There is a hidden meaning in the language that atheist scholars use in their comments describing the Bible, that is unknown to the average person. If you are paying close attention you will see these coded texts when atheists question you about what you believe as a Christian.

I Recently observed this method of inquiry during a brief encounter that I had with a leading atheist scholar who specializes in the Pentateuch. Josh Bowen has written a book that purports to impeach the truth of the first five books of the Bible, and seeks to place doubt in the minds of unsuspecting readers.

While posting comments on my Twitter feed recently, Josh asked me one of these probing questions. My Twitter post was in reference to the comments made Josh Bowen and Joel Baden, concerning the Pentateuch. During the long history of the Hebrew Bible, the first five books were understood as written by Moses. Only in recent years has this certainty been called into question by conjecture, without any primary evidence.

• A Debate With Josh Bowen, PhD, Regarding The Source Of The Pentateuch
• Is Yahweh A Terrorist? Dr. Joshua Bowen Says, “Yes”

I posted the following comment regarding how Moses could record his own death in Deuteronomy 34:

“In Deuteronomy 32:48-50, God told Moses he was going to die, to prepare himself. Moses writes his own obituary in Deuteronomy 34:1-5. It’s no mystery how Moses was able to write about his own death. He recorded it before he died.”

Josh apparently saw my post and presented the following question to me:

“Can you think of any Pentateuchal specialists that would agree with you?”

NOTE: this question is a part of atheist tactics, seeking to trap a Christian into a corner that the atheist scholar believes there is no escape. These “Pentateuchal specialists,” are nothing more than atheist scholars who use pagan texts to try and refute the Hebrew scriptures.

My answer was the following:

“If you are describing Source Criticism, this remains a fractured field. Predominantly Source-critical studies have conjectured that there is a probability that the current Pentateuch/Hexateuch insinuates multiple sources, but this posit has never been proven conclusively.”

NOTE: it was clear to me that Josh was not prepared for this answer, and he had no real answer, because there is no defense against the extant manuscript evidence of the Hebrew scriptures. Pagan sources can never impeach the reliability of the primary source evidence of the actual texts that have survived time and decay. By asserting Pentateuchal specialists, like Josh Bowen, who have done extensive research into the Sumerian grammar of ancient Mesopotamia, he hoped to persuade the untrained that his assertion of a non-mosaic source will be accepted.

Josh responded:

“Your failure to reference any Pentateuchal specialist is telling to me. Interesting.” *specialists

The following was my question presented to Dr. Bowen:

“Let me ask you a question: do you believe the God of the Bible exists?”

Josh responded:

“I do not.” “Can’t wait to see where this question is leading ”

NOTE: I asked this question so the reader of these comments would understand that the opinions expressed by Josh Bowen, are from an atheist scholar who doesn’t believe God exists, or the Bible is the Word of God. This cognitive bias has a great deal to do with the conclusions Bowen asserts. You will see why this is true in the following link where I demonstrate why his “no God,” view, taints all of his conclusions.

You can read the rest of this brief debate at the following link at this website

If you were paying attention to the comments Josh made with me, above, you noticed that he was trying to direct me into a discussion about “Secondary Sources.” Josh and other atheist and progressive scholars like him, do not believe the actual evidence presented to us by the extant manuscript copies of the first five books of the Bible, are actually evidence. Instead he asserts that texts in pagan literature prove that Moses did not write the Pentateuch.

The following is an example of the atheist/progressive tactic of asserting secondary sources as necessary. These scholars do not believe the Bible is the Word of God, perfect the way it is. They use secular/pagan sources to try and impeach the Bible.

The “scholars,” Adrian cites: Atheist and Progressive scholars who do not believe the Bible is the word of God. Not exactly reliable sources. We can—we have—proven the Bible by the Bible. These 66 books were written so that this would be possible. Adrian simply does not have the training to know or understand this.

Can We Prove The Bible, By The Bible?

The Bible is not written by “any author,” it is written by the Transcendent God who created the universe by a command. He is capable of delivering His word to us, perfect, as it is. God does not need atheist and progressive scholars to help Him prove His Word by Pagan texts.

Yes the Bible asserts that it is written by God and perfect, this is the truth. The tactic of atheist and progressive scholars who do not believe the Bible is the Word of God, is to try and diminish the authority of the Bible by their claim that we can’t trust the authors, who are just men.

The problem with this claim is that God called men set apart for Him, to record the texts that He wanted included in the Bible. Either we believe this is true, because we understand the power of God, or we do not believe it. This is the entire point of the atheist and progressive—they don’t believe that God is the source of the Bible.

Biblical Inerrancy: Is The Bible Accurate And Trustworthy?

Hebrew scholar, Paul, believed that all of the Old and New Testament scriptures, which he was writing much of himself, is, “the Word of God.”

“All Scripture is inspired (breathed) by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” ~2 Timothy 3:16-17

Does 2 Timothy 3:16, Really Say The Bible Is The Word Of God?

Paul confirms that what the men who saw and heard Jesus, and he wrote in his 14 letters, was also the “Word of God.”

“Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.” ~1 Thessalonians 2:13

Peter confirms that everything written in the Bible, was “Inspired” by God, breathed by the Holy Spirit:

“Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” ~2 Peter 1:20-21

What you will discover when you continue with this essay, is the Josh Bowen makes an attempt at discrediting the fact that the Bible is the Word of God, by the assertion of inconsistencies, contradictions, and errors. None of these are true, and I will demonstrate Bowen’s errors in this essay.

If you would like to see other examples of errors committed by atheist and progressive scholars in their attempt to prove the Bible is filled with inconsistencies, read the following essay:

Impeaching The Poor Scholarship Of Yale Professor Joel Baden

Josh Bowen Relies On His Opinions Of Old Testament Texts, Not The Texts Themselves

In essence, the opinions of Josh Bowen as an atheist scholar, takes precedence over the actual manuscript evidence for these texts, which prove Moses is the true and singular author of the first five books of the Bible. None of these secondary sources prove that Moses is not the true author of the Torah. These secondary sources are merely the texts of pagan people from Mesopotamia who recount many similar stories to those recorded in the Bible.

Bowen asserts that these texts from Mesopotamia predate the Biblical creation and flood narrative in the Bible, by thousands of years. In. fact, they do not. According to Hebrew scholars in the first century, what Moses recorded in the Torah, was dictated to Him directly by God. The creation and flood narratives predate the events described by the Mesopotamian records, by thousands of years. What these pagan narratives prove is that they also experienced the same events that the Bible records, as God gave these details to Moses and he wrote them in Genesis.

The Global Flood, Who Recorded It First?

The Gilgamesh flood narrative is alleged to have been written before 2,000 B.C.[4], but it was assembled from material dated as early as 3.300 B.C.[5,6]

The problem with assuming that the Gilgamesh flood happened and was written before Noah,  is due to the assumption that Noah had no ability to write about this event, asserting that the early Hebrews did not have an active writing system. This assumption is not only incorrect, and impeached by archeological evidence that proves the first alphabet did not come from the Phoenicians, but from the early Hebrew people.

Moses Received The Information He Recorded In Genesis, Directly From God

“Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!  “Build a large boat…” ~Genesis 6:11-14

This testimony written in Genesis 6, is similar to Paul’s account of God revealing to him, information about events that were previously unknown before that time: “We tell you this directly from the Lord…” (1 Thessalonians 4:15). “I received this by direct revelation from Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12).

The God of the Bible is often observed, revealing future events to His prophets, and these details are recorded for us in the 66 books of the Bible. In 2012 I published a treatise on the 400 Messianic Prophecies written for the Messiah, fulfilled by Jesus in the narratives of the New Testament.

God told Moses everything about the creation and flood of Noah, so that he could accurately record these events for us in Genesis. We see many places in the Old Testament where the Lord spoke to Moses and gave him specific and detailed instructions and information of specific events:

“God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.” ~Exodus 3:15

“Then the LORD said to Moses,…” ~Exodus 4:6

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. ….” ~Leviticus 4:1-2

“The LORD said to Moses…“Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”~ Exodus 25:1, 40

Josh Bowen Frequently Cites Secondary Sources, But Ignores The Primary Source Of The Old Testament Itself

The errors of the Secondary Source Hypothesis and Documentary Hypothesis, are based primarily upon the assumption that Moses could not have written these texts during the period ascribed to him in 1450 B.C. The assertion is made that there was no alphabet or writing system in use when Moses is alleged to have written the Pentateuch at this early date.  This assertion has been impeached by the archeological record.

At the end of this essay, I posted a new Youtube video that documents a recent archeological discovery that provides additional evidence that the first five books of the Bible, were authored by Moses.

Today we know from archeological evidence that the Jews created the world’s first alphabet, and were writing texts by the time Moses began writing the five books of the Pentateuch.[5]

Moses Authorship of the Torah Is Well Established By Historical, Archeological, Geological, and Literary Evidence

There was never any ambiguity regarding Moses as the true author of the first five books of the Bible, until the eighteenth century. Today young men and women who graduate university with advanced degrees, have become the chief advocates for the Documentary Hypothesis, and the Secondary Source Hypothesis.

The Historicity Of Moses

Essentially these two theories for the origin of the Torah, assert that Moses was not the writer of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In the publications of atheist scholars, they state that the actual sources for these texts in the Torah are unknown and remain unnamed. A few of the primary reasons asserted for the non-Moses authorship are as follows:

1. Moses could not have written Genesis because the events described in this book, took place long before Moses was born.
2. Moses could not have written the first five books because there was no usable alphabet in 1450 B.C.
3. Deuteronomy 34 records the death of Moses. “How could Moses write his obituary if he was already dead?”

From the above primary claims about the first five books, atheist scholars move on to try and demonstrate the errors of these texts. The following are three of the primary assertions made by atheist scholars:

1. The first two chapters of Genesis are in conflict with each other. Chapter 1 tells us one creation narrative; chapter 2 a different creation narrative.
2. The flood of Noah is a fabrication. There is no evidence that a global flood took place, or that a man called Noah built a boat where he placed all the species who are alleged to have survived the flood.
3. The total annihilation of the Amalekites, described by the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are an immoral acts by a vindictive God.

The list of alleged discrepancies and contradictions build upon these three.

The problem for atheist scholars who assert these untruths, is that we have substantial historical, archeological, geological, and literary evidence that impeaches all of these false claims.

1. In Genesis chapter 1 God gives us a brief summary of the events that took place in creation; chapter 2 He tells us the specific details of these events in greater detail.
2. The flood of Noah is supported by every primary and credible Hebrew scholar in the first century. There is substantial geological evidence seen on the earth that proves that a global flood took place. Noah didn’t have to have two of every species in order to preserve all the species we find today.
3. The destruction of the Amalekites was a judgement from God for their horrendous sins of child sacrifice and blood thirsty behavior over a one thousand year period of history.

The Atheist Handbook Authored By Josh Bowen Is a Book Of Jokes With Nothing Substantive

In fact, every criticism made by Josh Bowen in his recent book: “The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament,” can easily be impeached by facts we already have in evidence. Not one of the assertions made by Josh Bowen, is new. Bowen has made the same mistake that atheists before him have committed: Every alleged inconsistency, contradiction, discrepancy, and assertion of multiple authorship, claimed today, was previously made by atheists in the preceding 1,700 years of history. All of these conjectures and speculative conclusions were overturned by Christian apologists, beginning with Origen in 248 A.D.

This most recent attempt by Baden and Bowen, are nothing more that a regurgitation of false claims already proven untrue by astute apologists over the past two millennia.

Impeaching The Poor Scholarship Of Yale Professor Joel Baden

Impressive Language; Unsubstantiated Claims

The language used by modern atheist scholars sounds intellectual and impressive, but in fact, the words they use are quite deceitful. In reading the commentary and books written by atheist Hebrew scholars, Joel Baden and Josh Bowen, we learn that the actual surviving manuscript evidence left to us for the first five books of the Bible, is not what they use to make their conclusions. Using “secondary sources,” Baden and Bowen, assert that they can prove Moses could not have written the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

In order to arrive at the suppositions presented by Baden and Bowen, they must ignore the primary sources presented to us by hundreds of Hebrew scholars who came before these two young men. It is actually asserted by modern, younger and more eager atheist scholars of the Pentateuch, that they know more about these ancient texts than the scholars who lived during the first century.

First century scholars have written extensively, a completely different consensus regarding the three primary points asserted by Bown and Baden. First century scholars adamantly disagree with the conclusions put forth by these two atheist scholars. First century scholarship has been historically based upon primary sources of the texts themselves, not the unprovable opinions of men and women who believe their thoughts are a sound basis for evidence.

A Secondary Source is often a secular opinion written by another atheist scholar. In essence, these men who are known as scholars of the Pentateuch, rely on the opinions of each other to prove their suppositions and conjectures.

When an atheist scholar cites “Secondary Sources,” as an authority for the Bible, remember they are secondary. The primary source that proves the veracity of the Bible is the massive extant manuscript evidence. Secondary means, secular, atheist opinions, not proven evidence.

If we genuinely want to know the true nature of text from antiquity, the primary source for this knowledge is the extant manuscript evidence that exists. The reason that atheist scholars do not use manuscript evidence for the Old and New Testaments, is that it proves the texts are telling the truth.

One of the textual inconsistencies alleged by Josh Bowen, used to try and impeach Moses as the author of the Torah, is his opinion that the total destruction of the Amalekites, was an unjust judgement by the God of the Bible.

In just a moment you will read texts from the actual Bible which defines why God ordered the destruction of the Canaanite people, after warning them to cease burning their babies to death on the fiery hot arms of their pagan god, Molech. Josh Bowen pays no attention to the defining principles of these texts, but redefines these texts according to the “consensus” of other atheist scholars. Bowen uses these texts, and others found in the Bible, to assert the secondary literary sources from these pagan nations, as proof the Bible is not true.

Manuscript Evidence is Historical, Archeological—The Opinions of Dr Josh Bowen—Is Not Evidence

If we have manuscript evidence that documents events and persons from the historical record, who are vividly described from multiple writers, why do we need pagan literature and the opinions of atheists to confirm the Biblical texts? This is the very essence of the Primary Source argument; we don’t need Secondary Sources.

Concerning the surviving manuscript evidence for the Hebrew scriptures, these documents have been more closely scrutinized that any other documents from history; more so than the documents from Mesopotamia and other pagan lands that Bowen asserts as authoritative.

Scholar Victor Hamilton described the scrutiny the Pentateuch has been subjected to in his book, “Handbook on the Pentateuch.” Hamilton said: “Few sections of the Old Testament have been treated as thoroughly by scholars as has the Pentateuch. A glance at any bibliographical reference volume covering biblical research will reveal immediately the vast amount of material produced in any given year on this portion of scripture.”[7]

Sir Frederic George Kenyon was a British palaeographer and biblical and classical scholar. Regarding the reliability of the Bible, Kenyon said:

“The Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God, handed down without essential loss from generation to generation throughout the centuries.”[8]

The texts of the Old Testament, have been accepted and believed by scholars for centuries; retained by the Jews who had the ability to know whether these events were genuine; these are the Primary sources to prove the reliability of the texts.

What atheist scholars would have you believe, is that by reading their secondary sources, often secular, and pagan in nature, we can surmise the truth of God’s Word as He revealed it to Moses. Atheist scholars have an agenda to disprove the reliability of the Pentateuch, because if they are successful, this important foundation of the Bible will collapse and all 61 books that follow the Torah will also be seen as unreliable.

One of the world’s most preeminent scholars in the twentieth century, was George Livingston Robinson. My family has told me that I am a descendant of Dr. Robinson, although I have not verified this as a certainty. Because of the stellar career of George Robinson, a great body of excellent commentary has been left to us. Amongst the many observations made in his commentary, Dr. Robinson said the following regarding the reliability of the ancient Hebrew scholars:

“Tradition says that Moshe not only took down the Written Torah—the Pentateuch—but also was given the Oral Torah, the laws eventually set down in the Mishnah, during those days and nights on Sinai.”[9]

There are 720 citations for Moses found in the extant manuscript texts for the Old Testament. Dr. Robinson cites a particular reference in Ezra, where Moses is referenced as the true author of  the Torah:

“The tradition of Mosaic authorship seems to have been supported by later biblical texts as well as the Talmud. In Ezra, Nekhemyah, and Divrei Hayamim, the last three books of the Tanakh, repeated reference is made to the “Torah of Moshe” and the “Book of Moshe.” When Ezra reads to the people on that all-important day in Jerusalem, he reads from “the scroll of the Torah of Moshe.”[10]

The secondary sources that atheist scholars use to prove their posit that Moses is not the author, come from pagan sources. How exactly anyone could disprove the Word of God by a pagan source, is unknown. This is a further dilemma of atheists; that they don’t understand the difference between the texts of the Bible, and those of pagan literature.

In Biblical scholarship, a secondary source is distinguished as written texts that are alleged to relate to the texts of the Bible. Secondary sources are intended by atheist scholars, as a contrast to primary sources, the Bible, which is an original source that exists by extant manuscript documents.

A primary source can also be persons who were eyewitnesses that corroborate by direct knowledge—what they are recording for an event of antiquity. In this regard, the entire Bible presents us with the larger body of eyewitness testimony about God, than any works of secular history who describe false or pagan gods.

A secondary source, as they are used by atheist scholars to try and impeach the primary sources for the Bible, ie., the surviving texts themselves, can never accomplish this goal. It is always the extant manuscript evidence that takes precedence over any secondary sources.

Only when secondary sources confirm the texts of the Bible, are they truly useful. This is the case in secular citations for Jesus found in the records of the Romans, which validate many of the events of the New Testament concerning Jesus.

Atheist scholars reject this idea that a secondary source must agree with the Bible, because they believe that the Bible can be evaluated as any other ancient literature. People who believe the Bible is the Word of God and perfect as it is, as a revelation of God to the world, disagree.

What is important is that no secondary source has ever impeached the primary source which proves that Moses is the true author of the first five books of the Bible. Atheist scholars would have us believe that this is true, because this is their agenda, but their posits are tenuous at best. As I stated in my debate with Josh Bowen; “Source Criticism remains a fractured field. Predominately Source-critical studies have conjectured that there is a probability that the current Pentateuch/Hexateuch insinuates multiple sources, but this posit has never been proven conclusively.”

What Are The Secondary Sources That Josh Bowen Relies Upon?

Josh Bowen is considered an expert in the Sumerian language. He has written a book that he claims will make “Ancient Mesopotamia come alive…” As an Assyriologist, “persons who study the language and culture of ancient Iraq,” according to Josh, there are two languages that are relevant; Akkadian and Sumerian.

Josh specializes in Sumerian. This is commendable and an incredible achievement to earn a Doctorate in this field. The problem is that ancient Sumerian, and the pagan culture of ancient Iraq, is no help to any serious student of the Bible in determining its reliability.

If you want to learn Sumerian, Josh is an expert; if you want to learn the truth of the Bible, and whether Moses is the real author of the Torah, the conclusions that Josh Bowen makes in his books and essays, will be of no help to you. This is, unless you are also an atheist seeking to refute the authorship of Moses for the Torah.

On Twitter, Youtube, and various other forums, Josh has acquired many adoring fans who are atheists, and rely upon him and his books as the source of their authority to disprove the Torah was written by Moses.

Why is the Torah and its authorship so important? If you enter a massive structure that is several stories high, what makes that structure possible is its strong and reliable foundation it rests upon. The first five books of the Bible are the foundation that the entire Bible rests upon. If this foundation is allowed to be destroyed, everything in the Bible becomes questionable.

From the beginning, satan alleged that the Word of God is not true. The first question satan asked Adam was, “did God really say…” It has always been the tactic of satan to try and undermine to foundation of God’s Word. That foundation is the first five books of the Bible.

Paul wrote that people who reject God, satan has made them his slaves, holding them captive to do his will. It is the aim of people who know and love Jesus, to help people taken captive by satan, to know the truth and become free in Christ:

“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.“ ~2 Timothy 2:24-26

Both Jesus and the writers of the New Testament warned that in the last days a great deception would take place on earth. Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, that satan is the “god of this present world,” having won this right from Adam who disobeyed God and lost his dominion of earth. The purpose of satan is to blind the minds of people who don’t believe, so that they cannot see or understand the truth of the Bible.

“satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” ~2 Corinthians 4:4

What we read in the books of Josh Bowen, and Joel Baden, is a clear agenda to undermine the authority and reliability of the Bible. Without realizing, these bright young men have been blinded by an enemy they are not aware of, so that satan might use them to lead many people into eternal condemnation.

Examples Of Josh Bowen’s Errors In The Atheist’s Handbook

I have read Josh’s book, “The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament,” and it is written with typical atheist ease. Purporting that texts in the Old Testament are inconsistent with a moral God, and in place of God’s righteous judgment against evil and sin, Josh asserts his own view of morality—superseding the Righteousness of a perfect and Holy God.

Typically atheists object to texts in the Bible, like the Global Flood of Noah, and the Judgment of God against the Canaanites. In the minds of atheists, the God of the Bible did not have the right to execute judgment for the sins of these people, and He committed “genocide” against people who didn’t deserve judgement and death.

It is common that whenever a person doesn’t like what has God said or done in judgment, they typically superimpose their own views of morality as as a transient human, above the Transcendent Laws of God. The Bible defines sin is a punishable offense, a violation of the spiritual laws God instituted for morality. These laws work in symmetry with the physical laws God instituted that govern the universe.

Try to violate the physical laws of gravity or electricity and see what happens, you will die. Violate the spiritual laws for morality and see what happens, you will also die, but eternally.

Examining Josh Bowen’s Exegesis Of Old Testament Texts:

In the following texts that Josh references in his book, he objects to the judgment of God against the Amalekites as immoral. In place of what the Bible states as the reason for their judgment, and in an effort to impeach the reliability of the Old Testament, Josh directs us to a “Secondary Source,” the writings of pagan nations and cultures, to clarity why these unjust texts appear in the Old Testament:

“Let’s take 1 Samuel 15. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the following interaction (or something similar): Atheist: “Your God is good? He is the ground and basis for morality? Then how do you explain

1 Samuel 15:3? ‘“Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have; do not have compassion on them, but put to death every man, woman, child, infant, bull, sheep, camel, and donkey’” ??”

Josh states: “What difference does the context make? God commanded the Israelites to wipe out everyone!”[11]

Many have criticized God for His order of the total destruction of the Canaanites. What these critics have not realized is—from the time when God told Moses that He would destroy these people until the eventual destruction of all their nations, there was a period of about 900 years. The Canaanites were a nationality of people that include the Amorites, and Amalekites who viciously attacked the old people, sick, women, and children of Israel in their journey to the land God promised them.

A Stunning Contradiction Presented by Atheists

Often we hear from atheists how God is unrighteous in that His Omnipotence doesn’t move Him to stop evil and suffering. A moment later atheists accuse God of destroying one of the most vicious and evil people ever to inhabit the earth, the Canaanites.

See The Essay: God: His Character, His Wrath

In Genesis 15, God informs Abraham that He will destroy the Amorites, but not until their iniquity is complete. He will give them adequate time to repent.

But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.[12]

This verse was given to Abraham at about 1926 B.C.⁠[13]

God orders the total destruction of the Amalekites, in 1 Samuel Chapter 15, by King Saul.

This order came about 1028 B.C.⁠[14]

(The Lord speaking to Saul) Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.[15]

God told us in advance of His actions what He was planning, through the prophetic word. The intent and purpose of this prophecy is to demonstrate the transcendent and extraterrestrial origin of the Bible. We understand who God is by what He has written and how He fulfilled every promise of His word.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.[16]

Many people focus on God’s order of annihilation against the Amalekites while missing a far greater point: God spoke these words over 900 years before they were fulfilled. No matter how great the distance is from the prophecy that is given, God will fulfill entirely everything He has said.

…I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.[17]

Once we understand God’s justification in carrying out this judgment, we can move on to understand the significance of this event from a prophetic point of view. 

God’s Judgment Is Always Preceded By A Long Interval Of Time

Before the Lord would order the destruction of the Amalekites, He would provide their nation with an extended period of time in which they might change their minds and come to Him for salvation. Before it is too late for each one of us, God allows an entire lifetime in order that we might decide to obey Him and receive His salvation. The Lord is always very patient, kind, and long-suffering towards us. Although each one of the Amalekites would face their own separate judgment at the conclusion of their life, the Lord would allow nearly 900 years before His judgment would fall on the entire nation.

What we find in the example of the Amalekites is that God is not angry and spiteful, instead He is extraordinarily kind and patient. Although the Lord warned these nations to cease their evil, He relented from destroying them for a very long time. The Lord always gives us as much time as possible, with the hope that we will see how much He loves us and that His ways are far better than those we have chosen for ourselves.

The Dual Nature Of God

In the Old Testament, we see two important elements of God’s nature that is reflected in His Love, as well as His absolute desire for justice. Although God loves human being so much that He was willing to give His only Son to die for us; He will not allow those who continue in their wrongful actions to remain—without judgment, forever.

The New Testament is a wonderful commentary on the patience of God that has been displayed for all of us to see. We observe both the love of God and the justice of God;  demonstrated by His allowance of Jesus to die for the sins of the world.

1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was demonstrated for us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. This is love, not that we loved God first, but that He first loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sins.

1. God loves people so much that He allowed His only Son to come to earth and die for us.
2. God hates sin so much that He poured out His wrath on His Son, instead of us.

God will grant each person a full pardon for every wrong thought, word, and deed which we have committed, throughout our life; if we will only come to Him in sincere repentance and turn to Jesus as the payment for our sins.

God Is Also A Righteous Judge

Although He waits patiently for us to repent, He has promised a day—certain when His patience will run out; and He will judge all sin. We long for the Love of God; but we recoil in offense at His justice. When the Lord carries out the sentences that He warned us would come, people claim that God is cruel and impatient.

The Canaanites Are An Example Of God’s Patience

When Abraham was born in Haran, the Canaanites were already heavily occupying the entire area of land that would one day be the future home of Israel.

Interesting fact: Abraham, the father of the Jews, was born in 1948 by the Hebrew calendar. The nation of Israel became a nation once again in 1948 A.D.[18]

The Canaanites are the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, one of Noah’s three sons. Among the Canaanites are the most infamous—the Amorites, who lived in the hill country of Israel. The rest of the Canaanites include: the Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, Hittites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, and Girgashites.

[19]

The people of the Canaanite nations were some of the most brutal and vicious human beings who have ever lived on the planet. While Israel was traveling across the desert on their way to the land that God had promised, the Amalekites ruthlessly tormented, attacked, and killed God’s people. As a result of their cruelty to Israel, the Lord instructs Moses to record these events, so that later generations might understand when God finally sends judgment upon the Amalekites—so that His actions would be justified.

Exodus 17:8-14 8. Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. …Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”

In the Book of Deuteronomy, as the Lord is instructing Moses in the statutes and requirements for the people, He also tells Moses: Remember what Amalek did to you. This is a reminder for the future when the people come into the land that God has promised them, so that they will understand why He will instruct them to completely annihilate the Amalekites from the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.

There are two places in the Old Testament where the Lord describes Israel as being attacked from the rear by the Amalekites: At Rephidim and Hormah.

Exodus 17:8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Number2 14:45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.

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In a large group of more than 2 million people—making their way across the desert of Sinai, there would be many thousands of elderly, the sick, and women with children, who would be at the rear of the multitude of Israel. The Amalekites viciously came up from behind and slaughtered the weak and the helpless who were already traveling by great difficulty.

At the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses begins his instructions to the people whom he has led out of Egypt by God’s power and grace. In chapter 9, Moses reminds the people that God has not led them into this new land because they were righteous and deserved the land; it was because of the wickedness of the Canaanites that God was going to drive these nations out.

Deuteronomy 9:1-4 Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, “Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?” Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you. “Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you.”

God remembers the cruelty of the Amalekites, but He will not destroy them just yet. He is still granting time for repentance. This is a fact that those who condemn God for finally destroying the Amalekites—forget. Many people incorrectly assume that God suddenly gave an order to indiscriminately destroy women and children without mercy. What we discover is that the Lord allowed the Amalekites nearly 900 years before His judgment arrived.

Contrary To The Assertions Of Josh Bowen, God Did Not Commit Genocide, He Rendered A Righteous Judgement

Most reasonable people would agree that warning a nation to cease offering their babies to the fiery hot arms of a pagan god, Molech, for nearly 900 years, is more than fair. Atheists like Josh Bowen, see this act as an example that proves the Old Testament texts are not true or reliable. Later Josh will tell us that we can trust the pagan texts he will present to us, more than the texts of the Bible.

The ironic thing about this assertion by Josh Bowen, is the people he is referencing for an authority to impeach the Old Testament, are the very people God destroyed for burning their babies to death as a sacrifice to their god, Molech.

Archeologists have uncovered the ruins of Canaanite villages and found the remains of clay jars that were used in their ritual worship.[21] Newborn babies were dismembered, and their body parts were placed inside these jars and sealed inside the walls of newly built homes—to bring the blessings of their brutal gods.[22]

It is not necessary to list all the horrendous acts that were perpetrated by the Canaanites. It is sufficient to say—if all the facts were known by people today, the horrific deeds carried out by these cruel people, we would likely commend God for ending their lives.

The Amalekites were among the four kings that Abraham defeated, who had taken Sodom and Gomorrah captive as well as Abraham’s nephew Lot. In the period of the Judges, the Amalekites joined forces with the Ammonites and King Eglon of Moab to attack and capture Jericho. The Amalekites were defeated by Gideon and his armies at the valley of Jezreel, where the future Battle of Armageddon will be fought. By the time Saul is king of Israel, the Amalekites had gained a mountain in the land of Ephraim in Israel, where they were once again living and multiplying.

Judgement Will Come; It Is A Part Of God’s Righteousness

God is making a statement to the world that He loves us all, but He will only put up with our sin and rebellion against His law for a finite period of time. The fact that we can observe the judgement of God so carefully depicted for us in various places throughout the Old Testament should greatly humble us and bring our hearts to repentance. As surely as God has judged the horrible acts of the Canaanites, He will also bring into judgement all of our sins—if we do not repent and turn to Him for Salvation.

What kind of nation would the United States be, if the laws instituted by the executive and legislative branches of our government were not enforced by the judicial branch, with penalties exacted against those who violated these laws? This land would be unsafe and unfit for any decent person to live in.

If God cannot be trusted to do what He has said, both positively and negatively, then He cannot be trusted at all. What makes God trustworthy is the certainty that He always does what He says He will do. More importantly, since God has promised to punish sin we can understand that there are moral absolutes in the world. We are not left to decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. All of the laws of civilized societies have, as their origin, the laws of God—defined first in the Old Testament.

God: His Character, His Justice

A New Primary Source, Verifying The Texts of the Pentateuch As Composed By Moses, Has Emerged By Archeological Discovery

Archeologist Scott Stripling, announced, on a recent Youtube video, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, that a proto-alphabetic texts dated at 1500 B.C., confirms that the Hebrew people were writing about Moses and the Torah, confirming Moses as the author.

The primary content of this video that describes the archeological discovery, is found in the timeline: 9:20-22:30

For more evidence that further validates archeological that Moses wrote the Torah, and the Exodus really happened, see the following essay at this website:

Proving The Exodus Happened, And Moses Wrote The Pentateuch

Click The Image To Look Inside

See “These Things Were Written,” at Amazon

“He was not the kind of man whom most people would consider a powerful leader or conqueror of nations. He worked with His hands and shaped wood from trees into useful objects for life. He used no force to compel anyone. He spoke humbly; and He treated the lost, the broken, and the poor with great compassion and love. He did not attend a prominent Rabbinical school to learn the ancient scriptures. He was no author or traveling evangelist. There were no accolades or parades when He came into the world, though He created all that exist by the words of His mouth.

Although this man fulfilled every promise of the prophets of old, His arrival at Jerusalem was met with shock and dismay. “Who is this Carpenter from Nazareth?” The Pharisees cried. “No prophet ever came out of Galilee.” He was rejected, despised, ridiculed, scourged, and crucified. While bearing unimaginable suffering Himself, the constant desire of His heart was to bring freedom to His tormentors. To the men who tortured Him: “Father, forgive them.” To the repentant thief on the cross, who had mocked Him moments before: “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” To the whole world, a promise: “It is finished.” The work of your redemption is complete; eternal life is yours; heaven is your eternal home.

His heart burst from within as the mounting pressure of bearing the sins of the world pushed His body beyond the stress than any man had ever bore. He commanded His spirit to depart His body. He breathed His last; His blood poured out; His work–finished. For three days He lay in the borrowed tomb of a friend; His body, experiencing no decay. On the first day of the week, a spectacular event equalled only by the first moments of the universe, when light exploded into the darkness of this world and He was alive once more.

This extensive Treatise examines every part of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and presents conclusive evidence that God came to earth as Jesus, and proved that He exists. By the time any reasonable person completes this extensive examination of Jesus, it is certain that their view of who Jesus is will be drastically changed. ”

NOTES:

[1] Barr, James (28 March 2013). Bible and Interpretation: The Collected Essays of James Barr. Volume II: Biblical Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 380. ISBN 978-0-19-969289-7.
[2] Young, Davis A.; Stearley, Ralph F. (18 August 2008). The Bible, Rocks and Time: Geological Evidence for the Age of the Earth. InterVarsity Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-8308-2876-0.
[3] James Barr, 1984–85. “Why the World Was Created in 4004 BC: Archbishop Ussher and Biblical Chronology”, Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester 67:604 PDF document.
[4] Whitcomb, John C. and Morris, Henry M., The Genesis Flood, (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1961), p. 38.
[5] Heidel, Alexander, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949), p. 13.
[6] O’Brien, “Flood Stories of the Ancient Near East”, p. 61.
[7] “Handbook on the Pentateuch,” Victor P. Hamilton, Baker Academic, Second Edition, 1982, 2005, ISBN: 978-0-0810-9773-7.
[8] Sir Frederic Kenyon, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, New York, Harper and Row, 1958, p. 55
[9] Robinson, George. Essential Torah (p. 99). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[10] Robinson, George. Essential Torah (p. 98). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[11] Bowen, Joshua Aaron. The Atheist Handbook to the Old Testament: Volume 1 (Kindle Locations 64-71). Digital Hammurabi Press. Kindle Edition.
[12] Genesis 15:16
[13] According to the timelines given in the Bible for births and deaths:Genesis 16:16,  http://www.matthewmcgee.org/ottimlin.html[6] 1 Samuel 15:1-2
[14] 1 Samuel 15:3
[15] 2 Peter 1:19-21
[16] Isaiah 46:11 (ESV)
[17] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/abraham.html and Judaism101.com
[18] Graphic Illustration Map of the Nations of the Canaanites by Rob Robinson
[19] Illustrated Map by Rob Robinson
[20] J.B. Hennessey, Palestine Exploration Quarterly (1966)
[21] “There is archaeological evidence that the Canaanites of the second millennium BCE followed the custom of child sacrifice owing to excavations of a shrine near the city of Gezer which has yielded clay jars containing the charred bones of babies.” Retrieved from: http://www.baal.com/baal/about/divine_overview.shtml
[22] 1. Beth Alpert Nakhai: “When Considering Infants and Jar Burials.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel. “The custom of buying infants in storers has been identified in the archaeological records from as early as the Pottery Neolithic Period. In the Levant, the infant jar burial remained a revered funerary custom in the Iron Age and beyond. The era in which it was most popular, however, was the Middle Bronze Age, during which time IJBs could be found at site ranging from Syria to the easter Nile Delta; most, however, are found in the souther Levant.”
2. JAR-BURIAL CUSTOMS AND THE QUESTION OF INFANT SACRIFICE IN PALESTINE
W. H. WOOD, PH.D.”An unqualified affirmative answer has been received from Mr. Macalister, director of the British work at Gezer, based on his interpretation of the unique find made “in the earth underlying the temple area” of that ancient city. This “cemetery of infants deposited in large jars” when carefully explored produced such positive evidence that the conclusion was reported at once: “that we have here to deal with infant sacrifices is, I think, so self-evident that it may be assumed without argument.” This opinion has not since been changed but has been further affirmed by the other Palestinian excavators, Professor D. E. Sellin and Dr. Schumacher, and also by the distinguished Father Vincent of Jerusalem, author of “Canaan d’apres 1’exploration recente.”

“The description of the discovery as given by Mr. Macalister may be summarized as follows: In the earth underneath the temple area were found a number of large jars, each of which contained, besides the infilling earth, the bones of either a young infant or a child up to 166
JAR-BURIAL CUSTOMS AND INFANT SACRIFICE 167 six years of age; the bodies had not been mutilated; they had been deposited in the jar usually head downward; the jars were full of earth which there was reason for believing had been put in at the time of burial; in four cases the bones showed some traces of fire; the usual food and liquid vessels accompanied each burial. These observations, strengthened by the opinion of Robertson Smith -that in human sacrifice “effusion of blood was normally avoided,” immediately produced the conviction that these infants had been “suffocated-perhaps smothered in the earth with which the
jars were filled,” and therefore the Canaanites followed the practice of sacrificing their first-born children to their gods.”

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