"Spirit of the Holy Gods"

Dr. Couch, is Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:8-9 speaking of the Holy Spirit or of the "spirit of the holy gods" when he refers to the ability of Daniel to give to him the interpretation of his dream?

ANSWER: The Aramaic is virtually the same as the Hebrew wording. The phrase reads: "Ruach Elahin Kede'Shen." I have always held what the Jewish Rabbis and Dr. Merrill F. Unger have stated about this phrase that is used several times in Daniel. The Rabbis say that Nebuchadnezzar was speaking a polytheistic expression that would be natural for one coming out of paganism as he was so doing. The idea that God was Spirit was known to the pagan world, though distorted by their sinfulness. The American Indians believed in the Great White Spirit! This would tell us that all religions, with distortion, go back to early Genesis. The Spirit of God is mentioned in the first few verses of the story of Creation.

Unger writes: "The difficulty of the passage lies in the fact that Nebuchadnezzar spoke like a pagan who had acquired some notions of the one true God, but whose spiritual history was still in the formative stages. So he employed the epithet 'holy,' which belongs solely to God."

Isaiah uttered his great words: "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of the armies (Hosts), the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isa. 6:3).

Thanks for asking.
—Dr. Mal Couch (2/11)

President Obama and England

Dr. Couch, why does President Barack Hussein Obama hate England so much? That's easy. His grandfather and father were anti-Colonialists. They hated what they perceived were the sins of England. Now Britain did not do all things perfectly but we need to count her blessings in the past.    England gave to some degree the message of the gospel to the nations she went to. She also gave them roads, hospitals, English law, took away some of the horrible sins of the nations she had control over. For example, in India, the wives practiced sati,  the suicide by burning of the wife when the husband died! The English put in telephones, built railroads, etc.    Hussein Obama forgets all of this. England "made" the pagan nations and took them out of their paganism, at least to a degree. Hussein Obama forgets this.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (10/10)

Palestinian Covenant

Dr. Couch, why do we call the Land covenant the Palestinian Covenant? Is this not a pagan name given to the land promised to Abraham, and to his children forever? ANSWER:  Yes, God said to Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant, "Go forth from your country ... to the land which I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). From this, comes what we call the "sub-covenant" or the Land Promise. It has wrongly been called the Palestinian covenant. The reason is that on the coast this was where the Philistines lived in OT times. So the Romans called that territory Palestine or Palestina.    However, we should call it The Holy Land, or The Promised Land. Or in Hebrew, "Eratz Israel," The Land of Israel! I don't understand how the amils can call it The Promised Land if they do not believe the Jews are to be restored back to that territory. It is "Promised" to them!    In the past, without thinking, many of us called that covenant, The Palestinian Covenant. And we should not have done that. I now label it The Holy Land, or The Promised Land.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch  (8/10)

The Story of Phinehas

Dr. Couch, what is going on in the story of Phinehas as given in Numbers 25:1-13? ANSWER:  Phinehas was a second generation descendant from Aaron the high priest (v. 7). His name means "dark-skinned." An Israelite was having relations with a Midianite woman in his tent. Phinehas the priest took a spear and went in and ran both of them through. This became a dire and sober warning to the people of Israel not to interact with the pagan people of the land.    Because of his tenacity, Phinehas with given a "covenant of peace" and his family would be perpetual priests. Phinehas, being jealous for his God, had "made an atonement for the sons of Israel" (v. 13). The "covenant of peace" is not a formal covenant but it became an agreement between God and Phinehas for ever. As well, "it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood" (v. 13a).    This act of Phinehas became a sign of his salvation. The wording is the same as the faith of Abraham that caused God to see him as declared righteous, or saved by his trust. "And God reckoned (or accounted) Abraham's faith unto him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6).    This is given to us in Psalms 106:30-31 which reads: "Phinehas stood up and interposed (interceded for Israel); and so the plague (against the people) was stopped (or stayed). And it was reckoned to [Phinehas] for righteousness, to all generations forever." In other words, all generations would speak of the act of trust shown by Phinehas. He would be considered righteous just as Abraham.    The Jewish orthodox Rabbis comment on Phinehas:    "With the covenant of peace God is saying that 'He is assuring him of My friendly attitude toward him' (Rabbi Rashi). The word 'covenant' is here used, not in the sense of a compact between two persons, but as an unconditional promise on God's part. In addition to the Divine blessing with which Phinehas' action was rewarded, it received the grateful admiration of succeeding ages. In Psalm 106, we read that his zeal 'was counted unto him for righteousness, unto all generations for ever.'"    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (7-10)

Catholic Pontiff

Dr. Couch, does the idea of the Catholic Pontiff come from Babylonian theology? ANSWER:  Yes, and in fact, the idea has a lot of connections with paganism throughout the ancient world. The word pontiff is assigned to the Pope. The origin of pontiff comes from the Latin word pontifex which means "path-maker" or bridge[builder]. The idea is that the Pope builds a bridge to God for the people.    The origin goes back to Babylonian theology. The Pope is the head of the College of Cardinals. He is the "Pontifex Maximus" or "Sovereign Pontiff." The idea of the Pope is framed on the model of the grand original Council of Pontiffs at Babylon.    For a thousand years the Pope was invested with the title, which had had attached to it the power of the keys of Janus and Cybele. He is the possessor of these very keys bestowed on Peter, in Catholic theology. Much of this goes back to the Babylonians and their worship of the Goddess Mother and her Son. In Egypt, the Mother and Child were worshipped under the names of Isis and Osiris. In Asia, as Cybele and Deoius. In pagan Rome, as Fortuna and Jupiter, In Greece, as the Great Mother with the babe at her breast.    Both Janus and Cybele each bore a key, the ensign to their spiritual authority. These two keys are emblazoned on the arms of the Pope's garment representing his power wielded over the Church. Thus, Peter alone had the power of the keys, as well as his successor. For more, see Alexander Hislop's work, The Two Babylons.    Unfortunately, most Catholics do not know the theology of their own Church!  Most of it is raw paganism!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Inclusivism and Preaching Christ

Dr. Couch, I believe Romans 10:13-14 indicates pagans are lost, so then we should preach Christ to them, right? Otherwise, why not let them be saved by some other way. What do you think of inclusivism? ANSWER:  These verses are looking at the lost from the earthly perspective. And yes, they cannot be saved without accepting Christ, and they cannot hear of Him without a "preacher" ("proclaimer"). This does not negate the doctrine of absolute predestination and election. These verses in Romans are giving us the subjective or the human perspective. If you want to fully understand the doctrine of predestination you need to study Ephesians 1:3-14. Read it carefully and slowly. Notice that "belief" is not mentioned because Paul is taking us up to heaven to observe the Divine perspective on salvation.    Remember my little saying, God is absolutely 100% sovereign and man is 100% responsible. I really cannot understand this but this is what the Bible proclaims from Genesis to Revelation. Paul points out in Romans 1 that men are responsible for seeing God in nature, but even with that revelation, they still refuse to come to Him. Paul is not suggesting that they can be saved by seeing God in nature but his point is that they do not even go past that revelation. They still refuse to believe in Him no matter how great or small the knowledge they have of Him.    Paul's conclusion on the subject is important: He writes "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, thee is not even one" (Rom. 3:10-12). This comes under the heading of  Total Depravity! In some ways 1 Corinthians 2:14 is even stronger. "The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for these things are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually understandable." Thus mankind is really cut off from God and does not wish to seek Him!    I am not sure what you mean by inclusivism. Please explain.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch

Solomon in Sin

Dr. Couch, I understand that some believe Solomon was not saved, that he was so deep in sin with all his wives that he was not a child of God. How do you answer? ANSWER: Solomon was saved as we would understand it in NT terminology. But he was seduced by the idols of his many wives. We read in 1 Kings 11:4: "His many wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been." He "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully" (v. 6). He "built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab , on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem , and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon" (v. 7). God commanded him "that he should not go after the other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded" (v. 10).    We know he was saved from 2 Samuel 7. Solomon would build a house for the Lord's name, and through Solomon, God would establish "the throne of his kingdom forever" (v. 13). Wow! Forever! God would "be a father to him and he will be God's son; when he commits iniquity, God will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men" (v. 14). But more, God's "lovingkindness" shall not depart from Solomon (v. 15). David's house and kingdom shall endure before God FOREVER; and David's throne, because of Solomon his son, "shall be established forever" (v. 16).    The Hebrew word "lovingkindness" is actually the word Chay'Sad which is better translated "mercy." The word is rich in meaning with a related word "to take refuge." God will be a place of refuge for Solomon, One who gives protection, One to whom Solomon can flee. Other meanings of the word can be: "kindness, benevolence, grace." The Jewish Rabbis say of 2 Samuel 7:15: "God's mercy shall not be permanently taken away." They add, "This promise through David and then Solomon is about an everlasting kingdom of the house of David powerfully influenced by the development of the Messianic hope in Israel ." And, "despite the sins of Solomon it is repeatedly affirmed that the kingdom shall not be withdrawn from David's house for his sake."    Thus, Solomon was saved, he was a believer in the Lord, though weak by being tempted with the idols if of his pagan wives!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch