Thus, the spiritual meaning of number 9 represents the law of karma: cause-effect, beginning-end, sow-reap, etc. Number 9 signifies completion as it is at the end of one cycle. 9 also symbolizes the perfection after the product (8) because it takes 9 months of pregnancy before the baby can be born.
Used 49 times in Scripture, the number 9 symbolizes divine completeness or conveys the meaning of finality. Christ died at hour nine of the day, or 3 p.m., to make the way of salvation open to everyone. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is the only one of God’s annual Feast days of worship that requires believers to fast for one day. This special day, considered by many Jews to be the holiest of the year, begins at sunset on day 9 of the seventh Hebrew month (Leviticus 23:32).
The number 9 also represents the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit, which are Faithfulness, Gentleness, Goodness, Joy, Kindness, Long suffering, Love, Peace and Self-control (Galatians 5:22 – 23).
(Leviticus 23:32). It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
(Galatians 5:22 – 23); 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no la
The two words for today mistranslated in the bible.
Carpenter
Everybody knows Jesus was a carpenter, right? Except the Bible doesn’t say so. Mark 6:3 calls him a ‘tikton’, the Greek word used one other place in the Bible, Matt.13:55 referring to Joseph. It’s the participle form of the verb ‘tikto’ meaning “build” so he’s a “builder” (probably houses). Most modern houses are built of wood, because it’s cheap and easy to work with modern power tools, so we think of builders in terms of woodworking. In the American southwest (and parts of Latin America) where it didn’t rain much and wood was scarce, the preferred building material was mud bricks (adobe). That was also true in the Middle East (think: Israel) before concrete became easy to manufacture. The preferred pre-modern building material was stone, but that was labor-intensive (still is, even with modern tools, so we use ready-mix stone, also known as concrete); only rich people lived in stone houses. But there was a lot of work for stone cutters and stone masons, especially in the early first century during the growth of the town of Sepphoris, an easy walk from Nazareth — and guess who lived in Nazareth? Yes, Joseph and Jesus were most likely stone masons, not wood-working carpenters.
Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
Perfect
The modern word “perfect” means “without flaw” but 400 years ago in Elizabethan English it meant something very different. The Latin root means to “make” and the first dozen or so definitions the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) are about completion. That’s also why the King James translators used that word to translate the Greek adjective ‘teleios’ which means “mature” or “grown-up.” You can tell that’s what it means, because the root verb ‘teleo’ means “finish” and its corresponding noun ‘telos’ is usually translated “end.” Furthermore, the context where ‘teleios’ is used sometimes contrasts it with “childish” but never with “flawed.” The word “flaw” itself seems only recently to refer to imperfections. The OED gives its first four senses in terms of fragmentation (pieces broken off a masonry stone), and the first time it’s used as a blemish is after the King James Bible was translated. The older word “blemish” appears three times in the KJV, but only (correctly) to translate a different Greek word, ‘momos’ or its negation.
The Old English sense of “perfect” is preserved only in modern legal documents, where to “perfect a contract” means to fulfill the terms or to complete your part of the contract. Lawyers work very hard to make sure their contract wording is already without flaw, long before anybody starts to “perfect” it. Flaws in the contract means some lawyer did not do what he’s paid for: he can be disbarred (lose his job permanently) for that. “Perfecting the contract” is what you want the other guy to do.
So why do modern translators preserve “perfect” as the incorrect translation of ‘teleios’? I suspect they are beholden to their anti-charismatic theological presuppositions, wanting 1Cor.13:10 to refer to the “perfect” Bible replacing the imperfection of tongues and prophecy. But that verse never mentions Scripture, nor does it tell us what this perfection to arrive might be, but the Apostle Paul apparently thought it obvious. It is obvious in the other two verses of the same epistle where the same word is used, 2:6 (translated by the oNIV as “mature”) and 14:20 (translated by the oNIV as “adults” — even the KJV translators couldn’t bring themselves to use “perfect” there, but instead rendered it “men”). Much of what Paul is telling the church in Corinth is that they are behaving in a childish manner and should grow up. The contrast makes it plain that the Greek adjective ‘teleios’ means “mature” or “grown-up” and has nothing to do with the absence of flaws or blemishes. 1Cor.13:10 reminds them that when they grow up, they don’t need childish training wheels like tongues, and those childish things cease. Paul wrote to Corinth to deal with their current problems, not to make pronouncements about some future event after they were all dead. There are 11 references to Scripture in his letter, every one of them the Old Testament, either a direct quote or an oblique reference like “[Jesus] was resurrected according to the Scriptures.” There are no future references to Scriptures anywhere in the Bible other than in the direct teaching of Jesus, because only he can give authority to any Scripture at all.
Hebrews 5:14 uses the same Greek word (again translated by the oNIV as “mature”) in contrast with babies needing milk. Every place this Greek word is used, it either obviously means “mature” or else it could be a metaphorical use of maturity or completion.
The Greek word ‘teleios’ is an adjective, used in 1Cor.13:10 without a noun for it to modify. Nevertheless, Greek adjectives always must match the noun they modify, both in number and gender, even if the noun is only inferred. Here it is neuter singular, but Scripture (Greek ‘graphe’) is feminine, so it cannot be that. The Word (Jesus Christ in John’s gospel, ‘logos’) is masculine, again no match. James applies the same adjective to the “Law of Liberty,” which looks like a good candidate, except that Law (Greek ‘nomos’) is also masculine. There is a Greek “word” (‘rhema’) that is neuter, but it always refers to a spoken word, and that is obviously not what the Cessationists want us to believe of this verse. Greek often uses neuter for abstractions, so “maturity” is a good translation here, and consistent with the context.
For additional thoughts on ‘teleios’ in this verse, see also my blog post “Cessationism”.
1 Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1 Corinthians 14:20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
1 Corinthians 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Closing prayer; Heavenly Father Thank you for your amazing power and work in our lives, thank you for your goodness and for your blessings over us. Thank you that you are Able to bring hope through even the toughest of times, strengthening us for your purposes. Thank you for your great love and care. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you that you are always with us and will never leave us. Thank you for your incredible sacrifice so that we might have freedom and life. Forgive us for when we don’t thank you enough, for who you are, for all that you do, for all that you’ve given. Help us to set our eyes and our hearts on you afresh. Renew our spirits, fill us with your peace and joy. We love you and we need you, this day and every day. We give you praise and thanks, for You alone are worthy! In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
For those who wish to become a child of Our Heavenly Father or wish to be stronger in his eyes, please say the following prayer below.
Dear Heavenly Father, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
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