If God and Jesus are the same, then how does God only know when Jesus is returning?

This is a very thought provoking question and it’s been debated by Biblical scholars a lot. First, there is absolutely no doubt that Jesus and God are one in the same. That is important to remember. The Holy Spirit is also God. So, there is one God but He reveals Himself in three ways: God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit.

So, Jesus may very well know when He is returning but He is referring to the greatness of the Father when He says "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32) Also, Jesus is likely not trying to act independently from the Father. It’s like He’s saying, “The Father is in charge, just as I can’t do anything that the Father doesn’t have me do, so it’s up to the Father when this day will occur.

Another widely accepted interpretation is that what Jesus what really saying is that no one will “make known” the hour of the coming of Jesus except God, the Father. God will have the full authority to announce Jesus’ second returning. This theory is based on scholars doing a word study on the ancient texts and breaking down the Greek word “eido” which we’ve translated as “know.”

These Biblical scholars believe also that Jesus, being God, knew when he was coming again but that He was leaving the announcement to God, the Father, to make. That only the Father will “make known” the return of the Son.

Okay, so is that a little confusing? It’s okay. It confuses me too but I believe it is the best way to interpret that passage.

If God has more power than Satan, why doesn’t He destroy Satan?

Great question! The truth is that no one knows why God allows Satan to live and roam the Earth and allow bad things to happen And, for the record, let me just say also that God could take Satan out anytime that He chooses, if he wanted to, but that God has a greater unstoppable plan in store for us. In fact, I know God can take Satan out because, eventually, God does get rid of Satan by throwing him in the Lake of Fire.

The real question is why didn’t God do it yesterday or why doesn’t God just do it now??? I mean, if God had gotten rid of Satan yesterday, I wouldn’t be tempted the way I am today, right? The best way to get rid of temptation, it seems to me, is to get rid of the Great Tempter, right??? So, why doesn’t God do that?

Well, the Bible does not directly answer that question. Perhaps God is allowing Satan to tempt us because it brings us closer to God’s glory and developing a relationship with Jesus when we overcome those temptations. And, don’t forget the most important aspect when we battle those temptations to do bad things: God sent His one and only Son right in the middle of that battle and it is through His death on the cross that you are saved! And when you put your love, faith and trust in Jesus in spite of Satan’s lies, tricks and temptations, Jesus’ glory will shine through you and you will be able to overcome anything! “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

If Jesus was born, who gave birth to God?

Okay, so this is one of those questions where the answer is so confusing it sometimes even makes me scratch my head and say, “Huh???” But, here is the answer in the simplest way that I can describe it:

God is infinite, which means He has always existed and he will always exist. He is eternal. He, therefore, doesn’t have an age or a birthday.

Let me try and explain it like this, time is a measurement of physical change. But, time has only existed since the creation of the universe. Let’s look at Genesis 1:1, the very first book and chapter of the Bible. It says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” So, we can say that time started with this creation, right? We can start a timeline based on this sentence, couldn’t we?

But, we also know from this sentence that God was BEFORE the creation of the heavens and the earth. That means that God is timeless. And, because He is timeless, He is not physical and is not confined to physical change. Say what?!?!?

Also, try and imagine this…God is perfect, which means he can’t get any better or any worse. He NEVER changes. God has always been absolutely perfect.

So, if we take that statement to its conclusion, whatever God says is right is right and whatever God says is wrong is wrong. True right and wrong is, therefore, timeless!!!

Ouch, my brain hurts.

What would happen 2 da world if Satan turned [his heart] to God and became good??

Wow, that is a very interesting question! Do you realize that if there was no Satan, then there would be no evil or no temptation? If Satan became good again and became Lucifer, the archangel, there would be no wars, no hate, no jealously, no sin, period! That would be kind of cool, wouldn’t it?

What would we be like??? Would we be like robots just worshipping God without really understanding who God is? Would we know who Jesus is? Would there even be a Jesus??? I mean, if there was no sin, then there wouldn’t be a need for Jesus would there? Hmmm…

But, sadly, there is a Satan and he is a terrible, terrible being. He uses lies, doubt, distractions and evil to take our eyes off God. And, because there is a Satan, that’s why God sent us a Savior. God sent His one and only Son down to Earth to take all the sin of the world upon Him so that we wouldn’t die but that we could have eternal life with God in Heaven.

And, here’s sort of the weird part about this that kinda sounds kooky but it’s true: Satan exists so that we can have a personal relationship with God. Like I said earlier, if there was no Satan, we wouldn’t need Jesus and we’d all walk around like a bunch of robots not knowing God’s full greatness. But, because Satan shows us how weak we really are, we know we need Christ in our lives to overcome Satan’s attacks. And the only way to know Christ is to have a personal relationship with Him.

We need to accept Christ into our hearts and talk to Him every day through prayer and ask Him to help us from the evil one’s temptations. Remember when Jesus taught his disciple how to pray? It’s called the Lord’s Prayer and part of it, after acknowledging God and His greatness, is a request where we ask God to, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus knew Satan’s power and knew that we couldn’t battle Satan without God’s help. It was so important that he included it in His prayer.

That tells me that, as tough as I think I am, I can’t do it without God’s help. I need God in my life. I need Jesus, who died for me on that cross, to save me from Satan. And, the best part is…He will! All you have to do is ask Him and trust in Him and believe that He died for your sins and the sins of the world.

Why did God choose to have the dinosaurs blasted into extinction?

That is a very awesome question! And I love this question because it allows the scientist in me to come out! In order to answer this, we have to look at the concept of micro-evolution. Micro-evolution is different from macro-evolution.

Macro-evolution is part of Darwin’s theory that says we evolved from common ancestors with apes, which is scientifically inaccurate. The Bible clearly states, in Genesis 1, that God created the heaven and the earth and all life on earth, including us and apes.

Micro-evolution, though, is different. That is where small changes occur within a species through either changes caused by humans or by natural selection. For example, a long time ago, someone said, “Hmmm…I wonder what will happen if I cross-breed a poodle and a cocker spaniel?” So, they tried it and today we have a very common breed called a cockapoo. Scientists have also cross-pollinated plants and created new types of plants and flowers.

Now, let’s get back to your question about dinosaurs. I think that dinosaurs were a victim of micro-evolution and became extinct due to natural selection or some natural catastrophe. I think that some of them didn’t survive the great flood, some may not have been able to adapt to the changes in climate or were unable to forage for food after the great flood and slowly died off.

I’ve been told by some of my scientist friends that this is not uncommon. There are many other species of animals that are extinct now too, for whatever reasons. Ever heard of the Quagga? It was half-horse and half-zebra and became extinct in 1883. How about the Thylacine? It’s been called the Tasmanian Tiger and became extinct in 1936. How about the Irish Deer, the largest deer that ever lived? It became extinct about 7,700 years ago.

So, why did God choose to make them extinct? That is a question I do not have the answer to but I can tell you this much: God has an unstoppable plan and the extinction of a species of animal is part of that plan and only He know the reasons for it.

What are Nephilim? They mention them in the Bible but are they real?

That is a very interesting and awesome question! First off, Nephilim are beings in the Bible that are described in the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament, as children born from “the daughters of men” and the “sons of God.” (Genesis 6:1-4)

No one really knows who the “sons of God” are; there are many biblical scholars that have theories but the truth is that we really don’t know. At any rate, the Nephilim came into the world during the time just after Adam and Eve but before Noah. They were also described as giants because in the Book of Numbers, in the Old Testament, it says, “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." (Numbers 13:33)

So, are they real? We must accept them to be real if we believe the Bible to be true. The Bible cannot be partially true and partially not true. We must believe on faith, just like we believe in angels, that the Nephilim existed. So are they around today? Probably not. There is some speculation that because the “daughters of men” and the sons of God” chose to have children together that God used that to justify the great flood and destroyed the Nephilim.

But, if they are still around today…I think Shaquille O’Neal is one! He’s huge!!! ;)

How is Jesus alive if God is always alive?

Cool question! And the very cool answer can be found by looking in our Bibles.

In the Book of John, which is the fourth book in the New Testament, Jesus tells his disciples, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:9-11)

Jesus is explaining that He is God! There are many other places in the Bible in which Jesus says that He is God, too, but I particularly love these verses because Jesus doesn’t mince words or speak in parables here…He is pretty clear that if you’ve seen Him, you’ve seen the Father and that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him.

So, if Jesus is God and God is alive…then, Jesus is alive! Does that make sense? It can be a little confusing but once you realize that Jesus is God then you’ll know that He’s alive right now and watching over you!