For those reading this post who are not familar with the Bible Code, let me offer a brief description before asking my question.

Within the last couple of years, I've become aware of the claim of a hidden 'code' in the Old Testament whereby someone with knowledge of how to read the code can see the names and pertinent dates of people, towns, events, and catastrophes that have occured even in the 20th century.

I chalked it up to a clever marketing scheme and a lot of hype until I learned that this isn't anything new. In fact, the Bible Code has been an ancient Jewish tradition that has been searched for and studied for centuries, by hand. With the introduction of the computer in the latter quarter century, many have begun using software to find if the Code really does exist.

In short, a Code HAS purportedly been found. The Code is based on Equidistant Letter System which basically means that if you remove all the spaces from the Torah (the first five books of the Bible, inspired by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai), and count every X number of letters (for instance, every fifty letters), you will find that there is a constant spelling of the word Yahweh (sp?) , the Hebrew word for Jehovah. Coincidence? Maybe. They ran the same ELS test on secular literature like Moby Dick, or War and Peace and found nothing but gibberish. Using a different number of letters, they found the word "Yeshua" (Hebrew for Jesus) in every passage pertaining to a Messianic prophecy.

While I still have no position, I'm fascinated that the secular world is beginning to find facts to support what we have believed on Faith for all these centuries: That the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God.

There are several websites on the Net concerning The Bible Code. While, I personally have no settled position on the matter and am not affiliated with any of the people who purport to make these claims, I think that it's worthwhile for us as Christians to HAVE a position.

I agree that this topic is far and away from the typical topics that we as fundamental Baptists talk about, but I think that if it IS true, we should be aware of its existence and have an opinion about it.

What are your ideas? Please, don't discount the idea because you are skeptical. I've done a bit of study and, so far, it has survived my healthy skepticism. I'd like some informed responses about what others here might think about it!

Tony Rush

-- Tony Rush (trush@sportron.net), November 10, 1998

Answers

Tony, why do we have to have a position on this issue? It isn't necessary to have a position on every issue or an answer to every question. There are many things concerning which God has not revealed enough, or his revelation has not yet been sufficiently understood, for us to take a position on. The whole dispensational program, for instance, was contained in the Scriptures from the beginning, yet it has only began to be understood and taught in the last 150 years or so. Let's not be in a hurry to either jump on the latest bandwagon, or to reject things about which our understanding is still in the developmental stages.

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), December 23, 1998.

With all due respect, if the Bible Code is real, it would be ignorant to ignore its existence. I don't know if it's true or not, but one would think that a student of the Bible would be interested. No one is suggesting "jumping on the bandwagon". But an educated opinion is always a good idea. Besides, why are you adverse to finding out more about it?

Merry Christmas,

Tony Rush

Dave Jenkins wrote: Tony, why do we have to have a position on this issue? It isn't necessary to have a position on every issue or an answer to every question. There are many things concerning which God has not revealed enough, or his revelation has not yet been sufficiently understood, for us to take a position on. The whole dispensational program, for instance, was contained in the Scriptures from the beginning, yet it has only began to be understood and taught in the last 150 years or so. Let's not be in a hurry to either jump on the latest bandwagon, or to reject things about which our understanding is still in the developmental stages.

-- Tony Rush (trush@sportron.net), December 24, 1998.

Concerning "Bible Codes", ELS (Equidistant Letter Sequencing) etc. an excellent article may be found by the "Bible Answer Man" Hank Hanegraaf at:

http://users.deltanet.com/%7Ecritalk/magic.htm

I personally have yet to see an example of any sort of coding scheme that is consistent and completely logical in it's application of the "rules" whatever they may be. This article points out that this game has been around for centuries and is used by Judaism, Islam, and other false religions to "prove" their claims and assertions.

interesting discussion. And I agree with Bro. Rush...we will be asked about this, so we need to study and seek the Lord about what our answer will be.

Blessings, Mark Jones

-- Mark Jones (mark_jones@peachnet.campus.mci.net), December 26, 1998.

In this day when the church in America is in shambles due to years of neglecting God's Word; explaining clear passages away and ignoring others for the sake of social and political expediency, it is not the time to be seeking "another" message hidden in God's Word. We need to be studying and applying the clearly revealed commands and directions given in the 66 books of Scripture. When we become faithful doing that, then we can ask for more. We can take a lifetime and never exhaust the depth of God's clearly revealed Word. I do not believe that God reveals more truth until we a faithful with the first truths He has already given. Searching for Bible codes is just another symptom of our apostasy from the true Word and of our gluttonous consumerism, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim 3:7).

-- Dr. Douglas Paul Pruiett (pruiett@sprintmail.com), August 31, 1999.

A similiar point to Dr. Pruiett's had been made previously. I agree with Pruiett to a degree: why look for more when we've not used all that we had. At the same time, IF the Bible Code does exist, this hardly seems to be a rational excuse for ignoring it. Should the early church have ignored the writings of Paul as God's Word since they hadn't yet exhausted the teachings of the Old Testament? I realize that that's not an entirely accurate analogy, but it does serve to make a point. Ignoring information because old information has not been fully assimiliated isn't usually the best decision.

Success, Tony Rush

-- Tony Rush (trush@sportron.net), September 03, 1999.