The phrase, "God said," occurs exactly ten (10) times in Genesis One. These ten sayings of God might be called the first Ten Commandments. They are the original declarations of God's word. The first Ten Commandments are creative. The second Ten Commandments are given to guide the highest creation on earth - man. Therefore, the second group of commandments continue where the first ten left off. The first set begins with the command of Genesis 1:3, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." The second group began with this command, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). The first set ends with the provision of food for man (Genesis 1:29). The second set ends with the command not to covet (Exodus 20:17).
The Jewish Talmud teaches that seven commandments were given to Noah and his descendants that are necessary for the righteousness of the nations. These seven commandments are all that is directly required of the Gentiles. The seven commandments are for the establishment of courts of justice and the prohibition of blasphemy, idolatry, incest, bloodshed, robbery, and eating flesh cut from a living animal. A Gentile who keeps these seven commandments is a righteous Gentile. In recent years, some religious groups have been established that seek to be obedient to the Noachide Laws as righteous Gentiles. Unfortunately, they have rejected the teaching of the Bible and are using a teaching from the uninspired Talmud as their authority for truth.
According to an article in Sunday's "Knoxville News-Sentinel," a recent trend has "made Christian entertainment a multibillion-dollar industry that spreads the Good Word with all the zeal and hoopla of a marketing campaign for a Hollywood blockbuster." The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, (in the Gatlinburg tourist area), has established itself as "one of the largest faith-based enertainment venues in the United States." The area is becoming known for such entertainment. One Broadway-style musical that opened in the area is called "Fixin' to Rain." It "resets the story of Noah and the Ark in Depression-era Appalachia" and the "animals are cutie-pie puppets."
There are five major offerings described in the Old Testament (Leviticus 1-5): burnt, meat, peace, sin, and trespass. One them, the meat offering, does not use an animal sacrifice. The other four do. However, the offerings differ in whether the animals are to be male or female. Here is how they are specified. The burnt offering is to be a male (Leviticus 1:3, 10). The peace offering can be either male or female (Leviticus 3:1, 6). The sin offering is to be male when offered for "a ruler" of the people (Leviticus 4:22-23) but a female when offered for "one of the common people" (Leviticus 4:27-28). Finally, the trespass offering is to be a female (Leviticus 5:6). The question is why.
Although the population of Africa is approaching one billion, its growth rate is slowing rapidly. This is mostly the result of AIDS and the return of diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Entire economies in central and southern Africa are disintegrating as a result. Though many are turning to Christ on the continent, Africa remains the number one challenge for Bible translation. Of 2,110 languages, only 130 have an entire Bible. For now, much of the outreach and training of workers in Africa will continue to be done in the languages of earlier colonialism. Of the 55 countries in Africa, 22 use French as their official language, 21 use English, 7 (in the north) use Arabic, 4 use Portuguese, and one uses Spanish. An African language is used as the main means of conducting the nation's business in only 6 African nations. Although 116 million Christians in Africa would identify themselves as evangelicals, there is much work to be done for the Lord in this struggling continent. [information from "Operation World"]
