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• Question: If Israel had repented they would have had to continue under their “House Rules” until the end, right?
  • If the House of Israel had repented and had not been cut off, they would have had to continue under their former "House Rules" til the end of time through the Milennium Kingdom right? If this is so, I don't understand why? Think about this, their symbolic rules were a shadow of the substance to come, as Paul said. But now the substance is here, why would they have to continue in the law, even if the House of Israel as a whole would have repented? Please correct my understanding if it is a bit off in this, I don't think I misquoted anything, but then again I'm still learning.
  • Lets go over this picture again from the eyes of the Nation of Israel if they had repented:
  • 1) Nation of Israel performs works of the law such as baptism even after Christ died to symbolize the substance to come, which is Christ himself, and the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
  • 2) Nation of Israel after killing Christ instead of rebelling, chose to repent. so that means God left them in tack and did not cut them off. This means they continue as the corporate identity of the House of Israel with their appropriate rules
  • 3) After recieving the Holy Spirit as promised, the House of Israel continues in their time of appointed wrath, which is the Tribulation. Because Israel believed in Jesus, they would continue to have to endure the polishing fire of the Tribulation til the end.
  • 4) After the 7 years are over Jesus comes down and claims his nation again, and all that are left in his kingdom are the belivers, which shine like silver since there is basically only one-third of their corporation left.
  • 5) Jesus takes control and now continues in his plans to use The House of Israel as his gospel tool to minister his salvation to the other nations.
  • 6) This is the part i'm asking you about here: The House of Israel continues under the tremendous pressure of the law, even though all are believers in their ranks, and all nations that come to Israel for salvation are put under the law as well like in old times even though Jesus Christ himself would be on Earth again? Why would they have to continue in practicing the shadow of things to come when the substance of that shadow would have literally been standing right in front of them?
  • Thanks for your time.
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Danny,
  2. This is only a difficult problem because of the word “if”. We know that God knows everything that is knowable. Some things may be too close to call, but by the time God raised up the nation of Israel out of the seed of Abram/Abraham according to His promise, it was a given that there would be a large number of doubters in Israel who would not keep God’s law. In fact, when God made Israel His people, He knew that everyone in Israel would sin. Therefore, all of Israel would need redemption.
  3. When you come right down to reality, God knew that man needed a savior. The different dispensations which God used with man over the years showed that man would fail no matter what the rules were.
  4. In Christ,
  5. Bob Hill
• Question: What do you make of Mat 16:28 in regard to the Preterist position?
  • What do you make of Mat 16:28 in regard to the Preterist position?
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Bob,
  2. First, I certainly don’t call Preterism heresy. I actually respect the scholarship on that site. I realize that they start with some assumptions and have spent a good amount of time attempting to resolve all the problem passages that pop up for their evangelical position.
  3. The word heretical is too easily bandied about when someone’s theology, in this case the Preterist position, is difficult to answer.
  4. As I see it, the Church of Mat 16:18 seems to be the establishment of the church promised to David as a kingdom. The kingdom will be established, but the group of believers will be the church Christ is talking about. Mat 16:15-19 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
  5. I believe Christ gave Peter the key to this church as prophesied in Isa 22:22 “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.” This key is also referred to in Rev 3:7-8 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
  6. Christ was the one who had the key, but He gave the authority to Peter. Isa 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
  7. As you pointed out, Christ said something unusual in Mat 16:28-17:2 “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” 17:1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
  8. However, this prophecy was eventually put in abeyance because Israel rejected Christ again and the kingdom church was postponed. However, the prophecy of Joel began to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost and in Acts 3 when Peter offered the kingdom to Israel.
  9. In this regard, Peter used the keys of this Israelitish church on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:14,22,36-41 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know; 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
  10. When Israel did not accept the gospel, God set Israel aside as His special people for the time being and raised up the Apostle Paul with a new gospel, and a new dispensation, and sent him to the Gentiles. Acts 13:44-48 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
  11. We must always remember a Jewish principle. 1 Co 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom. In spite of all the signs God gave them, Israel rejected God and was set aside. I believe this happened in Acts 7:51-56 You stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it. 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!
  12. God set Israel aside (Rom 11:11,25; Acts 28:28) in Acts 7 when Christ stood in judgment (Isa 3:13) at the stoning of Stephen. Part of Paul’s ministry had been to show Israel that they had been set aside. This is why the Corinthian church spoke in tongues. One wall of their meeting place was contiguous with the Jewish synagogue. They spoke in tongues in judgment upon the unbelieving Jews next door in fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 28 (1 Co 14:21,22). In Acts 28:28, God used Paul to pronounce to the Jews in Rome that Israel had been set aside. After this, the baptisms imposed on Israel, being fleshly ordinances (Heb 9:10-13), were set aside until God would resume dealing with Israel in the tribulation.
  13. We see that Christ was standing in judgment here, because that was the custom when a judge judged. here are some passages to read which show God stands when He judges: Psalm 7:6-11 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded! 7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high. 8 The Lord shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me. 9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. 10 My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
  14. Psalm 9:16-20 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
  15. Psalm 82:1-8 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. 2 How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable. 6 I said, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. 7 But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.
  16. Isaiah 3:13 The Lord stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people.
  17. Paul was inspired by God to write about this setting aside of Israel in Rom 11:11,15,25 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
  18. Because of Israel’s fall, Paul became the apostle of the Gentiles with a new gospel. Acts 26:16-18 tells us about his commission. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
  19. Gal 2:7 tells us about his gospel: “But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision had been committed to me, as the gospel of the circumcision was to Peter.” Now, when Israel rejected God, He stood and judged the nation of Israel.
  20. This is where the judgment of tongues is relevant. In 1 Co 14:20, Paul referred to the Isaiah 28 prophecy, because the leaders of Israel were, again like babes in understanding. 1 Co 14:20-22 “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. 21 In the law it is written: “With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,” says the Lord. 22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.” The Isaiah 28 passage was a warning of judgment. Then, according to 1 Co 14:22, these tongues were for a sign, to whom? 22 “Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
  21. These tongues were for a sign, to Israel! And, what was the purpose? Judgment! Then, when God set Israel aside, He made a final official decree of judgment against Israel in Acts 28:28, through the Apostle Paul showing that they had been set aside. Since the use for tongues was now over, God inspired Paul to write in 1 Co 13:8, Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
  22. Therefore, Israel was set aside in Acts 7. Part of Paul’s commission was to show Israel they had been set aside as God’s favored nation. Now, a Jew and a Gentile were on the same level outside of Christ – they were all sinners, going to hell. Now, there was a new church, the body of Christ. There is no discrimination in the body of Christ. We are all one in Christ.
  23. In Christ,
  24. Bob
• Question: How do you answer this portion of Scripture, Mat 24:30-34?
  • Dear Bob:
  • Thank you for your reply. You have done a lot of work in this area. I am happy to dialogue with you. If I seem stubborn on some points, it is only my need to have this whole subject clear in my own thinking. This is a serious matter (with many people calling Preterism "heresy"). My question to you is: "What do you make of the following verse of Scripture?
  • Matt 24:30-34 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
  • If you were a first century disciple, how would you believe these statements of our Lord?
  • In Christ,
  • Bob
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Bob,
  2. My answer involves a question. When did anyone see “the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
  3. When Christ told the disciples, “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”, He would have been right if all Israel had believed. but the time was really in the hands of the Father. Christ didn’t know the time when those prophesies would be fulfilled as Mark 13:32 shows.
  4. We ought to read Mark 13:14-33 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 And pray that your flight may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. 28 Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near – at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 32 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
  5. God is able to change His mind if He wants to. He did change His mind in Jonah 3. 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
  6. In Christ,
  7. Bob
• Question: when and how were all the books of the bible selected to comprise the bible
  • when and how were all the books of the bible selected to comprise the bible
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. The books written by the apostles were accepted by the early churches to whom they were written. We know that believers accepted the majority of the books of the Bible by the middle of the second century according to the Muratorian Fragment. This was about 50 years after the death of the Apostle John. I will attach a copy of the translation of the fragment.
  2. In Christ,
  3. Bob Hill
• Question: Can we obtain Christian perfection on earth?
  • My free Methodist church embraces Wesley's "Christian perfection"
  • what does this mean and can we obtain it while we are still in a human body?
  • Thanx
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Randy,
  2. No, we can't obtain Christian perfection while we are in this human body. For example, the Apostle Paul in one of his later epistles, the prison epistle, Philippians, wrote: Phi 3:10-15 "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as would be mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you."
  3. When he wrote, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do", he was explaining to the Philippians how to live, at least, a mature Christian life.
  4. We will always have the battle of Romans 8 between the flesh and the Spirit for the control of our lives. Rom 8:20-26 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
  5. The Holy Spirit helps us as we meditate on His word and by faith allow the Holy Spirit to produce the Christ life in us, but we do not continue to allow the Holy Spirit to do this in our lives all the time. Because we don't we show the works of the flesh in our lives too often. Those works of the flesh are found in Gal 5:16-21: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you may not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like." I believe we become more and more able to let the Holy Spirit empower us to live for the Lord, but I find no Scripture that says we can become perfect before we are transformed at the rapture.
  6. At the rapture, as described in 1 Co 15:50-57, we are changed: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed -- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  7. In Christ,
  8. Bob Hill
• Question: Can we use anthropomorphisms without insulting God?
  • Bob,
  • Do you have any work on the hermeneutics issues involved with 'anthropomorphism'?
  • It seems to me that most of the passages concerning God's repentance are written off as anthropomorphisms when they are not. I have studied hermeneutics both in and outside of school so I don't need an intro.
  • I think that there MUST be a limit to what we accept as anthropomorphic. If we view the repentance of God as anthropomorphic then do we also view the love of God as anthropomorphic? Do we also view God's determination as anthropomorphic? Does God become a deity without emotion? A deity without a decision making faculty? Does he become less than human?
  • And what of US being created in His image. Is their NOTHING we share in common with God?
  • And what of the fact that an anthropomorphism must mean something. It must carry some kind of signification in its meaning? Otherwise it is no longer an anthropomorphism. I haven't found any answer to these questions.
  • Anyway, I'm sure you agree with what I'm saying. Do you have any work on the subject? Something that encapsulates these Ideas?
  • John
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear John,
  2. Anything about God that is revealed to us by using terms that normally relate to a human would be an anthropomorphism. If we negate every one of these anthropomorphisms, we would have the god of Plato and Aristotle. But, the Bible shows that God has character. And the Bible is said to show us who God is. I believe that's exactly what it does. We vitally need to know the character of God.
  3. As we study the character of God, we find that God loves volitionally [ajgapavw John 3:35; 10:17; 17:23-26; 14:21-24; Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4-7; Tit 3:4-7; 1 John 3:1; 4:7-12]. But He also loves emotionally. filevw is used of the Father in John 5:20 & 16:27. John 5:20 For the Father loves (filei) the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. John 16:27 for the Father Himself loves (filei') you, because you have loved (pefilhvkate) Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
  4. As we look at His character further, we find that God repents in 26 different passages in the Bible. They call this an anthropomorphism. But, after we look at a number of them, if they don't mean that He actually changed, the Bible doesn't make any sense.
  5. He repented that He had made man when He saw how wicked man had become. In Gen 6:5-7, God shows His passion and mutability. The KJV stated it well: "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. [The Hebrew word is way nachem, Niphal of nacham. It was translated repent 41 out of 108 times it was used in the KJV. The modern translations use the word relent to soften the idea when it refers to God.] And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
  6. The NIV translated it this way: The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved [way nachem"] that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved [nacham] that I have made them."
  7. No matter how you translate it, it still shows God was grieved, or had a change of mind. He was sorry that He had created man. Man's actions caused the Calvinistic impassible God to have intense, passionate feeling. It was the cause for the anthropomorphically immutable God to change His mind. And, as we've shown, this didn't just happen once. It happened repeatedly.
  8. But determinists answer this and other passages with the statement, "This is an anthropomorphism or an anthropopathism." But, since metaphors make things clearer or more understandable, what does it mean when this word, nacham, repent, is used for God's actions? Is our God such a poor communicator that He would continually use a figure of speech which showed He repented, was grieved, or changed His mind, if the opposite idea was the truth? Of course not! My and your God is the greatest communicator in the universe!
  9. This Hebrew word, in any of its translations, undermines the rationalistic idea of immutability derived from Greek philosophy. Some more scriptural passages should lay the ideas of impassability and immutability to rest. Num 14:22,23,26,27 says, "Because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me."
  10. God repented after He said He would destroy Israel, in Ex 32:9-14. And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation." 11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and repent from this harm to Your people. 13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14 So the LORD repented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
  11. God repented that He had set up Saul as king over Israel because Samuel did not obey Him. This is in 1 Sam 15. God sent Samuel to tell Saul to go against the Amalekites and 3 "utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." But Saul didn't obey God. He didn't destroy everything, and he spared the king, Agag. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
  12. What was God's response to this disobedience? 10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I repent that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal." 13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" 15 And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on." 17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18 "Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." 22 Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." 26 But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." 27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent. [of this action] For He is not a man, that He should repent." 35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.
  13. God also gave guidelines to Israel and the nations so He could repent if they repented. He did this in. Jer 18 and Eze 18. Jer 18:7-12 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will repent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will repent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. 11 Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. 12 And they said, That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.
  14. God is even weary of repenting. He says that in Jer 15:6 You have forsaken Me, says the Lord, You have gone backward. Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am weary of repenting! What does that mean, if it doesn't mean what it says? It means just what it says; God is fed up with Israel. He is tired of repenting.
  15. Here are the rest of the passages where God repents.
  16. Jud 2:18-21 And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord repented because of their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. 20 Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,
  17. 2 Sa 24:1,9-16 Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. [See 1 Chr 21:1 below.] 9 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. 10 And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly. 11 Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 Go and tell David, Thus says the Lord: I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you. 13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me. 14 And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man. 15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. 16 And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, It is enough; now restrain your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
  18. 1 Ch 21:1,15 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and repented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, It is enough; now restrain your hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
  19. Psa 90:13 Return, O Lord! How long? And [repent concerning] Your servants.
  20. Psa 106:45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant and repented according to the multitude of His mercies.
  21. Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn and the heavens above be black because I have spoken. I have purposed and will not repent, nor will I turn back from it. Here, we see that repent means I turn back from it.
  22. Jer 20:16 And let that man be like the cities which the Lord overthrew, and did not repent; Let him hear the cry in the morning And the shouting at noon,
  23. Jer 26:2,3,13,18 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lords house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lords house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word. 3 Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may repent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings. 13 Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will repent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. 18 Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple like the bare hills of the forest. 19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and seek the Lords favor? And the Lord repented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.
  24. Jer 42:10 If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I repent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you.
  25. Eze 24:14 I, the Lord, have spoken it; It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, Nor will I spare, nor will I repent; According to your ways And according to your deeds They will judge you, Says the Lord God.
  26. Joel 2:11-14 The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? 12 Now, therefore, says the Lord, Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He repents from doing harm. 14 Who knows if He will turn and repent, And leave a blessing behind Him - A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?
  27. Amos 7:1-6 Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king's mowings. 2 And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: O Lord God, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small! 3 So the Lord repented concerning this. It shall not be, said the Lord. 4 Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory. 5 Then I said: O Lord God, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small! 6 So the Lord repented concerning this. This also shall not be, said the Lord God.
  28. Jonah 3:6-4:2 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who repents from doing harm.
  29. Jonah knew what kind of God he had. A God who repents, depending on what man does.
  30. Zec 8:14,15 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Just as I determined to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, says the Lord of hosts, and I would not repent, 15 so again in these days I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
  31. From these passages it seems even clearer that the word means a change of mind or heart. However, God changes His mind because of mercy, compassion, or righteous judgment.
  32. God also says perhaps. In Jer 26:3 God said perhaps [oo-laiy].
  33. Jer 26:1-3 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying, 2 "Thus says the LORD: 'Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word. 3 Perhaps [oo-laiy] everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may repent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.'"
  34. But did they listen - No!
  35. Then in Jer 36:1-3 Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 "Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3 It may be [oo-laiy] that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."
  36. But did they turn from their evil way? No! Then, in Eze 12:1-3 it says, Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2 "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be [oo-laiy] that they will consider, though they are a rebellious house. But did they consider? No! God acts according to the inconsistency and unreliability of man's actions as shown in Ex 13:17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." God said, "Lest perhaps"!
  37. Our wonderful God even wonders in Isa 59:15,16 So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that [Strongs 8074 [wayishtowmeem (Verb, hitpael imperfect waw consec., third person masculine singular) kiy = that] shamem (shaw-mame'); a primitive root; to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense): KJV-- make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish (-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate (-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder.] there was no intercessor. Therefore, His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
  38. Therefore, my conclusion is - God is free and created free agents who can influence Him.
  39. So that great theologian, John Calvin, who was strongly influenced by Augustine was wrong when he wrote in his Institutes: "We say, then, that Scripture clearly proves this much, that God by his eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was his pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was his pleasure to doom to destruction. [Calvin, Institutes, AGES Software.]
  40. I must say, when I was a Calvinist, these Calvinistic points of theology stifled my prayer life as well as evangelism, but now I know that God is gracious and wills all to be saved and counsels all to have room for repentance. But each person has to respond to God's call in faith.
  41. In Christ,
  42. Bob
• Question: How did Jacob ever serve Esau?
  • Hey Bob,
  • I'm doing a research paper in opposition to the typical Calvinistic view of Romans 9. I'm presenting how Paul focuses on the national election opposed to person predestination. I was reading a few of your articles and was wondering, "How did Jacob ever serve Esau?"
  • Take Care,
  • Eddie
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Eddie,
  2. Actually the prophecy was that Esau (Edom, the nation) would serve Jacob (Israel, the nation). Gen 25:23-26 And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger." 24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob.
  3. God chose Jacob/Israel over Esau/Edom and determined that Jacob/Israel would eventually be the one served by the nation Esau/Edom. This may not have happened yet. On the other hand, it may have already been fulfilled when God chose Israel as His people over Esau/Edom. But, again, maybe it will happen in the tribulation or the millennium.
  4. Mal 1:2-4 "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved; 3 But Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness." 4 Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the territory of wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever."
  5. The important thing to realize here is that God can choose whomever He wants to choose for the service He wants. That doesn't mean they would be saved automatically, because many in Israel were unbelievers, and thus were lost.
  6. In Christ,
  7. Bob
• Question: Where do the apocrypha come from?
  • hello my name is dave. where do these books come from. how do they relate to non catholic christains. if they carry any weight why are they not taught in non christain churches.
  • it seemes to me they were left out of cannonized literature by the early church. were they taken out like when luther put the thesis on church doors.
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Dave,
  2. The apocrypha are certain books written after the last canonical book, Malachi. They were not included by the Jews in the Old Testament Canon. They may have been written in Hebrew or Aramaic. Although fragments have been found written in Hebrew, the only copies that we know were written in Greek. Some of these writings were additions to biblical books that are accepted as canonical by the early church. There are other apocryphal books that were not additions, but these are not accepted by Protestant churches as canonical, either.
  3. In the sixteenth century at the Council of Trent the Roman Catholic Church approved the works, called the apocrypha, as Scripture. The apocrypha are: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, The Rest of Esther, The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch with The Epistle of Jeremiah, The Song of the Three Holy Children, The Story of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasses, 1, 2 Maccabees
  4. The protestant church does not accept them as inspired by God. However, they are useful for historical reasons and the use of Greek words.
  5. In Christ,
  6. Bob Hill
• Question: What is the difference between the 'disciples' and the 'apostles'?
  • I would like to know the difference between the 'disciples' and the 'apostles'. My friend and I are having a discussion about the differences. . . . Please answer this very important question for us.
  • Sincerely,
  • Fran
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Fran,
  2. The term disciple, in a sense is given in Mat 10:24: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master." Clearly, because a disciple is a learner (maqhthv") the disciple is not "above" (uJpevr) the teacher.
  3. On the other hand, the term apostle means one sent with a commission. In the body of Christ, before Israel was set aside, there were missionaries who were sent out by the church. These gifted men were apostles.
  4. In Acts 13:52, those who believed Paul's preaching were called disciples: "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." In Acts 14:14 we see that Paul and Barnabas, who were sent out, were called apostles: "But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude".
  5. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy all were apostles. 1 Th 1:1; 2:6 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2:4,6 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.
  6. In Christ,
  7. Bob Hill
• Question: Who were the other apostles who traveled with Paul?
  • Could you please tell me who the other apostles were who traveled with Paul? Their names and where to find them. Thank you.
  • In Christ,
  • Rodney
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Rodney,
  2. The term apostle means one sent with a commission. In the body of Christ, before Israel was set aside, I believe there were missionaries that were sent out by the church. These gifted men would be apostles also. The Bible Knowledge Commentary says apostles are: "those sent with authority as representatives of another". These men had been sent out by the church in Antioch. Therefore, when we see that Paul and Barnabas were sent out on their first missionary journey, Barnabas was called an apostle as well as Paul. Acts 13:50-14:5 "But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. 14:1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. 3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out 15 and saying, 'Men, why are you doing these things?'"
  3. 1 Co 12:27-29 "Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles?"
  4. 1 Th 1:1; 2:6 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2:4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 5 For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness -- God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.
  5. I believe this passage shows that Timothy and Silas were also apostles.
  6. In Christ,
  7. Bob Hill
• Question: Why didn’t the 11 apostles replace James’ vacancy after he died?
  • Hello Bob,
  • I sent a question by mistake to Tim but I wanted to ask you the question. After James was Killed by Herod in Acts 12 why did the remaining 11 not seek for a replacement like they had for Judas. Obviously they were still waiting for the Kingdom since they had been appointed a Kingdom and promised they would sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel?
  • In Christ,
  • Rodney
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Rodney,
  2. I believe they did not refill that position because the body of Christ had started with the salvation of the Apostle Paul. Since the new dispensation started, there was no reason to appoint another one.
  3. In Christ,
  4. Bob
• Question: Paradise and Heaven
  • I have been told that before a person goes to heaven, they go to paradise to await the judgment day and also that a person will go to Hades before going to hell if not saved. Is there anything to this theory?
  • Thanks,
  • Vance Ford
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Vance,
  2. We have three places where the Bible mentions paradise. The first one relates what Christ said to the thief on the cross who believed. Lk 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Before Christ died for our sins, the believers who had died went to a good part of what is called [Hebrew] Sheol, in the O. T. and [Greek] Hades in the N. T. I believe the good part was called paradise; and that is where Christ and the thief went.
  3. We have further evidence from Scripture that Christ visited two places that we can call Sheol/Hell/Hades. The most important one from our viewpoint is found in Eph 4:8-10: Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” 9 Now this, “He ascended” - what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.
  4. From this passage, we see that Christ first descended into the lower parts of the earth to take all the believers to heaven since their sins had been paid for by Christ’s death on the cross. This is when Paradise was transferred to heaven.
  5. This is why Paul could write that he had been caught up into Paradise. 2 Co 12:2-4 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago -- whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows -- such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
  6. Paradise became the name for the place of bliss. In the book of Revelation, it seems to be on the new earth, in Rev 2:7: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.
  7. In Lk 16:20-26, we find Lazarus in the good part of what is called Hades and the rich man in torment in hades/hell: Lk 16:20-26 “But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” 25 But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.”
  8. The other place where Christ went, I believe, is a place called Tartarus. I believe it is the place that God put the angels who were involved with the daughters of men back in Genesis 6. Interestingly, according to Greek mythology, the Titans, who were the result of gods having intercourse with women, were put in Tartarus.
  9. Those angels who did not keep their first estate but were the sons of God in Genesis 6, will be kept there until the judgment. Then, they will be cast into the lake of fire. 2 Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell (Greek tartarosas) and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.
  10. 1 Pe 3:18-20 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and proclaimed (I think He proclaimed victory over them. They had tried to contaminate the human race so the Messiah would not be born.) to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah (back in Genesis 6.), while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
  11. In Christ,
  12. Bob Hill
• Question: Where does it say in the Bible that the Israelites were forbidden to eat of their herds, but only the manna?
  • When Israel came out of Egypt, they brought their herds with them. Where does it tells us in the bible that the Israelites were forbidden to eat of their herds, and to eat only the manna God supplied?
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear David,
  2. God did not forbid using their cattle, but it would have been foolish to destroy their cattle in the desert. They were there for 40 years.
  3. Ex 16:31-36 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.” 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.
  4. In Christ,
  5. Bob
• Question: Is there such a thing as holy water?
  • Is there such a thing as holy water. Can a priest bless water and make it holy?
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Rodney,
  2. There is absolutely no biblical evidence for the Catholic Church’s belief that a priest can bless water and make it holy. The RC church has many beliefs that are not biblical. However, I do want to say that when we were doing door to door evangelism in our city, we found many Catholics who understood the biblical basis of salvation and, in my estimation, were saved.
  3. In Christ,
  4. Bob Hill
• Question: What is the year of Jubilee?
  • What is the year of Jubilee?
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Bill,
  2. Seven is a venerated number in the Bible. Every time Israel experienced seven of these sacred sevens, God wanted it to be called a year of Jubilee. So, the forty-ninth year was celebrated in the fiftieth year and called, the year of Jubilee. This is described in Lev 25:8-13: And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. 13 'In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.
  3. The following two passages give the details of the Jubilee.
  4. Lev 25:8-55 'And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. 13 'In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor's hand, you shall not oppress one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. 17 Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God. 18 'So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. 20 'And if you say, "What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?" 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest. 23 'The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. 25 'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold. 26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. 28 But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession. 29 'If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the common-land of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession. 35 Lending to the Poor 'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. 39 'And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you-he and his children with him-and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. 44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have-from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. 46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor. 47 'Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger's family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself. 50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him. 51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. 52 And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption. 53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee-he and his children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
  5. Lev 27:16-25 'If a man dedicates to the LORD part of a field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. A homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand. 18 But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money due according to the years that remain till the Year of Jubilee, and it shall be deducted from your valuation. 19 And if he who dedicates the field ever wishes to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall belong to him. 20 But if he does not want to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore; 21 but the field, when it is released in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field; it shall be the possession of the priest. 22 'And if a man dedicates to the LORD a field which he has bought, which is not the field of his possession, 23 then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation, up to the Year of Jubilee, and he shall give your valuation on that day as a holy offering to the LORD. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to the one who owned the land as a possession. 25 And all your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
  6. In Christ,
  7. Bob Hill
• Question: Is the book of Job proof that God causes Evil?
  • thanks for your response, I read it, and im going to go over it again actually..
  • what they say is not that God allowed it..but that it was God ultimately who put job through all that he went through, because he could have said no to satans request, after all he had just said job was perfect upright ect, and why then would he allow Satan to torment a "perfect" man, of whom God himself says he did nothing to deserve this, but YOU (Satan) incited ME against him
  • And they point out that job says "Shall we receive good only from the lord and not "evil"?
  • and "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away"..job is blaming God..for all this catastrophy..i like what you pointed out though...that job didn't know what satans part was in this..and that it was his desire
  • if job had known i wonder if he would have still accused God since God had final say in the matter...
  • What I see so far..as i reread job, its been awhile, is that God challenges satan..its as if he is reading satans mind or He knows what satan thinks..which ofcourse he does
  • "there is no man that is true in his love and uprightness in all the earth there "righteousness" is superfical..they might do right, but there motives are evil, even jobs, take all that they have away, including there health, and this "superfical" illustionary rightness, love of God, will go with it and the truth of who they really are will appear"
  • In other words "he has a "reason" and that reason is superfical to be upright and reverencail towards you, take that away from him..and you will see who he really is..He dosn't really love you ect
  • .which brings up more questions, like "IF God knows the end from the beginning of this" why even bother? he dosn't need to look into jobs heart..to see how it will fair in all this, he already knows ...or does he?...and why would satan make these statements to God if satan knows God knows the end of this matter from the beginning..unless God wants to show some things to Job about "Job" and "Himself" and even show satan some things..
  • these are very important issues as they attempt to use such text to support the idea that God is the bringer of Evil for a *higher* purpose, as if satan and God where 2 sides of the same coin so to speak
  • When ever i bring up the FACT that God doesn't do evil/wickedness they have a set of texts they use to show that he does, I admit he brings judgment on the wicked, thats pretty clear, but even in that its as if they bring it upon themselves as it shows in romans 1..i dont have any problems with God taking vengence on evil doers, he does it in righteousness, it even says he will send those who do not LOVE the truth strong delusions so that they will believe lies and all be damned, so what, they deserve it..they will have had there chance to repent.
  • The providence of God movment is out of control...God is being reduced to the reprobate mind of the most wicked sinners imaginable...
  • God makes ALL things happen for the GOOD...tell that to a 9 yearold girl and her parents, who is molested by a "priest" or "pastor" ect...
  • So they use certain events in biblical history job being one..cuzz there interpetation is..God made all that happen..cuzz he could have stoppedit, to show that this is how God operates at ALL times..if God gives permission to satan to bring misery and "evil" upon a "perfect" man or a child ect for a more righteous reason, they will say how is that any different from today when "innocent" or "righteous" ppl suffer evil..
  • God is in control of it all.
  • And, Did not God put it in the hearts of those who murdered his son to do just that? if so how is the molestation of a child any worse then christ being murdered??
  • To which i replay "Are you saying the motives behind what happen in Christs situation are the same as when a child is molested? the 2 situations are identical?? did not God chose to come in the person of Christ and "willing" lay down his life?? "does a little child choose to be molested and murdered??
  • So they say when a child is molested God gave permission to satan to do it, cuzz he has some greater good in mind..or they leave out satan all together and just say "God did it for a greater good"
  • they will say who are you to tell God what is "righteous" and "just" ect..
  • Danny
  • ps: i debate with them alot...I don't suppose you have any material available..perhaps some debates you have had with them...or a website where such debates take place, i checked theologyonline, but couldn't find anything on the book of job there...
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Danny,
  2. I have no biblical basis, except Job 1-3, for some of what I’m going to say. Satan does not have complete free will. God won’t let him clobber us, 1 Co 10:13. If Satan had his way, he’d destroy all of us. God utilizes Satan and fallen angels and even made sure the message to Ahab would work. Ahab was executed by God. Even a righteous prophet like Ezekiel lost his wife by death because God wanted to illustrate how much He cared about Israel. Our view of death is surely a lot different than God’s. He knows that this life is extremely short, and what is done for Him is of utmost importance.
  3. The thorn in Paul, and apparently in Job was, literally, an angel of Satan. I believe Satan had 1/3 of the original angels God created. Satan and his angels are always eager to torment human beings. God permitted it, but only to a point, in both cases. I believe 1 Co 10:13 should be translated: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan, was given to me to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” I can go with, “[God allowed Satan] to give me a thorn in the flesh in order that I not be exalted above measure.”
  4. God was sure of Job, and Job came through. That doesn’t mean that Job was perfect in all that he said and thought, because God did chew him out. But, considering the amount of revelation he had, virtually none, he seems to have done pretty well. It’s interesting that God never clued him in on why it all happened to him.
  5. In Christ,
  6. Bob
• Question: Is the book of Job proof that God causes Evil?
  • job 1:16. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
  • Hello Bob, im kinda curious as to how you handle the book of job.. the overview..and certain text within like the one i post above..
  • I ask because there is this "Providential" movment to which all, both good and evil is said to come from the Lord and they use such texts to show that, God does bring disaster on innocent ppl but he has righteous motives, believe it or not, this replay comes as ive said to them, "So God is the one who molests and rapes ect, beacuse he has higher motives"??
  • To which they point to the book of job and other situations in the bible.."God is in control" and nothing that comes into the life of the christian or anyone for that matter comes from anyone other then God himself
  • Thanks
  • Danny
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Danny,
  2. I have spent some time discussing these issues with these guys who think that God does everything good and evil. The Universal Reconciliationists are the ones I've had the most experience with, but I've also dealt with those who believe God arbitrarily determined before He did anything else, who would be saved and who would go to hell forever.
  3. Now I know that predestination means to determine beforehand. The BGD Greek Lexicon gives this definition (I edited it some.) proorizo decide upon beforehand, predestine, of God predestine someone.
  4. The way I see the word of God, it says when we put our trust for our salvation in Christ and the fact that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, then, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ.
  5. Because we are put into Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are put into a predestined program. God had already predestined the body of Christ to be holy and blameless before Him in love: Eph 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as Sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
  6. He also predestined us to be conformed to His Son's image in Rom 8:29: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." This predestination is for our security once we trust Christ as our Savior.
  7. Most important, His counsel makes our salvation very secure, because God performs everything that must be done for our benefit once we're saved according to Eph 1:11,12 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works (the) all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. "The all things" in verse 11, is the body of Christ according to Eph 1:23: "which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all [according to the Greek, who fills the all things] in all."
  8. When things happen to us these days, we still seem to think it was God's will or our own fault. Puzzling questions still come. What did I do wrong to deserve this? Is God fair? Why'd God allow this to happen to me? Or, why did God create a world with so much evil in it?
  9. So, let's look at the buzz in Uz in Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
  10. He had seven sons and three daughters. He possessed seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household. So he was the greatest of all the people of the East.
  11. But, His oxen and donkeys were taken away by the Sabeans. The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants. The Chaldeans raided the camels, took them away and killed the servants. His sons and daughters were killed by a great wind, probably a tornado.
  12. But Job's response was: "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job was then struck with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. His wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" 10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
  13. Job spoke like so many I've heard, especially the "Providential" movement. They say, "God knows what He is doing. God's ways are not our ways. God is still on His throne." And the worst, "You know, all things work together."
  14. But, what was, going on in Uz? Job didn't have a clue, but we do. There was a council in heaven. Job 1:6-12 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" 12 And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
  15. Job 2:1-8 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." 3 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause." 4 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" 6 And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
  16. But, this battle is against God. We're just pawns in Satan's sight. God's desire is that everyone be saved. Satan is trying to blind people. Satan can do that because he has free will.
  17. God also wants us to freely choose Him. 2 Co 4:3,4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
  18. So, we must prepare for this battle. Eph 4:20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
  19. We must be armed for battle. Eph 6:10-20 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints- 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
  20. He stimulates doubt.
  21. Job didn't have much, if any, of God's word like we do. Satan tempted Job to doubt God's goodness. Job began to think and say, "God is against me." Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; My spirit drinks in their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.
  22. He thought of suicide. Job 7:16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath.
  23. He thought and as much as said, God is my enemy.
  24. Job 16:8,9 You have shriveled me up, and it is a witness against me; My leanness rises up against me and bears witness to my face. 9 He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze on me.
  25. I do admit that Satan got permission to sift Job. He also got permission in Peter's case. Peter was tested because Satan wanted to sift him. Peter should have been better off because he was warned by Christ. Lk 22:31-34 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." 33 But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." 34 Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."
  26. Because Satan is a free will being, he can so all the things he does, but God does put some limits on Satan's free will actions. We know that he blinds minds and destroys faith. 2 Co 4:3,4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 1 Ti 5:11-15 But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, 12 having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. 13 And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. 14 Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 15 For some have already turned aside after Satan.
  27. We can't please God without faith. Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
  28. Rom 14:22,23 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
  29. What should we do? When we read all the "perhaps" verses that refer to God, the "repent" verses that refer to Him, and the "what more could I do" type passages that refer to Him, we must see that this whole mess is because God had to allow gross evil to have true great good. If He did not allow any evil, then we would not be free to love Him either. That's because we should realize our scriptural basis for living.
  30. 2 Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
  31. Eph 3:16-19 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
  32. Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
  33. 6. How do we get more faith?
  34. Rom 10:17 So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
• Question: Where was God on September 11th, when thousands of lives were taken?
  • Dear Bob,
  • I am an 18 year old male. I have grown up in a Christian family, going to a Christian Church. Recently, I moved off the farm into the city where my brother and I now reside. For the last couple months I have not lost complete Faith in God, however sometimes I find it hard to believe there is a God. Please let me explain (I'm sure you've heard this many times). As an example, which I know has happened before, what happens in a situation where an alcoholic gets behind the wheel of a vehicle when he/she is once again intoxicated, drives down the street, hits and kills Joe Blow who is a devoted Christian, and then the drunk driver gets off with losing his/her license for a year which is not much punishment. Where is God then? Or on September 11th, 2001, when thousands of lives were taken, many of which I'm sure were good Christians, regardless of being Christians or not, they we're all still people, where is God at a time like that? Is God not supposed to be something like a being of supernatural powers or attributes, who is believed in and worshipped by a people, who is supposed to control or look after nature (possibly the human nature)? I just don't understand why every bad thing that happens does when God is supposed to be looking out after us. Anyways, thanks for your time.
  • Sincerely,
  • Darren Vipond
• Answer: (click here to see the answer)
  1. Dear Darren,
  2. This happens to many of us when we leave home and are on our own for the first time. In your case, I think you are hearing too much from people about the tragedies that are happening and they say whatever God wants. But they are wrong.
  3. The majority of the people in this world are under the domination of fatalistic religions. People are saying, "What ever will be will be." Unfortunately, most Christians are bombarded with this fatalism too.
  4. The Christian fatalist seems to be a person of enormous faith. He says, "I refuse to question the will of God." But does that person mean it is God's will no matter what happens? Does he mean that God causes the degradation of all that is holy and pure? Does he mean that God causes all oppression, famine, war, disease, pornography, immorality, rape, pillage, and murder to occur?
  5. They seem to say, "If God lets it happen, it must be for a good reason that we, with our small intellect, cannot understand." Then they say, "I just accept what God does by faith, that it is His will even though we don't. understand." In a way, they blame everything that happens, on God. But, I don't find that in the Bible.
  6. We have Job as a good example of what goes on at times. Job 1:13-19 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 "when the Sabeans raided them and took them away; indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!" 18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 "and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!"
  7. What was Job's response? He didn't know what was going on, but verses 20 & 21 show us what his response was. Job 1:20,21 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."
  8. These words, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD," are quoted at many funerals. They're supposed to be comforting. But is this attitude right? I believe the answer is, No!!
  9. This is scriptural only in the sense that the words are found in the Bible. We have to recognize that Job was utterly ignorant of the conflict between God and Satan. Job was blind to the thought that Satan was counting on fatalism as his most potent weapon. Fatalism is a paralyzing affliction that has permeated Christianity with devastating results. It can infect Christians with complacency and apathy, "What ever will be will be."
  10. Satan wanted Job to think of God as a fiend and deny Him. But we should feel sorry for Job. He didn't have much, if any, of God's word. He didn't know what God's will was. Well, then, What is God's will? I believe we can break God's will down into 3 scriptural categories. His intentional will, His circumstantial will, and His ultimate, or determinate will, or better, His counsel.
  11. When we look at His intentional will, the first thing we should see is this. We were created for His will (pleasure). Rev 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."
  12. Next, as part of this, He wants us all to love Him. Mk 12:30,31 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
  13. He also wants us all to love one another. John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." 1 Th 4:9,10 "But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more."
  14. Next, we see that He wills/wants everyone to be saved. 1 Tim 2:4 "who wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." But, man totally rebelled against God. So, now, in order to receive salvation, man must believe God and do what He says. For us in this present dispensation of grace, God's will is found in Acts 16:31: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved."
  15. His will also is that we be holy. 1 The 4:3-8 "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."
  16. Further, we find His will is that we all know the mystery which is the heart of our present dispensation. Eph 3:8,9 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the dispensation of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ. Col 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ among you, the hope of glory. And then, His will is that we teach the mystery to others. 2 Tim 2:1,2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
  17. Then, we see His will is that we work out our salvation. Phil 2:12,13 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." This is not work for your salvation, but to work out what is in you when you have trusted Christ as your savior.
  18. But here is the thing I want you to see. God's will can be blocked by us just as Israel blocked His will for them as recorded in Psa 78:40,41 "How often they [Israel] provoked Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! 41 Yes, again and again they tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel."
  19. We can know His will by not being fools. Eph 5:15-21 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God."
  20. We can do His will by renewing our minds. Rom 12:1,2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
  21. We can arm ourselves against doubting God by being filled with the knowledge of His will. Col 1:9-11 "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy."
  22. He has another will called circumstantial will - based on His laws, like gravity and the second law of thermodynamics - that everything wears out. This kind of will is in our spiritual lives, too. If we live for God, others will hate us. that's happening a lot in America, and especially in Islamic countries. That's what it says in 2 Tim 3:12 "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." But He also promises that we will have peace, if we pray. Phil 4:6,7 "Don't worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
  23. His will is for us to meditate on His word. Phil 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things." 1 Tim 4:16 :Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (from the problems that Paul wrote about earlier in the chapter).
  24. His will is to give us a reward. 2 Co 5:9-11 "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."
  25. So far, we can see that the things that God wills for us are all good things. We don't always get those blessings because we don't do God's will.
  26. God's ultimate or determinate will is different. It cannot be thwarted. Luke 22:22 "And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" Acts 2:23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. Rom 9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" Here, the underlying Greek is expecting a "no one" answer. Eph 1:11-14 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." Our security in Christ is absolute one we trust in Him as our savior.
  27. His determined counsel is connected with His power. Isa 46:10,11 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel (This was Cyrus.), from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
  28. His determined counsel makes provision for the salvation of all. 2 Pet 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not determining that any should perish but that all should have room for repentance." From this, we can see that God determines that all may believe. It's up to them.
  29. So, from all of this Scripture we can see that God doesn't cause all the bad things that happen in the world, people do them. The people have free will to do stuff contrary to God's will.
  30. Why do we think God is responsible for everything that happens, whether it is good or evil? One of the answers is: because some theologians say He is. For instance, a guy by the name of R. C. Sproul. You won't believe what he said in this long quotation. He said all of the following passage: (All bold emphasis is mine.) Then, as now, I realized that evil was a problem for the sovereignty of God. Did evil come into the world against God's sovereign will? If so, then he is not absolutely sovereign. If not, then we must conclude that in some sense even evil is foreordained by God. For years I sought the answer to this problem, scouring the works of theologians and philosophers. I found some clever attempts at resolving the problem but, as yet, have never found a deeply satisfying answer. The most common solution we hear for this dilemma is a simple reference to man's free will. We hear such statements as, "Evil came into the world by man's free will. Man is the author of sin, not God." Surely that statement squares with the biblical account of the origin of sin. We know that man was created with a free will and that man freely chose to sin. It was not God who committed sin, it was man. The problem still persists, however. From where did man ever gain the slightest inclination to sin? If he was created with a desire for sin, then a shadow is cast on the integrity of the Creator. If he was created with no desire for sin, then we must ask where that desire came from. . . . we hear the "easy" explanation that evil came through the creature's free will. Free will is a good thing. That God gave us free will does not cast blame on him. In creation man was given an ability to sin and an ability not to sin. He chose to sin. The question is, "Why?" Herein lies the problem. Before a person can commit an act of sin he must first have a desire to perform that act. The Bible tells us that evil actions flow from evil desires. But the presence of an evil desire is already sin. We sin because we are sinners. We were born with a sin nature. We are fallen creatures. But Adam and Eve were not created fallen. They had no sin nature. They were good creatures with a free will. Yet they chose to sin. Why? I don't know. Nor have I found anyone yet who does know. . . . . . . . . . . Therefore we must conclude that God foreordained sin. What else can we conclude? We must conclude that God's decision to allow sin to enter the world was a good decision. This is not to say that our sin is really a good thing, but merely that God's allowing us to do sin, which is evil, is a good thing. God's allowing evil is good, but the evil he allows is still evil. God's involvement in all this is perfectly righteous. Our involvement in it is wicked. The fact that God decided to allow us to sin does not absolve us from our responsibility for sin. A frequent objection we hear is that if God knew in advance that we were going to sin, why did he create us in the first place? One philosopher stated the problem this way: "If God knew we would sin but could not stop it, then he is neither omnipotent nor sovereign. If he could stop it but chose not to, then he is neither loving nor benevolent." By this approach God is made to look bad no matter how we answer the question. We must assume that God knew in advance that man would fall. We also must assume that he could have intervened to stop it. Or he could have chosen not to create us at all. We grant all those hypothetical possibilities. Bottom line, we know that he knew we would fall and that he went ahead and created us anyway. Why does that mean he is unloving? He also knew in advance that he was going to implement a plan of redemption for his fallen creation that would include a perfect manifestation of his justice and a perfect expression of his love and mercy. It was certainly loving of God to predestine the salvation of his people, those the Bible calls his "elect" or chosen ones. It is the non-elect that are the problem. If some people are not elected unto salvation then it would seem that God is not all that loving toward them. For them it seems that it would have been more loving of God not to have allowed them to be born."
  31. Let's examine Sproul's remarks. Did God ordain evil? Sproul also wrote. "Did evil come into the world against God's sovereign will? If so, then he is not absolutely sovereign. If not, then we must conclude that in some sense even evil is foreordained by God."
  32. Many Christians in America believe this kind of fatalism. Is it true that everything that happens is ordained by God? If that were true, He would be ordaining things contrary to His own will, because, as we've seen in 1 Ti 2:4, God "wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Yet all men are not saved. Further, all Christians reject the will of God. Everyone of us have. I know we have because 1 Th 4:3-7 says, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality." Yet none of us are totally holy.
  33. In addition, He would ordain some to perish contrary to His own counsel: 2 Pet 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not counseling any to perish but all to have room for repentance."
  34. We see that God wants men to be free to accept His plan of salvation. Psalm 32:1-4 gives us insight into His true desires: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah."
  35. Why did God allow David to sin? Why didn't He just prevent it? David wrote this Psalm. Psalm 32:5,6 "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah." Does God want us to sin so He can then forgive us? 6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found." When is that? It means, before the trouble starts, so get into God's word and concentrate on loving Him.
  36. I believe it is clear that a free will being brought sin into the world. Remember, Sproul wrote: "The most common solution we hear for this dilemma is a simple reference to man's free will. We hear such statements as, 'Evil came into the world by man's free will. Man is the author of sin, not God.'"
  37. Further, he wrote, "Herein lies the problem. Before a person can commit an act of sin he must first have a desire to perform that act. The Bible tells us that evil actions flow from evil desires. But the presence of an evil desire is already sin." But is Sproul right? Let me ask you some more questions. Why did God create a being who could sin? Why didn't God create a perfect being, one who couldn't sin?. Let's look at Satan's history. He was the one who caused all of Job's problems.
  38. Satan was perfect in his ways from the day he was created. In Eze 28:15,16 it says, "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. 16 By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones."
  39. How can we account for the sin of the devil? Where did his sin originate? Sproul thinks God predestined Satan's sin, but I think it came from himself. Satan had the perfect environment to encourage holy character. Eze 28:14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers. I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones." He experienced no external temptation or evil influence. His position was the best you could expect to foster holiness. So, where did the devil's sin originate?
  40. We don't have to look very far. The Bible says the reason for Satan's sin was desire. Satan's reason for wanting to be like God was the desire for glory. Jam 1:14 "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." He has not sinned yet. Why? Christ had desires different from the Father's, yet He was sinless because He conformed His desires to those of the Father. Mat 26:39-42 shows us that: "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, 'What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.'
  41. Therefore, the cause of sin is lack of self control. Between this desire and the sin, we have a free being under obligation to keep his desire conformed to God's will and, therefore, in the control of his reason. Therefore, he himself becomes the cause of sinful grasping after God's glory. This is substantiated by Jam 1:15 "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."
  42. We must realize that the words lust and desire in English are translated from a single Greek word. For instance, here are two Pauline passages where the Greek word is used: Phi 1:23 "For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Gal 5:17 "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you may not do the things that you wish."
  43. It was his own desire. It wasn't put there. It's actually the desire that God wants us to have, to be godly. But we and Satan must rely on God for this quality in our lives. It was innocent desire. It occurred before sin. But it resu