Commonalities of Cults

There are many subgroups of the Christian faith.  These subgroups tailor their teachings and focuses in different ways.  That is exactly how the Body of Christ functions BUT there are some groups that claim to be 'Christian' when in fact, they are not.  Some deny being 'Christian' but claim to have similar beliefs and 'more correct' views than that of orthodox Christianity; but how can you identify a cult?

Manuscripts of The Bible and Textual Criticism

The Bible is a collection of ancient manuscripts of the original texts passed down through history.  Scholars gather, compile, translate, research and compare all discovered manuscripts and support texts to determine the original biblical texts.  This article will discuss an overview of biblical manuscripts and textual criticism; we will explain a brief overview of what Textual Criticism is, creation of source documents to recreate a document that closest resembles the original, what actual biblical manuscripts we currently have to study, and what source documents current bible translations depend on.

Hebrews In Egypt

The Bible records Jacob settling in Egypt, in the land called Rameses.  They became slaves to Egypt and were used to construct the Rameses city.  After 430 years of intense labor and poverty, they left.  (Genesis 47:11,27; Exodus 1:11, 12:37-40).  Is this the only explicit record of Israelites being enslaved in Egypt?  There are a couple logical questions we must ask then we can ponder any sort of evidence or support for the bible's claim.

The Great Flood

This is a hotly debated issue; was there an actual historic Great Flood or is Noah's story just a myth taken from other cultures?  To address this question we will look at the ancient flood stories of different ancient cultures, and discuss evidences in geology and fossil records.  This topic requires and open mind but also requires a spiritually open mindedness.

Earliest Mention of Israel in History

 

The Merneptah Stele is the most widely recognized and accepted earliest inscription of "Israel".  The inscription is from the ancient Egyptian king Merneptah who ruled between 1213BC to 1203BC.  This stele is estimated to have been carved around 1208BC. 

The Tel Dan Inscription

A fragmented slab of stone found in Israel with Aramaic characters carefully engraved in the stone describe a military victory of the Aramein King over southern nations; one of which is stated as: "The King of the House of David".  The stone is date to the late 9th Century BC. Sadly the undiscovered portion of the stone presumably records the names of the kings but most scholars believe the stela recounts a campaign of Hazael of Damascus, king of Aram, in which he defeated both Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah.

Why is this discovery so important?