This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
It's no secret to millions of Christians that Jesus was put to death in Jerusalem, according to the New Testament gospels.
But many often wonder about a cryptic statement at the end of the Bible indicating He was crucified in "Sodom and Egypt," two other locations, neither of which is Jerusalem.
How can this be? Is the Bible somehow being inconsistent with itself?
The answer is not difficult to discern, once we take the flesh out of our ears, says a best-selling author.
"There is a very simple answer to this which reveals Scripture is completely true and consistent," says Joe Kovacs, author of the inspiring book, "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything."
"We all need to realize the Word of God is not always broadcasting on the physical, human level. It's often airing its message on a higher level, often called the parable or spiritual level. It's the method in which Jesus exclusively spoke."
Scripture notes: "Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable." (Matthew 13:34 NIV)
"So in addition to the physical meaning, there's that higher parable meaning as well. I call it 'God speed,' as we're all getting up to speed on the way God thinks, operates, and broadcasts His glorious message," Kovacs explains.
To solve the mystery of Sodom and Egypt vs. Jerusalem, the author of the well-known "Shocked by the Bible" series says Scripture itself indicates on which level it's broadcasting in this case.
The verse in question is Revelation 11:8, which mentions, "the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." (KJV)
The author says: "The Word of God comes right out and tells us in this verse that it's not talking about the physical, geographic locations of Sodom and Egypt. It specifically says 'which SPIRITUALLY IS CALLED Sodom and Egypt.' Other translations use words such as 'figuratively' and 'symbolically' instead of 'spiritually,' but they all mean the same thing."
"It's speaking on the parable or spirit level. It's a metaphor."
"God Himself is a Spirit, as John 4:24 states, and He is training our minds to understand His spirit level of communication. It's not always physical."
So why does Scripture mention Sodom and Egypt as spiritual synonyms for the place where Jesus was crucified?
"The answer is simpler than we think, and emerges when we merely translate the meaning of those words," Kovacs explains.
"The word Sodom means 'burning' or 'flaming' and Egypt is the 'dark place of misery.' Even the Hebrew word for Egypt is MIZRAIM, which looks and even sounds something like its English meaning of MISERY or MISERIES.
"What it's saying is that this world of flesh in which we dwell is a place of darkness, distress and misery where we're being refined in a flaming furnace, the metaphoric 'furnace of affliction,' as God famously calls it in Isaiah 48:10. Hence, spiritually speaking, Jesus was killed in this place where we're all being purified under some serious heat, a place that is quite dark and miserable at times."
"So this mystery about Sodom and Egypt is solved quite easily when we merely open our eyes and ears to see and hear the spiritual message, not just the physical.
"It's stunning in a very good way when we realize the entire Bible is not just full of physical history, but the Creator is voicing additional messages on the spirit level that come to life when we listen at God speed."
Endorsed by Chuck Norris and other Christian champions, "Reaching God Speed" is nothing short of a breakthrough work, as it probes God's hidden messages embedded in popular movies, hit songs from (Adele and the Beatles to Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin), the stories we tell our children, everyday phrases we all say, historic news events, famous commercial campaigns, nature itself, and typical life activities such as such as inhaling every breath you take, sleeping, waking up and many more.
It features a myriad of stunning biblical revelations, as the book:
The book rocketed to the #1 position in several Amazon categories even before its official release on Jan. 25.
