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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: biblicalman Ordered by Date
Results		Verse	Author	ID#
1	When did Jerusalem become holy?	Neh 11:1	biblicalman	229773
	Try Isaiah 48.2; 52.1. In 48.2 it is the description that the people of Israel/Judah give to it, while God's verdict is that they are unholy (verse 4). In 52.1 Isaiah calls it the holy city for no one who is unholy will be allowed to enter it. In my view this is referring to Jerusalem after it has been 'raised to heaven' with its citizenship granted to us on earth (Gal 4.20 ff; Heb 12.22). Ih Isaiah 4.3 Isaiah says that it is the people left in Jerusalem who will be called holy. This is a different issue,but it too seems to point to the heavenly Jerusalem. A careful study of the book of Isaiah indicates that he uses the idea of Jerusalem in different ways, sometimes literral, sometimes eschatalogical..
2	Why do some think Paul was a homosexual?	Romans	biblicalman	229765
	Hi Merrilee Welcome to the Forum. Such an idea is the result of pure wishful thinking, and a lack of understanding of Christian love. Paul in fact gave the strongest condemnation of practising homosexuality in the Bible in Rom 1.26-27. Best wishes.
3	chpt 5 v 24 why did God threaten to kill	Ex 4:24	biblicalman	229759
	Hi Welcome to the Forum. There is clearly a lot more behind this account than actually meets the eye. We might ask, for example, why did God wait until this point in time before dealing with Moses over the question of the circumcision of his son? The obvious answer is that while Moses was subject to his tribe he owed obedience to his tribe and his tribal leader. Clearly the Midianites did not practise circumcision. And they may well have seen any attempt by Moses to practise it as rebellion against the tribe. They probably had their own tribal marks. Indeed it is clear that Moses' wife viewed the whole matter as repugnant. She may well have seen it, with its requirement of the cutting of the fleah, as resulting in a physical defect, and as an abomination (one danger of an unequal yoke). This would explain why God did not just command Moses to carry out the circumcision. He was aware that it would cause great dissension between Moses and his wife, who was a Midianite 'princess'. Thus God acted in a way that would override the wife's revulsion and her clear objections. It is noteworthy that the passage is about firstborns. Israel was to be set free because it was God's firstborn. If he did not free them Pharaoh would lose his firstborn. Now God deals with the one who is probably Moses' firstborn. But he is not of the covenant people. He is like Pharaoh's son. He does not bear the covenant sign. If Moses is to deliver God's firstborn he must circumcise his son making him one of the covenant people, one of God's firstborn. How can Moses deliver the covenant people when he is not being faithful to the covenant? We must not take too literally that God 'sought to kill him'. Had God wanted him dead there would have been no 'seeking' about it. What it probably indicates is that some mortal disease struck Moses, or a deadly snake bite. Zipporah in some way knows why it is and reluctantly and with great abhorrence circumcises her son. She then throws the bloodstained foreskin at Moses feet, expressing her disgust. Obedience having been achieved we are left to assume that Moses recovered through the shedding of blood. Best wishes
4	Gods forgiveness	Matt 5:24	biblicalman	229751
	hi genesis3 welcome to the forum, When we came to Christ, asking Him to become our Saviour, we received total forgiveness for all our sins. This must be seen as distinguished from receiving forgiveness for daily sins. (He that is bathed needs not but to wash his feet - John 13.10). With regard to daily sins if we are to receive forgiveness we must also forgive the sins of those who have sinned against us and who repent (Matt 6.15; Luke 17.3-4). If we have an unforgiving spirit against someone who has sinned against us but repented, we cannot ourselves expect daily forgiveness. However, when we come to worship God publicly we are warned not to approach Him until we have put right with our brother anything in which we have sinned against Him (Matt 5.24), otherwise our worship will seemingly not be acceptable before God. Best wishes
5	God said he would never forsake us why?	Neh 9:31	biblicalman	229744
	...
6	Apostles activities	1 Tim 1:12	biblicalman	229733
	Hi Gomez, Welcome to the forum. If you read through Acts 1-15 and notice how often the ministry of all the Apostles is referred to you will probably get a surprise. You will discover that they were extremely busy. But a life of the Apostles was not Luke's purpose(in spite of the title). Paul's letters were mainly concerned with the churches that he had evangelised. Any reference to the other Apostles is brief. Thus the New Testament does not tend to deal wih the activities of the other Apostles outside Acts 1-15. For that inormation we have to go to tradition, and that is not really reliable, although possibly containing a grain of truth. Thomas's ministry in India appears to be evidenced by traditions within that country, but not the detail. Best wishes
7	Go created world	Gen 1:27	biblicalman	229732
	Hi Sassy lady, Welcome to the forum. Among evangelicals there are a number of interpretations for the framework of Genesis 1. Some consider that 'the evening and the morning' indicate days of revelation. That is, that the author received his revelation over six or seven days. It would put no limit on how long creation took. The problem with this view is that there is no hint of it in the narrative. Others consider that having stated that God created the heavens and the earth the author then says that the earth BECAME formless and waste as a result of some catastrophe, and that consequently God remade it in six literal days. The problem with that theory is that it is not obvious from the Hebrew (rather the opposite), there are no real grounds for suggesting such a catastrophe (which is often connected with the fall of the Devil), and it does not read like that. Still others insist that it means 'six 24 hour days'. But there are problems in that view in that there was no evening of the first day, and that length of days is specifically stated as having commenced in the fourth day. It makes God act rather artificially in the first three periods. Others consider it to be a parable of creation, with the detail not to be taken literally. Finally some point out that 'yom' means a period of time, and is not limited to a 24 hour day period (yom is used in at least three different ways in the narrative). Their view is that the writer is thinking of 'days of God', which can be any length that God chooses. A day is with the Lord as a thousand years, or as a watch in the night. Thus they see God as acting in His own time. God only creates three times, heaven and earth, life and then man. For the remainder of the time He 'fashions' from what is there. Best wishes
8	Sufferings that Christians can't handle?	1 Cor 10:13	biblicalman	229723
	See Isaiah 43.2 Best wishes
9	Is there contradiction in Hosea?	Hosea	biblicalman	229697
	Hi Melody, Hosea 12.2 was fulfilled when God allowed the Assyrians to smite Israel and spread them among the nations. Hosea 11.9, however, refers to God's restoration of Israel which took place through the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ as Matthew makes clear (Matt 2.15). The point of Hosea 11 is that although 'God had called His son (Israel) out of Egypt' (11.1), Israel had remained there in his heart. Thus subsequently he weent back to both Egypt and Assyria. He went back to idolatry. Verse 4 should be translated as a question. 'Shall he not return unto Egypt? Shall not Assyria be his king because he refused to turn (to the Lord)? Therefore God determined that one day He would deliver Israel fully by removing Egypt from their hearts. 'They shall come trembling out of Egypt like a bird, and like a dove out of the land of Assyria' (11.11). That process began when God sent His Son into exile in Egypt, and then called Him out of Egypt (Matt 2.15). He not only left Egypt but unlike Israel previously He left Egypt totally behind. And He founded the true Israel (John 15.1-6) which was also freed from Egypt in its heart. The New Testament is crystal clear on the fact that Jesus founded a true Israel (Matt 21.43), founded on the Apostles (Matt 16.18), which grew into what we would call the true church made up of all true believers in Israel's Messiah (Rom 11.16-24; Eph 2.11-22; 1 Pet 2.9; etc). This is in fact the only explanation which justifies Matthew in seeing 2.15 as a fulfilled prophecy based on Hos 11.1.
10	Shall not 'Kill' or 'Murder'?	Ex 20:13	biblicalman	229678
	Hi, Strictly speaking the word applies to premeditated and deliberate murder without reasonable excuse. Thus it did not apply to 'avengers of blood', or to self-defence, or to killing in war. Best wishes
11	Israel men ruled by women and children?	Is 3:4	biblicalman	229677
	Hi Welcome to the forum. You may have in mind Isaiah 3.4 'I will make boys their princes, and babes will rule over them.' In other words their powerful defenders wll be removed. Best wishes
12	the bible	1 John 2:20	biblicalman	229675
	Hi. The application of Rev 7 and 14 outside the Book of Revelation is itself unscriptural. If the 144,000 is taken absolutely literally it applies to Jews only. If as many of us believe it refers to the whole church of Jesus Christ, then it is not limited in number. 12 x 12 is simply indicating the church as founded on the Apostles and the Patriarchs (Rev 21). There are no grounds whatsoever for applying it to JWs. As Christians we are all anointed (1 John 2.20). The whole Bible has a message for us, but it must be sensibly interpreted. However Paul certainly made clear that once we were absent from the body we would be present with the Lord (2 Cor 6.8). And that was what he expected for himself (Phil 1.19-23) Best wishes
13	...	Bible general Archive 4	biblicalman	229670
	Hi, Should Christians pick up serpents? The answer is a decided NO (unless they are experienced zoologists). Jesus informed Satan that although He knew that He was safe whatever He did, it would not be right to put God to the test (Matt 4.7). So picking up a serpent 'by faith' on purpose is putting God to the test. It is therefore an act of disobedience. The promise given was not in order to encourage being spectacular (Jesus refused to do that), it referred to accidental contact with serpents. If someone picks up a serpent deliberately they are asking to be bitten, and faith will not save them. They may of course be lucky, but it will not be God Who will be protecting them. Best wishes
14	Did God create light twice?	Gen 1:3	biblicalman	229659
	Hi In Gen 1.3 God brought into being the electro-magnetic waves which are the basis of the universe. In Gen 1.15 He used the sun and moon which He had previously made in order to control time on earth. It was then that days and seasons as we know them came into being. Best wishes
15	ur interpetation of Ezekial Ch. 1	Ezek 1:5	biblicalman	229648
	Hi Loulou, Welcome to the forum. The majority view of Ezekiel 1 is that in it God appeared to Ezekiel riding on His heavenly chariot, which was comprised of the Mercy Seat and Throne of God, provided with a means of propulsion, wheels within wheels, which enabled it to move in any direction, accompanied by the supporting cherubim. This was in order to demonstrate that having deserted the Temple (Ezek 11.22-23)He was still with His people in Exile. Best wishes.
16	what does it say about god	1 John	biblicalman	229636
	Hi Lex, Welcome to the forum. 1 John has two main important stresses about God. In 1.5 he reminds us that God is light In 4.16 he reminds us that God is love. The two must always be seen together. God's love can only be finally revealed to those who come to His light. Best wishes
17	trans word intensify amp how emp preva	Acts 19:20	biblicalman	229628
	to 'continue to increase', 'to grow mightily, and 'to grow and spread' can be said to be the equivalen of 'to intensify'. The paraphrasers are simply using parallel ideas together in order to bring out and emphasise the forceful meaning of the Greek. We must not read too much into individual words. Rather we must ask , what was the writer trying to say?. And here it is surely the rapid spread, and powerful and effective impact, of the word. Best wishes
18	what does hyssop mean	OT general	biblicalman	229627
	Hi Mary Welcome to the forum. Hyssop was almost certainly a flowering plant that grew on walls and cliffs. It could be plucked, a bunch of it dipped in blood sprinkled water (the water of purification), or sacrificial blood, and ritually used for sprinkling (Exod 12.22; Num 19.18; etc). When David said 'purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, it was this ritual that he had in mind. Best wishes
19	How long was a day in bible times?	John 11:9	biblicalman	229622
	In the Old Testament a day was sunset to sunset. In pre-exilic days there was no such thing as hours. The daytime was regulated by the sun. Thus there would be 'break of day', 'mid-morning', 'noon' (when the sun was high), 'mid-afternoon' and 'sunset'. The night was split into three 'watches' There was no way of measuring time except by the sun. At some stage sundials were introduced for the wealthy but not calibrated in hours. The steps of Ahaz were possibly a primitive way of measuring time (Isaiah 38.8). F F Bruce points out that the 'twelve hours in the day' indicated that the period of daylight (sunrise to sunset) was divided into twelve. He states that as the days slightly varied in length 'hours' were not always of the same length. The Romans divided the night into four watches. Best wishes.
20	Root meaning of the word Nicolaitans	Numbers	biblicalman	229606
	Hi The root meaning of the word (in Numbers Bilam) is probably bala meaning 'to swallow down' (ARABIC balam - glutton). John in Rev takes it as bala - 'am (swallower of the people) and thus changes it to nico-laos (conqueror of the people) Best wishes

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