Another enthralling episode. Thanks again and keep ’em coming!!!
Rachel
on March 28, 2015 at 7:47 am
The story of Ananias and Sapphira is well explained in it’s connection to the Jubilee, the Fall in Eden, and Achan’s sin at Jericho in Brian Thomas Hoch’s PhD thesis: THE YEAR OF JUBILEE & OLD TESSTAMENT ETHICS: A TEST CASE IN METHODOLOGY, University of Durham, Department of Theology & Religion, 2010. (I read this a while back via some link you provided Dr. Heiser.) There Hoch also makes a point that you, Dr. Heiser, hinted at. There exisits a significant Scriptural pattern in which God fulfills and the people immediately fail. This pattern telegraphs that the Final Restoration of All Things hasn’t come quite yet: another cycle of redemption must play out! Stories of Acts 4 and 5 follow this pattern.
MSH
on March 30, 2015 at 10:34 pm
I’ll have to look the dissertation up; it’s not ringing a bell (after 750,000 words online, I lose track). But it would make sense. These sorts of things are often parts of larger patterns.
Thanks!
MSH
on March 30, 2015 at 10:58 pm
Got the dissertation – now I remember the page (Durham website). I’m going to blog the page (table) that compares Gen 1-3, Acts 5:1-11 and the Achan incident in Joshua 7. Great stuff. I may have to remove it eventually, though. The author wants permission gained for such things, but I can’t find him online or in the SBL directory to email him. The Brian Thomas Hochs I find don’t seem to be him.
Thanks!
Barry
on September 19, 2015 at 9:38 pm
Hi, Mike. Love your work, and greatly appreciate that you share so much with the brethren. Thank you.
While looking over these extra materials (thanks, Rachel) I was considering the spiritual importance of the connection between Act 5:2-3, Jos 7, and Gen 1-3. It seemed to me the lesson is Jos 7:13, “Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.” A house divided cannot stand, right?
In Jos 7 all of Israel was troubled as a result of Achan’s theft of temple wealth. The trouble was reversed by the removal of the accursed thing (the temple thief among them).
In Act 5 the church was troubled as a result of Ananias and Sapphira’s theft of temple wealth. The trouble was reversed by the removal of the accursed thing (the temple thief among them).
In Gen 3 all of mankind was troubled as a result of a theft. I’m still mulling this part over; it snowballs…
The archetype would be Lucifer’s theft, when in pride he purposed to purloin (i.e. G3557) God’s worship in heaven for himself; he does the same on earth. What about God’s temple: God inhabited the garden. In the OT?–they had the building made by hands, but Psa 22:3 says God “inhabits the praises of Israel”. Today the Church is God’s earthly temple.
Stephen Kaung says the purpose of the Church is to bring all things to the feet of Jesus Christ (not the Dominionist way, but spiritually and effectually in our walk). That phrase “laid at the feet of” reminded me of his sermons.
A microcosm of the reversal of the trouble in Eden is a cycle in the walk of every member of the body of Christ, as we possess the contested land; and will be wrapped up in the final restitution when Christ returns, when the accursed thing is completely put away forever.
Another enthralling episode. Thanks again and keep ’em coming!!!
The story of Ananias and Sapphira is well explained in it’s connection to the Jubilee, the Fall in Eden, and Achan’s sin at Jericho in Brian Thomas Hoch’s PhD thesis: THE YEAR OF JUBILEE & OLD TESSTAMENT ETHICS: A TEST CASE IN METHODOLOGY, University of Durham, Department of Theology & Religion, 2010. (I read this a while back via some link you provided Dr. Heiser.) There Hoch also makes a point that you, Dr. Heiser, hinted at. There exisits a significant Scriptural pattern in which God fulfills and the people immediately fail. This pattern telegraphs that the Final Restoration of All Things hasn’t come quite yet: another cycle of redemption must play out! Stories of Acts 4 and 5 follow this pattern.
I’ll have to look the dissertation up; it’s not ringing a bell (after 750,000 words online, I lose track). But it would make sense. These sorts of things are often parts of larger patterns.
Thanks!
Got the dissertation – now I remember the page (Durham website). I’m going to blog the page (table) that compares Gen 1-3, Acts 5:1-11 and the Achan incident in Joshua 7. Great stuff. I may have to remove it eventually, though. The author wants permission gained for such things, but I can’t find him online or in the SBL directory to email him. The Brian Thomas Hochs I find don’t seem to be him.
Thanks!
Hi, Mike. Love your work, and greatly appreciate that you share so much with the brethren. Thank you.
While looking over these extra materials (thanks, Rachel) I was considering the spiritual importance of the connection between Act 5:2-3, Jos 7, and Gen 1-3. It seemed to me the lesson is Jos 7:13, “Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.” A house divided cannot stand, right?
In Jos 7 all of Israel was troubled as a result of Achan’s theft of temple wealth. The trouble was reversed by the removal of the accursed thing (the temple thief among them).
In Act 5 the church was troubled as a result of Ananias and Sapphira’s theft of temple wealth. The trouble was reversed by the removal of the accursed thing (the temple thief among them).
In Gen 3 all of mankind was troubled as a result of a theft. I’m still mulling this part over; it snowballs…
The archetype would be Lucifer’s theft, when in pride he purposed to purloin (i.e. G3557) God’s worship in heaven for himself; he does the same on earth. What about God’s temple: God inhabited the garden. In the OT?–they had the building made by hands, but Psa 22:3 says God “inhabits the praises of Israel”. Today the Church is God’s earthly temple.
Stephen Kaung says the purpose of the Church is to bring all things to the feet of Jesus Christ (not the Dominionist way, but spiritually and effectually in our walk). That phrase “laid at the feet of” reminded me of his sermons.
A microcosm of the reversal of the trouble in Eden is a cycle in the walk of every member of the body of Christ, as we possess the contested land; and will be wrapped up in the final restitution when Christ returns, when the accursed thing is completely put away forever.
Hope you find some food for thought here.