The Real Thing

In 1969 Coca-Cola released its new advertising campaign, “It’s the Real Thing,” which epitomized the Company’s attempts to harness contemporary youth’s cultural and political turn. Coca-Cola and McCann-Erickson sought out folk, rock and soul groups to sing song-form ads, while avoiding jingles and staged dramatic dialogue, which now sounded “phony” and fraudulent.
https://scalar.usc.edu/works/counter-cola/the-real-thing

Readers in the 55+ age bracket will likely remember the media blitz that the Coca-Cola Company unleashed in 1969 and into the 1970s. Magazine ads were ubiquitous, proclaiming that Coca-Cola was “the Real Thing” while radio and television spots aired featuring the a-Capella voice of a single beautiful young woman who was joined by more and more singers and swelling music until the whole chorus of hundreds of twenty-somethings from every race sang of peace, love and Coca-Cola:

I’d like to buy the world a home and furnish it with love,
grow apple trees and honey bees and snow-white turtle-doves;
I’d like to teach the world to sing (how-to-sing) in perfect harmony,
I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.

It’s the Real Thing (what the world wants today) Coca-Cola

Roger Cook wrote the song that was adapted to become Coke’s signal anthem. Not long after “It’s the Real Thing” made its debut, The Coca-Cola Company received over 100,000 letters asking where people could buy the sheet music for the tune. They had struck onto something that exists deep within the soul of people around the world: the thirst for what is real. “TedxNashville – Roger Cook – I’d like to Teach the World to Sing” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gniPULVph2s

In the opinion of this author, the thirst for “what is real” is still very much a part of the condition of man. Seldom is it quenched. Fakes, copies and frauds abound. And not just in the realm of soda pop. On eBay and similar platforms, several types of items are commonly faked and sold as if they are real. These include:

Perhaps buyers should be more skeptical, but the promise of acquiring something of real value can blind the victim. And make no mistake—buyers of “fake” items are indeed victims. The counterfeiter provides an article of very low value, yet represents it as being of very high value. In exchange, the victim pays in actual, hard-earned money. This is definitely not a fair or reasonable exchange.

No wonder the world longs for what is real. It has seen so much of what is intended to deceive and defraud. Victims of the fraud feel the sting of it while perpetrators enrich themselves unjustly.

My gold Rolex

On a cross-country business trip recently, this author pulled off the freeway in a small Montana town to purchase fuel. While fueling, a family in a Ford Explorer pulled up nearby, and the driver rolled down a window and asked for help. There were indeed what appeared to be a family in the car, including some very young children. The driver explained that they were from Dubai, had flown to Florida to visit the United States, and were on a long road-trip. Their young child had gotten hold of the father’s wallet and dropped it into a sewer. Thus all money, credit cards and even such essentials as a driver license were gone. I suggested calling family for help.

“We are from Dubai. We have no family here.”

“Maybe your family in Dubai could send you money electronically.”

“Our family is very rich, but we do not use social media and we do not have the ability to send money electronically. But I have here this very expensive Rolex watch. It is worth $22,000, but it means nothing to me if my family is not safe. We are here in the middle of nowhere and we don’t know what to do. I will gladly give you this Rolex watch if you could just give us enough money to buy gas to get back to Florida so that we can get back to our home.”

I was overcome by compassion for this family. I imagined myself being in a strange land with my family and losing my way and my ability to pay. Of course I would want to do everything possible just to get back home.

Under any other circumstances, I would not even consider trading my money to a stranger for anything claiming to be “of value”. As we know, there are just so many scams, and I’ve been the victim of them before. So I decided that I would not take his offer. He pleaded with me with fear and trembling. I saw his family in the car. Truly, they looked the part. They were clearly of middle-eastern descent. The wife begged me for help. They had a toddler and an infant who needed diapers.

My heart was overwhelmed, and I took my emergency cash out of my wallet and gave the man a significant amount of money. He seemed so relieved, and thanked me over and over.

“When I get home to Dubai, I promise that I will send you ten times as much as you give me today.”

He handed me his gold Rolex, a gold chain and a gold ring.

This “Rolex” even has a numbered, laser-etched “Certificate of Authenticity”

“No, I don’t want your things. You keep it,”

But the man urged me. I truly did not want to take the man’s possessions, but at his insistence, I did so. Then he left, and I continued on my travels.

Thinking about the experience later that day and in the ensuing days, I thought to myself, “When the man repays me, even if it is just the same amount that I gave him, I will send his watch, chain and ring back to him. I do not want to keep them. But if he does not repay me, then at least I will have some value in exchange for the money I gave up...”

When I got home from that trip, I stashed the items in a drawer and didn’t think about them for nearly a year. And although the man had my phone number, he never did contact me to arrange repayment of the money that I had given to him.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me. I took the watch to a nearby jeweler and asked his opinion as to its value. He examined it carefully using a high-powered lens. After a few minutes of inspection, he informed me that it is not a real Rolex. So I asked the all-important question,

“How can you tell?”

“Ah, it can be very difficult to tell. You’re not the first person that has brought something like this to me. I’ve had to bear the bad news many times.”

“Would you show me what I should have looked for to identify that it is not real?”

“You must examine it very closely... You must check every detail.”

He handed his high-powered lens to me and beckoned me to look carefully.

“Do you see how the Rolex crown doesn’t quite cover the black outline on the face of the watch? That is a tell-tale sign. A real Rolex would not have that mistake. A real Rolex is flawless.”

There were a few other artifacts that he pointed out to me which convinced me that I had been swindled.

“People get taken in all the time by this kind of thing. It’s not too much of a surprise. Most people don’t know how to tell the difference between what is real and what is a fake.”

I asked about the gold chain and the gold ring. All fake.

As my father told me when I was young, “Education costs money”. This part of my eduction wasn't cheap. I suppose it could have been much worse.

I comfort myself with the fact that I would have given the man the money even without receiving his “Rolex”, chain and ring, because I had compassion on their plight. I suppose all of that was fake too.

There are a good many choices to be made every day. Which products to buy. Which friends to choose. Which teachings to believe. All of these beg the same question: How to tell what is real and what is fake?

Choosing the wrong products may incur unnecessary costs when the fake is finally identified and has to be replaced or when it is eventually realized that the fake item is actually worthless. Choosing the wrong friends can cause one to adopt habits that are destructive to one’s health, career or family relationships. Choosing the wrong teachings to believe can set one on a path that leads to unfavorable eternal consequences.

The ability to discern truth from lies is literally a life-and-death matter.

Which Teachings do you Believe?

My son is a young man that is coming of age in the day of the Internet. I have tried to raise him with some amount of biblical understanding. Of course, there are many voices available to him today. YouTube and TikTok are full of influencers eager to shape the minds of anyone that they can, but they particularly appeal to young people.

He has challenged me many times. “Dad, I know that you believe the Bible, and I respect that. But there are many beliefs in the world. How do you know that yours are true and the others are false?”

What a great question! And what an important question!

If my faith is based upon false doctrines and false teachings, will I experience the favorable eternal outcome that I desire?

I began to think on my son’s question. For myself, I accept the biblical teachings because in my view they come from the Creator. Since He is the Creator, He has all authority to declare His Word. His Laws. His Truth.

But what if one does not approach the question from my vantage point? What if one is open to considering the possibility that other “religious” texts may be the right one?

What came to my mind is that one must test the Scripture to see if it is true. Is it possible to do this? Or must the Scripture simply be accepted as a matter of faith?

There is a famous story in the New Testament of a man named Thomas. After the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of the Messiah, Thomas and other disciples were confronted by a man who claimed to be the one whose death they had witnessed.

This text is often used to teach that one must “just believe”, blindly, and without evidence. Thomas asked for evidence. Was he wrong to do so?

Our first clue is that the Messiah does not rebuke Thomas for asking for evidence. Secondly, Messiah actually offers that Thomas may see and touch the very evidence that he sought. When Thomas confirmed that this was the “real deal”, he was unshakably convinced.

Of all twelve disciples, the strongest extra-biblical evidence of post-ascension missionary works are attributed to Thomas. In fact, to this day there are millions of Christians who directly ascribe their faith-heritage to Thomas. Is it any wonder? Thomas’ faith was unshakable because he tested the claims presented to him, and the claims withstood the test!

What happens when people believe claims without being able to confirm them by testing them? We shall not name them here, but the world is full of teachings and religions that make false claims. False teachings lead to mis-guided faith, which in turn leads to faulty actions which produce bad results which eventually ends in unfavorable eternal outcomes.

If one wants to experience a favorable eternal outcome, it is essential to build one’s faith upon truth that can be tested and proven.

What about the Claims of the Bible?

The Bible contains many claims. Some can be proven and some cannot. For our purposes right now, let us examine only “Old Testament” claims, since that is the part of the Bible that is foundational to the “New Testament”. Let us take a look at three kinds of claims in the “Old Testament”:

  1. Claims that cannot be proven

  2. Claims that are inherently obvious

  3. Claims that are not inherently obvious, but are provable through archaeology and/or linguistics

Example of a claim that cannot be proven:

The account of the creation is outside the realm of man’s ability to prove or disprove. Even if evolutionary theory is someday proven to be factual, it does not diminish this account of prehistoric times.

Example of a claim that is inherently obvious:

This is an instruction given by the Creator. It almost seems unnecessary to state it. Perhaps there is something inherent in humanity that recognizes that murder is wrong. Or perhaps one can simply perform a simple thought-experiment to see that if murder is not prohibited, the world would soon become void of humanity.

Example of a claim that is not inherently obvious

(but is provable through archaeology and/or linguistics)

Elohiym (God) is preparing to bring destruction upon the earth. Yet Noach (Noah) has found favor with Him and has thus merited "salvation". So Noach is instructed exactly what he must do to survive the ordeal.

He must follow the instructions correctly, else he too will be lost.

In October of 1959 Turkish Air Force captain İlhan Durupınar was flying a mapping mission for NATO in a mountainous region in the area of Mount Ararat in eastern Anatolia or Turkey. He photographed a curious pattern apparently formed by mud and heavy rains in the high region.

Speculations as to the meaning of the formation arose after Life Magazine published photographs in their September 5, 1960 issue. It drew the attention of a team of Americans who were followed by Ron Wyatt, an amateur archaeologist who felt that the discovery could lead to confirmation of the biblical flood account.

On June 20, 1987, Turkey officially recognized the discovery of Noah’s Ark and acknowledged Ron Wyatt’s contribution to its discovery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoTkguzRaCU

This article from the September 5, 1960 issue of Life Magazine stirred up a renewed interest in Noah’s Ark. Page images © Life Magazine 1960. This article is reproduced under the fair use doctrine for educational and non-commercial purposes. The use is intended for teaching, scholarship, or research as is not intended to infringe on the original copyright.

What does all this mean?

As I continued to discuss the biblical accounts with my son, it occurred to me: If the Bible makes a claim that should be provable through archaeology or linguistics, but no proof or even credible evidence is ever found, then it seems reasonable to dismiss the claims that are not provable.

But if the Bible’s claims can be substantiated through archaeological or linguistic evidence, then it seems much more likely that the un-provable claims may in fact be truthful as well.

Archaeology and linguistic research have shed light on a number of historical and cultural contexts mentioned in the Bible. Here are a few examples where archaeological findings and linguistic studies have provided support for biblical narratives:

  1. The City of Jericho: Archaeological excavations have identified ancient Jericho, and while the exact correlation to the biblical conquest story is debated, the site's evidence confirms Jericho as a fortified city during the Bronze Age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C27CmsSGx5Y

  2. King David's Existence: The Tel Dan Stele, an inscription discovered in northern Israel, refers to the “House of David,” providing evidence of King David’s historical existence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDqi4pgby6I

  3. The Babylonian Exile: Numerous Babylonian records, such as the Babylonian Chronicles, support the biblical account of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeDWfx1QUxs

  4. Hezekiah’s Tunnel: The Siloam Tunnel, attributed to King Hezekiah and mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20, has been discovered and dated to the appropriate period, confirming this biblical engineering project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l4tY2FhQuQ

  5. The Dead Sea Scrolls: These ancient texts include portions of the Hebrew Bible and have provided insights into the textual history and transmission of biblical books. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW6CCyINiMQ

Jeff Benner of The Ancient Hebrew Research Center provides a sampling of extra-biblical evidence that is congruent with biblical history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3_2csYyWSw

Conclusion

Being exposed to the many contrarian voices on YouTube and TikTok, it is no surprise that my son has expressed a healthy amount of skepticism about the Bible. Maybe that’s not entirely a bad thing. We have had many vigorous discussions on the topic in which he challenges me to think more deeply about my faith and my understanding of the Scriptures. Maybe like Thomas, each man and woman needs to ask the harder question ... “can you prove it?” And be willing to dig deeply to find the answers. The words of the jeweler return to me now.

“People get taken in all the time by this kind of thing. It’s not too much of a surprise. Most people don’t know how to tell the difference between what is real and what is a fake.”

The world is tired of being fooled into buying what is “fake”. In subsequent articles, we will explore biblical parameters for determining “truth”, and examine some modern church doctrines in that light to see if they are “the Real Thing”.

Can we know the Truth?

In this article, we consider a common biblical teaching and learn how to test if it is true. But before that, let’s investigate what “true” means.

TRUE, adjective

  1. Conformable to fact; being in accordance with the actual state of things; as a true relation or narration; a true history. A declaration is true when it states the facts. In this sense, true is opposed to false.

  2. Genuine; pure; real; not counterfeit, adulterated or false; as true balsam; the true bark; true love of country; a true christian.

—The true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9.

Webster’s 1828 “American Dictionary of the English Language” Abbreviated from https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/true

So then, “true” things are that which are in accordance with the actual state of things: not counterfeit, adulterated or false. With this in mind, let us examine some foundational passages in the Bible to determine Yahuah’s (“the LORD’s”) perspective on the consistency of His Word:

Prophets, poets and disciples all agree with Yahuah Elohiym (“the LORD God”): He does not change. Once He establishes a matter, one may depend upon it. His word is consistent, reliable, firm, unwavering and immutable.

With this in mind, let us read one of the Creator’s fundamental instructions:

Yahuah Elohiym (“the LORD God”) declares that the seventh-day Shabbat (“Sabbath”) is His. It belongs to Him. It does not “belong” to any religious sect nor people group. He created it. He defined it. It is fully within His domain. No man nor woman has any authority to add to it or remove it. No religious institution has the power to change it in the smallest degree, because it is His.

When I was a young man still living at home with my parents, I wondered about the discrepancy between the seventh-day Shabbat (“Sabbath”) and our Christian practice of attending church on Sunday. I knew that Sunday was not the seventh day of the week, so I asked my mother why our practice differed from the Creator’s instruction.

My mother’s answer was two-fold: first, the Messiah was raised from the dead on Sunday, and our church taught that was sufficient reason to “change” the sabbath from “Saturday” to “Sunday”; and second, she quoted Mark 2:27:

And, according to my mother, since the “sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”, we are not required to slavishly adhere to any Old Testament command to keep a certain day.

At that point in my life, I had no reason to doubt my mother nor the teachings of our church. So the matter lost its importance to me, and I soon forgot about it. But these teachings are very relevant in our Western culture today. Obviously, much of Christianity continues to teach that Sunday is the accepted day of gathering and worship.

Here we have exposed our first dilemma. And our decision as to which day in the week is to be set-apart as “Holy” will reveal our choice as to whom is our “god”.

How do you know which “god” you serve?

Are you offended that I have spelled “god” with a lower-case “g”? That was intentional. Not to provoke your wrath, but to bring an important matter to your attention.

Have you ever wondered what the Creator was talking about when He instructed His people to “have no other gods before me”?

"elohiym" (H430) = "gods"

You might recognize this passage from the Ten Commandments. The word “elohiym” has been changed to “gods” in most English translations. But what is an “elohiym”? Here is the entry from The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, written by Jeff A. Benner:

“elohiym” is the Hebrew plural form of “eloah”, as defined above. It is literally “the power or might of one who rules or teaches”, and it is a great “authority”. When we read of “God” or “god” or “gods” in the Bible, it is simply a translation of the word “elohiym”. There are many forms of elohiym. Yahuah (“The LORD” in many English translations) is a great authority. That’s why one may often read passages such as:

Elohiym = "great authority"

"El" = "mighty one"

or in the King James Version:

"God" (Elohiym) = "great authority"

"God" (El) = "mighty one"

Now that we understand that a “god” is simply one with “great authority”, let us explore some examples of others with “great authority”.

In this passage, the Creator informs the reader that there are indeed “other” elohiym (gods). In this context, the elohiym in question are the “great authorities” of the land into which the children of Yashar’El (Israel) will be going. One can identify a “great authority” because of the fact that others are expected or required to obey his rules.

Here Eliyahu (Elijah) gives strong admonition: Decide now whom to obey: Yahuah or Ba'al, Choose your "Strong Authority" and follow him!

In this scene, we see Ahab accusing Eliyahu (Elijah) of being a “troubler of Yashar’El (Israel)”. But Eliyahu (Elijah) turns the tables on Ahab by declaring that Ahab has forsaken the commands of Yahuah (the LORD) and is following Ba’alim instead. Finally Eliyahu (Elijah) challenges the people, “if Yahuah (the LORD) shall be your great authority, then follow Him; But if Ba’al is your great authority, then follow him.”

So which is the true “great authority”? They both are. Ahab’s choice was merely which elohiym (“great authority”) would he choose to obey?

This brings us back to our original question: How do you know which “god” you serve? The answer?

You serve the “god” whose rules you obey

Ahab had chosen to forsake the “rules” (instructions) of Yahuah (the LORD), and instead chose the rules of Ba’al. By his actions of choosing to obey Ba’al’s rules, he made Ba’al his “god”.

Now some may say, “Well, I don’t follow any god’s rules. I follow my own rules”. This is merely a word-play! What you are really saying is that you believe that you are your own “great authority”—your own “god”.

If this describes you, the bad news is that unless you are the One who made the heavens and the earth, you are destined to perish from the earth. Anyone who is destined to perish from the earth (and from under the heavens), is not worthy to be followed. They are no better than the most base of humanity.

Here is one that may surprise you:

Yahuah (the LORD) Himself (the Creator) declares that Moshe (Moses) has been made an elohiym (“great authority”) to Pharaoh! Yes, there are many, many elohiym (“gods”). Here is one more example from the Scripture:

"judges" H430 = "elohiym"

"judges" H430 = "elohiym"

"judges" H430 = "elohiym"

Did you notice that? Three times in this passage, the word “elohiym” (H430) is translated as “judges”. This is the same word that is translated as “gods” in Shemoth (Exodus) 20:3 (kjv).

I hope by now you are coming to an understanding that there are many “gods” and that they all have their own rules which they expect people to obey.

Read now the words of Yahusha (Joshua, the son of Nun), the successor to the leadership of Yashar’El (Israel) on the earth upon the death of Moshe (Moses), as he recounts the many challenges that have fallen to the people on their exodus from Egypt and the many miraculous ways that they succeeded against their enemies; received sustenance; inherited cities, vinyards and oliveyards. Thus He calls on the people to renew their beriyth (covenant) with Yahuah Elohiym (the LORD God):

"elohiym" H430 = "gods"

"elohiym" H430 = "gods"

"elohiym" H430 = "gods"

Are there modern-day elohiym (gods) that have “rules” which are contrary to those of Yahuah Elohiym (the LORD God)? Let’s consider some possibilities. Here is an instruction from Yahuah Elohiym (the LORD God):

This is the Creator's instruction to His people concerning the eating of swine.

Yahuah (the LORD) instructed His people that there are certain things that are fit for food: “Whatsoever parts the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and chews the cud, among the beasts, that shall you eat...” with the following exceptions: the camel, the coney, the hare and the swine.

On the other hand, the eating of swine (pork, pig, bacon, etc.) is not only acceptable to certain “New Testament believers”, but the practice is even promoted! How is this justified among “Christians”?

Here is an excerpt from an argument that Christians are allowed to eat pork:

If I were to take a poll of my kids’ all-time favorite foods, surely one of the top three would be bacon. Whenever we go out to breakfast, bacon is the only thing they talk about eating. Not pancakes. Not sausage. Not muffins or pastries. Just bacon. And let’s face it, bacon has become so popular you find in almost every type of food these days. Everyone loves it!

So, it’s with a little pity when my boys comment how sad it is that some faiths don’t allow, or at least highly discourage, bacon on the menu. That made them wonder why that is. Why does bacon get the bad press? What’s so wrong with it?

We might be tempted to refer to Leviticus 11, where God lays out for Moses what is okay to eat and what is not. And, we would be right to make such a reference, which is likely the reason why certain faiths discourage particular foods such as bacon.

But, did you know God later changed His rules to allow us to eat whatever we want? It’s an easily overlooked chapter in the New Testament where God has a little conversation with Peter.

https://steppesoffaith-56895.medium.com/the-part-where-god-says-its-okay-to-eat-bacon-684a040592ce

The author of this article goes on to tell the story from Acts chapter 10 of how Kefa (Peter) had a vision with unclean animals and the voice from heaven saying, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat” (v.13).

This vision is usually the proof text that Christian teachers use to demonstrate that “God changed his mind about what is ok to eat.” But is that the case? Let’s take a look.

As we have seen in Vayikra (Leviticus) 11, the Creator has described what is “food” and what is “not food”. So it seems that indeed the Almighty has changed His mind about this. Or has he? Does the Creator give a law only to subsequently change His mind about it?

If we accept what Yahuah (the LORD) has said about Himself, He does not change.

“But wait!”, you say, “God can do anything!”

This is where we must come to terms with an understanding of who the Creator is. To illustrate this concept, we look at the following passages from both the “New Testament” and the “Old Testament”:

Do you see what Yahusha (Jesus) is saying here? Because the “law” (Torah) stands as long as heaven and earth exist, one who breaks even the least commandment and teaches others to do so also shall be called the “least in the kingdom”! If Yahusha (Jesus) calls you “least in the kingdom”, it is not a sign of his approval.

Let’s take a look at an unlikely Old Testament text:

Darius, king of the Medes, knew that once a king makes a decree—however wise or foolish—the king must keep his word. This is a principle upon which the universe was created, as evidenced by the words of Yahusha (Jesus) in Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:18, “For truly I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

If this principle is true for an earthly, pagan king, How much more for the King of the Universe?

Can Yahuah Elohiym (the LORD God) do anything? No. Once He establishes a law or commandment, He cannot go back and change it later. To believe otherwise is completely contrary to His nature and character. His Word is consistent, reliable, firm, unwavering and immutable. Upon this you may trust your life and your salvation.

If Yahuah Elohiym (the LORD God) speaks and says, “the swine ... is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch; they are unclean to you”, then He has established the matter once and for all. There is no shadow of turning with Yah (the LORD).

If one teaches that Yah (the LORD) has changed his mind, that teacher is twisting the text to suit his purposes. This is a deception. These preachers and teachers are teaching against the direct instruction of the Creator. They will be called “least in the kingdom”.

Here is one more admonition from the words of Yahusha (Jesus):

Finally, it is important to remember that Yahuah Elohiym (the LORD God) has made known His instructions—his “rules” or “torah”. People that belong to Him will obey His rules. People who belong to another elohiym will obey their rules.

To which elohiym do you belong?