Monday, January 31, 2011

20110130-Egypt in Turmoil

30/1/2011 : For nearly a week, Egypt has been rocked by its worst civil unrest in recent history. Inspired by the popular uprising that toppled the 23-year regime of Tunisian strongman Zine el-Abidine ben Ali, ordinary Egyptians have taken to the streets to oppose Mubarak, who has ruled the country for 30 years. Led by a new generation of youth, they have defied Mubarak's extensive security apparatus, including police, which have largely fled their posts and left the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez to the army. WHAT NEXT?? Middle East in hot spot again! Israel is just next to Egypt!

Exodus in the bible recorded the birth of Moses and how he was raised up by the Egyptian Pharoah's daughter. That's about 3500 years ago!

THE HIDDEN MOSES


Can any evidence be found in the museums of the world for the historical existence of Moses? Just who was the Egyptian princess who claimed him as her own son? And who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, and who was his first born son that died in the 10th plague?

First let's look at what we know about Moses from scripture.

Moses died at age 120 (about 1405 B.C.)

Deu 34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

After the exodus, Moses and Israel wandered in the wilderness 40 years:

Num 32:13 And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.

So Moses was 80 at the time of the first Passover and exodus from Egypt.

The first Passover and Exodus is dated by the reign of Solomon

1 Ki 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

With Solomon's 4th year estimated at 967/966 B.C. - 480 years earlier places the Exodus at about 1445 B.C.

Moses spent 40 years in Midian / Madian:

Acts 7:29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.
Acts 7:30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

So Moses was 40 years old when he smote the Egyptian (about 1485 B.C.):

Acts 7:23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
Acts 7:24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

So Moses was born about 1525 B.C., and the daughter of the reigning Pharaoh (Tutmoses I) who found him in the Nile was princess Nefure, who later became known as Queen Hatshepsut, Pharaoh of Egypt.

Moses BornMoses 40 Moses 80 Moses 120
1525 B.C.1485 B.C. 1445 B.C. 1405 B.C.
Ex 2:1-10Acts 7:23-24Acts 7:29-301 Ki 6:1Num 32:13Deu 34:7

Found by Pharaoh's daughter

Moses kills
the Egyptian
40 Years spent
in Midian
Pharaoh dies
(Ex 2:23)
Leads Exodus from Egypt40 Years spent in the wildernessDies in Moab
Tutmoses I
(had no son's,
only a daughter)
Hatshepsut
Tutmoses II
Tutmoses IIITutmoses IV
(not first born)
Akhenaten
(changes religion)

Pharaoh

Moses

Ahmoses
(the moon is born)
Founder of the 18th dynasty. Defeated the Hyksos and regained all Egypt. Initiated building work at Karnak
Amenhotep I
(Ammun is pleased)

Tutmoses I
(born of Thoth)

Son of Amoses.Aaron, brother of Moses is born (about 1533 B.C.)
This is the pharaoh who issued the decree that all the infant sons born to the Israelites were to be thrown into the river Nile, but that infant girls were permitted to live. (Exodus 1:22)Moses born (about 1525 B.C.) and found in the Nile in Memphis (Ex 2:5-9) Moses named by Princess Nefure (Hatchepsut)
(Ex 2:10).

"Senmut" is another Egyptian name given to Moses when he came to live at the palace.

The third king of the 18th Dynasty Tutmoses I was a commoner by birth. He had married Ahmose, a sister of Amenhotep I, and was named king when the king died childless.

Tutmoses I had no sons, but was the father of Nefure (Hatshepsut), the princess who is the most likely candidate for having found Moses in the Nile.

In Serabit El-Khadim there was erected a stele in the 11th year of reign. It bears the image of Princess Neferure and it is to her, oddly enough, that the regnal years are ascribed. She is accompanied by her steward Senenmut [Moses], bearing a fan.

A.H.Gardiner, T.E.Peet and J.Cerny, The Inscriptions of Sinai, Part II (Oxford, 1955) pp.151-152.

First Pharaoh buried in the Valley of the Kings.Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was powerful in speech and action. (Acts 7:22). Moses declines to become Pharaoh when Tutmoses I dies. (Heb 11:24)
Tutmoses II

22 years - Moses
32 Years his successor.

Senmut/Tutmoses II (Moses) is groomed to become pharaoh. He is the architect of Deir El Bahri, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut.Another name for Moses: Hatshepsut Xnem Amen (offspring of Hatshepsut by the god Amen).
Princess Nefure
Daughter of Tutmoses I. It is thought she was about age fifteen when her father died.

Hatshepsut married her half-brother, Thutmose II, who had a son, Thutmose III, by a concubine/minor wife (Mutnofret). Co-ruled with Tutmoses III who was only a child when Tutmoses II died. Tutmoses III was the illegitimate son of Tutmoses II (not a son of Hatshepsut).

The last that we hear of Senenmut (Moses) is in year 16 of Hatshepsut's reign.

Moses when 40 years old slays an Egyptian (Ex 2:12) and flees Egypt (Ex 2:15) because pharaoh (Moses replacement) wanted to kill him.

At Deir El Bahri, there is a wall which depicts the birth of the future heir to the throne, one scene shows a baby boy in the arms of Hatshepsut-the infant Moses!Tomb No. 71 at Deir El Bahri was first of two tombs intended for Moses (Senenmut). Tomb No. 353 was the second, but work stopped when he fled Egypt, and the tomb remains unfinished.

In 1488, six years prior to her death, all official records of Hatshepsut ceased.

After Moses leaves for Midian he is replaced by the half brother of Hatshepsut, whom she marries. The half brother takes over the title of Tutmoses II, which used to be Moses' title.
Tutmoses III

Amenhotep II

Pharaoh when Moses
first fled Egypt.

Assumed the position of Pharoah with the demise of Hatshepsut. (Moses was his competitor for the position of pharaoh). Tutmoses IIIwas "The Napoleon of ancient Egypt and captured over 350 cities.Moses in Midian
Hatshepsut's royal wall paintings in her mortuary temple at Deir el Bahri were defaced, and her statues were destroyed, because of the hatred Tutmoses III had for her and Moses.Images of Senmut (Moses) also defaced by Tutmoses III, the childhood rival of Moses.
Amenemhab mentions the month and the day of Tutmoses III death:"The last day of the third month of the second season ... He mounted to heaven, he joined the sun: the divine limbs mingled with him who begat him." According to James Henry Breasted, founder of American Egyptology, this translates to the 17th of March, 1450 BC.Exodus 2:23 states: "During that long period, the king of Egypt died...".
Tutmoses IV

Pharaoh of the Exodus

Pharaoh of the Exodus. He was not a first born son, or else he would have died in the tenth plague too.

He was the second born son of Amenhotep II. The Dream Stela of Thutmose IV, found between the front paws of the Sphinx, indicates he was not the firstborn legal heir to the throne, that he killed his firstborn brother to take the crown. The stele was used to legitimize the murder by claiming it was directed by the Sphinx in a dream.

Thutmose IV/Amenhotep III may have perished with his army while pursuing Moses into the Red Sea. (Ex 14:27-28, Psa 136:15)

Moses returns (Ex 4:19) after 40 years in Midian (Acts 7:30) and leads Israel out of bondage after the first born of Egypt dies at Passover. (Ex. 12)

Destruction of Jericho at about 1407 BC. According to "New Bible Evidence" by Sir Charles Marston, the scarab and pottery found in Jericho indicate it was destroyed at the time of Amenhotep III.

Tutankaten
Tutankamun

In an inscription on a statue of a lion dedicated by Tutankhamen to the temple of Soleb, he calls Amenhotep III his father.

First born son of Pharaoh struck dead by the 10th plague of God!
(Ex 12:29)

Supposedly reigned from an age of only 9 until his death at about 18. Dies "mysteriously". Actually was only the heir apparent to the throne (Crowned Prince) that may have co-reigned with his father in his later years.

Tomb found in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter in 1922, said to be a "cursed" tomb. His burial looks rushed, and in a tomb generally too small - not designed for a reigning pharaoh's burial.


Akhenaten
Akhenaten abruptly abandons the worship of the previous gods of Egypt.

Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten, symbolizing the change from Amun worship to monotheistic Aten (Sun) worship. (Moses showed the former gods of Egypt to be powerless, hence the change to monotheism)

Shifted his capital from Luxor to a new capital Akhetaten.

His wife was the famous Nefertiti which means 'maiden of joy'.

In a song written by Akhenaten to his god, there are seventeen verses which correspond with Psalm 104.

Statues of the infant Moses (Senmut)
and Princess Nefure (Hatshepsut)

SENMUT AND NEFERU-RA
Egyptian Museum, Cairo

SENMUT AND NEFERU-RA
from Karnak
Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York

Egyptologists claim the infant in these statues is princess NEFERU-RA and the adult is Senmut, her vizir, but when she claimed Moses as her son, he became the child heir-apparent to the throne of Egypt. The child wears the serpent on the forehead and lock of hair on the right side of the head that designates a prince of Egypt! It is Moses!

SENMUT AND NEFERU-RA
Berlin Museum

The Princess and Moses

As Moses grew to adulthood in Egypt, he assumed the title of Tutmoses II as heir to the throne of Egypt, but when he left Egypt after committing murder, he was replaced, and another man assumed that title. But statues of Moses as an adult apparently do still exist! On the left below is Moses as a child, and on the right is Moses as an adult, as Thutmoses II, prince of Egypt, before he left Egypt for Midian!

SENMUT AND NEFERU-RA
Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Statue of TUTMOSIS II (Moses)
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Note the Semitic nose!


Monday, January 24, 2011

5/1/2011 -More Nagano Photos


Nagano : Famous for their Buckwheat noodle (or the soba) and the paos and oyaki (kind of dumpling)...Nagano city - about one hour bus ride to the ski mountains (1998 Winter Olympics in Shiga Kogen 资贺高原。 From Nagano to Tokyo Haneda airport - about 4 hours by taxi/ coach. Shinkansen - slightly shorter....heavy snow fall this time.




















Sunday, January 23, 2011

23/1/2011: This is our Lord/ Nagano temple vs the Tabernacle



On 13/1/2011, we visited Zenkoji Temple in Nagano , Japan. Guess it was the only 'tourist' attraction in the city centre. 善光寺。 It has 1400 years of history. Typical Buddhist architecture from the mid Edo Period and is a National Treasure.

If you look at the map of this temple, you couldn't help drawing the parallel of our biblical tabernacle of worship as int he OT. Like our Tabernacle, there is the Gates, Inner Temple and the main hall where the principal image is enshrined inside the holy altar in the innermost temple. There is also purification fountain . In that sense, it is quite similar to our Tabernacle - where there is the gate, cleansing bowl, burnt offering in the outer court, then into the inner court (the lampstand and table) and then the Holy of Holies where the ark of convenant lies.

Well this place reminded me of theTabernacle indeed. This is our Lord in whom we worship. No longer in tabernacles or temples. For our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus Christ died on that day, the curtains in the temple were torn apart. We have the free access to Him in worship - wherever, whenever at anytime. I used to follow my late mum to such temples prior to my conversion. Am I not glad to give Him the worship in spirit and in truth - no longer in physical temples but rather from my innermost being. Praise God!

Love this song 'This is our Lord" In temples, we kneel before the altar. But here we fall on our knees before our Lord. His grace. His love. His sacrifice on the cross. By His blood we are cleansed. His presence in us . We are free to worship in spirit.


Sunday, January 9, 2011

20110109: Prov 8 Where mountain paths run

5/1/2011 - 13/1/2011 :Nagano Japan Ski @ Shiga Kogen

Prov 8:2" On the heights along the way. where the paths meet, she takes her stand"

Here visiting Nagano - the place where 1998 Winter Olympics was held, it snowed practically every day. Was on the ski slopes for 5 days and the mountains were big and had so many ski paths.

Who is that "she' who takes the stand where the paths meet?
Interesting. Its WISDOM. V23 She was appointed from eternity , from the beginning, before the world began...before the mountains were settle in place, before the hills, she was given birth.

Had always been fascinated by gorgeous mountains, intrigued by the wonder of snow and snow flakes. The Creator God who is wise. Ps14:1 "the fool says in his heart 'there is no God'". Someone said between the head and the heart is only about eighteen inches. Give the devil an inch and he will become a ruler.

A choice : Choose folly or wisdom?
Wisdom - God personified. v35" For whoever finds me finds life and receives favour from the LORD"
The fool did not say in his HEAD there is no God. It is in the heart that one finds Him.
Eccel3:11 "God has set eternity in the hearts of men..He has made everything beautiful in his time" Eternity has to do with the heart - not head once again.
So next time when you sense a hole in your heart, get it filled with the Eternal God - the Alpha and Omega. He is the Beginning and the End.

Monday, January 3, 2011

20110103 : Ancient path? Which is?




Jer 6:16 "..ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is..."

As we stand at crossroads of time or place, we are reminded to ask for the ancient paths and where the good way is. What is this ancient path/s or the good way/s?

I think it is best summed up in Deut 6 - the whole chapter.

Deuteronomy 6

Love the LORD Your God
1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.a]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors,19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said.

20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.22 Before our eyes the LORD sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

That's the ancient path to take on.
Love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength.
Pass it on to the next generation.
Ancient path? Remember the Ancient One - so amazing so unfailing.
Yahweh Yahweh faithful God, you are here to stay
Yahweh Yahweh forever and always the same!


Saturday, January 1, 2011

20110101: Jer 6:16 CROSSOVER : Stand-Look -Ask -Walk-Find



Jeremiah 6:16 "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Today is the beginning of a new year 2011.
Crossovers are interesting. Who actually set that date and time in the first place when we wake up to a brand new day each day? God willing - we sleep and we wake up - still breathing each second. Our heart beats and our lungs inflate and deflate. Alive.

Beginning with this verse above.

My mediation thoughts for this 'brand new day' :
All the words are action verbs.
Stand - Look - Ask - Walk - Find

Passive ?
Stand . Pause . The Lord is around us all the time.
Is65:1: “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

Active?
Yet. He wants us to seek him out?
Is 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Amos 5:4 "Seek me and live"

Kind of paradox.

Promise of those actions :-
Is65:10 "Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me"

Would we take time to stand, look, ask, walk and find what the Lord has prepared for us in 2011?

20241031 GuangZhou/ Canton Towers

Time flies  First went to Meixian in 1998? Then another 2 trips in 2008 and 2014? GZ changed a lot   A new third tallest building called Can...