2 Kings 10 27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. -kjv 27 They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day. -niv 27 and tore down the pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it a latrine—which it is to this day. -hcsb Article from world news group on October 6, 2016 by Julie Borg: King Hezekiah abhorred the idol worship rampant in Judah. When he began his reign as the nation’s 12th king, Hezekiah “removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah …,” according to the biblical narrative in 2 Kings 18:4. Now, the Israel Antiquities Authority reports archaeologists have uncovered a city gate-shrine they believe Hezekiah’s men demolished at the city of Lachish in the eighth century B.C. “Before our very eyes these new finds become the biblical verses themselves and speak in their voice,” said Ze’ev Elkin, minister of Jerusalem and heritage and environmental protection. Lachish, a walled city that guarded a main road between Jerusalem and Egypt, was the second most important fortified city in the kingdom of Judah, second only to Jerusalem. It fell to Assyria during King Sennacherib’s siege in 701 B.C. The siege is documented in several sources, including the Bible, Assyrian documents, and in a series of reliefs that once decorated King Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh. The gate is located within an 80 by 80 foot area containing six chambers, three on each side of the city’s main street. Archaeologists unearthed the northern section of the gate decades ago, but they only uncovered the entire gate within the past few months. City gates in ancient Israel were the center of city life, where rulers held courts of justice, prophets often delivered their messages, and criminals sometimes received punishments. Elders, judges, governors, kings, and officials sat on benches at the entrances to their cities. Archaeologists found benches with armrests, jars, scoops for loading grain, and stamped jar handles in the chambers. Two of the handles have a seal impression indicating they belonged to the king of Hebron. Another impression bears the name, lnhm avadi, probably a senior official during King Hezekiah’s reign. It appears the jars were part of military and administrative preparations to defend the city against Sennacherib’s army. According to Sa'ar Ganor, dig site director, the archaeologists also unearthed a staircase that ascended to a large room containing numerous ceramic artifacts, such as lamps, bowls and stands, a bench where offerings were placed, and two four-horned altars. The archaeologists were surprised to find the horns on the altars had been intentionally cut off, likely evidence of the reforms King Hezekiah instituted. In a corner of one room, the archaeologists also found a stone fashioned in the shape of a chair with a hole in its center, likely a toilet built as the ultimate desecration of the place. Researchers have found stones like this before. There is biblical evidence that, on occasion, when the people demolished a site of idol worship they would build a toilet at the location, a practice described in 2 Kings 10:27: “And they demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.” But this is the first time an archaeological find has confirmed the custom. Laboratory tests indicate the stone chair was never used as a toilet, suggesting it was put there purely for symbolism. The archaeologists also discovered arrowheads and sling stones, likely used in hand-to-hand combat during the Assyrian siege.
Know the bible
It's the kindness/goodness of God that leads us to repentance Romans 2 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? -kjv 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? -niv 4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience,not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? -hcsb
Question: What makes an Apostle? 1 Corinthians 9 1Am I am not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? 2 If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. -kjv Matthew 10 1And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. -kjv 2 Corinthians 12 12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. -kjv Romans 16 7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. -kjv Answer from Dr Michael Rydelnik: If you look at what makes an Apostle? There is a couple of things: When they replaced Judas Iscariot, they needed someone who had been with them from the beginning and who had seen the resurrected Lord, that was the condition and he had to have a direct calling from God, that's from Matthew 10, so that's what they are looking for. Now, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, am I not free? am I not an Apostle? Then he says have I not seen Jesus our Lord. Now, Paul talks about his genuine Apostleship with a capital A, his was like one born out of time because he was not part of the original twelve and not only that, he saw the resurrected Lord in a very dramatic way on the road to Damascus, which that was a very unusual thing to happen. So, Paul is talking about having seen the resurrected Lord just as the other had seen the resurrected Lord. He didn't see a vision of Jesus but he actually saw Jesus, the resurrected Messiah. It appears today, you would have to been a witness to the resurrection, which would then disqualify, there's no one today who could say they saw the risen Lord the way the Apostles did. Then 2 Corinthians 12:12 gives the signs of an Apostle. The signs of an Apostle would perform among you with all endurance not only signs but also wonders and miracles. So the signs, wonders and miracles that Peter, James, John, Paul performed when you read through the book of Acts was because they were Apostles, not because they were ordinary believers. So, it does appear to me the kind of Apostle that we see in the New Testament, particularly in the book of Acts, that's not there. We don't have Apostles like that today. On the other hand, I believe it's in Romans that there are apostles with a small A. What I mean is that it just means sent ones, that would be a gift of missionary. It seemed to me that there are people, it's not those who testify of the resurrection but those who are missionaries, those who have cross cultural gift, that they are send by churches. In Romans 16:7, it appears that Andronicus and Junia are outstanding missionaries and they are also in Christ before me. So, they were early believers and that they were in Christ before Paul. It does not mean they were Apostles like Paul and Peter. It means they were missionaries or perhaps it just means they are well regarded among the apostles.