Honors Biology Chapter 2 Chemical Basis Of Life Name: Fill & Download for Free

Well, actually, we know what Jesus DID say, so to reword it for the modern ear:“Jesus replied, "Well, this isn’t for everyone, but for some people, this is what God has called them to be. There are intersex people who were born that way, and there are transgender people who have had hormone treatment and genital surgery—and there are those who choose to live as if they’d had genital surgery for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can live that life should live it."— paraphrased from Matthew 19:11–12You see, Matthew 19:11–12 is one of those passages from the Bible that you don’t seem to hear preached anymore. :-)It has been said, that these verses express the calling for priests to be celibate, but that didn’t really work out too well, did it?It’s also been said, that these verses are simply justification for the gift of celibacy, such as what the Apostle Paul talked of in 1st Corinthians 7. If so, then why did Jesus speak first of intersex people (eunuchs who were born that way), and then of those who’d had genital surgery (made eunuchs by others)?To quote from the NIV, the basis for my paraphrase above …►http://biblehub.com/matthew/19-12.htm“Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."— Matthew 19:11–12 (NIV)To those religious conservatives who love to hate trans women, please stop and consider how Jesus might have phrased this to simply say that celibacy is a good thing! That, by itself, would have been a shocking thing for Jesus to say 2000 years ago. No, Jesus decided to raise the shock value higher, by holding up eunuchs as examples to follow.Eunuchs are the closest Biblical equivalent we have to transgender and intersex persons. They were commonly scorned and reviled by the religious conservatives of Jesus’ day, but Jesus only had good things to say of eunuchs.Naomi Lauren's answer to What does the Bible say about being transgender?As revealed in Esther chapter 2, eunuchs occupied a middle-gender role in Biblical times, with access to both male and female segregated spaces. The eunuch Hegai would have used the ladies bathroom, too.Eunuchs were scorned because they were infertile, and because they had a biology between that of men and women, just as transgender people do today. Eunuchs were surgically castrated, which is one big reason why Jesus referred to them. It’s worth noting here:Estrogen HRT is chemical castration for trans women.Estrogen HRT chills the libido, too, predictably enough.Testosterone HRT is chemical castration for trans men.Genital surgery for trans women is surgical castration.Religious conservatives have a misconception that transgender people have wild orgies and madly promiscuous lifestyles. I think they get their “information” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Dudes, that stuff is theatre, not reality.Eunuchs are a close Biblical parallel for trans women, and it’s only arrogance and wilful ignorance that stops religious conservatives from seeing that parallel.The prophet Isaiah also speaks to this same issue, declaring that intersex and transgender people really are 100% acceptable to God.Let no outsider who loves the Lord say, “I don’t belong.”And let no transgender person complain, “I am unvalued.”For this is what the Lord says:“To the transgender and intersex peoplewho choose what pleases meand hold fast to my covenant—to them I will give an honored placein my family and within my cityI’ll confer permanent honors on themthat will never be revoked.“And as for the outsiders who now follow me,working for me, loving my name,and wanting to be my servants—I’ll bring them to my holy mountainand give them joy in my house of prayer.They’ll be welcome to worship the same as the ‘insiders,’Oh yes, my house of worshipwill be known as a house of prayer for all people.”— paraphrased from Isaiah 56:3-7,refer Isaiah 56 in The Message and in the New International VersionIf you want confirmation for a third time, a trans woman is baptised by water in the book of Acts. See Acts 8:26-40, for the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, who was very coincidentally reading from Isaiah chapter 53.Jesus also said:“Do not say a person is guilty by what you see.Be sure you know when you say what is right or wrong.”— John 7:24 (NLV)The apostle John said:“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”— 1st John 4:20-21 (NIV)And appropriately enough, on the subject of a completely different kind of genital surgery, the apostle Peter said:“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”— Acts 15:10–11 (NIV)Naomi Lauren's answer to From a Christian, non-LGBTQ perspective, what's the best way for Christians to help LGBTQ people come to repentance?

HelloFirst of all sorry to say but I think you are not aware of “Indian Science Congress”. So I would like to clear your doubt about Indian Science Congress then might be your view that it has no scientific credential will change.INTRODUCTIONGenesisThe Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) owes its origin to the foresight and initiative of two British Chemists, namely, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P.S. MacMahon. It occurred to them that scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of Science could be arranged. The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) owes its origin to the foresight and initiative of two British Chemists, namely, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P.S. MacMahon. It occurred to them that scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of Science could be arranged.To advance and promote the cause of science in IndiaTo hold an annual congress at a suitable place in IndiaTo publish such proceedings, journals, transactions, and other publications as may be considered desirable.To secure and manage funds and endowments for the promotion of Science including the rights of disposing of or selling all or any portion of the properties of the Association.To do and perform any or all other acts, matters and things as are conducive to, or incidental to, or necessary for, the above objects.The first meeting of the Congress was held from January 15-17, 1914 at the premises of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, with the Honourable Justice Sir Asutosh Mukherjee, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Calcutta University, as President. One hundred and five scientists from different parts of India and abroad attended and the papers numbering 35 were divided into six sections-Botany, Chemistry, Ethnography, Geology, Physics, Zoology under six Sectional Presidents.From this modest beginning with a hundred and five members and thirty-five papers communicated for reading at the first session, ISCA has grown into a strong fraternity with more than sixty thousand members till to date. The number of papers communicated for reading has risen to nearly two thousand. Up to 2000 there were Sixteen sections,two committees and six forums, namely Sections- Agricultural Sciences, Anthropology & Archaeology, Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Earth System Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Material Sciences, Mathematics, Medical & Veterinary Sciences, Physics, Physiology, Psychology & Educational Sciences, Statistics, Zoology, Entomology & Fisheries; Committees-Home Sciences, Science & Society; Forums-Communication & Information Science, Environmental Sciences, Forensic Science, Science Education, Science for School Students and Women & Science.There are now fourteen sections namely Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences, Anthropological and Behavioural Sciences (including Archaeology and Psychology & Educational Sciences), Chemical Sciences, Earth System Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Information and Communication Science & Technology (including Computer Sciences), Material Sciences,Mathematical Sciences (including Statistics), Medical Sciences (including Physiology), New Biology (including Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology and Biotechnology), Physical Sciences, Plant Sciences and one Committee Science & Society.Silver JubileeThe Silver Jubilee Session of the Science Congress was held at Calcutta in 1938 under the Presidentship of Lord Rutherford of Nelson but due to his sudden death, Sir James Jeans took the chair. It was at this Jubilee Session that the participation of foreign scientists in the session of the Indian Science Congress was first initiated.Golden JubileeThe Science Congress celebrated its Golden Jubilee in October 1963 at Delhi with Prof.D.S. Kothari as General President. On this occasion, two special publications were brought out : (1) A Short History of the Indian Science Congress Association and (2) Fifty Years of Science in India (in 12 volumes, each volume containing reviews of a particular branch of science).Diamond JubileeThe Diamond Jubilee Session of the Science Congress was held at Chandigarh on January 3-9, 1973, under the Presidentship of Dr.S.Bhagavantam. On this occasion, two special publications were brought out : (1) A Decade (1963-72) Indian Science Congress Association (with life-sketches of General Presidents) and (2) A Decade(1963-72) of Science in India(in section-wise).Platinum JubileeThe Indian Science Congress Association celebrated the Seventy-Fifth year of its inception, popularly called otherwise, Platinum Jubilee, in 1988, with Prof.C.N.R.Rao as General President. Keeping this in view, a special brochure, entitled "Indian Science Congress Association-Growth & Activities" was published so as to highlight the programmes of the Association over the years. The main programmes were: (i) Bringing out special publication on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee (ii) Presentation of Plaques to the General Presidents of the Association (iii) Establishment of Platinum Jubilee Lectures to be organized in each section during the annual session of the Science Congress and (iv) Extension of the recent activities of the ISCA and its further diversification to generate scientific temper and popularise science.Centenary SessionThe Indian Science Congress Association celebrated its Hundredth year of its incepton on June 2, 2012, and the Centenary Session was held at Kolkata in 2013 under the Presidentship of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honourable Prime Minister of India.On this occasion:Ten number of Asutosh Mookerjee Fellowships were instituted to honor and encourage senior scientists in India.The Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2013 was released.India Postage Stamps were released by Department of Posts for the centenary celebration.A special book entitled ”The Centenary Session of the Indian Science Congress Nationwide Celebration” was published so as to presented the information about the initiatives of the Indian Science Congress Association towards the centenary celebration through its various chapters in India.Participation of Foreign ScientistsThe 34th Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress was held at Delhi in January 3-8,1947 with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, as General President. Pandit Nehru's personal interest in the Science Congress continued ever since and there had been hardly any session which he did not attend. He has immensely enriched the activities of the Congress by his sustained interest in the development of the scientific atmosphere in the country, particularly among young generations. In fact, from 1947, a programme for inviting representatives from foreign societies and academies was included in the Science Congress. This trend still continues with the support of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.Interaction with Foreign Scientific Academies / AssociationsAfter independence ISCA has been actively represented in various foreign scientific academies/associations, namely British Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, French Academy of Sciences, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, etc. with a view to have a first hand knowledge on topics of mutual interest.Introduction of Focal ThemeThe year 1976 witnessed a significant departure in the trend of deliberations during the Congress. It was being felt for some time that such a gathering of scientists, covering a wide spectrum ought to be seized of national issues that have scientific and technological implications. In 1976, Dr.M.S.Swaminathan, the then General President of ISCA introduced the Focal Theme of national relevance which is now discussed in every section, committee, and forum during the annual session. These apart, several plenary sessions are organized around various facets of the Focal Theme in which scientists and technologists, as well as policy makers and administrators, interact with one another. ISCA has thus become a platform where members from different disciplines and from different walks of life can contribute to discussions on the Focal Theme.Task ForceAnother significant breakthrough was made in 1980 when the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, set up a permanent Task Force involving representatives of ISCA and chiefs of different agencies and voluntary organizations chaired by Secretary, DST, as being responsible for following up various recommendations on the Focal Theme. Every year follow-up actions on recommendations made in the previous Science Congress are discussed at a General Session organized by DST during the Science Congress. Through this process, the Indian Science Congress Association has been contributing to the development of Science in general and National Science Policy, in particular.Young Scientist's Award ProgrammeIndian Science Congress Association introduced the programme for Young Scientists from the 68th session of the Indian Science Congress in 1981. The programme enables Young Scientists to present their research work with opportunities to exchange ideas in the relevant scientific problems with their counterparts and specialists. The ISCA Young Scientist Awards are given to candidates for making the best presentations. Fourteen such awards are given at present. The award amount has been enhanced from Rs. 5,000/- from 93rd session and now carries Rs. 25,000/- and a Certificate of merit.Presentation of PapersIt was decided that generally most of the contributed Papers, which were accepted on the basis of a careful screening by the concerned Sectional President by way of posters. Further, to encourage scientists it was decided that at most two Prizes of Rs. 1,000/- in cash along with a certificate to be awarded to the best presentation in each Section from 86th Session. The award money has been enhanced to Rs. 5,000/- from 94th Session.Since 2013-14 best poster presentation award has been converted to a separate programme.ISCA ChaptersThe Association started organizing popular science lectures in different centers in India from 1962-63. The scheme envisages constructive work for the popularization and advancement of science throughout the year. Till 1985-86 these lectures were delivered at seventeen centers spread over the country. However, this was restructured with the formation of Regional Chapters from 1986-1987. One of the major objectives of the ISCA is to inculcate the Scientific temper among the people and to encourage young scientists to grow up steadily in this direction involving them in the programmes relevant to fundamental, experimental and operational activities. With these objectives in view, ISCA started Chapters from 1986-87 in different places in India.So By reading the above content, you will come to know that it biggest educational and scientific event of India. And if you are thinking about that this includes any political issues it’s not the fact in between Science and Growth of the country there is never politics.This year LPU got the opportunity might be next year some other university will get the chance to host the event but it does not mean that there is a political reason to hold the event at some place.For more details visit below linkshttp://sciencecongress.nic.in/http://isc2019.org

When people hear the term “Son of God” many people assume that Jesus' biological father was God, or the Holy Spirit.To make a long story short, Jesus didn't have one. Before I explain how that is even logically possible (which, despite what you may think, it can in fact be partly explained through science) we need to address some objections to the doctrine of the Virgin Birth. However before that I'll need to explain what Jesus means when he calls God his “father”.The Son of GodWhen most people think of the figure of Jesus Christ they think of him being the Son of God. But what does that even mean? Is he like some sort of demigod, are Christians claiming that God is actually his biological father? I mean Jesus even calls God his father. It's right there, right? Some people assume that to be the case, without giving it much thought.However, the Aramaic word אַבָּא, which is translated as "Father", i.e. Abba, appears in the traditional Jewish liturgy and Tefillah, i.e. prayers to God. The very same term - rendered in Greek as Ἀββᾶ - occurs three times in the New Testament, together with the Greek equivalent which is πατήρ (patḗr). It is an invocation to God, expressive of a close personal or filial relation of the speaker to God.What is Abba?Christian use of 'Father', or rather 'Our Father', stems from the New Testament. What this shows is that, in admitting proselytes to membership in the new faith, they were declared to be the children of God while addressing Him as "Abba/Pater." But the interesting thing is there is nothing particularly Christian about this. It was a prayer formula for addressing God which happened to be familiar to Jews, especially those living in the early 1st century AD.Abba is a form of ab, meaning "father" in many Semitic languages. It is used as a given name, but was also used as a title or honorific for religious scholars or leaders. Intriguingly, the word abbot is derived from the same root as well. There is an article about this on the Jewish Encyclopedia website.The Fatherly characteristics of GodGod is also spoken about as being a father in a metaphoric sense several times throughout the Tanakh, i.e. the Hebrew scriptures. In Isaiah 63:16 the relationship between father and children is metaphorically used to describe the relationship which subsists between God and his people. God is also compared to a Father in that he disciplines those he loves (See Prov 3:12; Heb 12:7). In a number of passages, God speaks o David and promises him offspring, saying "I will be his father and he will be my son" (2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 17:13). Many interpret this as referring to Solomon (1 Chron 22:9-10; 1 Chron 28:6).The first passage where God presents himself as the father of Israel is Exodus 4:22-23. After God calls out to Moses, commanding him to deliver the Israelite people from the Pharaoh. Appearing in the form of a burning bush, Adonai reveals himself again to Moses in Midian and tells him to go to Egypt and do the wondrous signs in front of Pharaoh, knowing that he will reject Moses' request to let his people go. God asks Moses to say this to Pharaoh, "This is what Adonai has told me: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, 'Let my son go, so he may worship me'. But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son."So, God tells Moses ahead of time what will happen, revealing himself as a father and the Israelite people as his son. We can make a reasonable conclusion here as to why God considers himself the father of Israel. He called Abraham in order to make the nation of Israel out of his descendants. Then he led Jacob's - who would come to be known as Israel - family to Egypt with the intention to have them multiply across the face of the earth, that he might make a great nation out of their descendants. Therefore it can be seen that God does exhibit fatherly characteristics.He is the procreator and a caretaker of the Israelite people. The purpose of all God appearing to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was to make Israel a great nation, to form a people for himself, a people who are set apart from this wicked world. What's more, the expression "my firstborn son" draws certain implications, such as the birthright of a firstborn heir, implying that God being a 'father' has an inheritance for his 'son', i.e. Israel.Is 'Son of God' pagan?In both Christian and Jewish religious practices the term "son of God" is not used in the biological sense.The angels, of whom partake in the celestial and divine nature of God - in contrast to the earthly and sinful nature of mortals like us - are referred to as 'the Sons of God' (בְּנֵי הַאֱלֹהִים - bənéi haˀĕlohîm). See Genesis 4:2-4; Job 38:7, 1:6-12, 2:1. In Kabbalah the phrase 'Sons of God' refers to a caste of angelic beings who tasked with giving glory to the Most High God. The kabbalic texts further state that the archangel Michael (מִיכָאֵל - mîḵāˀél) now leads this angelic rank. He is mentioned in major religious texts more than any other named angel, and he is often shown as a warrior who fights for that which is righteous and holy in the eyes of God. Daniel 12:21 describes him as "the great prince" who is sworn to protect Israel in the End of Days.The Book of Enoch, the Enochic Book of Giants, and the Book of Jubilees refer to a caste of angelic beings known as the Watchers (עִירִין - ˁiyrîn), who are paralleled to the "sons of God" mentioned in Genesis 4. We will explore the Watchers in-depth later.As we have already seen, God regards the people of Israel as his "sons" in a metaphoric sense. The kings of Israel also are called "sons of God". Is it any wonder then, that Jesus, who many believe is the Messiah - the most high and the ideal representative of God - might be referred to as the "Son of God"?Why is Jesus called such?The Messiah is not supposed to be an ordinary man like all other men, but God's light unto humanity. Therefore, His birth should also be something extraordinary, as a sign from God, in other words Jesus would be born of a virgin. He is the seed of woman in Genesis 3, thus biologically speaking he has no father because he is eternal. 'Son of God' the Old Testament as another way of referring to those who are in a close fellowship with God. However, it must be noted that Jesus is called the "Son of God" in a rather unique sense. What was he claiming? It is not hard to see why someone might think that Jesus is claiming to be God's literal son.Yet the term "Son of God" is never meant to imply that Jesus was sired by God, or that there was a time when he did not exist (John 8:58). Rather, "Son of God" describes analogically the coeternal relationship which the WORD has to the Father aspect, i.e. hypostasis, both of which are part of tri-personal unity of the Godhead, a theological bearing that is often preached in Christianity.When used to refer to Jesus, the term is often coupled with the Greek word μονογενής (monogenḗs), which leaves no room for any meaning other than "only generated" or "only begotten." The word is mentioned only six times throughout the New Testament. Five of which refer to Jesus (John 1:14; 1:18; 3:16-18; 1 John 4:9). The other one refers to Isaac as being Abraham's only begotten son (Heb 11:17). Also see for an explanation of Jesus being the ‘Word of God':Damien Cowl's answer to Does John 1:1 say that Jesus is the Bible made flesh?Almah: Virgin or Young Maiden?Matthew 1:23;Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring. forth a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;" which is, being interpreted, "God with us."In the Koine Greek manuscript, the word virgin reads: παρθένος (parthénos). This is a reference to the prophesy in Isaiah 7:14-16;Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.Almah (עַלְמָה‎ 'almāh, plural: עֲלָמוֹת‎ 'ălāmōṯ, from a root implying the vigour of puberty) is a Hebrew word for a young woman of childbearing age; despite its importance to the account of the virgin birth of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, scholars agree that it has nothing to do with virginity.The word almah is rare—usually translated as "maiden" it appears only seven times in the Hebrew Scriptures, three of these in the plural and four in the singular. Some say the word almah is merely the feminine of elem, or "young man." Apparently the word betula means virgin, thus the Virgin Birth is unscriptural. That is the claim anyway.In the few verses where almah appears, the word clearly denotes a young woman who is not married but is of marriageable age. Although almah does not implicitly denote virginity, it is never used in the Scriptures to describe a "young, presently married woman." It is important to remember that in the Bible, a young Jewish woman of marriageable age was presumed to be chaste.In the Hebrew Scriptures, there are two types of betulot—the true virgin, and the "betrothed virgin" (betulah m'orashah). In Deuteronomy 22, a betrothed virgin is referred to as a man's "wife" (ishah). The state of betrothal was just as serious and sacred as the married state and the difference between the two appears, in some instances, to be a mere formality. The word betulah, commonly understood as virgin, is still not precise.Biblical ContextThe standard argument against this is that the Hebrew word עַלְמָה (almāh) does not mean virgin, but rather that the word בְּתוּלָה (b'ṭūlāh) has that meaning.In what follows I will first demonstrate that the word b'ṭūlāh does not always refer to a virgin, and next I demonstrate that in the Bible the word almāh always refers to a virgin.Betulah does not mean virginGenesis 24:16 "Now the young woman [na'arāh] was very beautiful to behold, a virgin [b'ṭūlāh]; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up."In this verse Rebekah is referred to as a b'ṭūlāh, but the text adds the qualifying clause "no man had known her." Such a qualifying clause would be unnecessary if b'ṭūlāh unambiguously meant "virgin." Later in the same story, Rebekah is referred to as an 'almāh (vs. 43) with no qualifying clause.(2) At least once the word is used of a married woman:Joel 1:8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackclothFor the husband of her youth.(3) At times the word b'ṭūlāh is used as an epithet for various pagan nations known for their idolatry and immorality:the virgin daughter of Sidon (Isa 23:12)the virgin daughter of Babylon (Isa 47:1)the virgin daughter of Egypt (Jer 46:11)The same epithet is used for the nation of Israel, at times in the context of their spiritual adultery:The virgin of Israel (Amos 5:2)The virgin daughter of Judah (Lam 1:15)The virgin daughter of Zion (Isa 37:22; Lam 2:13)The virgin daughter of my people (Jer 14:17)"The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing…Because My people have forgotten Me,They have burned incense to worthless idols.And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways,From the ancient paths,To walk in pathways and not on a highway." (Jer 18:13, 15)(4) The word b'ṭūlāh is used at times in the literature of the Semitic people as an epithet for their pagan goddesses known for their immoral behavior.(5) The Jewish Hebrew-English Dictionary by Reuben Alcalay defines the word b'ṭūlāh as "virgin, young woman, girl, maid." Obviously the meaning does not focus exclusively on virginity.Almah on the other hand appears to:Although the opponents of the virgin birth insist on translating almāh as "maiden" or "young woman" rather than "virgin," the word is never used in the Bible where it necessarily means anything other than virgin.(1) The word occurs seven times in the Hebrew Bible:Gen 24:43--where the word refers to the virgin Rebekah (see above discussion).Exod 2:8--where the word refers to Moses' sister Miriam. Who would question that she was a virgin at the time Moses was born?Psa 68:25--where the word refers to the female musicians in the procession escorting the king into the sanctuary. There is no reason to question the virginity of these choice young women?Song 1:3; 6:8--where the word refers to the attendants of Solomon's queens and concubines. There is no reason to question the virginity of these choice young women.The only possible reference where one might suppose that the word may refer to a woman not a virgin is Proverbs 30:19, on the basis of the verse that follows it:(Proverbs 30:19)'The way of an eagle in the air,The way of a serpent on a rock,The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,And the way of a man with a virgin.'(Proverbs 30:20)'This is the way of an adulterous woman:She eats and wipes her mouth,And says, 'I have done no wickedness.'She eats and wipes her mouth,Before And says, 'I have done no wickedness.'Before one jumps to a hasty conclusion about the relationship of these verses, the literary structure of this chapter must be understood. Chapter 30 of Proverbs contains a sequence of number poems, that is, short poems built around the number 4, or in one instance the number 2. Usually, but not always, the poems follow a pattern such as "For three things X, and for four X'. This is the pattern for the number four. The following poem is built on the number two: 30:7-9. The following poems are built on the number four: 30:11-14; 30:A careful observation indicates that following several of these poems an independent, non-number proverb is inserted (see verses 10, 15a, 17, 20, and 32-33). The poem in verses 18-19 describes four things that are too wonderful to understand:(a) the way an eagle soars in the sky(b) the way a serpent slithers across a rocky surface(c) the way a ship navigates through the sea(d) the way a young man courts a virginNotice that the topic of the independent proverb of verse 10 is not related to the topic of the number poem preceding or following it.The same is true of the topics of the other inserted proverbs of verses 15a, 17, and 32-33. This leads to the conclusion that the topic of verse 20 is not directly related to its neighboring number poems either.In fact, if anything its topic is the opposite to that of the number poem of verses 18-19. The poem of verses 18-19 speaks of things amazingly wonderful and right, whereas the following proverb speaks of something disgusting--the blatant shamelessness of an adulterous woman.The independent proverb on the adulterous woman of verse 20 has no effect on the meaning of the word "virgin" in verse 19. It is true that the KJV translates the word of verse 19 as "maid," but the English dictionary defines that word as "a girl, an unmarried woman, or virgin." Surely in 17th century England the word meant virgin.(2) The root of the word implies that the *'almāh* was a sexually mature woman of marriageable age.(3) Ancient Jewish culture expected an unmarried woman to be a virgin. If an unbetrothed virgin was raped (or consented to intercourse) the man was required to marry her (Exod 22:16); if her father refused to give her in marriage, the man had to pay the bride price, and she remained in her father's house as a defiled woman (Exod 22:17) unsuited for marriage. A betrothed woman who was found not to be a virgin was put to death (Deut 22:13-21).(4) It is significant that the Greek Septuagint (LXX), a pre-Christian translation made by Jews, translated the word *'almāh* by the Greek word *parthénos*, the word that commonly means "virgin." This word was used to translate b'ṭūlāh in Genesis 24:16 and almāh in 24:43; the LXX seems to treat the two words as synonyms. The fact that in other contexts the word has a broader sense than "virgin" does not detract from its meaning in Isaiah 7:14. A word should be taken in its normal meaning unless extenuating circumstances dictate otherwise. What is important here is that pre-Christian Jews understood almāh to mean "virgin." The prejudice against the meaning "virgin" arose after the debate with Christians became active.(5) Thus it is safe to conclude that the word almāh in the Bible refers to a virgin. The only possible exception to this conclusion could be its use in Isaiah 7:14, the passage under discussion. This passage foretells that the almāh will be with child, a condition that seems to deny the possibility of virginity.However, this passage is a prophecy that classifies the pregnant condition of the almāh as an 'ōṭ (sign or miracle).According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon the word *'oth* can have one of several meanings:(1) a sign, pledge, or token(2) a sign or omen(3) a sign or symbol(4) a sign or miracle given as a pledge or attestation of divine presence and interposition(5) a sign or memorial(6) a sign or pledge of a covenan(7) an ensign [flag] or standard(8) a sign of changing weatherIn this passage the 4th meaning fits the context; the sign was a miracle given as God's pledge of future deliverance of Israel. That the sign truly was to be a miracle is evident from verse 11--''Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above."Clearly Isaiah offered King Ahaz a miraculous sign of the magnitude of the miraculous sign actually given to King Hezekiah at a later time (38:8). That Ahaz understood the offered sign to be a miracle is evident from his response in verse 12--"But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!'"The request of a purely natural event would not have been regarded as a test of God.Now if the almāh conceived by natural means, then no miracle occurred. Young women conceive regularly by natural means. There is nothing miraculous about that. The only way the conception could be a miraculous sign would be for it to be supernatural. Thus, it is appropriate to conclude that the word almāh means "virgin" here also.Joseph was not Jesus Biological FatherAccording to the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus’ geneaology is traced through Joseph (see Mathew 1:1-16). This is used in the argument that Joseph is in fact Jesus’ biological father and that the gospels are misinterpreted.Let's say we go by this genealogy, then if Jesus is actually the biological son of Joseph, he can't have been the heir to the throne of David, therefore he could NOT have been the Messiah (Luke 1:32). This is because what God’s Word says simply makes it impossible.You see, there had been a curse on the royal line since the days of Jeconias.Jeremiah 22:30—Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah,Joseph was in the line of this curse because his genealogy, according to Matthew, is traced back to Jeconias.Matthew 1:11—“And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:”Therefore, if Jesus had truly been Joseph’s son, He could not have ruled with the rod of Jerusalem and sat on David’s throne. Yet the Bible says he inherited these things.Luke 1:32-33—He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.But we find another genealogy in Luke 3. This is Mary’s line traced back to David through Nathan, not Jeconias.Luke 3:31—Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,Also see:The English transcript can be read here:Is Jesus Really From the Line of David? - ONE FOR ISRAEL MinistryJoseph was begotten by Jacob, and was his natural son (Mathew 1:16). He was the legal son or the son in-law of Heli, having married Mary, the daughter of Heli. As women are never reckoned in genealogies, Joseph, the legal son of Heli naturally took the place of Mary in this genealogy of the natural line of Jesus Christ.Also it must be said that Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy through Joseph as opposed to Mary simply out of tradition. In Jewish tradition, the adopted Father is given the full honor as being the son's father in the genealogy. Kind of like having a birth certificate being remade with the adopted parent's signature. Even the Gospel of Luke still counts Joseph as the recipient of Jesus' lineage.Therefore, out of leisure really, I've constructed a genealogy that doesn't adhere to tradition at the expense of straight forwardness:THE BOOK OF THE GENEALOGY OF THE MESSIAHThis is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the Son of David, the seed of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah, Judah the father of Perez, Peres the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Aram, Aram the father of Aminadab, Aminadab the father of Naasson, Naasson the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Booz, Booz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the King, David was the father of Nathan, begotten by his wife Bathsheba, Nathan was the father of Mattatha, Mattatha the father of Menan, Menan the father of Melea, Melea the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Jonan, Jonan the father of Joseph, Joseph the father of Judah, Judah the father of Simeon, Simeon the father of Levi, Levi the father of Matthat, Matthat the father of Jorim, Jorim the father of Eliezer, Eliezer the father of Jose, Jose the father of Er, Er the father of Elmodam, Elmodam the father of Cosam, Cosam the father of Addi, Addi the father of Melchi, Melchi the father of Neri, Neri the father of Salathiel, Salathiel the father of Zorobabel, Zorobabel the father of Rhesa, Rhesa the father of Joanna, Joanna the father of Judah, Judah the father of Joseph, Joseph the father of Semei, Semei the father of Mattathias, Mattathias the father of Maath, Maath the father of Nagge, Nagge the father of Esli, Esli the father of Naum, Naum the father of Amos, Amos the father of Mattathias, Mattathias the father of Joseph, Joseph the father of Janna, Janna the father of Melchi, Melchi the father of Levi, Levi the father of Matthat, Matthat the father of Heli, Heli the father of Mary, Mary the mother of Jesus who is the Son of God.I also translated it into Galilean Aramaic, again, just for fun:The Seed of The Woman (Messianic Prophesy?)Identification of the "seed of the woman" with the Messiah Yeshua goes back at least as far as Irenaeus, and the phrase "seed of the woman" is sometimes counted as one of the titles of Jesus in the Bible.A tradition found in some old eastern Christian sources (including the Kitab al-Magall and the Cave of Treasures) holds that the serpent's head was crushed at Golgotha, described as a skull-shaped hill at the centre of the Earth, where Shem and Melchizedek had placed the body of Adam. More commonly, as in Victorian homilies, "It was on Golgotha that the old serpent gave the Saviour the deadly bite in his heel, which went quite through his foot, fastening it to the cross with iron nails."Genesis 3:15 NJV (New Jerusalem Bible)—“I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel.”The original Hebrew verse reads:וְאֵיבָ֣ה ׀ אָשִׁ֗ית בֵּֽינְךָ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ וּבֵ֣ין זַרְעָ֑הּ ה֚וּא יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ רֹ֔אשׁ וְאַתָּ֖ה תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ עָקֵֽב׃ סבראשית 3:15 Hebrew OTIn Biblical symbogy only the man produces a seed. The seed of a woman is never referred to elsewhere in the Bible. A child is that is born naturally is referred to as the fruit of the womb. And this verse appears to be a Messianic prophesy.The Hebrew word used here is זָרַע (zar'ā), which is singular. The plural is זְרָעִים.Despite this, among the Jewish community, the groups of "seed of the woman" and "seed of the serpent" are generally taken as plural, with the promise "he will bruise your head" applied to Adam and mankind bruising the serpent's head. There is a Jewish tradition where a messiah is said to be a remedy to the bruising of the heel of the "seed of the woman.”But this doesn't make sense. First off it's not plural and although the plural interpretation might work in English, it is unlikely that the Hebrew would drop out the -im suffix if it was plural. The snake is not a literal snake. It is a seraphim, an interdimensional being which is described as somewhat serpentine in shape.Therefore since the seraphim is obviously Lucifer, then the seed would be referring to one of his subordinates, specifically the demon which was assigned to govern Jerusalem, which Christ crushed underfoot.But more importantly that is just not how Ancient Hebrew symbology works, women simply don't have seeds. Instead it would normally say the seed of the Man, or the fruit of the Woman.False religions have often used the idea of the Virgin Birth. This is because Satan was there when the prophesy was given, and he as been making a play on it ever since, incorporating it as an element into his various different deceptions in order to create confusion.This symbology would be consistent with the narrative of Genesis 1-3, which because it is an Ancient Near Eastern texts makes very heavy use of idioms, expressions, and symbolic meanings, betraying a far deeper meaning than what is literally being said.THE SCIENCE OF THE VIRGIN BIRTHThere is a certain female animal which has no intercourse with the male (as writers on animals say is the case with vultures), and that this animal, without sexual intercourse, preserves the succession of the race. What incredibility, therefore, is there in supposing that, if God wished to send a divine teacher to the human race, He caused Him to be born in some manner different from the common!"—Origen of Alexandria (AD 184–253)Parthenogenesis is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur without fertilization by sperm. It is a phenomenon which is observed in some invertebrates and lower plants. Several insect species including aphids, bees, and ants are known to reproduce by parthenogenesis. It also occasionally occurs in snakes, and in even rarer cases, mammals.This process happens when certain chemical reactions cause an embryo to develop from an unfertilized egg cell. This can be referred to as 'faux-fertilization'.EtymologyFrom parthen- +‎ -o- +‎ -genesis, from Ancient Greek παρθένος (parthénos, “virgin”) and γένεσις (génesis, “origin, creation, generation”).Unusual Cases Around The WorldScientists are beginning to discover that parthenogenesis occurs in many different species; amphibians, reptiles, cartilaginous and bony fish and birds and it happens for reasons that have yet to be figured out.Spectacular real virgin birthsThere are many uncertainties regarding this phenomenon, and it has long been thought that mammals are incapable. However this may not necessarily be the case…Kaguya The MouseIn April, 2004, researchers led by Tomohiro Kono at the Tokyo University of Agriculture initiated the first known case of parthenogenesis occurring in a mammal. Until now such a feat had been considered biologically impossible. But the mouse, called Kaguya, was born without the involvement of any sperm or male cell – only female eggs were needed.This was achieved through a process known as haploidisation, where one of two sets of chromosomes are removed from a number of cells, leaving them with only one, just like normal gametes.In parthenogenesis, the egg becomes the sole source of genetic material for the creation of an embryo. Normally this cannot occur in mammals…unless an egg is accidentally or experimentally activated as if it had been fertilised – but this parthenote never grows past a few days.This is because it is inhibited due to an epigenetic phenomenon known as Genomic imprinting, which would require genes inherited from the father for normal placental development. Yet the researchers were able to succeed by using one egg from an immature parent, thus reducing maternal imprinting, and modifying it to express the gene Igf2, which is normally only expressed by the paternal copy of the gene. Even with this, only two of 457 eggs developed to full maturity.The closest we've ever gotten to this happening in a human was in the case of a three year-old boy. You can read about it here: The boy whose blood has no father.There was also one other scientific breakthrough, which took place June 26, 2007. Dr. Elena Revazova, who was the lead scientist of a stem cell research company based in California states that her research team was able to artificially create human cells from unfertilized human eggs.How could Jesus Be Born?In theory, it's a possibility, and although there are multiple roadblocks, there are also ways around such complications. In order for this to happen, a series of incredibly rare events would have to occur in close succession, and the chances of all of these occurring by mere chance are virtually zero. Basically, it would have to be by design.In order for the Virgin Mary to conceive, something would have to initiate, within one of her eggs, the biochemical changes indicative of fertilization.Fertilization is caused by a sequence of coordinated molecular events involving the merging of the sperm with the egg, the fusion of the pronuclei and the intermingling of the maternal and paternal chromosomes. The first form of human life is the zygote (a diploid cell) from which the new organism will emerge.Then the egg would have to divide abnormally to compensate for the lack of sperm DNA. In a normal birth there are two types of cell division: mitosis and meiosis. Most of the time when people refer to “cell division,” they mean mitosis, the process of making new body cells. Meiosis is the type of cell division that creates egg and sperm cells.Mitosis is a fundamental process for life. During mitosis, a cell duplicates all of its contents, including its chromosomes, and splits to form two identical daughter cells. Because this process is so critical, the steps of mitosis are carefully controlled by a number of genes. When mitosis is not regulated correctly, health problems such as cancer can result.The other type of cell division, meiosis, ensures that humans have the same number of chromosomes in each generation. It is a two-step process that reduces the chromosome number by half—from 46 to 23—to form sperm and egg cells. When the sperm and egg cells unite at conception, each contributes 23 chromosomes so the resulting embryo will have the usual 46. Meiosis also allows genetic variation through a process of DNA shuffling while the cells are dividing.Normal egg cells form after meiosis and are haploid, with half as many chromosomes as their mother's body cells. Haploid individuals, however, are usually non-viable, and parthenogenetic offspring usually have the diploid chromosome number. Depending on the mechanism involved in restoring the diploid number of chromosomes, parthenogenetic offspring may have anywhere between all and half of the mother's alleles.However, just stimulating a mammal egg with chemicals or electricity doesn’t trigger it to divide normally.It seems you need particular proteins from sperm to set up waves of calcium ions in the egg, which trigger further changes leading up to copying all the DNA and chromosomes, and dividing into two cells.But you need more than just a protein trigger supplied by the sperm. You also need two copies of each chromosome in the fertilised egg. Normally one set is provided by the mother (in the egg nucleus) and one by the father (in the sperm nucleus).Thus the egg cell would need to be split via meiosis, halving its genetic material. Then one of these split cells would have to fuse with another split cell nearby, fertilizing itself and—because the genetic material of cells were not split evenly or identically—creating a not-quite-clone embryo that can be carried to term.But the hypothesis is still shaky, because while mammals can initiate parthenogenesis, they typically cannot give parthenogenetic birth. A mammal's eggs usually split to accommodate the DNA in sperm when they sense the swimmers getting close, then die off if fertilization fails. Trickery, or random genetic irregularities, can cause a split in the absence of sperm and even recombination with another nearby split cell—but mammals (with the exception of echidnas and platypuses) use a process called imprinting to make sure reproduction only kicks into gear with the right complementary match of active and inactive genes between sperm and eggs of the same species. So if parthenogenesis begins, it creates a haywire oddity that doesn't survive beyond a few days.There are ways to overcome this problem. In 2004, Japanese researchers showed that they could alter imprinting genes in mouse eggs to create an artificial but fully parthenogenetic and viable baby. It's possible, if extremely unlikely, for these same genetic alterations to occur as random, natural mutations.That would be the easy part, though…These two events occur in the eggs or egg precursor cells of one out of every few thousand women. But the egg would also need to be carrying at least two specific genetic deletions to produce a viable offspring. An egg will only start dividing once it senses a spike in cellular calcium. This normally occurs as a result of a sperm’s entry during fertilization. But if the egg happens to experience a spontaneous calcium spike, it will start reacting as if it’s been fertilized.A defective sperm that lacks DNA can produce a spurious calcium spike. In the lab, scientists can coax unfertilized eggs into beginning the post-fertilization process by simply injecting them with calcium.Once fertilization—or faux fertilization—occurs, an egg can complete the final stage of a cell division known as meiosis II, during which it loses half of its genetic material to make room for the sperm’s DNA. But if there’s no sperm, each half of the divided egg cell will end up short, and both will die. In order for our virgin birth to proceed, the faux-fertilized egg must, therefore, not complete meiosis.Both of these events—the calcium spike and the division mistake—could occur as the result of random dysfunctions or genetic defects. Assuming they do, the egg cell may then begin the process of “parthenogenesis,” or virginal development. When this happens to an egg-precursor cell, it can give rise to a tumor made up of many different types of tissue—liver, teeth, eye, and hair, for example.Parthenogenesis in humans never produces viable embryos, though, because unfertilized eggs lack specific instructions about gene expression from the sperm. In general, our cells have two functional copies of each gene—one inherited from the mother and one from the father. For some genes, however, only one copy is ever used, while the other remains dormant. Some of the signals for which copies should be turned off come from the sperm cell. So, if there’s no sperm, certain genes will be overexpressed, and the “embryo” will die when it is only about five days old.There’s a way around this problem, too. By eliminating a pair of maternal genes, as mentioned earlier, Japanese team was able to create, via parthenogenesis, a our furry little friend, “Kaguya”, and the process was seemingly unaffected by its lack of paternal imprinting. Although the scientists engineered these changes in the lab, there’s at least a theoretical possibility that this could happen spontaneously via random gene deletions.So I believe that God could have done something in a sense similar.So, while it’s possible for a human baby to be born of a virgin mother, it’s very, very unlikely: These two genetic deletions might each have a one in 1 billion chance of occurring, and that’s not counting the calcium spike and division problem required to initiate parthenogenesis in the first place. But who says the Creator of the universe can't moderate biological functions with the aid of metaphysical agents in order to create not just a Virgin Birth, but the perfect Virgin Birth?But wouldn't that make Jesus a female?However, there is one scientific problem in the case of Mary. In humans, a virgin birth would mean that a woman's eggs develop successfully without sperm. This presents a sex chromosome problem. In mammals, females are XX while males are XY so a woman should never be able to provide the necessary Y chromosome genes to produce a son. They can only come from a father.In turkeys, sex determination is different. Females have Z and W chromosomes, while males are ZZ. So mother turkeys do have the genetic stuff for making males, although there may be other barriers to a "virgin birth".That's fine for turkeys, but is there any possible that way Mary could have managed it? One possibility is that Mary may have had a condition called testicular feminisation. Women with this condition have an X and a Y chromosome like a man, but their X chromosome carries a mutation that makes their bodies insensitive to testosterone. This leads to their developing as a female.Genetically male, Mary would have been sterile. But had she become pregnant spontaneously, her child could have inherited an intact Y chromosome to prevent him from developing as a female. Jesus would have needed what geneticists call a "back mutation" – a highly unlikely reverse of the X chromosome glitch that caused the testicular feminisation in the first place. Other possibilities to explain the virgin birth include Mary being a genetic mosaic, formed from twins that fused into one body while maintaining chromosomes from both, Y and all.There are perhaps other ways that Mary could have given birth to a male though. Alternatively she could have been born with ovotestes, a condition in which a woman gets an X chromosome from her father that contains a sprinkle of Y chromosome, leading to the development of a hybrid ovary-testes organ. If Mary only manifested her male material in her gonads and, again, had a perfect balance of masculine and feminine tissues and hormones, her ovotestes could have produced sperm and eggs simultaneously, sending them down the fallopian tubes together, and resulting in fertilization and implantation within her functional uterus.However, I really doubt either of these to have been the case. It's much more likely that Mary either simply had a dormant Y chromosome, or that the Y chromosome was implanted, possibly through process in which the Word was made flesh.It is therefore possible that Mary was genetically female, with no chromosomal abnormality, and that the Y chromosome was manifested as a result of The Incarnation, or it could have been created out of thin air through the Holy Spirit.The Bible tells us that Mary was impregnated when the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. This is not like pagan stories where a god has sexual relations with a woman, because Mary was still a virgin when she gave birth to Christ. Rather, it is likely that God created the required genetic material to fertilize the ovum, which is not hard to believe. If we believe that God created the whole universe, including the genetic material with all of the information in the original biological kinds, how much simpler would a few chromosomes’ worth of DNA be?Prophesies About The Birth Of Jesus:Let us take a look at the prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus.We know that Jesus was of Jewish descent and therefore was the seed of Abraham. In Genesis 22:18 we are told that through Abraham’s offspring “all nations on earth will be blessed.” Christians believe Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise.We also know that He is from the line of Jacob, Abraham’s grandson. Numbers 24:17: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”From Isaiah 11:1 we know He is from the line of Jesse, the father of King David: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him.”From Jeremiah 23:5-6 we know He is from the line of King David: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land … This is the name by which he will be called: the Lord our righteous savior.”Reaffirming that Jesus is from the line of King David, we have this prophecy from 2 Samuel 7:12-13, which was actually spoken by Samuel to King David: “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”From the prophecy of Micah, 5:2 we know He was born into the tribe of Judah in the region of Ephrathah, in the town of Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”From Isaiah 7:14 we know that He was born from a virgin: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and you will call him Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means “God with us” and indicates the divinity of Jesus.That Jesus would be worshipped by shepherds from the desert, and that foreign kings would present gifts to Him is revealed in Psalm 72:9,10: “May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust. May the Kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the Kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. May all Kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.”When Jesus was born, King Herod slaughtered a number of children in an attempt to kill Him. This is predicted in Jeremiah 31:15: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”In response to this attempt on the life of Jesus, Joseph is warned in a dream to take Jesus to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod died. This is predicted in Hosea 11:1: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”See also: 1. Affirming Christianity, 2. Challenging Atheism