Yahoo! I love that question because friends ask me that question all the time! I could easily give them the standard Biblical answer that “God has always been here and He has no beginning and no end and He will always be here because He is eternal.” But, I usually get that deer-in-the-headlights look when I say that.
So, here’s my way of explaining it: Imagine being able to go back in time to the days of the pilgrims as they were colonizing this country and trying to explain to them how a helicopter works or how an iPod works. Remember, there’s no such thing as electricity, gas engines, batteries, etc. So, how do you explain how those things work to people that have never seen stuff like that? You see, we’ve grown up with so much technology that we just accept what is there without really trying to understand how it works. But trying to explain something so difficult that we casually accept to someone who’s never experienced would be very challenging.
Let’s apply that thinking to the idea of God being eternal. Truth: God’s eternal power is clearly seen in the creation of our universe but our brains have a hard time wrapping around that idea. And we kind of know what eternity is but we don’t fully understand it. So, what do we do? We try to explain it in terms we can see and understand. But how do we explain eternity to people (all of us) who are stuck in the passage of time? We usually start by trying to simplify the idea!
The Bible is our place to start. The Bible simply says God “is.” Remember Moses? When he asked the Lord God what His name was, do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them I AM” Exodus 3:14). Revelation 1:8 and 4:8 says that God is, God was and God is to come.
We know tht time is a measurement of physical change. Time, though, has only existed since the creation of the universe. Genesis 1:1, the very first book and chapter of the Bible, says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God created everything, so time started at creation.
We also know from Genesis 1:1 that God was BEFORE the creation of the heavens and the earth becuse He was there to create it. That makes God timeless (eternal) because He created time! So, to answer your question in the simplest of terms, God has been here for all eternity and will be here for all eternity.
Thank you for a great and challenging question!
Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Who wrote the Book of Genesis?
The entire Holy Bible is God-breathed and inspired God! It is pretty much accepted that the Book of Genesis was written by Moses. In fact, Moses is credited with writing the first five books of the Old Testament, which is often referred to as the Torah.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Is divorce a sin when your wife is like sinning and cussing and drinking?
Wow, now that is an interesting question because Jesus was asked a similar question in Matthew 19. First, though, let’s get a firm Biblical perspective on what God’s position on divorce is. I think what God says in Malachi 2:16 is pretty blunt and to the point: “I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel.” Then, in Matthew 19:9, Jesus supports God’s position by stating “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
This verse seems to imply that divorce is okay if one of the spouses commits the sin of adultery against the other spouse. Remember, the Bible is written from the male perspective so this passage means that if either of the two spouses, husband or wife, commits adultery then the other can get a divorce and remarry without being considered a sinner. Now, the question is, is this only applicable to the sin of adultery? Can we interpret it to include all sin? The answer is yes, it only applies to adultery and does not include other sins like cussing or drinking.
In fact, Jesus even states that it has only been since the time of sin entering the world that God allows the adultery stipulation. This was not so in the beginning of time and that Moses only allowed divorce because peoples’ “heart were hardened.”
Bottom line: God does not want people to get a divorce. When two people get married and they make that marriage covenant with God, they basically become one flesh, just like it’s written in Genesis 2:24. And when you make a covenant with God, you better be serious because breaking that covenant can lead to serious repercussions! God even says, “Therefore, what I (God) have joined together, let no man put asunder.”
The marriage union is a very serious covenant in God’s eyes and should not be dissolved, especially for some of the trivial reasons people use today. In the case of someone who cusses or drinks, while those are terrible things, they can be corrected through counseling and therapy. We have to be willing to take that first step, though. I know that God wants us all to do whatever we can to keep the marriage covenant.
Remember, God sent His one and Only Son to die for our sins. He can forgive people who cuss and people who drink. If we can’t, then we diminish His death on the cross. Some sins are hard to overcome, believe me, I know! But, remember also what Paul wrote to the citizens of Philippi in the Book of Philippians, Chapter 4, verse 13: “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.”
This verse seems to imply that divorce is okay if one of the spouses commits the sin of adultery against the other spouse. Remember, the Bible is written from the male perspective so this passage means that if either of the two spouses, husband or wife, commits adultery then the other can get a divorce and remarry without being considered a sinner. Now, the question is, is this only applicable to the sin of adultery? Can we interpret it to include all sin? The answer is yes, it only applies to adultery and does not include other sins like cussing or drinking.
In fact, Jesus even states that it has only been since the time of sin entering the world that God allows the adultery stipulation. This was not so in the beginning of time and that Moses only allowed divorce because peoples’ “heart were hardened.”
Bottom line: God does not want people to get a divorce. When two people get married and they make that marriage covenant with God, they basically become one flesh, just like it’s written in Genesis 2:24. And when you make a covenant with God, you better be serious because breaking that covenant can lead to serious repercussions! God even says, “Therefore, what I (God) have joined together, let no man put asunder.”
The marriage union is a very serious covenant in God’s eyes and should not be dissolved, especially for some of the trivial reasons people use today. In the case of someone who cusses or drinks, while those are terrible things, they can be corrected through counseling and therapy. We have to be willing to take that first step, though. I know that God wants us all to do whatever we can to keep the marriage covenant.
Remember, God sent His one and Only Son to die for our sins. He can forgive people who cuss and people who drink. If we can’t, then we diminish His death on the cross. Some sins are hard to overcome, believe me, I know! But, remember also what Paul wrote to the citizens of Philippi in the Book of Philippians, Chapter 4, verse 13: “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.”
Sunday, 25 October 2009
How large is God?
That is a very awesome question! So, let me throw some fun factoids your way to give you an idea of just how large your God is:
The Earth is in the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is 588 quadrillion miles across.
Scientists believe there are 50 billion other galaxies in the universe.
At the Pacific Ocean’s deepest point, Mount Everest could be submerged and the summit would still be nearly two miles from the surface.
Your body makes and destroys 10 million red blood cells every hour. If that ratio is off by 1%...life ends.
It is true that no two snowflakes have ever, or will ever, look the same.
Scientists believe there are 2,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe (though we can see only 6,000 in the night sky!)
It’s estimated that as many as 5 million species in the world have yet to be discovered.
The energy in one hurricane is equal to that of 500,000 atomic bombs.
And, who endowed the heart with wisdom and gave understanding to the mind? Who marked off the earth’s dimensions and set the foundations for all life? And, most importantly, who gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life?
You ask how large is God? God is large. And in kind of a twist to God’s answer to Moses, more importantly, God is.
The Earth is in the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is 588 quadrillion miles across.
Scientists believe there are 50 billion other galaxies in the universe.
At the Pacific Ocean’s deepest point, Mount Everest could be submerged and the summit would still be nearly two miles from the surface.
Your body makes and destroys 10 million red blood cells every hour. If that ratio is off by 1%...life ends.
It is true that no two snowflakes have ever, or will ever, look the same.
Scientists believe there are 2,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe (though we can see only 6,000 in the night sky!)
It’s estimated that as many as 5 million species in the world have yet to be discovered.
The energy in one hurricane is equal to that of 500,000 atomic bombs.
And, who endowed the heart with wisdom and gave understanding to the mind? Who marked off the earth’s dimensions and set the foundations for all life? And, most importantly, who gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life?
You ask how large is God? God is large. And in kind of a twist to God’s answer to Moses, more importantly, God is.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Why did Adam and Eve live so long?
I’ve always wondered that myself. I don’t recall that answer ever being directly answered by scripture, so I put on my detective hat, pulled out my magnifying glass and went digging.
Following an in-depth exploration of the subject, I came to this conclusion: There isn’t a direct answer. BUT, I had so much fun checking it out that I thought you might enjoy a little trip through my findings.
Chapter 5 of Genesis lists all the life spans of Adam and his descendants from Adam to Lamech (Noah’s dad). This is where we see crazy stuff like Adam living 930 years, his son Seth living 912 years, great great great great great (is that enough “greats?”) grandson Methuselah living 969 years, and on it goes through verse 31, then we come to Noah. Of course, along with Noah came the flood. He ended up living 950 years (Genesis 9:29).
n Genesis 11 we’re given the “records of the generations of Shem (v.10)” Shem is one of the 3 sons that rode on the ark with Noah, surviving the flood. This passage reveals a gradual decline in years lived. Shem lived 600 years, his son Arpachshad (say THAT 3 times fast!) lived 468 years, his grandson lived 433 years and on down it goes (with a few exceptions like Eber and Terah who lived a little longer than their surrounding relatives). So, after the flood, people were living 600, then 400ish, then 300, then 200 years. Shem’s line was so traced because it delivered Abraham and eventually, Jesus (if you’re interested, go to Matthew 1:1-17).
I do think it’s interesting how the years went down after the flood (which happened because God was sorry He made us and “every intent of the thoughts of [our hearts] was only evil continually”). Following the flood, we went increasingly down and things began to stabilize with Abraham who became the father of the Jewish nation. He lived 175 yrs., his wife 127, his son Ishmael 137, his son Issac 180. Skip forward a few generations and Moses lived 120 years while next-in-command, Joshua, only lived 110 yrs.
This is where it gets fun. Did our God cut down the life spans because we kept sinning against Him? Did He decide we wouldn’t need to live as long once Israel became established as a nation? Too much junk food and TV time? Too much hair spray that destroyed the ozone and lets cosmic radiation harm life ont he planet? What do YOU think?
Following an in-depth exploration of the subject, I came to this conclusion: There isn’t a direct answer. BUT, I had so much fun checking it out that I thought you might enjoy a little trip through my findings.
Chapter 5 of Genesis lists all the life spans of Adam and his descendants from Adam to Lamech (Noah’s dad). This is where we see crazy stuff like Adam living 930 years, his son Seth living 912 years, great great great great great (is that enough “greats?”) grandson Methuselah living 969 years, and on it goes through verse 31, then we come to Noah. Of course, along with Noah came the flood. He ended up living 950 years (Genesis 9:29).
n Genesis 11 we’re given the “records of the generations of Shem (v.10)” Shem is one of the 3 sons that rode on the ark with Noah, surviving the flood. This passage reveals a gradual decline in years lived. Shem lived 600 years, his son Arpachshad (say THAT 3 times fast!) lived 468 years, his grandson lived 433 years and on down it goes (with a few exceptions like Eber and Terah who lived a little longer than their surrounding relatives). So, after the flood, people were living 600, then 400ish, then 300, then 200 years. Shem’s line was so traced because it delivered Abraham and eventually, Jesus (if you’re interested, go to Matthew 1:1-17).
I do think it’s interesting how the years went down after the flood (which happened because God was sorry He made us and “every intent of the thoughts of [our hearts] was only evil continually”). Following the flood, we went increasingly down and things began to stabilize with Abraham who became the father of the Jewish nation. He lived 175 yrs., his wife 127, his son Ishmael 137, his son Issac 180. Skip forward a few generations and Moses lived 120 years while next-in-command, Joshua, only lived 110 yrs.
This is where it gets fun. Did our God cut down the life spans because we kept sinning against Him? Did He decide we wouldn’t need to live as long once Israel became established as a nation? Too much junk food and TV time? Too much hair spray that destroyed the ozone and lets cosmic radiation harm life ont he planet? What do YOU think?
Friday, 31 July 2009
How come we can't see the face of God, but many people looked Jesus in the eye?
That is an awesome question! And it’s kind of a complicated question too! Here is some bad math to help explain the answer. Did you know that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1? What I am trying to show is that there is only one God but He appears in three different forms.
There is God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible clearly shows that no one has ever seen God, the Father. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, [the Father] but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
John 6:46 says, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.”
In fact, even in the Old Testament, Moses could not look upon God. In Exodus 3:2, God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. In Exodus 19:9 and 24:5, God covers himself in a thick cloud and can only be heard.
But, the best example of God not showing His face (as God the Father) is from Exodus 33:20-23 where it says, “But, He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the LORD said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’”
And do you want to know why that is? It is because we are sinful people and sin cannot be in the presence of the Father. Jesus was the only one who could look upon God because he was without sin. Bottom line, if we saw God in our sinful state, we would die because He is Holy, Righteous and Pure. He hid himself from Moses because He knew Moses would die if Moses saw Him.
One of the cool things is that the Bible says that the Glory of God was so pure and bright that, even from behind, it turned Moses’ skin and hair completely white. The Bible describes Moses’ face as completely radiant. In fact, Moses had to wear a veil when he was around people because of it.
So, that’s why we can’t see the face of God, the Father. No one has. BUT, a lot of people saw God, the Son. You see, Jesus is God but He is also a man. He came to us in human form to teach us and to set the example for us and to ultimately die for us. God can’t die but a man can. So Jesus was a man and had all the attribute of a human being, including being able to be seen by other people.
It’s a weird contradiction because you’d think you couldn’t look Jesus in the eye because He’s God and God doesn’t allow us to see Him…but, because He’s also man, Jesus let’s us see Him, feel Him and hear Him.
There is God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible clearly shows that no one has ever seen God, the Father. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, [the Father] but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
John 6:46 says, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.”
In fact, even in the Old Testament, Moses could not look upon God. In Exodus 3:2, God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. In Exodus 19:9 and 24:5, God covers himself in a thick cloud and can only be heard.
But, the best example of God not showing His face (as God the Father) is from Exodus 33:20-23 where it says, “But, He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the LORD said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’”
And do you want to know why that is? It is because we are sinful people and sin cannot be in the presence of the Father. Jesus was the only one who could look upon God because he was without sin. Bottom line, if we saw God in our sinful state, we would die because He is Holy, Righteous and Pure. He hid himself from Moses because He knew Moses would die if Moses saw Him.
One of the cool things is that the Bible says that the Glory of God was so pure and bright that, even from behind, it turned Moses’ skin and hair completely white. The Bible describes Moses’ face as completely radiant. In fact, Moses had to wear a veil when he was around people because of it.
So, that’s why we can’t see the face of God, the Father. No one has. BUT, a lot of people saw God, the Son. You see, Jesus is God but He is also a man. He came to us in human form to teach us and to set the example for us and to ultimately die for us. God can’t die but a man can. So Jesus was a man and had all the attribute of a human being, including being able to be seen by other people.
It’s a weird contradiction because you’d think you couldn’t look Jesus in the eye because He’s God and God doesn’t allow us to see Him…but, because He’s also man, Jesus let’s us see Him, feel Him and hear Him.
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
How old was Jesus when he made the Bible?
Actually, Jesus didn’t make or write the Bible. The Bible includes the life of Jesus, and of course, that’s WAAAAYYYYY important, but it also contains stories of others. Adam & Eve, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua – remember all those guys? They all lived before Jesus walked the earth.
The Bible is God’s story. God used many men and women to tell his story over many thousands of years. The best part of that story, though, is that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, then was crucified, and rose again. His victory over death proves he was everything he said was – God’s Son. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
And if we will believe in him, he will call us God’s children, and we can live with him forever. That is amazing! Read John 1:12.
The Bible is God’s story. God used many men and women to tell his story over many thousands of years. The best part of that story, though, is that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, then was crucified, and rose again. His victory over death proves he was everything he said was – God’s Son. Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
And if we will believe in him, he will call us God’s children, and we can live with him forever. That is amazing! Read John 1:12.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Do I have to read the Bible every day?
I’m going to answer that question by asking a question of my own…do you have to talk to your parents every day? I’ll bet you’re thinking, well, of course I have to talk to my parents everyday. Maybe you’re saying, well, no I don’t have to talk to them everyday but I like talking to them everyday.
Well, guess what? The Holy Bible is God’s Word. And, it’s God’s way of talking to you. It’s His way of letting you get to know Him and He really, really wants you to know Him.
There are some incredible stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. The story of Adam and Eve, the story of Moses, the story of David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah, the story of King Solomon…I could go on and on.
Do you like love stories? The Holy Bible is the greatest love story ever written! The stories of God’s love for us are endless. My favorite is how He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven!
I remember when I first became a Christian and I picked up a Bible. It was so thick! I thought to myself, seriously??? I’m supposed to read this whole thing? Ummm, are there any DVD’s I can watch or maybe a thinner version? I didn’t even know where to start! Do I read it like a book from one cover to the other? Or, do I start with the Old Testament then read the New Testament? It seemed so overwhelming.
But, then, my small group leader said, “Start with the book of John in the New Testament.” He said it was all about God’s love for us. So, I flipped to John and saw that it was only twenty-one chapters. I said, “I can handle this!” And, before I knew it, I had read an entire book of the Bible. It was awesome!!! It made me want to read more. So, I started reading books of the New Testament. Then, my wife said, “Try reading a Psalm and a Proverb a day.” And she meant just one psalm and one proverb, not the whole book of Psalms and Proverbs. How easy is that???
And because it’s God’s way of talking to you, you end up wanting to know more and more. You find yourself just immersing yourself in God’s Word! Believe it or not, every little thing you will ever face, good and bad, is mentioned in the Bible. Every question you’ll ever have, God has an answer for and it’s in the Bible.
So, to answer your question…do you have to read the Bible everyday? I guess you really don’t have to but why wouldn’t you since God really wants to talk to you every day.
Well, guess what? The Holy Bible is God’s Word. And, it’s God’s way of talking to you. It’s His way of letting you get to know Him and He really, really wants you to know Him.
There are some incredible stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. The story of Adam and Eve, the story of Moses, the story of David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah, the story of King Solomon…I could go on and on.
Do you like love stories? The Holy Bible is the greatest love story ever written! The stories of God’s love for us are endless. My favorite is how He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven!
I remember when I first became a Christian and I picked up a Bible. It was so thick! I thought to myself, seriously??? I’m supposed to read this whole thing? Ummm, are there any DVD’s I can watch or maybe a thinner version? I didn’t even know where to start! Do I read it like a book from one cover to the other? Or, do I start with the Old Testament then read the New Testament? It seemed so overwhelming.
But, then, my small group leader said, “Start with the book of John in the New Testament.” He said it was all about God’s love for us. So, I flipped to John and saw that it was only twenty-one chapters. I said, “I can handle this!” And, before I knew it, I had read an entire book of the Bible. It was awesome!!! It made me want to read more. So, I started reading books of the New Testament. Then, my wife said, “Try reading a Psalm and a Proverb a day.” And she meant just one psalm and one proverb, not the whole book of Psalms and Proverbs. How easy is that???
And because it’s God’s way of talking to you, you end up wanting to know more and more. You find yourself just immersing yourself in God’s Word! Believe it or not, every little thing you will ever face, good and bad, is mentioned in the Bible. Every question you’ll ever have, God has an answer for and it’s in the Bible.
So, to answer your question…do you have to read the Bible everyday? I guess you really don’t have to but why wouldn’t you since God really wants to talk to you every day.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Why did Moses die when he was leading the people into the promised land?
Wow, that is an awesome question! And I can see why you are confused because we both know that God specifically chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and the life of slavery they had been subjected to and to lead them to the land promised to them during God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was described as a land that flowed with “milk and honey.”
Well, unfortunately, Moses was a man and because he was a man, he sinned. God says to him in Deuteronomy 32:51-52, “This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."
Ouch! That stinks, doesn’t it? Moses did a lot of great things for God earlier in the Bible. But, because he sinned against God, he had to suffer the consequences of that sin. BUT, I want you to understand something important here…even though Moses sinned and was punished by not being allowed into the promised land, Moses did make it into the Promised Land! Notice the capital letters? Moses, even though he sinned, was forgiven and went to Heaven!!!
So, why did he die? He died because he was a man and could not live forever. He died at the ripe old age of 120! And here’s another little bit of trivia: God, Himself, buried Moses somewhere in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor. But, to this day, no one knows where God buried Moses. Pretty interesting, huh?
Well, unfortunately, Moses was a man and because he was a man, he sinned. God says to him in Deuteronomy 32:51-52, “This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."
Ouch! That stinks, doesn’t it? Moses did a lot of great things for God earlier in the Bible. But, because he sinned against God, he had to suffer the consequences of that sin. BUT, I want you to understand something important here…even though Moses sinned and was punished by not being allowed into the promised land, Moses did make it into the Promised Land! Notice the capital letters? Moses, even though he sinned, was forgiven and went to Heaven!!!
So, why did he die? He died because he was a man and could not live forever. He died at the ripe old age of 120! And here’s another little bit of trivia: God, Himself, buried Moses somewhere in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor. But, to this day, no one knows where God buried Moses. Pretty interesting, huh?
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