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p. 2 Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew? Simmons in an Interview of the word Jesus spoke says, “The last words of Jesus were not in Greek because he spoke Aramaic on the cross. The last word he spoke: “It is finished” or tetelestai in Greek is actually the Hebrew word kallah. Underline mine (https://www.premierchristianity.com/) He says “It’s entirely possible the last word Jesus spoke was “bride”. He gave his last word for his bride. Then he gave birth to her because blood and water, which comes from childbirth, came from his side. It is finished. But for whom did he finish it? It was for the bride. He died for the bride.” (The Passion translation: Dr Brian Simmons responds to his critics) Here Simmons is bringing into question an important point of the covenant being instituted – which is the gospel. It is finished was not the last words spoken, He entrusted his spirit into the Fathers hands, and as pointed out there was no bride yet. He died for sinners according to the Bible which then has them become the church. They becoming the bride comes later. Jesus did not just speak Aramaic, but Hebrew along with Greek and probably Latin. Psalm 22 is written in Hebrew, the Jews spoke Hebrew in the Temple, more than likely Hebrew was spoken from the cross. But it does not matter what language Jesus spoke but what language this is communicated to us by the apostles, what is written. And the meaning of this passage is important in GREEK; and tetelestai does not mean bride. "It is finished," was the pronouncement that His work of being crucified was finished, God's purpose from his virgin birth and sinless life was accomplished by His death for the sin of mankind. It is all about the new Covent being made, what He came to accomplish was fulfilled, but what He does right after gives us clarity. We read in Mark 15:38-39 “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” The first thing done is to bring a new access to God (Heb. 6:19; 10:20), by the new covenant. He becomes the way to God (Heb.8:13; 9:15). What we find is that he was restored just before he dismisses his own spirit, speaking out loud “it is finished,” the word is tetalestai, it means paid in full. In the culture this saying was stamped upon documents when a debt was paid off. The debt for sin was taken care of by Him being the last sacrifice, that is what Jesus is speaking out for men to hear. Simmons instead sides with the Word faith interpretation, that He was not speaking of the plan of redemption or included it with bride (word faith teaches there were still time to be spent in the underworld). How did the apostle John use telios? To mean finished. This is why we seek what language the Bible is known to be written in from church history and not base our interpretations on assumptions. John refers to telios as a completion to the task he was doing. “Tetelestai” written on business documents or receipts in New Testament times to show indicating that a bill had been paid in full. The Greek-English lexicon by Moulton and Milligan says this: https://archive.org/stream/newclassicalfrag00gren#page/n9/mode/1up https://biblehub.com/greek/tetelestai5055.htm Verb tenses are the most important and most communicative part of the Greek language.3This also is sometimes necessarily lost in translation.) Jesus speaks in the perfect tense, which is very rare in the New Testament and has no English equivalent.4The perfect tense is a combination of two Greek tenses: the Present tense, and the Aorist tense. The Aorist tense is punctiliar: meaning something that happens at a specific point in time; a moment. The Present tense is linear: meaning something that continues on into the future and has ongoing results/implications. It’s not just the words but the tenses in the Greek that communicate and clarify the meaning. The combination of these two tenses in the perfect tense used in John 19:30 is of finality. When Jesus says “It is finished” (or completed) what he is actually saying is “It is finished and continues as finished”. This is the word for an eternal covenant. His suffering for our sins were now fulfilled and complete the work he was sent to earth for, and it will last forever https://www.ciu.edu/content/it-finished-look-greek A C Gaebelein adds “Never before and never after was ever spoken ONE WORD which contains and means so much. It is the shout of the mighty Victor. And who can measure the depths of this ONE WORD!” A W Pink writes that, “Eternity will be needed to make manifest all that TETELESTAI contains.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary It is finished! and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost—What is finished? The Law is fulfilled as never before, nor since, in His "obedience unto death, even the death of the cross"; Messianic prophecy is accomplished; Redemption is completed; "He hath finished the transgression, and made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness, and sealed up the vision and prophecy, and anointed a holy of holies"; He has inaugurated the kingdom of God and given birth to a new world. It is finished - The sufferings and agonies in redeeming man are over. The work long contemplated, long promised, long expected by prophets and saints, is done. The toils in the ministry, the persecutions and mockeries, and the pangs of the garden and the cross, are ended, and man is redeemed. What a wonderful declaration was this! How full of consolation to man! And how should this dying declaration of the Saviour reach every heart and affect every soul! Yet Simmons claims he was speaking the word Bride. Yet I can’t seem to find any scholarly commentator say this on this passage. The insinuation is that the apostles Jesus picked to write Scripture, John writing it is finished is wrong. His application of Bride Simmons is not finished as he connects this word bride to give us a new meaning to generations. Matthew 1:17 The Passion Translation (TPT) “So from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the Babylonian captivity, fourteen generation, and from the Babylonian captivity to Christ, fourteen generations.[a] In his footnote on Matthew 1:17, Simmons explains that in Matthew’s genealogy generations, there are 41 names, rather than 42 names. Why is Simmons saying this? He is not done with his explanation of bride in John 19, He further explains his conclusions, “There is a missing generation. What could this mean? Jesus gave birth to the forty-second generation when he died on the cross, for out of his side blood and water flowed. Blood and water come forth at birth. The first Adam “birthed” his wife out of his side, and so Jesus gave birth to his bride from his wounded side. Jesus wants to reproduce himself in us. His last name is not Christ. Christ is the title that explains who he is. He is the Anointed One. “Christ” is also now a corporate body, the body of Christ. We, as the body of Christ, are also anointed ones (Christians). See 1 Cor. 12:12. What is a generation? The book of Genesis.” Geneseos is the Greek translation for the Hebrew word toldot throughout this book is translated into the word generations. It appears as a beginning statement: These are the generations of, toldot identifies the beginning of a family line and those in it. In Genesis we are told how long they lived and when they begot. The Bible does not give a specific length of time for a generation. It can be 20 years, 40 years, or up to 80 or 100 years. However, the Bible does use this term for the natural offspring of man. An example is in Jude, who mention Enoch as the seventh from Adam, being the seventh generation from Adam. Throughout the Bible these generations are literal. Simmons also changes the anointed one (Christ) “singular” to plural, this comes from his Latter Rain theology that influences his interpretations. To change the meaning of “the anointed one” in a physical body by a virgin to be a spiritual body, a generational group that has been continuing for nearly 2,000 years is a mystical not biblical interpretation. Simmons explains “the last generation is the church: Matthew makes the last generation allegorical, as inclusive parting from his literal presentation of all the generations grouped before. Jesus birthed the forty-second generation from his side, which is his being birthed in us.” So all generations were literal until this last one. The church consists of believers in all generations since Christ rose and Pentecost but to say bride is this 42nd generation is just dismissive to what the word means. Having the 3 segments of Jewish history evenly divided into 14 generations, Matthews focus is not biological generations but to establish the Messiahs ancestry. 14 generations between Abraham and David is approximately 600 years “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.” One needs to consider Scripture what Matthew is saying in Mt. 1:17. Each time Matthew describes a literal group of generations, yet Simmons changes the meaning for the 42nd to be everyone born again for nearly 2,000 years. There is no support for this allegorical interpretation, there is no correlation found in the Bible. It says until Christ are fourteen generations not after Christ. His allegorical, mystical interpretations are subtly (and not so subtly) throughout The Passion Translation. On blood and water This is not a new view, as another mystic (and others) has spoken like this with no correlation to the Bibles text. Gene Edwards, who has similar mystical interpretations speaks of this “There’s one other thing that came out of that tomb. A girl. One beautiful gorgeous lady. When Christ died on the cross his wounds, his side was pierced and it was open, something came out, something of water and of the spirit and blood - something of humanity. When Adam was put to sleep his side was open and a girl came out. … there’s been a girl inside of Jesus Christ all this time. There’s a girl in there, and in the resurrection there came out of that water and that spirit a girl and she matches him, she has his dna. She’s called the bride of Christ. And she came out in resurrection; and I really want your people to hear this and walk in it. When she came out of that tomb, that girl, the ecclesia, the church” (Benny Hinn’s interview with Gene Edwards “This Is Your Day program 4/27/04) What matters is the Bible’s interpretation? John 19:34 teaches “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” This blood and water mixed together was proving that Jesus was actually dead. It has nothing to with what mystics claim that water and spirit, or blood gave birth to the church, spiritualizing what is not there. Jesus did not give birth to the church when he was dead! The church was birthed later at Pentecost. Simmons says, “Jesus gave birth to the forty-second generation when he died on the cross” Did a woman come out of Jesus’ side on the cross? To say there was a woman inside of Jesus all this time--and she came out when he was already dead--is just absurd. Simmons “The first Adam “birthed” his wife out of his side, and so Jesus gave birth to his bride from his wounded side.” Some points to consider: When Eve was taken from Adam there was no blood and water, it was bone and flesh. The Lord did this while Adam was alive. Instead, a pagan soldier pierced Jesus’ side with his spear after He died, his spirit was separated from his body. Simmons “Jesus wants to reproduce himself in us.” Jesus does not reproduce himself in us. He conforms us to be in his likeness by the Spirit of life throughout our life. There is also a difference in the Latter Rain meaning of being anointed ones, they believe Christ duplicates us, the Bible says we are being conformed into Christ’s likeness. Simmon’s WORD CHANGES and his correlation to the scripture on generations until Christ distorts the passages meaning. This tells us more about his view on the gospel, and his biblical interpretations, detracting with mystical interpretations. For if Jesus’ words meant bride and not it is finished than where did Jesus declare his mission ended successfully? He tells us plainly when it began, but where it ended would be missing?
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