Prayers For Those In Tornado Aftermath

Prayers For Those In Tornado Aftermath

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, May17, 2025 (Donate)

Please be in prayer for families that lost loved ones in the tornadoes last night. From St. Louis, MO to London, KY lives have been lost and there is immense damage. Sadly, these are terrible consequences in sin-broken world.

Natural disasters were not a part of God’s original “very good” and “perfect” (Genesis 1:31 and Deuteronomy 32:4). The world has been subjected to these things as a result of man’s sin (Romans 8:22-25)—going back to the very first sin (Genesis).

My (now former) house was damaged twice: Once by hurricane winds and once by a tornado that severely damaged our shed and caused damage to our house. 

Even things like broken relationships and surgeries (which I just underwent yesterday) are painful reminders of a world full of sin. This is why we need a Savior in Jesus Christ to save us from sin and the eternal punishment we deserve for our sin.

Jesus, who is God in the flesh, took the punishment we deserve when He was sacrificed in our place on the cross. When we deny ourselves and receive Christ—His death, burial, and resurrection—we are saved for all eternity.

Death no longer has a “sting” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56) and we look forward to a new heavens and a new earth where it will again be perfect with no death or tears or pain (Revelation 21-22).

With heaviness, we are in a broken world and tornadoes and devastation are all around us. Pray for healing in both hearts and property to move forward in Christ.

Cock A Doodle, One Or Two?

 Cock A Doodle, One Or Two?

(Did The Cock Crow Once…Or Twice?)

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries May 16, 2025 (Donate) 

This is yet another alleged Bible contradiction that simply falls apart when carefully examined.  

Explaining The Alleged The Problem 

At Peter’s denials of Christ, did the rooster crow once (Matthew 26:34, Luke 22:34, John 13:38) or twice (Mark 14:3) and how does this affect inspiration of Scripture? Did the rooster crow once or twice and how does this affect inspiration of Scripture? 

Pheasants are part of the Chicken kind; Photo by Bodie Hodge

Background Information 

To dive into the subject, let me first take you to Mark 13:35, which is relevant to the discussion. But let me explain it first, perhaps this is due to my chicken experiences on the farm on which I grew up.  The passage says: 

"Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—" (all passages, NKJV) 

Jesus spoke these words in the context of teaching His followers to make sure they stayed alert so they could be found “watching when the master of the house is coming.” He divided the night hours into 4 sections or “watches.” According to Jewish practices during the time of Christ, “evening” lasted from about 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M., “midnight” was around 9:00 P.M. until 12:00 A.M., “the crowing of the rooster” continued from about 12:00 A.M. until 3:00 A.M., and “the morning” watch was approximately from 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. 

We commonly use similar language in English but we usually leave out the “crowing of the rooster,” as few people [in the US anyway] live on farms and raise chickens, so we commonly say just use evening, midnight, and morning (sometimes we insert “early morning” to replace “the crowing of the rooster”, if events occurred in those hours. Furthermore, from my experience on the farm, the “crowing of the rooster” timeframe is not restricted to a particular hour. Instead, it lasts for several hours as the rooster crows off and on and it can last from midnight until the morning hours, but is marked by the first rooster crow in the night. 

I can sleep through this rather well, being accustomed to it. [My wife, on the other hand, despises rooster’s crows, as I found out the first time we spent the night on the family farm together. She failed to sleep for the rest of the night, once the roosters began to crowing. J] So roosters crow for a big portion of the night, not just once or twice, and sometimes they crow once and other times they do it twice or three times in a row—one right after the other. 

Typically roosters crow, not because the sun is coming up, as some have been led to believe, but because of changes in temperature, noise, wind, etc. (as a side note, notice the prophecy about a cock crowing which signifies change, and relate this to Peter’s change by his denials of Christ.) 

The Solution 

This was a long introduction to get to the “meat” of the issue, but it will come into play. Let’s now analyze the verses in question: 

Matthew

Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." (Matthew 26:34)

Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:74–75) 

Mark

Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." (Mark 14:30)

But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. (Mark 14:68)

A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept. (Mark 14:72) 

Luke

Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me." (Luke 22:34)

But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." (Luke 22:60–61)

John

Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times. (John 13:38)

Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed. (John 18:27) 

All four Gospels record a prophecy about a cock (rooster) crowing at or around the time of Peter’s third denial. Each also record that this sound triggered Peter to remember the prophecy. Matthew, Luke, and John were not being specific about how many times the cock crowed nor did they make the case that it was the first time or the only time the cock crowed. It seems they were making the point of significance, that is, when Peter heard a particular cock crowing, this prophecy would come to mind. 

Mark adds a detail not found in the other accounts—that Peter would deny Christ before the cock crowed twice. We should expect Mark to include extra details about Peter, because he was basically a scribe for Peter as early church fathers attest. He recorded what he learned from Peter. So if any of the Gospel writers were to fill in an extra detail about Peter on this event, Mark would be the one. 

There are several plausible ways to show that it is not a contradiction with the other three gospel writers. Keep in mind that a contradiction is “A and not A in the same relationship at the same time.” So a legitimate contradiction would be if the Gospel writers claimed the rooster crowed and did not crowed at the same time in this situation, or if they claimed that only one rooster would crow and that more than one would crow—but that is clearly not what the Bible says. All four Gospels attest to a cock crowing at the time of Peter’s third denial, and the other three do not say it was the only crow. So our goal is to show these accounts are complementary.    

The first step in dealing with these supposed contradictions is to check the context of the passages. In this case, we find something very interesting. Matthew and Mark place Jesus and His disciples on the Mount of Olives during the giving of this prophecy. These two writers also have Jesus stating that all of the disciples would be made to stumble that night before Peter spoke up and pledged his allegiance to Jesus. At this point, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crows. On the other hand, Luke and John tell us that Jesus was already talking to Peter alone in the Upper Room before they left for the Mount of Olives.

So is this another point of disagreement among the Gospel writers? Not at all! The best solution to this dilemma is that Jesus told Peter about his coming denials while there were still in the Upper Room. Then when they went out to the Mount of Olives, Jesus told all of the disciples that they would stumble that night. At this point, Peter reiterated His promise to stand by Jesus no matter what the consequences. Jesus once again told Peter that he would deny the Savior three times “before the rooster crows” (Matthew 26:34). 

With that point of clarification, we are still left with the supposed differences between Matthew and Mark. Did Jesus say the cock would crow once or twice? Some commentators, such as Dr. John Gill, have appealed to a copyist mistake. Beza’s ancient copy that was given to Cambridge University does not have “twice” in Mark 14:30 nor does the Ethiopic version. If these accurately represent the original texts on this verse then the difficulty disappears.[1] A copyist mistake would not affect the doctrine of inerrancy, since that doctrine only applies to the original manuscripts. 

Dr. Gill further argued that the meaning of the cock crowing referred to “the time of cock crowing.”[2] Since the third watch of the night was known as the cock crowing this time period would include one cock crowing or more than one crowing – but one would have to signify the beginning of this timeframe. As such, this alleged contradiction dissolves when one understands more about the cultural setting in which Jesus spoke these words.    

Another resolution to the alleged contradiction is realizing that the second crow mentioned by Mark was likely the same crow mentioned by Matthew, Luke, and John and was separated by enough time to be considered a single significant crow by these authors. The first two denials of Peter were done in response to a servant girl (Mark 14:66-67) and after the servant girl told others, a particular man confronted Peter the second time (Mark 14:69, Luke 22:59). The final denial was made approximately one hour later (Luke 22:59) in front of a crowd who stood near Peter (Mark 14:70, Matthew 26:73) This crowd included a relative of Malchus, the man whose ear Peter had sliced off earlier in the night (John 18:26). It is rather obvious by the context that Matthew, Luke and John all reference the second rooster crow: 

1.     The crowing in Matthew is the same as the second crow in Mark. Notice that both mention Peter’s cursing and swearing which occurred at the third denial and the second crowing in Mark 14:71–72; Matthew 26:74.

2.     The crow that Luke mentions is the second crow in Mark because Luke 22:60 indicates the cock crowed after the third denial, which corresponds to the second crow in Mark.

3.     The crow that John discusses is also the second crow in Mark. It occurred immediately following his third denial, but John also indicates that the first denial was separated from the second and the third denials by the length of Jesus’ trial before Annas. Luke reveals that about one hour had passed between the first and final denials. 

The fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecies about Peter’s denials are recorded by all four Gospel authors. The context of the fulfillment in Matthew, Luke, and John is not in reference to the first crow, but clearly refers to the second rooster crow, which was the significant crowing of the cock that caused Peter to remember the Lord’s prophecy. The two crows were separated by about an hour, so the second crow can rightly be described by the words “the rooster crowed.” So these accounts are not contradictory, rather, they are complementary.

 Originally here: https://answersingenesis.org/contradictions-in-the-bible/cock-a-doodle-one-or-two/; Republished by permission.  

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[1] John Gill, Commentary on the Bible, notes Matthew 26:34, as adapted from Online Bible, by Larry Pierce.

[2] Ibid., notes John 13:38, as adapted from Online Bible, by Larry Pierce.

Did Moses Make An Error When He Called A Bat A Bird?

[Click here: Scopes Trial: 100 Year Anniversary]

Did Moses Make An Error When He Called A Bat A Bird? 

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries May15, 2025 (Donate)

Moses, who was one of the most-learned in Egypt, has been attacked in several cases to undermine biblical authority. This is another of those attacks to get people to doubt that God was speaking through Moses. Let’s evaluate such a claim in more detail. The passage reads (Leviticus 11:13–19, NKJV):

13  ‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds [05775 ‘owph]; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,

14  ‘the kite, and the falcon after its kind;

15  ‘every raven after its kind,

16  ‘the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind;

17  ‘the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl;

18  ‘the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture;

19  ‘the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

 

Bat hanging in Mammoth Cave, KY, April 2025; Picture by Bodie Hodge

Owph Includes Birds, But Is Not Limited To Birds

The Hebrew word for bird is actually owph which means “winged creature.”[1] It includes fowls and birds. The word owph simply means specifically that it “has a wing.” So, the word includes birds, bats, pterodactyls, and even flying insects. So, with a proper understanding of the Hebrew word, this alleged contradiction disappears. Bats are clearly winged creatures and operate those wings for flights. The issue is how it is translated.

This word is used in Genesis 1:20-23 referring to the winged or flying creatures during creation week. Often times, it is translated birds or fowl there too. Alleged problems appears due to translation of owph as bird. 

Owph includes winged creatures like insects, bats, and pteranodons; Picture by Bodie Hodge

Again, birds are included in the word owph, but owph is not limited to “only” birds. The primary group of flying creatures is birds so you can see how translators simply put birds and it covers the most obvious creatures.

But this shows that translators aren't always perfect when handling the inerrant Word of God. This is why all translations need to be judged by original language texts.

Flightless Birds Too?

Owph also includes winged creatures that are flightless today. For instance, ostriches (which may have originally had the ability to fly but may have lost it in this sin-cursed and broken world down through generations) is still labeled under the term owph. The ostrich is mentioned in Leviticus 11:16 by Moses in the context of owph.

Ostrich; Picture by Bodie Hodge

When it comes to ostriches, emus, dodos, and kiwis we sometimes get caught in this idea that their ancestors have always been flightless but we need to remember detrimental changes have been occurring since sin. It could be that they lost the ability to soar through the air through inbreeding and mutational deterioration.  

US President Ronald Reagan receives the annual White House Thanksgiving turkey from the National Turkey Federation; November 21, 1983; White House Photographic Office; Public Domain.

Consider the big white turkeys that are used for meat production today. One look at these winged birds and you can tell they are flightless. But they have been bred to be like this in recent times.

Their wild and tame “cousin” turkeys can still fly amazingly when they need to. Were ostriches or kiwis like this? It is possible. Some huge Andean Condors can be just slightly smaller in size and weight of an emu, but they can fly beautifully.

Nevertheless, owph includes hosts of wings creatures—including the bat—and God is not being contradictory at all.   

Originally here: https://answersingenesis.org/birds/bats-of-a-feather/; Updated and expanded; Republished by permission.

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[1] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Brigg Hebrew and English Lexicon, 9th printing (Hendrickson Publishers, September 2005), p. 773

 

Methuselah The Great

 Methuselah The Great

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, May 14, 2025 (Donate)

Prior to the Flood, people lived to great ages. In fact, one still hasn’t died—Enoch. Enoch was taken to heaven without dying (Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5). Elijah was also taken to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).

Conversely, there have been a few people who had a horrible “opportunity” to die twice.  Lazarus, whom Jesus resurrected (John 11:39-44), the dead son that Elijah resurrected through the Lord (1 Kings 17:19-24), Elisha, through God, raising the son of a Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-37) and Eutychus though God by the embrace of Paul (Acts 20:9-12) had to once again undergo dying. Though in Christ, death has no sting for those who have received Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55)—what a blessing!

An aged Methuselah as shown in Creation Museum; Photo by Bodie Hodge

Age

Of those who died, Methuselah is the longest-lived patriarch at 969 years. He even outlived Adam, who died at 930, and his grandson Noah, who died at 950. See the chart below:

	Patriarch	Age	Bible Reference
1	Adam	930	Genesis 5:4
2	Seth	912	Genesis 5:8
3	Enosh	905	Genesis 5:11
4	Cainan	910	Genesis 5:14
5	Mahalalel	895	Genesis 5:17
6	Jared	962	Genesis 5:20
7	Enoch	365 (translated)	Genesis 5:23
8	Methuselah	969	Genesis 5:27
9	Lamech	777	Genesis 5:31
10	Noah	950	Genesis 9:29

Name

It’s somewhat ironic that Methuselah, whose name partially resembles the Hebrew word for “death,” would be the one who lived the longest. The name is often interpreted to mean “man of the dart” or “man of the sword.”

Hebrew names in the Bible often carry significance, either inherently or retroactively. For example, Peleg means “division,” and he lived when the earth was divided linguistically at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:25). Abraham means “father of a multitude,” reflecting God’s promise (Genesis 15:5). Noah means “rest,” and through him, humanity found relief from the curse of the ground by the reduced the years they had work it (our ages declined significantly after Noah). 

Hebrew names can be deeply meaningful, though not all names in Scripture are given explicit definitions. The Bible doesn’t specify the meaning of Methuselah’s name like it does for Noah. Interpretations must therefore be made cautiously. 

Some derive meaning by examining the root words. For instance, muwth means “die/death” in Hebrew. Some suggest Methuselah’s name, derived from meth/muth and selah, hints at the coming Flood.

A leading Hebrew scholar of the 1700s, Dr. John Gill, affirmed this interpretation:

“...Enoch being a prophet gave him this name under a spirit of prophecy, foretelling by it when the flood should be; for his name, according to Bochart, signifies, 'when he dies there shall be an emission,' or sending forth of waters upon the earth, to destroy it.”
(Notes by Gill: Eupolemus apud Euseb. Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 17. p. 419; Bochart, Thaleg. l. 2. c. 13. col. 88; Ainsworth.)[1]

Gill echoed earlier scholars such as Eusebius, Bochart, and Ainsworth. Commentators Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown agreed:

“This name signifies, ‘He dieth, and the sending forth,’ so that Enoch gave it as prophetical of the flood. It is computed that Methuselah died in the year of that catastrophe.”[2]

This interpretation is also based on the Greek form of Methuselah’s name as found in Luke 3:37: Μαθουσαλά (Mathousala), which the New Testament Greek Lexicon defines as:

“When he dies, there shall be an emission.”[3]

Thus, some scholars argue that Methuselah’s name prophetically signals the arrival of the Flood—"when he dies, it shall come."

However, not all scholars agree. Dr. Ben Shaw, a Hebrew scholar formerly of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, offers a linguistic rebuttal:

“…it is extremely unlikely that the name Methuselah has the significance that Gill and others give to it. It is unlikely for the following reasons. The name is made up of two parts: Methu and shelah.

The methu part does not come from the word for death, because that would require a long u vowel between the m and the t. As it is, if this part of the name has any significance, it may come from a rare noun meaning "man." The second part of the name cannot mean ‘it is sent’ or ‘there is an emission.’ Even supposing that the root meaning of the word is send (which is doubtful), it would have to be in a passive form, producing something like ‘shahluh.’ In order to produce the meaning, ‘when he dies, it is sent,’ the Hebrew would have to be something like ‘bematoshahluh.’ Again, if the name means anything in Hebrew (which is at best doubtful), it is probably something like ‘man of a spear.’”[4]

So, while it’s tempting to assign prophetic meaning to Methuselah’s name, it may be unwise to be definitive. Regardless, the Flood occurred the same year Methuselah died.

Enoch’s Prophecy

Methuselah’s father, Enoch—not Cain’s son but Noah’s great-grandfather—was said to be a prophet (Jude 1:14). There exists a so-called Book of Enoch, which is not inspired Scripture. It is a post-Flood work—or at least had been seriously edited after the Flood, as it references geography that didn’t exist until after the Flood. So, it has been edited or rewritten significantly to arrive at what we have today.

While Jude 14–15 does quote a phrase also found in the Book of Enoch (1:9), it simply means that the quote used by Jude was inspired by God; the rest of the Book of Enoch was not.

So, is the version of Enoch we have today really from the pre-Flood prophet? No—except for possible snippets. It’s not part of the biblical canon and refers to Mt. Sinai, which didn’t exist in Enoch’s time (it is mountain made as a result of the Flood).

What we do know is that Enoch was responsible for the naming of his son (no doubt with his wife!). Thus, it is possible that Enoch prophetically named Methuselah, as some believe.

The Death Of Methuselah

If you match the ages of the patriarchs, Methuselah died in the same year as the Flood.

Illustration by Bodie Hodge

Though some mistakenly think he died in the Flood, this is unlikely. Methuselah was raised by Enoch, a godly man whom God took without death. It's unlikely Enoch would have raised an unrighteous son. In fact, Methuselah may have actually helped Noah in the construction phase of the Ark. But his death would have preceded the Flood.

7-Day Mourning Period

Some have suggested that Methuselah died immediately before the Flood. Whether this is true or not, we cannot be certain. God instructed Noah and His family to board the Ark seven days in advance was for several reasons (Genesis 7:1,4,10). Obviously, one reason was to complete the final phase of loading the animals (Genesis 7:2-9). Also, this was a final test of faith for Noah and his family with the final boarding being on the seventh day (Genesis 7:11-16). 

But keep in mind that it was common for prominent people to have designated times of mourning after they passed (Genesis 27:41, Genesis 50:4, Deuteronomy 34:8, 2 Samuel 11:27, etc.), though, there were surely many who had mourning periods that are simply not mentioned in the Bible. In light of this, some have suggested that these seven days were also a grieving period for Methuselah. While speculative, it would be a fitting tribute.

Less Than Ten

With the passing of Methuselah and the recent passing of Lamech (just a few years before), we pause to realize that there were only 8 righteous people left on earth. In other words, less than ten people were saved on the Ark. 

Do you remember Abraham and his discussion with the Lord over Sodom (where Lot was living when judgment was decreed per Genesis 18:26-32)—Abraham’s pleading from 50 down to 10 righteous. Abraham did not proceed to go less than ten righteous people when pleading for Sodom. Why? I suggest Abraham knew that judgment would come if there were less than ten which is a reflection of his knowledge of the Flood.

Methuselah and Lamech had recently died, and this left eight in the shadow of Noah’s righteousness. So, judgment was coming, but the Lord also prepared a means of salvation for Noah and his family on the Ark, as He did by sending the angels to bring out Lot and his family from Sodom.

Conclusion

Even someone mentioned only seven times in Scripture—mostly in genealogies—can yield valuable truths when studied. It can also leave wondering about the intricacies of his name too!

My hope is that you will be inspired to get into the Bible and discover more about hosts of others, whose names we may not be able to pronounce very well, but gain gleanings that most gloss over.

Many names appear in Scripture, even strange ones like Methuselah, but keep in mind these names are still part of the Holy Bible and profitable for understanding doctrines (2 Timothy 3:16). And consider this final thought: we are all descendants of Noah—which means we are all descendants of our great, great, great…grandfather Methuselah—I hope you enjoyed reading this cousin!  

Originally here: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/genealogy/when-did-methuselah-die/; Updated and expanded; Republished by permission. 

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[1] John Gill commentary notes on Genesis 5:21.

[2] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, Commentary notes on Genesis 5:21.

[3] New Testament Greek Lexicon as listed under Methuselah, 3103, http://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?q=methuselah&s=References&rc=LEX&rc2=LEX+GRK.  

[4] Personal Correspondence by the author with Dr. Ben Shaw over the name Methuselah, 7-8-2010.