham and his descendentsforever.

•God described this land to Moses as one that flowed with milk and honey.

---Thewilderness of Sinai lay between Egypt and their new home.

--Thejourney proved to be a spiritual trek.

•They were taken from a state of dependency, or enslavement in matter, to agrowing recognition of the abundance of Spirit, to the affluence of Life andLove that was theirs as the children of God.

Leishman,Thomas L., “Later Years of Moses, The,” THE CONTINUITY OF THE BIBLE, Christian Science Journal (January 1966), p. 36.

--Inconsidering Moses’ later years, it is important to note certain aspects of theorganization which he established.

•Closely connected with the giving of the law was the preparation of the ark, asacred box in which the tablets of the law were preserved and which was kept inthe tabernacle, or tent, a portable sanctuary used chiefly during thewilderness wanderings and described especially in the closing chapters of thebook of Exodus.

--While hehimself was not permitted to enter [the Promised Land] (see Num. 20:12), he hadfearlessly accomplished the task assigned to him.

•The meekness for which he was commended (see Num. 12:3) contained no timiditybut may rather be classed as selfless humility.

“Moses, or Aaron?,” Christian Science Journal (January 1891), p. 423.

--To-dayas of old, the cry goes up, from the length and breadth of our land, for aMoses to deliver the people from the bondage of Egypt; and again we hear fromthose who believe they see the way out of Egypt, the cry for Aaron the priest,or preacher.

• Several questions present themselves prominentlybefore us at this point, viz.: Whydo we know so much of Moses?

---Shouldwe know of Aaron were it not for Moses?

--Wemay infer that Aaron went before Pharaoh, and, from the highest standpoint ofintellectuality, plead his case ably and correctly; yet neither sacred orprofane history mentions any speech of Aaron as worthy of note.

--Aaronwas the first of the Levitical priesthood.

SECTION IV: The Walk ofJesus and Peter On the Water (Matt 14: 22-32)

TIMELINE: April, 29 AD on the Sea ofGalilee; The Year of Opposition and Development (Jesus’ 3^rd year ofministry)

PARALLELGOSPEL: Mark 6: 47-52

Aftera while, as Jesus was praying for his beloved disciples, he looked over themoonlit lake and saw that a sudden windstorm, common in that region, wasspringing up.

Peter

[Pē’těr](“rock”)

TIMELINE: - 65 CE

Jonah[Jonas/John] (father)

Simon Peter [Cephas/Petros] = Unknown(Gospels refer to

mother-in-law)

Andrew

The original name of this disciple was Simon.  According to the Gospels, Jesus gavehim the name Peter, the Greek translation of an Aramaic word “Cepha(s)” meaning“stone, rock.” Simon Peter was themost prominent of Jesus’ twelve apostles. The Bible gives a more complete picture of Peter than any otherdisciple, except Paul. He is oftenconsidered to be a big, blundering fisherman and is attractive for his constantmistakes and forgiveness, his boisterous and impetuous enthusiasm, and for hisgood intentions and self-confidence that so soon seemed to disappear.  He became one of Jesus’ closest friendsand was the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

He was a native of Bethsaida (modern Golan Heights of Syria), and his family probablylived at Capernaum [on Lake Galilee].  They were fishermen; Peter was evenreferred to as a master fisherman. Living in the district of Galilee [modernnorthern Israel] surrounded by Gentiles, Peter may have spokencolloquial Greek, but his native language would be Aramaic and his Galileanaccent was quite obvious in Jerusalem at the trial of Jesus.  Both Peter and his brother Andrew werefollowers of John the Baptist before knowing Jesus. Peter was married, because theGospels mention that Jesus healed his mother-in-law, who lived in his house. Peter’s house at Capernaum became theheadquarters of Jesus’ lakeside ministry, and Peter’s boat was always athis disposal.

“Peter’s ardor, earnestness, courage, vigor, andimpetuosity of disposition marked him from the first as the leader of thedisciples of Jesus” (Westminster Dictionary). Peter is the first named in every list of the twelveApostles, and was apparently the strongest individual in the group. “He was thenatural spokesman of the apostolic band” (Ibid). With James and John, Peter formed an inner circle of three,who alone were allowed to accompany Jesus into the house for the raising ofJairus’ daughter, to witness the transfiguration, and to share the agony in theGarden of Gethsemane. All threeSynoptics credit Peter with a speaking role at Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark8:29; Matt 16:16; Luke 5:10). Hewas always a man of action, but from his calling by Jesus to his denial ofJesus he was a man of impulse and aggressive energy, of childlike simplicityand daring, alternating with a weak and cowardly instability. It was notsurprising that he was the first ready to walk to Jesus on the water.  He is particularly remembered for histhree-fold denial of Jesus, his repentance, and his three-fold commission byJesus to “feed my sheep.” He was the first to witness Jesus’ resurrection—tosee the risen Lord—and to recognize him as the Messiah.

 In John 21 we have the account of a fullre-instatement into the place of an apostle. From this time he became what his name signified, a rock—andhis boldness in the face of persecution formed a sharp contrast with hisprevious timidity.

After Jesus’ ascension, at which he “sent out” hisapostles into

the world, Peter at once assumed the leadership ofthe apostles. He suggested thechoice of a replacement for Judas. The earliest information about the early church comes from the Book ofActs. Part of the rhetoricalstructure of the Acts of the Apostles is the portrayal of both Peter and Paulas imitators of Jesus. The first11 chapters of Acts are built around the activity of the Apostle Peter.  He was the first of the apostles toperform a miracle in the name of Jesus—healing the cripple at the BeautifulGate of the Temple. He conductedthe defense of John and himself before the Sanhedrin, and pronounced thecondemnation of Ananias and Sapphira.

It was Peter who healed Aeneas, theparalytic at Lydda [modern Lod],and he raised to life Dorcas, the woman of many goodworks in Joppa [modern Jaffe, close to Tel Aviv].  He proclaimed salvation to the churchesand preached the gospel to the Gentiles. We know little of Peter’s work outside Palestine, but he continued thehealing ministry of Jesus throughout the Middle East.

After remaining for some time at Caesarea, hereturned to Jerusalem, where he defended his conduct with reference to theGentiles. Nextwe hear of his being cast into prison by Herod Agrippa; but in the nightan angel of the Lord opened the prison gates, and he went forth and foundrefuge in the house of Mary.

Although there is no evidence directly linked to theevent, it is highly probable that Peter was martyred in Rome @ 65 A.D., whenNero made the Christians the scapegoats for the burning of Rome, which he hadhimself initiated. According toearly Christian tradition, Peter, as an old man, suffered martyrdom bycrucifixion head downwards.

Many believe that “Mark wrote his Gospel under theteaching of Peter, or that he embodied in that Gospel the substance of ourapostle’s oral instruction.” (Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary) Authentic history adds but little toour knowledge of Peter’s life beyond what we glean from the New Testament.  “The only written documents which Peterhas left are the First Epistle—about which no doubt has ever been entertainedin the Church—and the Second, which has been the subject of earnestcontroversy.” (Ibid)

Henderson,Frederick Alvin, “’A mountain apart’,” Christian ScienceSentinel (31 May 1958), p. 937.

--Todaythe Christian Science Reading Room affords a quiet place for study, prayer, andspiritual refreshment to all who desire it.

•It is recorded in the Bible that on several occasions Christ Jesus withdrew formeditation and spiritual refreshment to a mountain.

---Weare told (Matt 14:23), “When he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into amountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”

•Undoubtedly he sought this “mountain apart” for its undisturbed atmosphere ofpeace and quiet.

--Althoughwe know that right where we are we can spiritualize our thinking, it is bothgood and essential that we have a place where we can give our undividedattention to the “things of the Spirit” (Rom 8:5).

Trench,Richard Chenevix, D.D., “Walking on the Sea,” Christian ScienceJournal (January 1889), p. 536.

--Thedocetic view of the person of Christ — which conceives of his body aspermanently exempt from the law of gravitation, and in this way explains themiracle — is a hard and mechanical view, which places the seat of the miraclein the waters rendered solid under his feet.

• Rather was it the will of Christ which bore hisfeet triumphantly over thosewaters; even as it was the will of Peter — that will, indeed, made in the highest degree active and  potential by faith in the Son of God —which should in like manner have enabled him to walk on the great deep, and,though with partial and transient failure, did so enable him.

---It has been, already observed that the miracle

accordingto its true idea, is not the violation, nor yet the suspension of law, but theincoming of a higher law, as of aspiritual in the midst of natural laws, and the momentary assertion, for that higher law, of thepredominance which it was intended to have — and but for man's fall it wouldalways have had — over the lower; and with this, a prophetic anticipation of the abiding prevalencewhich it shall one day recover.

SECTION VI: The New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21: 2-4, 23,24)

“V.2the new Jerusalem will be described at length later in the chapter.  It comes from heaven as the dwellingplace of redeemed humanity with God—the union of heaven and earth, or of thebride with her husband Christ (cf. 19:7-8). V.3, the words echo God’s OT promises to dwell with his ownpeople Israel as their God (Ezek 37:27-8; Zech 8:8) and also that many nationswill be his people with whom he will dwell (Zech 2:10-11…).”  (Oxford Bible Commentary)

John (the Disciple)

TIMELINE: 3-98 CE

Zebedee(father) = Salome(sister of Mary?)

James(older brother)

John

John,an abbreviated form of the Semitic Johanan, was a common name in the centurybefore Jesus. In the NewTestament, those with this name include

Johnthe Baptist

John,the father of Simon Peter

John,from the family of the high priest

JohnMark

John,the son of Zebedee (the beloved Disciple)

John,the author of the Book of Revelation (may also be

Johnthe Disciple)

The two sources ofknowledge concerning him are the New Testament and traditions. The authorship of the fourth gospel hastraditionally been assigned to John the disciple, who was with Jesus at thetransfiguration and during the struggle of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Johnand his father and brother were fishermen, and lived in Capernaum, possiblyBethsaida [Golon Heights of Syria], on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  He seems to have been in comfortablecircumstances, for he owned a boat and employed men to assist him (Matt 4:21;Mark 1:20); and Salome, his wife, the mother of John, was one of the band ofwomen who ministered to Jesus (Mark 15:40; 16:1). Although it is not certain that Salome and Mary weresisters, if it were so it would make James and John cousins of Jesus.  Luke describes John and James aspartners with Peter and Andrew. John, James, and Peter formed the inner circle of the disciples ofJesus. This special position seemsto have caused some envy among Jesus’ other followers.

“Johnmay have been one of the unnamed disciples of John the Baptist at the Jordan[River].” (Who’s Who in the NewTestament)

BothJames and John responded to the call of Jesus after his baptism. When James and John asked Jesus toreserve for them the seats of honor on either side of him at his Messianicbanquet in heaven, Jesus asked if they knew what they were asking for, and rebukedthem with the admonishment that it was not his to grant.

Johnwas present when Jesus healed the daughter of Jairus; he witnessed histransfiguration and his agony in Gethsemane; and was entrusted, with Peter, forpreparation of the Passover supper. Many thought John was Jesus’ favorite disciple. On the Lake of Galilee after afruitless night’s fishing with Peter and the others, as they bring the boatinto the north shore, a voice calls, “Cast the net on the right side.”  They do so and get so vast a haul offish that they cannot even land it. At that moment “the disciple whom Jesus loved” said to Peter:  “It is the Lord!”

Johnis mentioned twice in the Acts as accompanying Peter, and he continued to workwith Peter after the ascension as the most prominent disciples both in healingand in confirming the faith of the primitive church. He was present when Peter healed the lame man in theTemple. He is also one of thethree “pillars of the Church” whom Paul met at Jerusalem.

Inall likelihood, he moved to Ephesus, and was later banished to the island ofPatmos, before returning to Ephesus where he died sometime after Trajan becameemperor in 98 CE.

Historically,John has been credited with five chapters of the Bible: John, I John, II John, III John, andRevelation. The book of Revelationcalls itself an apocalypse or revelation, which Jesus gave, for his servants,through his angel to John, but it begins in letter form, “John to the sevenchurches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace, and ends like a Paulineletter with the “grace.” “Theauthor identifies himself as ‘John’ (1:1,4,9; 22:8) but does not claim to bethe apostle. Much of the weight ofthe traditional view of the authorship of the Gospel rests on the testimony ofIrenaeus, bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (A.D. 130-200).” (Holman Bible Dictionary)

More recent researchershave reached an assessment that he did not write Revelation and that heprobably didn’t write the Gospel of John either, but that it was written bysomeone who later became a follower of Jesus, not an eyewitness.  Revelation is a rereading of Biblicaltradition in the light of the death of Jesus, and though no doubt Jewish, theauthor is also a citizen of the Greco-Roman world and knows its myths andastrology.

Gilmore,Albert F. (CSB; Lecturer; Editor;President; and CSPS Trustee), “’A new heaven and anew earth’,” EDITORIAL, Christian Science Sentinel (14 April1923), p. 650.

--Whenthe Revelator, in his spiritual exaltation, declared, “And I saw a new heavenand a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away,” hesignalized the fulfillment of the expectation voiced by the prophet Isaiahcenturies before as the Word of God.

•Peter, anticipating the new heaven as the spiritual state where the reign ofrighteousness shall be dominant, also refers to this promise.

---Here,then, is the Biblical prophecy of the coming to mankind of a better condition,the “new Jerusalem,” wherein is to be realized a state of existence in whichthere will be less of hardship and of sorrow, and a larger sense of the blissand spiritual joy which characterize the true state of man.

--ChristinaScientists are profoundly grateful for the understanding that now is the timeto realize, not a part, but all of the conditions belonging to that exaltedstate; that God’s perfect gifts to His beloved are neither delayed nor limited,but continue throughout all time—yesterday, to-day, and forever.

Hoagland,Sara R. and Sara H. Hunter, “John and the book ofRevelation,” INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE, Christian ScienceSentinel (27 October 1997), p. 21. (Greek Alphabet)

--Have you ever tried to tell your friends about a wonderfulexperience you’ve had?

--John’s vision…contains lots of symbols.

--It is the vision of the holy city of Jerusalem, though, thatoverpowers the other visions and symbols (chaps 21 and 22).

•The description begins: “I John saw the holy city, new

Jerusalem,coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for herhusband. And I heard a great voiceout of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he willdwell with them, and they shall be his people….And God shall wipe away alltears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, norcrying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passedaway.”

--John’spurpose wasn’t just to tell about future happenings on earth, but to showheavenly truths and a new kind of heaven and earth.

•He wanted people to know that God is in full control of the whole universe.

---Andthat peace and happiness are certain and available to each one right now.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Commentaries

Barton,John and John Muddiman (ed.), The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford University Press:  Oxford, UK, 2001.

Black,Matthew and H.H. Rowley (eds.), Peake’s Commentary on the Bible.

VonNostrand Reinhold (UK) Co. Ltd: London, ENG, 1962.

Dobson,Edward G. (cont. et al), King James Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers:  Nashville, TN, 1999.

Dummelow,The Rev J.R. (ed.), A Commentary on the Holy Bible. MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc:  New York, NY, 1975.

Dunn,James D.G. (gen.ed.), Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. William B. Eerdmans PublishingCo.: Grand Rapids, MI, 2003.

Eiselen,Frederick C. (ed.), The Abingdon Bible Commentary. Abingdon Press:  New York, NY, 1929.

Henry,Matthew, Commentary on the Whole Bible (in Six Volumes), 1706. Reprinted by MacDonald PublishingCo.: McLean, VA.

Landis,Benson Y., An Outline of the Bible Book by Book. Barnes & Noble Books:  New York, NY, 1963.

Laymon,Charles M. (ed.), The Interpreter’s One-volume Commentary on the Bible. Abingdon Press:  Nashville, TN, 1971.

Mays,James L. (gen.ed.), HarperCollins Bible Commentary. Harper: San Francisco, CA, 2000.

Whiston,William (tr.), Josephus: TheComplete Works. Thomas NelsonPublishers: Nashville, TN, 1998.

Dictionaries

Achtemeier,Paul J. (ed.), The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Harper: San Francisco, 1996.

Brownrigg,Ronald, Who’s Who in the Bible. The New Testament. BonanzaBooks: New York, NY, 1980.

Butler,Trent C., Ph.D. (gen.ed.), Holmon Bible Dictionary. Holmon Bible Publishers:  Nashville, TN, 1991.

Comay,Joan, Who’s Who in the Bible: The Old Testament. BonanzaBooks: New York, NY, 1980.

Gehman,Henry Snyder (ed.), The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. The Westminster Press:  Philadelphia, PA, 1970.

Metzger,Bruce and Michael D. Coogan (eds.), The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issuesof the Bible. OxfordUniversity Press: New York, NY,2001.

__________,The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible. Oxford University Press:  New York, NY, 2001.

Meyers,Carol (gen.ed.), Women in Scripture. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 2001.

Peloubet,F.N., Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary. The John C. Winston Co: Philadelphia, PA, 1947.

WhoWas Who in the Bible. Thomas Nelson:  Nashville, TN, 1999.

www.bibletexts.com

www.crosswalk.com, Baker’s EvangelicalDictionary.

www.crosswalk.com, Easton’s BibleDictionary.

Atlases,Maps and Geography

DeVries,LaMoine F., Cities of the Biblical World. Hendrickson Publishers: Peabody, MA, 1997 (2^nd Printing Aug 1998).

Frank,Harry Thomas (ed.), Atlas of the Bible Lands. Hammond Inc.: Maplewood, NJ, 1990.

Nelson’sComplete Book of Maps & Charts. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville, TV, 1996.

Thenand Now Bible Map Book. RosePublishing: Torrance, CA, 1997.

Webster’sGeographical Dictionary. G.& C. Merriam Co., Publishers: Springfield, MA, 1949 (1963 ed.)

TimeLines

BibleTime-Line. Christian SciencePublishing Society: Boston, MA,1993.

BibleTime Line. Rose PublishingInc.: Torrance, CA, 2001.

Miscellaneous

Bowker,John (ed.), The Complete Bible Handbook. DK Publishing: London, UK, 1998.

Kee,Howard Clark, et al, The Cambridge Companion to the Bible. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge,UK, 1997.

Keller,Werner, The Bible as History. William Morrow and Co.: NewYork, NY, 1964 (revised).

Mysteriesof the Bible. The Reader’sDigest Association, Inc.: Pleasantville, NY, 1988.

Snipes,Joan Koelle, Bible Study for Children. Bible Teaching Press: Shepherdstown, WV, 1999.

Thompson,Frank Charles (ed.), The New Chain-Reference Bible. B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co:  Indianapolis, IN, 1964.

Tosto,Peter (ed.), Found Volumes, Version 2003 (software). www.foundvolumes.com:  Marietta, GA, 2004.

Trench,R.C., Notes on the Parables of Our Lord. Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, MI, 1948.

ZondervanBible Study Library 5.0., Family Edition (software). Zondervan:  Grand Rapids, MI, 2003.

*Theweekly Bible Lessons are made up of selections from the King James Version ofthe Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key tothe Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy,who discovered Christian Science.