BLUE VIEWPOINT
Without getting too technical, is Paul really speaking about "church"?
The "church" had no concept of regular meetings until after Constantine dumped the Sabbath for Sunday in the fourth century A.D. The word Paul uses is totally different than our references to worship meetings, but we take it the same because that is what the common translations say to us when we read the Word. The word in this passage that most scholars interpret as "meeting together", is episunagoge. The common interpretation does not fit the two passages where it is used in Scripture unless you make it mean something totally different in one of them. In Hebrews, it supposedly means "church meeting", but in Thessalonians it means "gathered to Christ" at His coming. Why two different meanings for the only two times the word is used? That, of course, makes me curious.
"What's he griping about now?"
Yeah, I hear you. I'm not trying to act like the "professor of all things Biblical", but when we are being fed something other than what the Bible says, don't you want to know? Since the Greek base word is sunagoge, which we know as synagogue, we say that this refers to the place where the Jews gathered to discuss the things of God. That's what we do when we meet in the "church" (our "synagogue" of the day), so to us it naturally refers to a meeting place associated with the things of God. However, the word used in Hebrews 10:25
is episynagogen, and this same word is only used one other place in the Bible - 2 Thessalonians 2:1
and the phrase is there translated "being gathered together unto him" - referring to Jesus Christ's return.
In fact, if you really want to see the context, read the first 12 verses, or better yet read all of 2 Thessalonians 2
Events prior to the Lord's Second Coming
1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed - the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
5 Don't you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
Believers Should Stand Firm
13 As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation - a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. 14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. (NIV)
. Using the same word in the same context, Paul is speaking of not giving up hope in the return of Jesus (verse 2), as some were beginning to do. This is not a command to attend church regularly - and definitely does not even imply meeting on Sunday. (For a more thorough explanation of this idea at a site other than mine, see SpreadingtheTruths).
To show you that this is not just me spouting just to be different, another site at Ibiblio.org, shows a response to a question from one who reads a blog by Ross Purdy. I rearranged them to show the original question first and reformatted the original question because some of its characters did not transfer well to a website (see the original at the link above):
The question from Mark Thompson:
Hello,
Here is a part of a devotional which was sent to me. I was wondering
if you would agree with the authors conclusion.
The Greek word under "assembling" in Hebrews 10:25 is "episunagoge".
"Episunagoge" is only used twice in the New Testament, once in our
passage, Hebrews 10:25 and in 2 Thessalonians 2:1. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1, it speaks of our "gathering together" in the air to meet Jesus at the Rapture of
the Church.
The use of "episunagoge" in Hebrews 10:25 is unusual and profound!
Normally, the author would have used the word "sunagoge" or regularly
scheduled worship services, as in James 2:2 where "sunagoge" is
translated "assembly". But the Hebrew Christians are urged to "EPIsunagoge".
The "EPI" in front of "sunagoge" adds the meaning "super" or "over and
above". So, God's Word here is not telling the Hebrew Christians to go
to regularly scheduled church meetings, but to exhort one another informally
between the regular scheduled church services.
Mark Thompson
And Ross Purdy's response:
Dear Mark and list,
The early Church had no concept of "regularly scheduled church services"
until after Constantine. Their assembling together was natural and organic,
not artificial and organized. Even for the Jews, coming together at the
synagogue was a cultural touchstone which included their faith in the God of
Israel, not some mere "regularly scheduled church meeting". IMHO it is an
anachronistic mistake to assume that what christians do today on Sunday has
anything to do with what the saints did back then any day of the week.
In Christ
Ross Purdy
A different sense of gathering
The difference in the word is the use of the prefix "epi". According to Sermon Index, this prefix means "upon", as in "upon gathering". You have seen it before in other Greek words like epilogue which means "last word" or epidermis, the "last layer of skin". It implies the last or final, kind of like "above and beyond the routine", when referring to the subject of the word modified. So, when we see the word "epi-synagogue", that could refer to the occasional "extra" gatherings for mutual encouragement, or even the last meeting or final meeting when Christ "assembles" or "gathers" us together, which makes that kind of sense in 2 Thessalonians 2:1
1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
, but why would the same word mean something totally different in Hebrews 10:25
25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
? You can see a kind of combination interpretation at Institute for Christian Research, where they advocate for a continued gathering of believers, but show that Paul meant the phrase to refer to looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ ("as you see the Day approaching").
What happens if we apply the same meaning to this Hebrews 10:25 verse and use the same "translation" as 2 Thessalonians 2:1 instead of changing the words? That would make it read something like:
"25 not giving up looking for ourselves to be gathered [unto Him when He returns], as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
or even:
"25 not giving our faith and hope in His return, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
The phrase "unto Him" would be implied by the context of the use of the same term as in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 passage. Now we see Paul saying that some were beginning to give up on the return of Christ, but we should encourage one another so those who believe in His return will not lose hope as the Day (the whole reason for the passage) approaches. This term could also mean encouragement occurring outside of any "normal" gatherings when someone's faith is seen to be weakening. You can see this concern for people giving up on Jesus' coming in his words to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17:
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Why else would he mention "the Day" in Hebrews 10:25 if Jesus' imminent return is not the subject of his comment?
That makes more sense, and stays in the context of the Bible, especially when connecting that meaning to the verses before and after verse 25. The verses before 25 are speaking of the hope of those who believe in Jesus' promise of His return, our actions are to be spurring each other on to love and good deeds. The verses after 25 speak of keeping faith in the coming salvation of Christ and not giving up on the belief that Jesus will be coming again for those who still believe. Even later in verse 32, Paul speaks of having strong faith in the beginning, and in verse 35 warns people not to lose that strength of faith in the return of Christ.
Of course, this is not the only interpretation possible for the word used in only these two verses, but a Google search for "Heb 10:25 misinterpreted" results in 20,800 results of sites that see the same problem with the "common" interpretation.
We could also go the other way and change 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 to be talking about "church meetings", but that would not make any sense:
"1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and "going to church", we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us - whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter - asserting that the day of the Lord has already come."
Making them both speak of the "gathering of ourselves to the Lord" makes better sense.
Another possibility
While we are rethinking things, there is another interpretation of Hebrews 10:25
's use of the word "episynagogen". Since the word speaks of the gatherings that are "above and beyond" the normal meetings, perhaps it could be speaking of the "Sabbath" days of every Feast of God. For example, in the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, the first and last days of the seven-day Feast are Sabbaths (Leviticus 23:7
7On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
) and a holy congregation. That week could have as many as three Sabbaths. This is also a special gathering based on the command of the Lord, not a command to ignore His other holy days as we do today. The biggest problem with this interpretation is that it still does not address Paul's comment on "the Day" we see approaching nearly as well as the concept of our being gathered to the Lord at His coming.
All the Feasts of God begin and end with Sabbath days, but few people today keep them. Even four of the five Jewish sects are abandoning even the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath, much less keeping the Feast Sabbaths commanded by God. They claim that today's society makes it too hard to follow God's commands. Huh.
Why would the churches need to keep people in the pews...?
Even with this possible interpretation, nothing in these two verses seem to be speaking of the need to attend "church" on a regular basis - the claim of all pastors and church leaders that this is the only meaning for the passage in Hebrews 10:25. And, by the way, this is the only verse that supposedly does so, especially with that word. Remember that the first century Christians did not even meet in "churches" as we know the word. They met in homes and anywhere people gathered (Acts 16:13
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
). There is one site in the list below that attributes the word "episunagoge" as referring to exhorting each other between the regular meetings or "in addition to the other meetings". While this is certainly possible, it seems odd to use the word only twice in the whole New Testament, and one of those times is interpreted in a totally different way than the other.
So, once again, the majority of people have been led to believe in something that is designed for a purpose altogether different from what the Bible actually says. This is the same as the discussion on the "cross" which, according to the words actually used in the Bible, was not a cross at all but a stake or pole, and our substitute for the real item is a pagan symbol that many "Christians" now hold dear (see menu for "Christian Cross" for more on this).
"But, that's just your view..."
Nope. Sorry. There are other sites that present evidence of this interpretation:
Paul never intended different churches
Paul's message is always the same. Every time he found anyone stepping outside the lines of the truth he taught, he chastized them for going off on their own - for any reason - and thus walking away from the one true faith in Christ. Examples are in Galatians 4:8-11
8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9But now that you know God - or rather are known by God - how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
:
8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God - or rather are known by God - how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
It seems that when the Gentiles he converted were pagans ("when you did not know God"), they worshipped pagan "gods" that were not gods at all. Now, even though they had begun to know the real God, they were starting to return to the pagan ways (sound familiar?) and enslave themselves back under pagan practices and beliefs. Don't think so? The notes in my NIV for verse 8 say:
4:8 when you did not know God. See 1 Co 12:2, 1 Th 4:5. are not gods. When the Galatians were pagans, they thought that the beings they worshiped were gods; but when they became Christians, they learned better.
So, it's not just my weird interpretation. In that passage, Paul was not speaking of the Sabbath or the Festivals of God, but the ways of the pagans. Then he goes on to speak further about their reversion to paganism in verses from Galatians 4:12-20
12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles - free from those laws. You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?
17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that's all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I'm with you.
19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I'm going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don't know how else to help you.
: and 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul." Others are saying, "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Peter," or "I follow only Christ."
13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don't remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News - and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.
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So, where does that leave all the different "churches" today? If there is only one that Paul was building in Christ, which one is it? What makes that the right one? How do we tell? I suggest that the way is not to just chase the one that your pastor has convinced you is the right one, or the one you found that you like because it believes the way you do. Go back and read Romans 15:5-6
5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
, as well as all the verses that communicate God's will, and remember that there should be only one church of Jesus Christ with only one purpose, to glorify the Father and the Son, not tens of thousands who glorify themselves by changing God's rules.
Is your stand really "your stand"?
Do you even know where you got the ideas that you believe? The pastors will all tell you that they are in the right, correct, only, genuine true church of Jesus, but then they all go separate ways, even as far as denying God by their disobedience. And, for some reason, people follow without checking even the smallest detail through a Biblical source. The only real way is to make sure that yours is practicing what Paul, Peter, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jesus, taught. Not only because your KJV, NIV, NASB, CJSB, or other version says something, but because it is true and therefore matches the text of the whole Bible.
In the end, it is really up to you
Many will just ignore these pleas because of my abrasive approach, and just continue on their way. Please consider the words above and elsewhere on this site, not just mine, but of other thinkers who want themselves and others to know the truth in the Bible, not the accepted rumor or flat-out lie. Moreover, please discover for yourselves what the Bible says - your future depends on it.
I have no stake in this other than to convince people to think for themselves. You don't have to believe what this site says, but be sure to convince yourself that whichever way you go, you go because of your own decision and not that of another. If anyone who reads this site does that, then they can go their way in peace. Then, if they follow the wrong path, it is on them. But, like James
17If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17)
said in his letter, if I don't say anything, then it is on me.
Disagree? Find an error? Contact us at glenjjr@gmail.com and give us your view.
