[NOTE: This is a guest post by my wife Kathy] Matthew 6:15 and Mark 11:26 say: “If you do not forgive neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you.” This is the Bible lesson we were learning in my 4K classroom in 2004. One of my students raised his hand and asked this question, “Mrs. Mapp, does God forgive Satan?” I was stopped dead in my tracks. What a question, and from a 4 year old! All I could think of…..
I walked into my college Old Testament Survey class in 1974. I was majoring in physics, but I needed some humanities courses. The professor greeted us, and launched into the course. He was a nice enough guy, and seemed pretty knowledgeable. But I didn’t hear what I was expecting to hear. He said that the first five books of the Bible were written by several different people whose writings were then merged together. He said that the first part of…..
The following is an imaginative retelling of something that has actually happened. The first paragraph, though, is literally true. My grandmother, who lived on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, made ceramic figurines. During the 1960’s, she made ceramic ponies for the gift shops in Chincoteague, where they have an annual pony roundup. One of my best childhood memories is visiting her at her home and learning about ceramics. One day, I was at a cocktail party where a scientist friend and I…..
I have gotten many favorable responses to my book, and I am grateful for these responses. I have also encountered some detractors. The detractors tend to fit into two camps: 1. Atheists, who think the Bible is bunk, but who are clearly rattled by this new (to them) way of making sense of it; and 2. Christians who either misunderstand what I mean by “decoding,” or who simply reject the notion that the Old Testament contains hidden pictures of Christ……
I have done some Facebook posts using a “like page” I set up to promote the message of my book (and the book itself as well, for those who want to learn more). I have gotten thousands of “likes,” plus numerous shares and comments. The vast majority of comments have been favorable, but not all. Some atheists have weighed in also, some politely and some not so politely. Apparently, the teaching of how Christ was foreshadowed in the Old Testament…..
I’ve had a very good experience self-publishing my book through Westbow Press. They always meet, and often exceed, my expectations. One example of exceeded expectations is the cover design of my book. The idea of the four images with the empty space between them forming the shape of a cross was my own. But the final cover was a far enhanced version of the crude schematic I gave them. I think it is stunningly elegant. Most people will recognize the…..
When I was in college studying physics, quantum mechanics was by far the strangest subject I encountered, but like many things in this world that are seen, it often seems like a copy and metaphor of Biblical truth. One interesting aspect of quantum theory is something called “nonlocality,” a phenomenom in which remotely located particles are linked to each other in some special way. I have noticed that some distantly separated passages of the Bible also appear to be linked…..
A long time ago in the land of Israel, an innocent man in the prime of life was led up the side of a hill to die a sacrificial death. He had led an interesting life. The circumstances surrounding his birth were especially unusual. He was miraculously conceived, and his parents had been visited by an angel who foretold the event. The Lord even provided the surprised parents-to-be with a name for the child. Now, as he strained under his…..
In college, I majored in physics. My rigorous scientific education left me with a good scientific understanding of the world, but without much support for the Christian faith of my childhood. An Old Testament survey course taught by a theologically liberal professor only raised more questions than answers. I began seeking evidence that I knew would lead either to the strengthening of my faith or its complete abandonment. In due course, I stumbled upon some century-old teachings that convinced me…..
Welcome. My name is John A. Mapp Jr., author of Decoding Bible Messages. I’m very happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about my new book and topics related to it. The study of the types and shadows of the Old Testament is very special to me because it greatly strengthened my Christian faith at a critical point in my life. I hope to share some of that excitement with you here. I’ll be using this blog…..