Truth Magazine

By Ferrell Jenkins

For many years I had wanted to visit Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. When I planned the Steps of Paul and John tour of Greece and Turkey for 1995 I determined that this would be the year to see my dream fulfilled. Prior to this tour, on four previous tours, I had visited all of the places mentioned in the book of Acts. But certain Old Testament sites had eluded me because they were far away in eastern Turkey near the borders of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Soviet Union (now Armenia). I asked Curtis Pope and his brother Kyle if they would like to join me for this adventure.

Our tour of Greece and Turkey, with forty tour members, ended in Athens and all of the people returned to the United States with the exception of the three of us. We took a flight from Athens to Samos and then a ferry to Kusadasi, Turkey, and from there by car to Izmir for the night. The next morning we took a flight of about an hour and a half on the Turkish Airline to Adana. It was a beautiful flight and we could see the Taurus Mountains and the Cilician Gates as we approached Adana. Our Avis rental car, a Fiat with air conditioning (a rarity in Turkey), was ready upon arrival.

The Cilician Gates: Corridor of History

Twice previously I had been to Tarsus and the Cilician Gates but I wanted Curtis and Kyle to see them. Leaving Adana we headed west through the plains of Cilicia and took the old road (instead of the new toll road) northwesterly through the Cilician Gates, one of the three passes through the Taurus Mountains which connect the Anatolian plateau, with an elevation of about 3000 feet above sea level, with the Mediterranean coast. We admired the beauty of the snow-covered Taurus mountains, some peaks more than 11,000 feet above sea level, and talked a lot about the importance of this pass. We knew that the Hittites, Alexander the Great, the Romans, and the Crusaders had gone this way before us. Most likely Paul and Silas went this way as they went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches, at the beginning of the second preaching journey (Acts 15:40-41).

The distance from the Anatolian plateau to the Cilician plain is about 70 miles. In ancient times this was a journey of nearly five days. As we drove through the most narrow part of the pass on the modern widened highway we saw the natural pass an area about wide enough for a four-lane highway  and the river flowing through it. We remembered Paul’s statements about being in “dangers from rivers” and “dangers from robbers” (2 Cor. 11:26). We knew that places like this could be what he was describing.

Throughout eastern Turkey one sees men (and sometimes women) wearing baggy pants and both men and women riding donkeys. Turkey grows a tremendous amount of grain and much of the agricultural work is done with tractors today. When we turned around to go back to Tarsus we were not far from the Galatian cities of Derbe, Lystra and Iconium  cities visited by Paul on his first journey (Acts 14; Gal. 1:2).

Tarsus: City of Paul

Tarsus was an important city on our list because it was the native home of Paul. In the city we saw the stone arch which was probably the Sea Gate to the old walled city. It is popularly known as Cleopatra’s Gate; some call it St. Paul’s Gate. The modern city, which now boasts a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants, covers the city of Paul. Also in Tarsus one may see a well which is called Saint Paul’s well. The city of Tarsus put up a plaque by the well in 1980 commemorating the work of Paul. The keeper says the well is 30 meters deep. Selcuk University has been conducting some excavations in the city. We saw a mosaic floor, a basalt street and columns along one side of the street, apparently from the Roman period.

East of the city we came to the River Cydnus which had once brought Cleopatra to Tarsus to meet Mark Antony. We saw the stone-arched bridge built during the time of the Emperor Justinian (6th century), and the beautiful water-falls. We imagined that all of the great armies must have stopped here for rest and refreshment before or after traversing the Cilician Gates; we imagined the young Saul must have played here as a boy just as many young people do today.

Tarsus had been important historically. Because of its position on the River Cydnus near the Mediterranean about 30 miles below the Cilician Gates, Tarsus in Cilicia served as one of the great crossroads of history. Paul described his hometown as “no insignificant city” (Acts 21:39; 9:11; 22:3). It was a fortified city and trade center as early as 2000 B.C. It was captured by the Assyrian kings Shalmaneser III (833 B.C.) and Sennacherib (698 B.C.), and had seen the likes of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra.

Tarsus was commercially important. Ancient writers mention the linen woven here from flax which grew in the fertile plain. A material called cilicium was woven from goat’s hair and used to make coverings which would protect against cold and wet. The city was culturally important. Strabo describes the people as being avid in the pursuit of culture. Tarsus was a university town, and was noted as the home of several well-known philosophers, especially of the Stoic school. Barclay says: “If a man was destined to be a missionary to the world at large, there was no better place in all the east for him to grow to manhood than in Tarsus” (The Mind of St. Paul, 25-26). Barnabas came to Tarsus to find Saul to help in the new work at Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). The letter from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem was sent to the brethren “in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia” (Acts 15:23).

One more thing. Solomon is said to have imported horses from Kue (qweh, l Kings 10:28). The KJV translated the Hebrew word qweh as “linen yam.” Scholars now believe, based on inscriptions from the eighth and ninth centuries B.C., that the word is used of Cilicia (so the Jerusalem Bible).

Heading East to Karatepe: Stronghold of the Hittites

On the third day of our excursion we drove east on the E-90, an excellent new road. Most of the east-west roads in Turkey are in valleys between mountain ranges. Had we turned south we could have gone past the plain of Issus, where the armies of Alexander and Darius fought in 333 B.C., and on to the city of Antakya (Biblical Antioch of Syria, Acts 11:19-30). We continued east to Osmaniye and turned north to Karatepe. We saw a lot of farm life and some bad gravel roads before reaching Karatepe and a beautiful artificial lake. Some ladies were gathering sheaves just as Ruth and Naomi did in the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2). Karatepe is noted for its neo-Hittite ruins. The Hittites are mentioned more than 40 times in the Old Testament. Their main area of activity was centered in Hattusas, modern Bogazkale, about 100 miles east of Ankara. The ruins at Karatepe have been displayed in an open air museum where they were uncovered by the archaeologists. The reliefs show scenes of war, daily life and feasting, along with Hittite and Phoenician script.

We were impressed with the power of the Hittites during the period of the United and Divided Kingdoms of ancient Israel. Reliefs showing horses reminded us that Solomon bought horses and chariots from the Egyptians and sold them to the Hittites (2 Chron. 1:17).

A few miles south of Karatepe is the site of Hierapolis Kastabala. Only a few Roman and Byzantine ruins may be seen at the foot of the acropolis. Here, or on the southern boundary of this territory, Alexander joined forces with Parmenion in 333 B.C. From here they marched south to the Plain of Issus followed by Darius and the Persian army.

More to Come: In future parts we plan to tell about Mount Nemrud, the Euphrates River, Sanliurfa, Haran, Padan Aram, Mesopotamia, the Tigris River, Urartu (Ararat), and Mount Ararat. My thanks to Curtis Pope for suggesting the title, “From Tarsus to Mount Ararat.”

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 10-11
March 7, 1996

By Tim Coffey

Paul proclaimed, “Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). For those who saw Jesus in the flesh, the difficulty was not in believing that he was man, but in believing he was God. For those of us who read the New Testament and see the overall picture of such a tremendous life, the difficulty is not in believing he was God, but man as well. Our hope of heaven cannot stand in anything less than a firm conviction of both.

The Deity of Christ

When the Ethiopian eunuch proclaimed, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” this statement was not only his, but that which all men must make, or acknowledge believing, in order to become children of God. This statement is the very foundation of our faith, for Jesus said it was “upon this rock,” or the fact of this statement, that he would build his church (Matt. 16:16-18). However, are we at a disadvantage today because we cannot see, firsthand, Jesus working in his ministry? Remember, it was Thomas who said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails … and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). He was told by the others that Jesus had risen, but faith for him required firsthand knowledge.

In response to this idea, Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” We can have the same faith that Thomas had when he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God” and yet, as Jesus says, we do not have to see him firsthand in order to believe. In fact we are in a situation no different than the Ethiopian eunuch, yet he could state his conviction with all his heart.

We can have full assurance that Jesus is deity because Isaiah said, “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Matthew tells us this prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus and that Immanuel means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). Jesus was God with us on earth.

In like manner we can have full assurance that Jesus is deity because the angels worshiped him at his birth (Heb. 1:6). The wise men who came to Herod expressed that they wanted to worship him and upon finding him did so (Matt. 2:2, 11). The disciples also, as well as others, worshiped him on various occasions (Matt. 14:33; 28:9; Mark 5:6; etc.). These passages give no indication that Jesus ever for-bade anyone from worshiping him. However, this cannot be said of those who are only human. Peter would not accept worship from Cornelius (Acts 10:25-26) and Paul and Barnabas would not accept worship from the people of Lystra (Acts 14:8-18). In fact, not even the heavenly angel who showed the revelation to the apostle John would accept worship from him (Rev. 22:8-9). These all knew that worship is reserved for deity, only, and that is why the an-gel proclaimed unto John, “worship God.” Clearly this proves that Jesus was deity even while on earth.

Next we have the witness and testimony of John the Baptist. He was sent by the heavenly Father to “bear witness of the Light” (John 1:6-7). He tells us that God told him to look for the one “upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining.” John saw such “and bare record that this is the Son of God” (John 1:33-34).

Following the testimony of John we have Jesus, himself, declaring his deity. Throughout the book of John we have Jesus telling the Jews in Jerusalem, on many occasions and in various ways, that he is the Son of God. In John 8:56-58 he said, “Before Abraham was, I Am” which the Jews understood clearly to be a reference to the statement of God in Exodus 3:13-14. Jesus also affirmed that he was the Son of God to the blind man who was told to wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:35-37). On another occasion the Jews approached Jesus while he walked in the temple and inquired, “If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus, in exasperation, responded with, “I told you, and ye believed not” (John 10:24-25). Since Jesus was without sin, we can know that he told the truth when he said, “I am the Son of God” (John 10:36).

Finally, and perhaps the strongest evidence of all, is the witness which the Father gave of his son. Jesus said, “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true . . . I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me” (John 5:31-37). In John 8:13, the Pharisees accused Jesus of bearing record of himself and said that it was, therefore, not true. Jesus responded, “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me” (John 8:17-18). In John 10:37-38 Jesus said, “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”

Many other Scriptures could be given to show why we can have assurance that Jesus is God, but with these witnesses bearing testimony to the fact, surely the matter is established.

The Humanity of Christ

But, this is not the only thing we must believe. Not only must every Christian believe that Jesus is God, but they must believe that this eternal one came to earth incarnate as man. John said, “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:2). As the truth of the deity of Jesus is the foundation of the church, so the truth of the humanity of Jesus is the foundation of our reconciliation to God (Heb. 2:17). Without a Jesus who is man, as well as God, we would not have a High Priest who is qualified to mediate on our behalf. Therefore, we should be able to believe with all our heart, as the apostle Paul, that there is “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).

We can have assurance that Jesus was a man because he refers to himself as “the Son of Man” 82 times in the four gospel accounts. Paul not only refers to him as “the man Christ Jesus,” but also told the men of Athens that God “will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). The Hebrew writer says that since we are all partakers of “flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same” (Heb. 2:14).

In like manner we can have full assurance that Jesus was a man because he became our High Priest. The Hebrew writer says, “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest” (Heb. 2:17). This does not mean that he ceased to be deity nor does it mean that he ceased to possess the attributes of deity. What it does tell us is that those attributes of deity did not prevent in any way his living as a man. Many have tried to explain how God could be made “in all things” like us and still be God. Many have tried to explain how God could keep the attributes of deity from conflicting with living as a man. Various words have been used to describe this (i.e., laid aside, gave up, limited, etc.), but surely all will agree that we are not inspired writers or speakers. We clearly run the risk of conveying the wrong idea whenever we use our own words to describe what God has written in his word.

Finally, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus was a man because he was tempted like we are. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Having felt the infirmities of humanity as we feel them, he is a merciful and trustworthy high priest (Heb. 2:17). He is able to help us when we are tempted because he has “suffered being tempted” (Heb. 2:18). We can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16) because he “ever liveth to make intercession” for us (Heb. 7:25). What great grace was shown by Jesus, for “though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).

Conclusion

As Moses once said, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us” (Deut. 29:29). What has been revealed is that “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). Let us believe it, preach it, and take comfort in it as God’s word tells us we should.

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 8-9
March 7, 1996

By Ron Halbrook

Young men and young ladies, I urge you to read the Bible as the guide of your life. American education originated in the desire to equip young people to read the Bible. Please consider a few reasons this is so important for your life.

1. I urge you to read the Bible because it is the only book in all the world given to us by the guidance of God. “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Every word God gave in Scripture is true and right. The Bible is the infallible Word of God.

2. I urge you to read the Bible because it is the only book in all the history of the world protected and preserved by the providence of God. Both the Old and New Testaments contain God’s promise that he will protect his word. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:24-25; Isa. 40:7-8). God preserves his word so that each generation can have the opportunity to read it. He wants you to read it.

3. I urge you to read the Bible to learn the way of salvation. That is its main theme. We learn in Genesis 3 that our greatest problem is sin. God promised to send a Savior through the seed of Abraham: “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). The Old Testament further explains God’s promise of a Savior:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:4-6).

In the New Testament, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to learn about the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).

To better understand the way of salvation, read the Great Commission and the book of Acts. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). The book of Acts records how the gospel was first spread and how men received it. Read Romans through Revelation to learn how we are to live, worship, and serve God in the way of salvation.

4. There are many other reasons to read the Bible. Read Genesis 2:24 and other passages to learn God’s plan for true married love. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” If you make God’s word the foundation of your marriage, your home will be one of the greatest blessings of your life. Read Proverbs to learn words of wisdom which apply to every aspect of life. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7). “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (14:34). “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (20:1). Read Ecclesiastes to learn the true meaning of life. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (12:13-14).

I urge you to read the Bible with confidence that you can understand the one book in the world given by your Creator to guide you through life and to give you eternal life. God designed the Bible so that when we read it, we can understand his word (Eph. 3:4). Young man, young lady, read the Bible as your guide in life!

(This article gives the gist of my remarks as one of the speakers on the Baccalaureate Program at Columbia High School on 21 May 1995. Our second son, David, graduated on 26 May.)

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 5
March 7, 1996

By Dan Huddleston

This month marks the end of our fifth year in South Africa. As most of you know we spent two years in Zambia, so altogether we have over seven years in Africa. Like any other work, we have had our ups and downs, good times and sad times. Our worst times were struggling through the pre-election violence and struggling through a foreign government’s red tape with work permits, temporary residence permits and then permanent residence permits. We were not allowed to move out of the Johannesburg area until we had obtained permanent residence status which took almost three years. This slowed us down, but we would not allow it to stop us. We knew that we were sorely needed in the Eastern Cape, but we had no idea that our work would be so fruitful. We expect another great year ahead of us.

Family Matters

Several have asked about our children, where they are, how they are doing, and what they are doing. Our daughter, Lisa, and her husband, Patrick Dunn, are in Oklahoma and have both finished their university degrees. Patrick is a historian and Lisa a journalist. They have a beautiful seventeen month-old boy named Caleb who is our first grandchild. Patrick is working on a job offer here in East London, South Africa. Lisa has an offer already at our local paper. If they get to come soon, it will make us very happy grandparents. Caleb is quite clever. He called 911 the other day and had quite a laugh over it when the policeman came. Lisa was shocked and did not laugh at least until the policeman left. He reminds me of what corkers Brian and Derek were when they were his age. Brian, married a Christian, Liesl, from Johannesburg, and they moved to the USA. After a year in university, the Army offered to pay his college loans and give him all the things that come with Army life. They are in Martinez, Georgia, where he is training as a microwave technician. They have a beautiful six-month-old boy. Derek has recently married Ingrid, the sister of Brian’s wife. Derek and Ingrid work as managers at a well known local restaurant chain. Neither Brian nor Derek are preaching at present, and I’m not pushing them into it. Dorothy and I are very busy these days as you can read from our reports, although we do not have room to include everything we are doing.

Fifteen Baptized at Good Hope

Fifteen more were baptized during the month of November. We have had about 35 baptisms over the last four months. This has taken a lot of teaching and the brethren have done a fairly good job of follow up. I have worked hard at trying to help insure that some of these were not just getting wet. Those baptized range in age from 12 to 60. Brother Walter put up a prefab type building of pressed wood walls and tin roof. The interesting thing is that the floor is dried cow dung! How many of you brethren have met in such a unique building? We have been so busy with Mount Coke and Good Hope that we have not gone back to Transkei yet, but we hope to travel there soon. We remain in contact with them, and they are patiently waiting our return.

Financial Update

As many of you know, we have been seriously short of several hundred dollars per month on our monthly support for over 18 months, and for the past few months $1200 per month. This put us behind on house notes, car payments, etc. The good news is that we are picking up $500 per month in January. We are still short $700 per month, so we are still in desperate need of this. Can anyone help us who is not already helping us? Even $25 or $50 per month or one-time.

Our Appreciation

Our work here would not be possible without your help. We appreciate you more than mere words can express. We have fellowship together in laboring to do our part to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord and Savior when he said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Brethren, let us always keep this in mind, “For we are laborers together with God.” As we plant and water, God will give “the increase” (Mark 16:15, 16; 1 Cor. 3:6, 9). We are Christians and we have a hope that no other people possess. That is what we have to offer all the lost souls of this world. You good brethren who have helped us and prayed for us have made it possible to reach many of those souls this last year. Again, we appreciate you and love you for the caring Christians that you are. We keep you in our prayers as you do us. Keep well or as the Xhosas say, “Salani kakuhle”!

Guardian of Truth XL: 5 p. 13
March 7, 1996