Lecture 04 Genesis: Bill Barrick
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Friday, October 31, 2025
Monday, February 24, 2025
Isaac’s Prophecy - Chapter 18
Isaac’s Prophecy
Another interesting prophecy by one of the patriarchs is Isaac’s prophecy over his sons Jacob and Esau. Isaac was Abraham’s son. Jacob and Esau were Abraham’s grandchildren. Similar to Ishmael and Isaac, the blessing does not go to the older child, Esau, but rather to the younger, Jacob. It’s a fascinating story which I do not have time to retell here. But get your Bible out and read it in the book of Genesis. Isaac ends up giving the blessing to Jacob. Esau comes seeking for a blessing, also. Isaac responds,
Behold I have made him thy Lord, and all his brethren have I given him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?[1]
But Esau insists,
Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven above; And by thy sword shall thou live, and shall serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shall have the dominion, that thou shall break his yoke from off thy neck.[2]
Afterwards, Esau realizes that his wives from the Canaanite women displease his father.
And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.[3]
Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel which today we know as the Jewish people. Isaac prophesied “corn and wine,” or in other words, wealth. Another part of Isaac’s prophecy said that Jacob’s brother and his brother’s descendants would be Jacob’s servants. Jacob, therefore, would have power. No one would deny that the descendants of Jacob, the Jewish people, have both wealth and through wealth they have power, as money often equals power.
Esau descendants intermarry with the children of Ishmael and with the children of Canaan and so become part of the Arab peoples. Similar to the prophecy over Ishmael, who
was a wild man and his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him,[4]
Esau would live by the sword and yet his brother Jacob would have power over him, because he would serve his brother.
It is interesting how throughout history the Arabs have lived by the sword and have been expert swordsmen. We even see ISIS in Iraq and Syria cutting the throats of foreigners with a knife or small sword! Some Bible scholars believe that
the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven above
refers to Arab petroleum, which is not something they obtained through hard work but rather as the dew of heaven, they have just been blessed with its richness. Another part of the prophecy says,
And it shall come to pass when thou shall have the dominion, that thou shall break his yoke from off thy neck.[5]
Some believe that sometime in the future the Arabs may break off the yoke of Jewish world control. Some scholars believe that the yoke was broken back in 1973 when the Arabs raised the price of oil and started to amassing huge sums of money through their sales. In any event, the fact that nearly three thousand years ago a rich shepherd in the land of Canaan prophesied the events above is not only very interesting, but surely miraculous.
Notes: Written 2016, First Published August 2020. Republished February 2025.
[1] Genesis 27:37
[2] Genesis 27:38-40
[3] Genesis 28:8-9
[4] Genesis 16:12
[5] Genesis 27:40
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Sunday, February 23, 2025
The Wild Man Prophecy - Chapter 17
The Wild Man Prophecy!
Dennis Edwards
Most everyone knows that Abraham is the father of both the Jewish and Arab nations. However, most people do not realize that both Jews and Arabs are descendants of Shem. In fact, according to Biblical chronology, Shem and Abraham’s lives overlap by about 100 years. So Abraham could have known Shem. Some Bible scholars believe that Melchizedek to whom Abraham gave tithes after the battle of Chedorlaomer was in fact Shem.
Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he (Melchizedek) blessed him (Abraham), and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he (Abraham) gave him (Melchizedek) tithes of all.
The point I am trying to make here is that both Jews and Arabs are “Shemites” or Semites, that is, descendants of Shem. The word anti-Semitism comes from Shem’s name. Since both Arabs and Jews are “Shemites” or Semites, the word anti-Semitism should mean those who are prejudice to both Arabs and Jews. Instead it is used exclusively to designate hatred or prejudice toward the Jewish people.
According to Wikipedia, the word anti-Semitism was first used
in the late 19th century in Germany as a more scientific-sounding term for Judenhass or Jew-hatred.[1]
In any event, Abraham is the father of the Jewish people through Isaac, the son of Abraham’s wife Sarah. But Abraham is also the father of the Arab nations through Ishmael, his son through his wife’s handmaiden Hagar. Ishmael was actually older than Isaac. Because of the jealousy which was arising between Hagar and Sarah, and ultimately between their descendants, Sarah asks Abraham to put away both Hagar and her son Ishmael. Abraham laments, but God tells him to yield to his wife’s request.
Hagar and her son are put out of the camp and wander in the desert. In her desperation Hagar calls out to the Lord for help and He helps her. The angel responsible for her rescue prophesizes over Ishmael saying,
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.[Genesis 16:12]
The Lord also says,
For I will make him a great nation.[Genesis 21:18]
And later:
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles (or encampments); twelve princes according to their nations.[Genesis 25:16]
Have the Arab nations been traditionally “a wild man?” Surely their manner of spreading their Islam faith during the time of Mohammed was by violence. Also, since they are a tribal people, each tribe tends to keep to themselves and have strong tribal preferences. Therefore, even though they are brothers, they find it hard to agree and have throughout history been in constant squabbles among themselves, which we even see today in the Sunni-Shiite division. We see it in the “liberated” nations of Iraq and Libya. Without a strong man dictator to force the different tribal areas to work together, the country soon falls into chaos, with every man’s hand against each other.
The Israelis, realizing that the Arabs are often against each other, have used the fact to their advantage in the Middle East conflict. Because of their knowledge of the Arab weakness, they have been able to prevent some attempted unions by Arab leaders which could have proved dangerous to Israel’s national security. Secret documents have shown that the Mossad, the Israeli equivalent to the CIA, have used the philosophy of divide-and-conquer as their foreign policy using their expert intelligence to foment division among the Arab nations. As long as the Arab nations are fighting among themselves, Israel’s security is safe and Israel becomes the most dominant military power in the area.
On June 25, 2014, blogger Brandon Martinez wrote the following on his website commenting on the fighting in Iraq between the different Muslim groups, confirming Israel’s policy:
On the June 22 edition of NBC’s Meet the Press, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu let slip his government’s intention to divide and conquer the Middle East. Remarking on the latest ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) incursions into Iraq, Netanyahu expressed the desire of his regime to promote internal strife in Israel’s neighboring states.
“We must weaken both [Sunni and Shia Muslims],”
Netanyahu said, implying that it is in Israel’s interests to have Muslims fighting and squabbling among themselves.
“When your enemies are fighting each other, don’t strengthen either one of them, weaken both,” said the Israeli leader.
Martinez continues,
That is what ISIS was created to do. The terrorist militia’s American, Israeli and Saudi backers are content to see these roving bands of malcontents and marauders behead their way to Damascus and Baghdad. What better way to solidify Israel’s position as the sole hegemony in the region? Fragmenting, weakening and Balkanizing the Middle East has been part-and-parcel of the Israeli impulse from the very beginnings of the Jewish state.[2]
Martinez brings to our attention that oddly enough, back in 1982, Israeli military strategist Oded Yinon had written a paper called, A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s.[3] At the time Iraq was Israel’s most powerful and potential adversary and Israel’s greatest threat. Yinon, therefore, advocated the territorial dissection of Iraq into three states. Each state would be based on ethnic and confessional roots, namely Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. Yinon promoted the same scenario for the other Arab/Muslim states surrounding Israel, including Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran.
Some experts claim the idea of a Middle East divided along Arab tribal lines goes back as far as the 1920s. According to Martinez, Yinon believed that fractured and divided Arab/Muslim countries could not pose any challenge to Israeli dominance. He insisted,
Every kind of inter-Arab confrontation will assist us in the short run and will shorten the way to the more important aim of breaking up Iraq into denominations as in Syria and in Lebanon.[4]
Martinez concludes,
Yinon’s geopolitical blueprint is still very relevant today. His vision of a crippled and prostrate Arab/Muslim world is playing out before our very eyes.[5]
Will Iraq be redrawn into three parts in the near future in fulfillment to Yinon’s suggested strategy? And what about the 5 Israelis arrested for filming and celebrating the destruction of the Twin Towers from New Jersey? Were they agents from the Israeli Secret Service, the Mossad? Did they have beforehand information about the event, as some believe? Were they involved in causing the buildings to implode using explosives on the foundations? Will we ever know the truth? (See article about the 5 Israelis here) [6]
[Since the Mossad are so smart and able to infiltrate the enemies most secret organizations and cause havoc like we have seen in Iran, and Lebanon, is it not possible that the Mossad could have orchestrated through its power to infiltrate the 9/11 attack? What nation benefitted from the 9/11 attack? The only nation that benefitted was Israel as she manipulated America to fight her wars and eliminate her enemies in Iraq, Libya, and almost in Syria had not Putin intervened at that time. Other articles on the 5 Israelis have seem to have shown that these men had rented a floor on one of the towers that was destroyed and would work at nights in the building transporting "Art" material in their rented truck. Some have speculated that they were responsible for planting the explosive devices that would later be used to bring down the buildings as fires are not on their own capable of destroying reinforced steel structures. The articles I have read were once available on Google now seem not to be.
If the Mossad did not orchestrate the attacks, they at least knew of them and did not inform American intelligence. They may still have been used to plant the explosive devices aimed at bringing down the buildings. However, I am more inclined to believe the Mossad was manipulating the terrorists, and or, controlling the planes in some way, and in some form responsible for the whole thing!]
See the following link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMWp1YTTh-h/
[2] http://martinezperspective.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/isis-insurrection-serves-israels-interests/ (accessed 03/2016)
[3] http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/pdf/The%20Zionist%20Plan%20for%20the%20Middle%20East.pdf (accessed 03/2016)
[4] Ibid
[5] https://martinezperspective.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/isis-insurrection-serves-israels-interests/ (accessed 03/2016)
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Saturday, February 22, 2025
The Noah Prophecy - Chapter 16
The Noah Prophecy
The Lord said through Isaiah,
Later the Lord says,
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.[1]
Later the Lord says,
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.[2] Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.[3]
I would like to give some examples of a few of the hundreds of amazing fulfilled prophecies found in the Bible. It will strengthen your faith and help you to believe He will fulfill the remaining prophecies.
The book of Genesis has some of the most interesting prophecies made about the descendants of the great fore-fathers of faith. We will look at one which Noah prophesized over his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. Looking through the genealogies of these men, we find that Shem was the father of both the Jewish and Arab nations and all their mixtures. Ham was the father of Black African nations, the word “Ham” meaning black, while Japheth was the father of all the northern European nations or Caucasian “Gentile” nations.
Let’s look at the prophecy which took place after the flood:
And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.[4]
Canaan, the son of Ham, is cursed for what some believe may have been a sexual act by Ham upon his father Noah, or by Ham with his mother, Noah's wife. The uncovering of his father's nakedness could be referring to his mother as seen in Leviticus 18:7. Shem is blessed, while Canaan is made his servant. Japheth’s dwelling place or dominion would be enlarged, yet he would still live in housing owned by Shem. Still, Canaan would be Japheth’s servant, also.
Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Yes, with 100% accuracy. Shem’s descendants are the Jewish and Arab peoples. The Black Africans are found in many of the Arab nations working at menial jobs. The Black Africans also work in menial jobs in many Western nations, where Jewish money and expertise has given the Jewish people unprecedented power. In fact, the Jewish people have dominated every area of human enterprise that they have put their hand to, especially finances and banking. No one would dispute that the Black African nations are the servants of international banks who are largely owned by Jewish money.
So, Canaan, the Black African people, is definitely servant to Shem in the Arab and Jewish peoples and to Japheth in the Gentile people who are largely the Caucasian people. In the third part of the prophecy, we see that Japheth, the father of the northern European nations, has become very large in land area, including North America and Australia. Nevertheless, his brother Shem or Jewish money still controls his housing and financing situation, just like the prophecies predicted: “he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.” Canaan’s descendants, the peoples of Black Africa, have also traditionally been the servants of the Caucasian peoples, the descendants of Japheth, just like they have been servants to the descendants of Shem, the Jewish and Arab peoples. 
I have even seen an interesting study from the book Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People by Dr. Jon Entine.[5] He claims that DNA tests of important Black African leaders seem to indicate that many if not most have Jewish DNA. The Black Africans who become important leaders in Africa are almost always those with significant amounts of Jewish DNA. Entine also puts forth the possibility of Jewish descendants being the architects of the famous Great Zimbabwe; an archaeological ruin in Zimbabwe built around 1100 AD. The origins and architectures of the Great Zimbabwe have been a controversy over the years, which some politically-correct archaeologists have credited to the Black Africans. Entine thinks otherwise and gives the credit to Jewish ingenuity.[6]
I have even seen an interesting study from the book Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People by Dr. Jon Entine.[5] He claims that DNA tests of important Black African leaders seem to indicate that many if not most have Jewish DNA. The Black Africans who become important leaders in Africa are almost always those with significant amounts of Jewish DNA. Entine also puts forth the possibility of Jewish descendants being the architects of the famous Great Zimbabwe; an archaeological ruin in Zimbabwe built around 1100 AD. The origins and architectures of the Great Zimbabwe have been a controversy over the years, which some politically-correct archaeologists have credited to the Black Africans. Entine thinks otherwise and gives the credit to Jewish ingenuity.[6][1] Isaiah 34:16
[2] Isaiah 42:8-9
[3] Isaiah 46:10
[3] Genesis 9:25-27
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioYAjdDALqk (accessed 03/2016)[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lgk9LHqCjA (accessed 03/2016)
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Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Daniel's Mentor Joseph - The Imhotep Connection - 11c
Here are some more observations on the Joseph/Imhotep connection. Imhotep designed the first step pyramid as Djoser’s tomb, which was very similar to the temples made in Sumer. Imhotep was given credit in Egypt for building the first structures made entirely of stone. In paintings and statues Imhotep was also depicted as a young man with a scroll in his hand. Some believe that Imhotep invented Egyptian writing using a combination of hieroglyphics and the Sumerian syllabary form of writing.[25]
Is it possible that Abraham had in his possession a clay copy of the original pre-Flood and post-Flood records of Genesis given to him from Shem, who was still alive during Abraham’s lifetime? If there were some written clay copies Joseph could have learned to “read” before going to Egypt. Or perhaps Joseph, using the oral tradition, had memorized the Genesis record up until his time. Because of his learning and position in Egypt, he was able to record the Genesis record that Moses would later edit under God’s guidance. Another possibility is that Abraham could have learned “reading” during his time living with Noah and Shem in the area of Sumer and passed on this ability to his descendants Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
According to the Bible, Joseph was thirty years[26] of age when he was made Prime Minister of Egypt and lived until he was one hundred and ten.[27] That means, Joseph could have been acting as political and religious leader under four different Pharaohs.[28]
If Imhotep was Joseph then he would have been ruling from the time he was thirty until let’s say nearly eighty-five years old. We have modern day business magnets and religious leaders like the Pope who keep their position of power even until that age. So again, the correlation is possible. The fact that Imhotep’s tomb has never been found, although other architects’ tombs have been found, fits in nicely with the Biblical story.[29] If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, we would not expect to find his tomb, or at least not a big elaborate one in traditional Egyptian fashion. Why? Because when Joseph died, he asked his descendants when in the future they would leave Egypt to take his body back to Canaan and bury him with his parents. The Bible records that when the children of Israel some four hundred years later depart from Egypt, they take Joseph’s remains.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he (Joseph) had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.[30]
Why do we not hear about the Joseph-Imhotep connection or its possibility in modern history books? Some scholars believe that the powers that be within today’s American educational, historical and scientific community at large are not interested in this sort of information becoming public knowledge, as it gives credence to the Biblical narrative. Like I quoted earlier, they "cannot allow a divine foot in the door.”
As for the Famine Stela, scientists consider it a forgery from some three hundred years later after the famous famine. But forgeries usually are pretty close to the truth so that they pass as the real thing. It seems the priesthood, some three hundred years after Imhotep, did not want the Pharaohs to forget history. They wanted the Pharaohs to remember that it was Imhotep, a High Priest, who was responsible for the seven-year miracle that saved Egypt from famine.
Whether the Famine Stela is a forgery or not is really beside the question. The fact is that it is an ancient hieroglyphic inscription and should be given as equal consideration as any other ancient artifact and not dismissed off-hand because of its content gives historicity to the Biblical narrative. One thing we know for sure is that during the reign of Djoser, the Pharaoh suddenly had enough wealth and power to begin the building of gigantic public work projects to himself.
Another interesting point is that the name Djoser could be broken up into two parts, “De Joser” or “of José” as we would say in Spanish or Portuguese. The meaning would be “of Joseph.” Since Imhotep proved to be more important than Pharaoh, because he had saved the country, could that fact have caused the Pharaoh himself to be remembered as “of Joseph” or Djoser? Egyptian records show that during his reign he was called Netjerikhet. It was only some years after his death that he was given the name Djoser.[31] (google image above)
If Imhotep was indeed Joseph, it would account for his extraordinary abilities above and beyond those of the normal upper-class Egyptians. The Bible shows Lot, Abraham's nephew, as a magistrate in Sodom, and Abraham, Joseph's great-grandfather, as an important tribal and military leader. Moreover, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could have known Shem. The book of Jasher has Abraham living with Noah and Shem for 39 years.[32]
During those years Abraham could have learned much of the pre-Flood world including technology and medicine and astrology. He could have later passed his learning on to Isaac and Jacob, who eventually passed it on to Joseph. Besides the spiritual advantages from having learned from his forefathers the importance of maintaining the true God in his understanding and life, Joseph could also have acquired knowledge of Sumerian writing from his fore-fathers. They had dwelt in Sumer before migrating to Canaan and later into Egypt.
The fact that Egypt developed the first practical way of saving information and that all the wealth was in the hands of the Pharaoh may have been the reason for Egypt becoming the first “World Empire,” as we say today, “information is power.”
The reason Egypt was able to store information may have been because Egypt adopted a new system of writing that was very similar to the system used by the Sumerians. At the same time that they were adopting this imported writing method from Sumer, they were also adopting the Sumerian idea of step pyramids. All this was happening under the guidance of one man: Imhotep.
The ancient Sumerians had a history of experimental medicine; Imhotep was later deified for his contributions to medicine. It is left as an exercise for the reader to discover in what other ways this match might help explain Egypt's sudden and historic rise to power.[33]
The Joseph-Imhotep connection is quite an amazing possibility and leaves me wondering if the famous Imhotep of Egyptian history was in fact our very own Joseph.
As you remember, Joseph’s father Jacob or Israel finally went down into Egypt during the famous seven-year famine. Like other patriarchs before him, he prays a blessing over his children before his death. Amazingly, Jacob gives a remarkable prophecy about his son Judah. Remember, the Bible is no ordinary book because it is a book of accurate prophecy. Here’s what Jacob prophesied about Judah, from whose name we get the term “Jews,” as his tribe became the most dominant and the one from whom Israel’s most famous kings descend from.
Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.[34]
As you may remember, King David of the tribe of Judah was the first really strong King of a united Israel some five hundred years after the above prophecy. Saul, the first King, was of the tribe of Benjamin. But because of his disobedience to the Lord the kingdom was given to David. David also was a mighty warrior who fought off the Philistines and other enemies and gave the kingdom its initial statehood.
The Kings of Judah were all descendants of David, as was Jesus of Nazareth. The reference to Shiloh in the verse above is referring to the Messiah. Jesus’ genealogy is traced back to David in both Matthew and Luke.
We have seen that Daniel was a good student while in Babylon. No doubt he was also a good student before going into captivity. As a worthy Bible student, he would have been familiar with Joseph’s history and how God used him to influence the Pharaoh for good and to save lives. Knowing Joseph’s history would have given Daniel and his mates the faith they needed to know that God was with them. They, too, could influence the King for good and to save lives, just like Joseph had done before them.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.[35]
In other words, Paul is telling us that the histories in the Bible are written to give us knowledge of the past so that we can learn from them and therefore have patience and find comfort through them. The histories in the Bible show us God’s care for those that love Him. They give us faith and faith in turn gives us hope for the present and hope for the future. Daniel and his friends received faith through the Biblical histories they had put to heart as Jewish youths. Those histories gave them faith which then translated in their time of trial and testing into hope for the present and hope for the future.
The Bible histories and truths can do the same for us today. That is one of the reason I am putting so much Bible in the text. Because reading and hearing God’s Word can help you to find faith. Faith can in turn give you hope for your present situation and hope for the future. Even if things are looking bleak at the moment and they may become worse in the future, remember,
Are you low in faith? Maybe you need to rekindle your faith by spending time reading the ‘Book of Books,’ the Bible. Many a great men of the past have spent time reading the Bible. Let us list some:
John Quincy Adams (google image at left), the 6th President of the United Sates, who lived from 1767-1848, said the following:
The first and almost only book deserving of universal attention is the Bible. I speak as a man of the world. So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it, the confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.[37]
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President who lived from 1858-1919, had similar thoughts.
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Almost every man who has by his lifework added to the sum of human achievement … has based his lifework largely upon the teachings of the Bible.[38]
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President and who lived from 1809-1865, said the following:
I can see how it is possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say, there is no God.[39]
In regards to this great book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here, and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.[40]
In the next chapter we will read of another famous man who also was an avid Bible student.
Notes:
[25] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/2016)
[29] https://josephandisraelinegypt.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/the-tomb-of-imhotep-found-the-coffin-was-empty-and-orientated-to-the-north/ (03/2016)
[30] Exodus 13:19
[31] http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/djoser.html (accessed 03/2016)
[32] http://weareisrael.org/2012/05/08/noah-and-abraham/ and http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112063/jewish/Abrahams-Early-Life.htm (accessed 03/2016)
[33] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/2016)
[34] Genesis 49:8-10
[35] Romans 15:4
[36] Romans 10:17
[37] http://www.tonycooke.org/stories-and-illustrations/great_statements/ (accessed 03/2016)
[38] http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/125345-list-of-20th-century-us-presidential-quotes-about-the-bible-1901-20/ (accessed 03/2016)
[39] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/131220-i-can-see-how-it-might-be-possible-for-a. (accessed 03/2016)
[40] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/392563-in-regards-to-this-great-book-the-bible-i-have (accessed 03/2016)
[26] Genesis 41:46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
[27] Genesis 50:22,26 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
[28] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/2016)[29] https://josephandisraelinegypt.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/the-tomb-of-imhotep-found-the-coffin-was-empty-and-orientated-to-the-north/ (03/2016)
[30] Exodus 13:19
[31] http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/djoser.html (accessed 03/2016)
[32] http://weareisrael.org/2012/05/08/noah-and-abraham/ and http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112063/jewish/Abrahams-Early-Life.htm (accessed 03/2016)
[33] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/2016)
[34] Genesis 49:8-10
[35] Romans 15:4
[36] Romans 10:17
[37] http://www.tonycooke.org/stories-and-illustrations/great_statements/ (accessed 03/2016)
[38] http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/125345-list-of-20th-century-us-presidential-quotes-about-the-bible-1901-20/ (accessed 03/2016)
[39] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/131220-i-can-see-how-it-might-be-possible-for-a. (accessed 03/2016)
[40] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/392563-in-regards-to-this-great-book-the-bible-i-have (accessed 03/2016)
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Monday, February 17, 2025
Daniel’s Mentor Joseph: The Imhotep Connection -- Chapter 11b
Wikipedia notes that the following:
The Upper Egyptian Famine Stela, dating from the Ptolemaic period, bears an inscription containing a legend about a famine of seven years during the reign of Djoser. Imhotep is credited with having been instrumental in ending it.
However, Wikipedia makes the following comment:
If the seven-year famine was in fact a historical event, we would expect to find similar records of it throughout the Near East, especially if it was as severe as the Bible denotes. Modern historians and scientists often reject off-hand any scientific or historical evidence which confirms what the Bible records. That's why we see the words "legend" and "myth" in the above Wikipedia comment.
Since the time of Scottish geologist James Hutton in 1788 and Charles Lyell in 1830, whose published works aimed at removing Moses from science, scientists have increasingly had a naturalistic interpretation of the scientific data. They start with the precept that all of science and history can only be explained by natural causes without the need to suppose the hand of a Divine Creator. As one evolutionist Professor of Genetics from Harvard University, Richard Lewontin (photo below) has said,
We take the side of evolutionary science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just so stories, because we have a prior commitment to materialism, and that materialism is absolute for we cannot allow a divine foot in the door.[14]
Earlier scientist, like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, among many others, considered they were thinking God’s thoughts after Him. They did not see the need for science to have an atheistic or purely naturalistic framework; in fact, they believed that true scientific study only certified the existence of a Divine Creator. At the time of the first translating of the Famine Stela, scientists were people of faith; therefore, they saw the obvious similarities of the stela to the Biblical narrative. As scientists became more atheistic and skeptical, their world view or belief system caused them to reinterpret the data through the lens of atheism or naturalism. Because of the naturalistic lenses, scientists and historians needed to find another answer which would not confirm the Biblical record and give it credence.
Bill Cooper has written an interesting study of old English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Danish documents. In his book, After the Flood: The Early Post-Flood History of Europe, he shows that early European man recorded his ancestry from Noah’s son Japeth, the father of European peoples according to the Bible. Cooper notes,
I spent more than 25 years digging into the Table of Nations (found in Genesis 10-11 and showing the descendants of the sons of Noah after the flood) looking for fault, an error, a false statement, or a historical inaccuracy. I found none.[15]
Let's return to the comparison of Imhotep with Joseph. The statutes of Imhotep present him as a young man with a scroll on his knees. Joseph was also a young man, just thirty years old, when he became Chancellor of Egypt according to the Old Testament. From Egyptian history we know that Imhotep was responsible for the recording of government documents. He may have also initiated the improved changes in the hieroglyphic writings to include the phonetic system similar to the writings of the early Sumerians. Since Joseph’s ancestors had come from Sumer, again this fits in nicely.
It is interesting to note that the word papyrus actually means “belonging to the house,” or government. Under Joseph, the Pharaoh became the sole property owner in Egypt outside of the priesthood. So we would expect papyrus documents to be either government or religious documents. Since Egyptian history says that Imhotep was also High Priest, there would be no conflict. The question we need to ask is, could Joseph have become High Priest on the death of his father-in-law? To me, it seems there is too much coincidence and similarity to the Biblical record to deny its viability off-hand.
Joseph’s Sumerian name could have been a mispronunciation of his name by the Egyptians resulting in the name Imhotep. Joseph told Pharaoh that God had given him a message of peace. Since Imhotep means, “comes in peace,” maybe it was the name the Pharaoh gave him referring to his prophetic message of “peace.”[16]
Joseph’s quick rise to power is similar to Imhotep's own rapid rise. Again from Egyptian history, nothing is really known about Imhotep before his rise to power. If Imhotep was Joseph, it would be expected that his past would be a mystery. In the Bible, we see Joseph acting alone as a single Chancellor. In later Middle and New Kingdoms, Egypt would not be managed by a single Chancellor, but the Pharaoh would need a whole team of men.[17] Here is an inscription found on a stone which once comprised the base for a statue of Djoser referring to Imhotep. Is it describing our very own Joseph?
The Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, the first after the King of Upper Egypt, administrator of the great palace, hereditary Lord, the High Priest of Heliopolis, Imhotep the Builder, the Sculptor, the maker of stone vases.[18]
Back in the Biblical account, we see that Pharaoh’s dream was a warning about the famine which would come upon the land in seven years time. With knowledge of the future, Joseph begins to store corn for those times.
And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.[19]
And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he says to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.[20]
Joseph’s brothers also must go down to Egypt to buy bread. And after testing them to see if they had repented of their crime against him, he reveals himself to them. But you need to read it from the Bible to get the full impact. And Joseph says to them,
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing (plowing) nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.[21]
The famine in Egypt continues. Because Joseph knows the future he is able to invest in future markets. He buys up all the extra grain during the years of plenty, probably at a cheap price as there was great abundance. Later, as the famine continues, he is able to sell the grain at a higher price and literally buys up all the property in the land of Egypt and may have initiated the first income tax. Let’s read from the Bible.
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money fails. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.[22]
Let’s compare once again the Biblical account of Joseph and the Famine Stela account of Imhotep. In the Bible, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and saves Egypt from a seven-year famine. In the Famine Stela, Imhotep saves Egypt from a seven year famine by advising the Pharaoh. From the Famine Stela, we read that after the Pharaoh is informed by Imhotep, the Pharaoh has a dream about a solution and imposes a 10% tax. The Bible doesn’t record anything of a dream by Pharaoh related to a tax, but Joseph implements a 20% tax. One historical fact that we know for sure is that it was in the reign of Djoser when the Pharaohs first become financially capable to begin to build pyramids.[23]
Joseph’s brethren and father and their wives go down into Egypt and Pharaoh gives them the best land to live on, the land of Goshen. Israel, Joseph’s father, even gets to meet Pharaoh and prays a blessing over him. The Bible tells us,
We will look more at the Imhotep Connection in the next part of the chapter.
Notes:
[13] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine_Stela (03/2016)
[14] Richard Lewontin. “Billions and Billions of Demons,” New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31. http://creation.com/amazing-admission-lewontin-quote
[15] Bill Cooper, After the Flood, New Wine Press, UK, 1995, p.75. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/433064.After_The_Flood
[16] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/16)
[17] Ibid
[18] Ibid
[19] Genesis 41:47-49
[20] Genesis 41:53-57
[21] Genesis 45:5-8
[22] Genesis 47:11-26
[23] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/2016)
[24] Genesis 47:27-28
[14] Richard Lewontin. “Billions and Billions of Demons,” New York Review, January 9, 1997, p. 31. http://creation.com/amazing-admission-lewontin-quote
[15] Bill Cooper, After the Flood, New Wine Press, UK, 1995, p.75. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/433064.After_The_Flood
[16] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/16)
[17] Ibid
[18] Ibid
[19] Genesis 41:47-49
[20] Genesis 41:53-57
[21] Genesis 45:5-8
[22] Genesis 47:11-26
[23] http://www.dstoner.net/Genesis_Context/Context.html (03/2016)
[24] Genesis 47:27-28
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Saturday, July 1, 2023
Monday, August 31, 2020
The Genesis Messianic Prophecy - Chapter 14
The Genesis Messianic Prophecy
We have seen so far that the Bible is indeed a book of prophecy. One scholar has determined that 26.8% of the Bible is prophecy.[1]That’s over 8,000 verses. If God didn’t want us to know the future, why did He spend so much of His Word prophesying? In the Old Testament we have seventeen books which are almost nothing but prophecy and as such are called the Major and Minor Prophets. The other twenty-two books of the Old Testament, from Genesis to the Song of Solomon contain hundreds of specific prophecies within their histories and poetry.
The first Messianic prophecy, or prophecy about the Messiah, is found in Genesis, the book of beginnings. While in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobey God after listening to the Devil-serpent. God, when stating His judgment upon them says,
And I will put enmity between thee (the Devil-serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.[2]
Christian Bible scholars have interpreted this prophecy in the following way. The Messiah, the seed of the woman, would one day defeat the serpent, the Devil, although the serpent would be able to bruise, or kill the Messiah. The fact that the serpent’s head is crushed shows total defeat, seen in Christ’s victory over death in His resurrection and His ultimate defeat of Satan at the end of time. The implication of the woman’s seed being bruised by the serpent shows the Devil’s power to persecute and even kill the Redeemer and His representatives. However, because the bruise is to the heel, the defeat is minor and not an ultimate victory. As Jesus said,
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.[3]
The non-violent protest movement to affect political change has been based on this idea of standing up for the truth even in the face of danger to one’s own safety or life, as exemplified by Christ. Many people have died in non-violent protests because of this principle. Mahatma Gandhi used it to change an Empire. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used it to change a nation.
In a more recent example, on March 16, 2003, a young American peace activist named Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer. Corrie was undertaking a non-violent protest to protect the home of a Palestinian family from being demolished. The Israeli military was destroying all buildings within one hundred meters of the security fence they had constructed. In 2005, the Corrie family took the Israeli military to court over the incident. However, in 2012, a lower Israeli court ruled in favor of the Israeli military. Rachel’s parents have appealed to Israel’s Supreme Court, who has yet to make a decision.[4]
Similar to Rachel, scientist Dr. George Ellis believes non-violence is the best path.[5] Ellis, who worked with Dr. Stephen Hawking on the Big Bang cosmology, is also a Quaker and against war. He believes that non-violence can even be applied in difficult situations. After winning the renowned Templeton Prize,[6] he received an e-mail from a former British soldier who had been on a peace-keeping duty in Aden, Yemen in 1967. The name of the man was Davie Christie.
Mr. Christie said he had been an officer in a Scottish battalion engaged in peace-keeping duties in Aden town in the year 1967, in what is now called Yemen. He compared the situation to that of Iraq where people were being killed daily, with those suffering the most being the innocent local population. Mr. Christie admits his battalion of the British Army had the military capacity to destroy the whole town of Aden if they wanted to. But something unusual happened that needs to be publicized.
They had a commanding officer who refused to let them return fire when they were attacked, unless they were absolutely positive the person they were firing at had been the person who had actually thrown a grenade or had fired a shot at them. He did not want to kill any innocent people. He didn’t want any “collateral damage.”
But that’s difficult to do, to hold your fire when you are under attack. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what this particular battalion did. They held their fire unless they were 100% sure they were firing at the perpetrator, that they were firing at the actual attacker. Even with over a hundred grenades thrown at them, they fired back a grand total of two shots, killing one grenade-thrower.
Did they suffer losses? Yes, they did. They had over 100 men wounded and even one killed. When they were the recipients of rock-throwing, they stood fast. When it was grenades, they hit the ground and after the dust settled, they got up, stood their ground and held fast. They did not react indiscriminately in anger.
Of course, their reaction was not anticipated. Their enemy wanted them to fire back. They wanted them to kill innocent people. If they did, the local people’s animosity would be raised against them, the British peacekeeping force. But that is not what happened.
Slowly the local people began to trust the peacekeeping force. The local people saw they were taking injuries and not firing back into the crowded streets filled with innocent men, woman and children. As a result, the local people themselves made it clear to the terrorists that they were not welcomed in that area of Aden town.
While Mr. Christie’s battalion was playing soccer with the local people, other British battalions who had not followed what I will call the “turn-the-other-cheek philosophy,” were having a very difficult time. However, that one Scottish battalion brought peace to their area. They brought peace by being peacemakers because they were willing to lay down their lives rather than kill innocent people. Though they held the superior physical power, they withheld using that power in the face of terrorist attacks in order to protect innocent lives. The peace they achieved came because of the faith and outlook of the commanding officer. He in turn passed on that faith and outlook to those in his command.
Mr. Christie testifies that the commanding officer was a man they admired. They knew he was ready to die for each and every soldier under his command. As a result, each soldier was prepared to die for their commanding officer. Some may say, as Christie notes, that they were merely obeying orders. But he goes on to say, he does not believe it was the case. He confesses that they actually came to love their commanding officer. His heart for peacemaking and his determination to succeed in cruel and unjust circumstances regardless of the cost began to gradually grow in the hearts of the men in his command. Only years later did the soldiers themselves realize what they had accomplished.[7]
Dr. Ellis believes that Christian principles can be applied even in areas of conflict, such as the one above. If we did, some of the most amazing things could occur.
Throughout history the prophets of God used non-violent protests and suffered ridicule, abuse and even death because of their faith and world outlook. But all the way back in the first book of the Bible, we see the first prophecy of the Messiah’s triumphant victory over evil and Satan. We see also the initiating of the spiritual warfare of good against evil which continues until today.
[1] Salus, Bill; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKOKqCk5vuo (03/16)
[2] Genesis 3:15
[3] Matthew 10:28
[4] http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/ (accessed 03/2016)
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_F._R._Ellis (03/2016)
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templeton_Prize (03/2016)
[7] http://www.onbeing.org/program/science-and-hope/transcript/1158#main_content (accessed 03/2016)
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