Columbus day, let’s celebrate Leif Eriksson day!

In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain; He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day; He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know, How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board; Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep; And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land; They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true, You never saw a happier crew!

“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried; His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But “India” the land was not; It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice; They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold, To bring back home, as he’d been told.

He made the trip again and again, Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American? No, not quite. But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

The first American? No, not quite. Besides the aborigines that came over from Siberia, crossing the Bering’s Strait the Vikings were there before. It was the Medieval warming period, and Iceland had been colonized, mostly by the Irish and Scottish, but around 900 A.D. the Vikings took over, set up farming on Iceland and even Greenland. They navigated as far north as Ruin Island, near the 80th latitude, went down on the North American side and setting up a settlement on what is now Newfoundland.

The settlement has been excavated but before excavation it looked like this:

It has been partially reconstructed:

There are many other signs of Viking activity in North America, mostly from Rune-stones. Some are authentic, but there are also frauds, so caution is of essence to validate them. But one thing is of particular interest, a map:

The map shows the world from the Viking perspective. It clearly outlines Vineland. Commerce was good, and the Vikings even exported Perigrene Falcons to the Arab Sheiks for their famous falconry.

The climate changed again, and around 1250 the Greenland settlement was abandoned, a glacier started cover what once was “gaarden under sanden”After the little ice age the inland ice is again retreating and excavations verify the farm really existed and produced cheese from cows.

Columbus probably knew about this map, and concluded it would be a better way to get to India. After being rebuked in his home-town Genoa he went to Spain to get financing for his endeavor, and the rest is history.

He was successful beyond all expectations, and yet, he didn’t know where he was going when he started, didn’t know where he was when he got there, didn’t know where he had been when he returned. And he got someone else to pay for the
whole thing!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

John 8, The sinful woman, the validity of Jesus’ testimony, before Abraham was born, I am!

The verses 7:53 to 8:11 are not in the earliest manuscripts, but have been added later, maybe as late as around 1100 A.D. The stylistic differences hint at not being written by the apostle John. They did however exist as a separate document from the first century, and were added to complete Jesus dialogue at the feast of Tabernacles. The verses could have been placed elsewhere, since they break up Jesus dialogue at the Temple. However, they were at some time accepted as inspired and are included in most manuscripts (Textus Receptus).

“Go and sin no more”, Jesus last words to the woman, after not condemning her for her past but looking to the future.

John 7, Jesus teaching at the feast of tabernacles.

Technically it was Jesus’ half brothers, since Jesus was adopted by Joseph.

From Leviticus 12:3 And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. It was an absolute command, and had to be performed on the eighth day, even if that was a Sabbath.

John 6, Jesus feeds five thousand, He is the bread of life, walks on the water and has the words of eternal life. Many disciples abandon him.

Five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Twelve baskets left over after all were satisfied!

The Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) is about 8 miles wide at its widest point.

“I am, not fear ye”

Some comments on “eat of my flesh and drink of my blood.” Jesus explained that the Word was his flesh, but he didn’t explain what the blood meant. The disciples knew from Genesis 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. 5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Jesus was clearly pointing to the future complete atonement on the Cross, but this was before the Cross, so how were they to get it? It did not make sense until fifty days after his death, burial and resurrection when the Holy Spirit came “like a mighty wind”.

Then it became clear that His flesh symbolizes the word of God and his blood symbolizes His sacrifice on the cross and saving us from all our sin.

John 4, the woman at the well, healing of the official’s son at Capernaum.

Richard Blanchard (1925-2004)

It would have been much easier to follow the Jordan River up to Galilee.There are two possible routes, both cumbersome.

Nobody draws water in the middle of the day unless they have to.

Jesus spoke in Aramaic, which makes the statement “I am” even stronger. Jesus claimed he is God.

As opposed to the previous “I am” Jesus said “I am” at many other occasions. These are normal I ams, and does not in any way imply divinity or eternity.

The last word is “cosmos”. Jesus really is the savior of the universe.

John 3, you must be born from above, John testifies about Jesus.

Jesus did really say (translated from Aramaic to Greek) γεννηθη ανωθε “born from above,” not “born again“.

Again it is “from above,” not “again“.

“men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” as valid today as ever.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

 

The piezoelectric effect of tears, a source of power?

The piezoelectric effect

of tears, this we must not neglect.

For the climate change cries

that bring tears to their eyes,

is power that powers their sect.

From wattsupwiththat 

From the UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK and the “now if we can just keep people wailing about climate change we’ll have sustainable energy” department. Reports are that “weepy Bill McKibben” will be the first large scale electric tears generation facility. Eric Holthaus will be in the control group:

Irish scientists can now produce electricity from tears

A team of Irish scientists has discovered that applying pressure to a protein found in egg whites and tears can generate electricity. The researchers from the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick (UL), Ireland, observed that crystals of lysozyme, a model protein that is abundant in egg whites of birds as well as in the tears, saliva and milk of mammals can generate electricity when pressed. Their report is published today (October 2) in the journal, Applied Physics Letters.

The amount of electricity generated is negligible, but the emotional tension generated can produce strong emotional power.

John 2, the wedding in Cana, clear the Temple, a Sign.

The water jars were big indeed!

Psalm 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

The gospel of Matthew mentions

Notice it states “three days and three nights”, in that order. In Jewish counting of days  the new day starts at sundown.

John 1, In the beginning was the Word.

Alone in the world the New World Translation (Jehova’s Witnesses) claims that “the word was a god”. But then again, JW do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as one person of the triune God.

Tekna – teachable ones, not just sons

Verse 16 is very interesting. The second half reads in Greek “και χαριν αντι χαριτος”  which literally translates “and grace instead of grace” King James translation reads “and grace for grace, which lost a lot in the translation. The first “grace” is in the accusative, the second in the genitive. A better translation would be ” and proactive, dynamic grace instead of grace more like mercy. The Old Testament concept of grace is more like mercy, the New Testament concept of grace is best expressed in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Notice the world “sin” is singular.

There are many songs on “the Lamb of God”

Here is an example of the importance that the sin is in singular.