Results 61 - 80 of 132
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Jalek Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
61 | One became ten? | 1 Kin 7:49 | Jalek | 232369 | ||
Greetings, The 10 lamps mentioned in 1 kings were to light the temple. The lamp in Exodus was different all together. It had one primary light, and three branches coming off on each side of it, for a total of 7 lit branches. This was used in the jewish festival of lights, and is an important part of jewish tradition. It's the same used during hannika (Sorry, I know my spelling is horrible). Jalek |
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62 | does God dwell in darkness | 1 Kin 8:12 | Jalek | 239454 | ||
Greetings, Actually, it's not a darkness, but a cloud. It's referring to Exodus 19:9. One of the common forms God took in the Old Testament to signify his presence was that of a cloud. In the days of the Exodus, God used and spoke through a cloud. In the temple, as long as a cloud was viewed above the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, then God's presence was there. Jalek |
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63 | Question from the story of Job | Job | Jalek | 239095 | ||
Greetings, I can understand your confusion, and many Christians have asked similar questions. Let me see if I can help you with some clarity. First off, the interaction between God and Satan at the beginning of Job wasn't actually a temptation. God actually starts the conversation by gloating to Satan about the faithfulness of Job. Satan makes a simple, yet obvious statement in that Job is faithful for a reason. It's Satan's belief that if God stops protecting Job, then Job will curse God. God doesn't believe Satan. So, these two make a wager, if you will. Basically, the entire story of Job is all about a cosmic bet between God and Satan with poor Job stuck in the middle. So, while on the surface, it seems like Satan is tempting God when in actuality, Satan was responding to God's gloating. God told Satan that he can do anything he wanted to Job, but to not kill him. Satan put Job through the proverbial wringer, but Job remained faithful to God. Thanks to Job's faith, God won the bet. Secondly, God doesn't tempt us, but he does test or try us. It's a way of helping us grow stronger. Remember, God won't put you through any more than what he knows you can deal with. Thirdly, God is described as jealous in that he wants to be the one worshipped. Let me ask you this. How would you feel if you found out if your spouse was unfaithful and sleeping with others? Anyone in that situation would be very upset. God is no different when it comes to worshipping him or worshipping something else. In fact, you'll find all through the Old Testament where Idolatry is described as a form of divine adultery. His prophet Hosea uses this symbolism. As for his wrath and vengeance, It's a righteous wrath. He's angry at sin and sinners for a reason. He punishes them righteously. Even Jesus got mad, and started whipping people with a make shift whip. However, he was still sinless. Being angry isn't a sin. Being angry for the wrong reasons, and acting sinfully while angry is what makes anger so dangerous. In conclusion, God doesn't give us more to handle than he knows we can deal with. Sometimes, it seems like there is no end, but God sees over the next hill. Remember the words of the Prophet Isaiah. It helps me to get through and trust in the Lord. "Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." God doesn't say when he'll bless us. He just promises that we will be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Trust in God, Pray without ceasing, and read his word. Jalek |
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64 | Question from the story of Job | Job | Jalek | 239102 | ||
Greetings, My advice when it comes to getting back into the Bible is to begin with 1st John. John's writings were written to counter a 1st century heresy called Gnosticism. A lot of what he says applies to the Christian who has questions as well. Don't stop at just 1st John, but read 2nd and 3rd John as well as the Gospel of John. Read them, study them, and when you're done, read them again. Jalek |
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65 | The Angel of the Lord Protect Believer | Job | Jalek | 239667 | ||
Greetings, I've had this and similar questions asked of me before. It basically boil down to "Why does God allow bad things happen to Good people?". One thing I think that should be taken into account is the context of Psalms 34:7. Notice how the verse is in the plural. "The Angel of the Lord encamps around those (plural) who fear him, and rescues them (plural)." The verse speaks of being secure in the Lord both individually and collectively. However, it's not teaching a doctrine of Guardian Angels, as you seem to think. The Bible shows that God does indeed keep his people secure and he does deliver them. However, he doesn't coddle his people and isolate them from harm. The Bible shows time and time again that God allows Mankind, individually and collectively, to make their own decisions and endure the consequences of said decisions. In the case of Cain and Abel, Cain made a decision to kill his brother. The consequences were banishment and cursing, among other things. Scriptures that support this are Romans 1:18-32, Habakkuk 2:5-20, and Ezekiel 18:1-32. All three of these passages show that God allows man to make their own choices, and he punishes them accordingly. Jalek |
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66 | Who or What created God? | Ps 90:2 | Jalek | 240150 | ||
Greetings, Why does God have to have a beginning? As the Psalmist wrote, God is from everlasting to everlasting. One of the first things created on that first day of creation was the concept of time. Before God declared a start to the day and began creating, there was no time. There was no prior beginning. There was only God. It is from God that all things came to be, not the other way around. This is hard for us to grasp sometimes. It's a scientific principle that everything has an origin, but God defies that principle. He has no origins, nor will he have an ending. He will always be. He existed before time began and he will continue until time stops. Jalek |
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67 | Songs Of Songs | Song of Solomon | Jalek | 239091 | ||
Greetings, It's a love song, and it's included with the poetry and wisdom section of the Old Testament. The Bible has a few common themes that carry throughout all 66 books. Love and marriage are two of those themes. The Song of Solomon is about a young man and a young woman professing their love for each other. Jalek |
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68 | General Revelation | Jer 10:10 | Jalek | 240303 | ||
Greetings, While I respect R. C. Sproul, I must comment on this quote. There's far more to what God reveals in General Revelation than what R. C. Sproul comments on. Paul tells us in Romans 1:18-20 that God revealed two things, not just one. He also revealed it in two different ways. While I agree that both ways fall under General Revelation, and that General Revelation doesn't contain saving knowledge, it can however lead to Special Revelation and Saving Knowledge. First, God revealed his wrath. He reveals it against Man's ungodliness and unrighteousness. He revealed this from Heaven. Now, Sproul comments that general revelation renders us without excuse. My question is ... excuse for what? Paul tells us in verse 21. "Although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks". There is an implied expectation within General revelation. That expectation is simple recognition. God expects man to recognize his existence, and to give him the honor due for his position as God and Creator. That is the first step towards salvation, recognizing that God exists and turning to him. This is revealed in General revelation. Second, God revealed his nature. He didn't reveal this just in the created world around us. Notice what Paul says in verse 19, "that which is known about God is evident within them,". This isn't just in nature, but is revealed within us as well. Humanity was created initially to be in the image and likeness of God. While ruined by sin, enough of that image still exists for God to use to reveal himself to us. But furthermore, in verse 20, Paul says that proof of God's nature is "clearly seen" and "understood". In Romans 1:18-32, Paul shows a downhill degradation as Mankind falls further and further into depravity. Each time a step is taken, God gives mankind a chance to turn back from their ways, and recognize his sovereignty. If they don't, God punishes them. So, yes, General Revelation doesn't offer saving information, but it does point to where saving information can be found. Jalek |
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69 | General Revelation | Jer 10:10 | Jalek | 240310 | ||
Greetings, First off, I'm not disagreeing with the quote from R. C. Sproul. I believe more clarification is needed. Secondly, the greek phrase, transliterated, is en autois. En is used with the locative case meaning "in, at, or on" or in the instrumental case meaning "by means of". Both of those are aspects of the dative case, which autois is in. So, the translation of "within them" is the more accurate translation. "among" would be closer to the greek preposition of Peri when used in the accusative case. With this insight, it is my belief that Paul is not only referring to God revealing himself through nature around us, but within us as well. After all, we are a part of God's creation and a part of nature as well. Thirdy, if you break down Romans 1:18-32 down and look at it from a strictly grammatical view, there are certain breaks in the passage where the thought shifts slightly: 18-20, 21-23, 24-25, 26-27, 28-32. These breaks and shifts in thought shows God punishing Mankind for their previous actions, and man falls further into depravity as a result. This begins in verse 21 with mankind not honoring God or giving him thanks. Now, I'm not saying that Jesus Christ is unnecessary. What I'm saying is that General Revelation gives enough knowledge to not only convict man of sin, but to also point them in the right direction which will ultimately lead to knowledge of Christ. So, yes, you're on the mark with what I'm trying to convey. We shouldn't dismiss general revelation as simply a means by which mankind is condemned. John 3:18 says "He who believes in him is not judged; he who does not believe is judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." We come to know about the Son of God through Special Revelation, but how does General Revelation condemn us? It condemns us because it contains the first step towards coming to a saving belief in Christ. Jalek |
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70 | generational curses and the bible | Ezek 18:4 | Jalek | 239093 | ||
Greetings, Actually, I don't hold stock in generational curses due to the words of Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 18, God tells his prophet that the sins of one person won't carry over to future generations, but that the person who sins will be held accountable for his own sins. This prophecy is also reflected in Habakkuk chapter 2, Romans chapter 1, and Romans chapter 6. So, I would say that generational curses ended with the coming of the Christ. Jalek |
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71 | How does it make them ashamed? | Ezek 43:10 | Jalek | 232347 | ||
Greetings, A common theme among the Prophets is referring to Israel as a prostitute. Ezekiel and Hosea both use this analogy. Examining and measuring the plans of the Temple that Ezekiel saw in his vision, and comparing that to the real temple in Jerusalem was intended to shame them. Furthermore, they would see what God's perfect temple is like, and then see how far off they are in their own place of worship. God has a standard that he conciders to be acceptable. This vision by Ezekiel was intended to show Israel how far off they were from that Standard. Jalek |
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72 | How does it make them ashamed? | Ezek 43:10 | Jalek | 239138 | ||
Greetings, Wow, you sure are dusting off the old ones. LOL. Okay, an example of what I'm referring to. The Jews, in their history, go from one extreme to the other. They go from being obedient to the Law, to rebelling against God's Law, and then back to obeying God's law to the extreme. If I were to choose an example out of the Bible for such things, I would say that the Adulterous woman in John 8 is a good example. Jesus is approached by a group of Jews who bring him a woman who committed adultery and got caught. Now, they wanted to stone her for committing the act. The Law does teach that in Leviticus 20:10. However, they fail to add that the one she slept with should also be put to death as well. This law is repeated in Deuteronomy 22:22, and it says that the reason is to purge the nation of evil. So, their interpretation and execution of God's given Law in this matter was deficient. Further more, Jesus writes something in the dirt of the ground that convicts and shames them. What he writes is unknown, but it could be their sins in which they should be stoned for, or it could be the names of the woman's lovers who was in the crowd, or their mistresses. The possibilities are limitless. Why did I use this as an example? The Jews had the Law available, but instead of following it measure by measure, they instead slipped on a couple things. This is an example. If they were to be truly in line with the law, they would have brought forth both the Woman and the Man together. Now, here's another example, probably one that will hit closer to home. In metal work, there is a measuring device called a "Micrometer" that is used to gauge the thickness of metals. This is a very precise instrument, some of them measuring down to a thousandths of an inch. With continued use and normal wear, this device can get out of sync, and become imprecise. Therefore, to recalibrate the instrument, a standard is used. This standard is a known thickness, and the micrometer is set to it, and adjusted appropriately until it reads the correct thickness. This is an analogy of what I'm talking about. God's word is our standard. During the days of the Old Testament, specifically in the time of Ezekiel, that standard consisted of the Mosaic Law. By describing the details of what the Temple should be in comparison to how it was then, God is using Ezekiel to show the Jews how far away from God's standard they had fallen, and how far they needed to come to be recalibrated. Jalek |
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73 | How does it make them ashamed? | Ezek 43:10 | Jalek | 239144 | ||
Greetings, They were obedient enough to enter the Promised Land as opposed to the original generation that came out of Egypt. After that, things went downhill. Jalek |
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74 | How does it make them ashamed? | Ezek 43:10 | Jalek | 239148 | ||
Greetings, As I said, God, through his prophet, is using an analogy. A cubit is a unit of measure that is about 18 inches. He's saying basically, "You have defiled my temple. You've fallen far from grace. This is how my holy temple should be, and this is how you should behave. This is what you should be doing, but you're not doing it." Jalek |
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75 | How does it make them ashamed? | Ezek 43:10 | Jalek | 239170 | ||
Greetings, I've already covered this. There is God's standard of what he considers to be good and righteous living. That is spelled out in the Law. He sent his prophets prior to the coming of the Christ as messengers to show the people how far away from God's standard they are. Each prophet at different times used different methods to show that. Ezekiel often uses building and construction metaphors. Hosea married a prostitute, which was to be descriptive of how God sees idolatry. He views it the same as adultery. There are other prophets who used different metaphors, but the intended purpose was to bring the people back in line with God's standard. Jalek |
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76 | How does it make them ashamed? | Ezek 43:10 | Jalek | 239191 | ||
Greetings, Prophecy comes in two forms: Fore-telling and Forth-telling. But first, what is the role of the Prophet? The role is, simply put, to bring God's message and judgment to the People. Fore-telling is what we commonly think of when it comes to prophecy. As the name suggests, it's focus is on the future. In the Fore-telling aspect, the Prophet declares the warning of God's pending judgment or future blessings to the people so they can either repent or strive harder. Forth-telling brings God's current message to the people, be it a message of judgment or blessing. An example of this is comparing Jonah to Nahum. Both prophets spoke against Nineveh. However, they were separated by at least 100 years. Jonah presented the "fore-telling" message of Nineveh's doom. The people of Nineveh repented for a while, but fell back into their old ways. Nahum comes along a 100 years later to "forth-tell" or bring forth the message of God's dissatisfaction. God was willing to spare them, but they fell back into their old ways. So, God sent his prophet to make good on his warning. The message in Ezekiel 43:10 isn't necessarily predictive, but it is an analogy used by the prophet to help the jews understand how far they have fallen from God's intended path. He uses the Temple because that, at the time, was the center of Jewish worship. It would have struck a cord, as it were, with every Jew who read or heard Ezekiel's message. Jalek |
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77 | who was matthew | Matthew | Jalek | 239263 | ||
Greetings, A jewish tax collector turned Disciple, and later Apostle. He's the writer of the first gospel that bears his name. Jalek |
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78 | Why did Matthew leave out names? | Matt 1:7 | Jalek | 232359 | ||
Greetings, Matthew is speaking the important members of the line of David, not necessarily the ones who were repentant. If he listed only the repentant, then Jeconiah wouldn't be in the list. He's among the worst of David's decendants, and it was due to many of his choices as king that lead to the exile, and the throne being taken away from the line of Solomon. Also, Rehoboam wouldn't be in the list, cause it was under his rule that Israel was divided into two kingdoms. Matthew is listing the more famous of Christ's lineage. Jalek |
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79 | Jezebel's relatives? | Matt 1:7 | Jalek | 232367 | ||
Greetings, Ahab and Jezebel were rulers of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The geneology listed in Matthew 1:7 are from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Ahab and Jezebel aren't a factor in this. I already provided an explaination as to why Matthew left out certain members of the royal family in his geneology. Basically, he was listing the more famous ones. Jalek |
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80 | When fasting can I drink coffee? | Matt 6:16 | Jalek | 240182 | ||
Greetings, The idea of a fast is to go without luxuries, and contemplate on your stance with God. Traditionally, the only thing consumed during a fast is bread and water. Everything else, like coffee, would be an unnecessary luxury. Jalek |
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