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Chapter 17 Q: Can you tell me where the following verses came from? Starting from p187 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! ..... Ending at p188 The Lord as broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. Thank you! (posted on 5/25/2010 10:33:03 AM) A: The first verse on p. 187 comes from Isaiah 13:4 The second verse on p. 188 comes from Isaiah 14:5 Hope this helps! Chapter 9 Q: I was wondering what "the Upper Story" refers to -- it has been included a couple of times in the posted small group discussion questions, for example, in Chapter 9, #2. (posted on 3/24/2010 8:19:36 PM) A: Thanks for your question. The "upper story" simply refers to the BIG picture of God's plan for His creation and mankind. The "lower story" then, refers to the portion we are dealing with from week to week in our reading. Example: The state of Indiana within the United States. Hope this helps. Keep reading. Chapter 11 Q: What does it mean in I Samuel 16:14, "Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him?" (posted on 3/24/2010 8:13:48 PM) A: First, a qualification about Saul: In 1 Samuel 16:15,21 and 30 Saul refers to the LORD as Samuel's God. And so, Saul, by this time in his life, has no personal relationship with God, and so is really not a true believer. If God allows him to suffer, it is not as one of his followers. He has become a practical atheist. King Saul has made himself vulnerable to satanic oppression in his life because of unbelief. But as for the central question: Believer or not, why would God intentionally send an evil spirit to torment him? Isn't this the work of the devil, not God? (A side note: because of the unique way this passage utilizes the Hebrew word for "spirit" ("ruach"), some have suggested that this could mean that God sent a "depression" on Saul, that is, it was not a spirit being that God sent, but rather the judgment of deep and prolonged depression resulting from his transition from belief to unbelief. That fallen condition would depress any thinking person.] A good place to start on this question is with the truth that all things come from the hand of the Almighty God, and whatever happens, happens by his permission. So in one sense, we have to accept the passage at face value and acknowledge that God can send an evil spirit on a person if He so desires. But even if that is what God did, He did not do so apart from Saul's choices. If you want to ignore God in your life and so open your heart to evil spirits, God may allow it, leaving you unprotected from experiencing the torments of satan. Saul made choices that took him downhill: spiritually, mentally, relationally, emotionally and physically. Eventually he reached place where he wasn't really in touch with reality – a state of mind in which satan does his most damaging work on people. For the time being, God is permitting satan to have some measure of rule in this world. If we choose to place ourselves under satan's jurisdiction, we suffer the consequences. Saul chose for this to happen. He brought this judgment of God on himself because of his unbelief and sin. Chapter 8 Q: Why had the Israelites ceased the practice of circumcision during the exodus? (posted on 3/1/2010 2:18:05 PM) A: I am not sure there is anything that would indicate the reason they did not continue circumcising while they were wandering in the wilderness, but I would guess:
Q: Judges 6:20 states the following: The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." I am curious why Gideon was instructed to pour out the broth. Does pouring out the broth signify something symbolic? (posted on 3/1/2010 2:10:16 PM) A: Thank you for your question. This will be an easy question to answer. We have no idea! Sometimes there are details that the people then understood and did not question. Not everything that is recorded in scripture is explained by God. If I were to guess at this situation, I would say that maybe the broth would simply hinder the fire sacrifice, or maybe it was completely permissible to use the broth in other ways for food consumption. Other than that, there seems to be no commentary on this subject. Don’t let it concern you as you continue your reading. The Lord’s blessings on you. Chapter 7 Q: First, how do we harmonize the fact that God doesn't change His mind (Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29) with the fact that there are times when God DOES change His mind in response to man's prayers (i.e. When Moses prayed and asked God not to destroy the Israelites for the sake of His glory and name)? Secondly, why did God shorten the number of man's days on earth? When did that happen and for what reason? It seems like there's a verse that speaks directly on this subject, but I can't find it. (posted on 2/24/2010 5:55:45 PM) A: 1) Regarding your first question and God changing His mind, we have to start by recognizing that we have limited understanding of decisions that God makes and the reasons for those decisions. In other words, what might seem to us as God changing His mind might actually be a decision that is perfectly consistent with his character. Your example of Moses asking God not to destroy the Israelites is a good example, and I would pair with it God's threat to destroy the Ninevites. In both cases, God knew what He was going to do. Were his threats of destruction in alignment with his standards of righteousness and justice? Yes. Was his final decision to show mercy consistent with his loving character? Yes. Also, we know that God operates on an "if...then" basis often throughout His Word. He'll say, "if you obey me, then...", but "if you you disobey, then..." So, God's decisions are sometimes conditional upon our behavior and our choices. In general, I think it's safe to say that God does not change his mind. But if there are examples in scripture that seem as though He does change his mind, let's be sure to examine the broader scope of his character and we'll see that all of his decisions are consistent with who He is. 2) We see a notable shortening of man's days following the flood. Prior to the flood, humans had very long life spans, and after the flood we see those life spans become shorter and shorter in duration. In Genesis 7:11, the flood rains are described this way, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." So the flood was caused by 2 sources: 1) the springs within the earth, and 2) by the floodgates of heaven opening up. Prior to the flood, the entire earth was encased in a water canopy of sorts, a mist around the earth. There is reference to this in Genesis 1:6-7 where God says, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse (seas) from the water above it." The phrase "water above it" refers to the water canopy that encased the earth. This water canopy protected life on earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, and also affected the oxygen pressure of the earth. When that water canopy collapsed as it did during the flood, it changed the environment of the earth permanently. We became more exposed to solar radiation and all of its by-products, which have shorted the life expectancy of humans. With the water canopy in place, studies have shown that such protection could have allowed humans to live up to 1,000 years of age. Q: Joshua and his followers were ordered by God to conquer the various tribes including "killing" women and children? This chapter follows the previous 2 chapters in which God lays out the 10 commandments to Moses. In specific, thou shall not kill! We learn here that it only applies unless God says otherwise? We are having a hard time understanding the text of the commandment and the events here. We understand the reason for total annihilation of these wicked tribes and followers, but women and children, knowing that most children are not yet responsible for their actions? We struggle with this, especially my 14 year old who has been taught to this point God is a gentle, loving God! I was born and raised catholic and the "fear" of God has been instilled in the teachings with references to events such as this. Can you help with some clarification, especially for our daughter? (posted on 2/22/2010 2:43:50 PM) A: This is a common question that troubles many who read the Old Testament accounts of how God instructed Israel to deal with other tribes and nations. At first glance, it does seem inconsistent with what the Lord instructed the Israelites: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). To help us understand what is going on here, we need to look at both the meaning of the word “murder” and also the broader context of what the Lord is doing in establishing His name on earth. First, let’s look at the word that is actually used in the original Hebrew, and that word is “ratsach” which is most accurately translated as “murder.” The meaning of the word carries with it intentional killing without cause. God strictly prohibits the intentional killing of either humans or animals without cause. But he does ordain the killing of animals for the purpose of sacrifice and offerings. Similarly, God ordained the killing of people groups...but never without cause. During much of the time period of Moses, when the Lord is establishing Israel as a nation, He is setting standards: standards of holiness, standards of worship, standards of payment for sin. While it seems cruel to us that God would order the complete annihilation of certain tribes, we have to realize that we was setting standards that could not be compromised. One such standard was that only He was to be worshiped as God. Another standard was that blood must be shed as payment for sin. All of these standards that He originally set make us appreciate all the more the incredible sacrifice that Jesus made in settling the score once and for all! One other thought regarding the women and children who were killed: there are things experienced in this life that could be considered “worse than death.” It’s hard for us to imagine because we live in a culture of laws, protection of rights, etc. But to be born into and raised in a rampantly wicked culture...filled with abuse and fear and distress...we could even view God’s instruction to annihilate the innocent in that culture as an act of mercy- before they would themselves become corrupted. Q: p48 - p49 of the story book shows the Ten Commandments (Exodus 1-17) comes after "When the people saw the thunder ....." (Exodus18-21). P71 of the story book ends with Deuteronomy 34. Psalm 90 could follow chapter 6 prior to chapter 7. So far, besides these two areas, do we have any other areas in the Bible from chapter 1 to chapter 7 that are not in chronological order? (posted on 2/22/2010 2:43:01 PM) A: For the first 7 chapters of the Story, what we read is generally the chronological order in which the events happened. The only other exception besides the passages that you mentioned would be the book of Job. Job is considered by most Biblical scholars to be the oldest book in the Bible. It’s like that the Job’s story was running concurrently with or just after the life of Abraham (2,000-1,800 B.C.). We know that Job lived after the flood but before the time of Moses. That’s why some chronological Bible reading plans go from Genesis 11 to the book of Job and then back to Genesis 12. Chapter 6 Q: When God told Moses that he would punish the 3rd and 4th generation was he only talking about the Israelites that were wondering in the wilderness or for all times? (posted on 2/18/2010 7:18:27 PM) A: You're probably troubled by the idea that the following generations seem to be paying for somebody else's sins. Actually, whether this is referring to those people in that time or whether it carries over to day, the answer is still the same. God's punishment is based on the sins committed by each generation and each individual. If the proceeding generations are punished for sins, it is because they choose to follow in their parents' errors. Those who choose God's way will not be punished. Chapter 5 Q: It seems as though Moses got away with murder and was never punished for it. Why was he never punished for it? (posted on 2/8/2010 4:16:22 PM) A: You are referring to Moses killing an Egyptian slave-driver who was beating a Hebrew slave. In several respects, I think Moses did pay for his sin. He was pursued by Pharaoh who intended to kill Moses, so Moses had to literally run for his life. Moses was haunted and reminded of this error at several points in his life. The difficult part for us is to remember that the law had not yet been handed down when Moses committed murder. In other words, we are evaluating Moses according to the law which we have had for centuries, but had never been formally given to humans prior to the Ten Commandments (you shall not kill). Had Moses been captured by the Egyptians, he surely would have been punished by Pharaoh. But the Lord had other plans for Moses, and the story of Moses' ascent to leadership is a testimony of God's power to redeem our mistakes in spite of ourselves. Chapter 4 Q: Why does it say a couple of times that God hardened Pharoah's heart? Would he have let the people go earlier? Maybe the angel of death could have been avoided? (posted on 2/1/2010 3:22:44 PM) A: I have asked myself the same question. God said "my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts" We really do not have a perfect answer for that question but I will share some ideas with you. In the Old Testament, we see death as way of God's dealing with rebellion and disobedience in a number of situations. Pro. 11:19 says.."The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death". Taking the life of an innocent child(EX.11:5) is something that we cannot understand apart from the fact that God had warned Pharaoh 9 times before. If Pharaoh had let them go after the first plague, none of the other things would have happened. Sometimes people become so hardened toward God that they loose all desire to even attempt to do right. God is still in control , he can even direct ones heart if the ultimate outcome brings glory to Himself. God's plan included the lessons learned from the plagues as well as the lessons they will learn by wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. In order for all of that to happen God allowed Pharaoh's heart to become so hard that he simply could not change his mind. God was using him as a tool for His purpose to accomplish His plan. That's really all we know from scripture. It is a reminder to us that God expects and deserves our obedience. We will avoid all kinds of problems if we will learn to trust and obey. Much of the hurt and heartache that we endure we bring upon ourselves by our determination to do it our way. Q: I was thinking about which part of the Red Sea Israelites crossed with Moses. Which part of the Red Sea did they cross? I looked at some Maps in NIV Bible, Holman Bible Atlas, Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands, and ones from internet. Locations of places in the book of Exodus seemed to be differnent in different resources. I am somewhat confused. Can you tell me some reliable Bible Atlas books and/or internet resources where I can get most accurate information? (posted on 2/1/2010 3:20:45 PM) A: As near as research has been able to determine, The Gulf of Aquaba is probably the location of the crossing. This is the location of the 200yard, 8 mile long underwater bridge that has been found. We cannot prove exactly where the crossing was but wherever they crossed would be a miracle that only God could perform. Where is not nearly as important as why. I would offer other resource material to you but no one really has an exact answer. Chapter 3 Q: In our Bible study it was said that the Holy Spirit was not present inside us until Jesus came and died for our sins and gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us. What did people have to guide them before they felt the Holy Spirit? (posted on 1/28/2010 9:26:56 AM) A: While the Holy Spirit was not described as dwelling inside people in the Old Testament, there are numerous descriptions of the Holy Spirit being present with a person, and in some sad cases (like with King Saul) departing from a person. So the Holy Spirit was present in the lives of people before Jesus came. Prior to Jesus, people were instructed to pray to God and follow the law. People failed at keeping the law, so I am sure they always had a nagging sense of being incomplete. Thankfully, in Christ we now have the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding in us to guide us. Q: Looking at Joseph's life starting from his dream (Gen. 37:5), I feel that his life was predestined. I thought about the life of Christ. It also seemed that He lived a predestined life. Thinking about God's ultimate plan written in the old and new testaments, I feel that each of us could be living a predestined life. Are we? Or, are each of us born with a God given predestined life, but when we chose not to live by His will, our predestined life changed to something else? (posted on 1/27/2010 9:45:27 AM) A: Yes! He does have a plan for you and determines to work through you in specific ways. Take time to read Ephesians 2:1-10 In my opinion, I believe that we can conclude that God has a sovereign plan to make a way for mankind to be saved and to be transformed into the image of Jesus. He clearly initiates His plans through individuals, events, and circumstances and brings them to specific outcomes. It is an act of mercy that He makes a way for us. Joseph's life was a demonstration of how He can work His plan in our day to day lives. Through Joseph, He was providing a way for the Israelite nation to be saved. He was determined to use Joseph for His plan. In the midst of God's plan, Joseph played a part as well. From Joseph's vantage point, it required faithful persistence as he was carried along. God's action did not abdicate him from personal responsibility and choice. I believe God predetermined to use Joseph and understood that he would follow through with His plan. Another example to consider, would be God's predetermined plan in the story of Noah. God provided a way for people to be saved in the great flood, yet many chose to ignore the message Noah delivered and therefore missed out on God's initiated plan. We could say that He predetermined to save them, yet understood the reality that many would not except His offer. Chapter 1 Q: Please explain where Abel and Cain's wives came from. Also who Cain was afraid would kill him when God sent him away? It implies that there were other people on earth. (posted on 1/21/2010 3:44:41 PM) A: There is a great deal of conjecture in trying to answer this question. We must remember that in the Bible, God is telling "The Story" of his love for mankind and His desire to remain in fellowship with them. It is not an exhaustive historical record of every event or every person. It is firmly established that God created only two people in the beginning - Adam and Eve. We also know the Bible only records for us the names of three of their children: Cain, Abel and Seth. But according to Genesis 5:4, there were many other sons and daughters. From the web site http://www.gotquestions.org/Adam-and-Eve-questions.html "With likely hundreds of years of child-bearing capability, Adam and Eve likely had 50+ children in their lifetime." Also the timing of events is not detailed. How long did Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden before the fall? How old were Cain and Abel when Abel was murdered and how many brothers and sisters did they have at that time? It is therefore most likely that Cain and Seth married their sisters (the Bible never states that Abel was married). Again, I am going to refer you to another website - http://www.biblestudy.org/question/who-did-cain-and-abel-marry.html Quoting from there: "Adam and Eve were created perfect in every way. Their children would also, no doubt, be born physically and genetically perfect. Therefore, Cain's wife could be one of his sisters with no problems. Likewise, many of Adam and Eve's children would have inter-married with no problems." The rest of your questions would be answered using similar logic. Wouldn't people be more likely to kill Cain for his murder of Abel if they were in fact his siblings. Q: One of the things that Pastor Ken talked about last week has me somewhat confused. When talking about time, he said that God could have created things in seven days, as in a day is a 24-hour period. I have been through a number of Bible studies and this was something we discussed as a way to answer questions when witnessing to non-believers and answering their questions. I have always been taught that a day in the Lord was as a thousand years. Following last week's message, I looked it up. In two places, Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8, the Bible discusses a day in time to be as a thousand years. My question is whether the day in the time of Creation is the same as a day mentioned in the scriptures referrenced or are you saying that a day is simply a 24-hour period since the beginning of time? (posted on 1/18/2010 4:59:17 PM) A: It is true that god does not exist within the limitations of time and space. And, his word declares that 'with god a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day.' some prefer to use this as a rationale for believing god took eons/epochs to create. However, the use of the terms 'morning and evening' in the text of scripture and the enduring structure of the weekly calendar by which we all abide as we conduct our daily lives, is some justification to believe it was accomplished in a literal week. The evidence of age in the created earth parallels the creation of adam and eve with the evidence of age. [they were not created as infants, but as adults.] The fact is, no one was present. No one knows. The religion [suppositions] of scientific explanation for origins must be believed on the basis of faith as surely as those of us who embrace intelligent design as the explanation of origins rather than chance. Q: We were uncertain why the Lord did "not look with favor" upon Cain's offering. It was of the soil and Abel's was fat portions. We saw nothing obvious to explain Abel's favor over Cain.The reading in Genesis also didn't appear to provide an answer. (posted on 1/18/2010 11:29:33 AM) A: Thank you for your question. The value of the offering is seen to depend on the character of the offer. Not the costliness, but true heart and character, constitutes true worship. God knows, and looks upon the heart..( Recall the story of the widow's mite from Luke 21) Our text says."by faith" etc.. Faith always presupposes a Divine revelation or response and it would appear that one offering was with faith and the other was without. See Heb. 11:6. God was setting the bar for future generations . Q: In Gen 1:27 it reads "So God created man in his own image, In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them". But then in Gen 2:33 he creates Eve using a man's rib. Is that just a play on words or as a secular legend has it - is Eve in reality the second woman? (posted on 1/18/2010 11:12:52 AM) A: NO EVE IS NOT THE SECOND WOMAN, THE CREATION ACCOUNTS IN GENESIS 1 AND 2 ARE THE SAME CREATION ACCOUNT. HOWEVER, IN CHAPTER ONE YOU HAVE THE GENERAL STATEMENT ABOUT CREATION AND IN CHAPTER TWO YOU HAVE MORE OF THE DETAILS OF THE SAME ACCOUNT AS IS IN CHAPTER ONE. IT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PANORAMIC VIEW OF SOMETHING AND A CLOSE UP. READ CHAPTER ONE AS A SURVEY AND CHAPTER TWO AS VERSE BY VERSE. CHAPTER ONE SAYS, 'HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED.' CHAPTER TWO SAYS, 'HERE IS HOW IT HAPPENED.' Q: If God already had created the angels and had a relationship with them, why did he need to create man with all the problems we have caused for him? What's missing in the angels that he put into mankind? (posted on 1/18/2010 11:07:31 AM) A: THE ANGELS WERE CREATED TO DO GOD'S BIDDING IN AN ANTMOSPHERE OF PERFECTION [HEAVEN] ALTHOUGH OBVIOUSLY THEY DID HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CHOOSE TO REBEL, THE CAPACITY TO ALIGN WITH GOD OR SATAN. THEIR BODIES WERE/ARE DIFFERENT THAN HUMAN BEINGS. HUMAN BEINGS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT, BOTH IN CHARACTER [PHYSICAL BODIES], ENVIRONMENT [A CREATED EARTH] AND CAPACITY FOR CHOICE [BECAUSE OF THEIR BODIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE CREATED EARTH, THEY HAD A DIFFERENT CONTEXT FOR RELATING TO OR EXPERIENCING FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.] GOD'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ANGELS IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT THAN HIS FELLOWSHIP WITH US. GOD DESCRIBED IT AS 'LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE.' IT IS APPARENT THAT ANGELS ARE NOT MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE, BUT MANKIND IS. Q: What is the literal translation for the term she called the serpent when she was talking to him? The point raised was that if the appearance was as ugly as snakes now are she would not have paid attention to it. The thought was that the serpent a more attractive appearance before God banished it. (posted on 1/18/2010 11:05:44 AM) A: THE ORIGINAL/LITERAL TRANSLATION OF 'SERPENT' IN HEBREW IS 'SHINING, BEAUTIFUL, GRACIOUS, LOVELY.' IN OTHER WORDS, THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN WAS ORIGINALLY NOT THE 'SNAKE' WE THINK OF TODAY. RATHER IT WAS APPEALING AND ATTRACTIVE, NOT FRIGHTENING OR REPULSIVE. THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH EVE WAS SEDUCED BY THE SERPENT'S APPEARANCE AND SUBTILTY. SATAN CHOSE TO INVADE/EMBODY THE SERPENT BECAUSE OF THE BEAUTY OF THE CREATURE. OF COURSE, GOD PRONOUNCED JUDGMENT ON THE SERPENT AND CHANGED ITS COMPOSITION TO THE RATHER INTIMIDATING REPTILE IT IS TODAY. IT IS EXACTLY RIGHT THAT THE ORIGINAL SERPENT WAS VERY DIFFERENT THAN IT IS TODAY. Q: Where are the dinosaurs and Neanderthals on the timeline of the story? (posted on 1/18/2010 11:03:04 AM) A: We believe the question is answered in both the Biblical account of creation and in the scientific evidence found in the fossil record. Dinosaurs existed pre-flood, the same time as man. Fossil evidence of so-called Neanderthal is all post flood. The Book of Job is one of the oldest books ever written. In it, God tells Job of his greatness as Creator and describes an animal, called Behemoth, as follows: Job 40:15-18 (New International Version) 15 "Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. 16 What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! 17 His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. Marginal notes in most Bibles speculate that Behemoth was probably an elephant or a hippopotamus, but those animals have tails like ropes. Behemoth had a "tail like a cedar." Any animal with a tail as huge and strong as a cedar tree is probably a dinosaur. Job 40:19-24 describes this giant, difficult-to-capture animal as not alarmed by a raging river. If the writer of Job knew of a dinosaur, then the evolution position is wrong, and man saw dinosaurs. The next chapter of Job describes another huge, fierce animal, a sea monster named Leviathan. It was not a whale or crocodile, because the Hebrew language had other words to describe such animals. Leviathan may be a plesiosaur (PLEE see uh sore), a large seagoing reptile that evolutionists say became extinct 60 million years before man evolved. Yet, Scientific evidence points to dinosaurs and man existing at the same time. Scientists in the former Soviet Union have reported a layer of rock containing more than 2,000 dinosaur footprints alongside tracks "resembling human footprints." Obviously, both types of footprints were made in mud or sand that has since hardened into rock. If they are human footprints, then man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. Similar discoveries have been made in Arizona. If it were not for the theory of evolution, few would doubt that these were human footprints. The Bible account of "The Flood" accounts for the disappearance of the dinosaurs as well as their existence along side "modern" animals, as documented in the fossil record. Because dinosaur bones are found among other fossils, dinosaurs must have been living when the flood began. There are dozens of other dinosaur extinction theories, but they all have recognized problems. Pre-flood humans could live for more than 900 years as documented in the Bible. If whatever caused man to live so long had the same effect on dinosaurs, they could have grown very large. Reptiles, unlike other animals, continue to grow throughout their lives. Perhaps large dinosaurs, which are similar to reptiles in many ways, were just old. So, scientific evidence and the fossil record support the Biblical account of creation and a timeline that dinosaurs and man existed at the same time. "Neanderthal" man's features have nothing to do with evolutionary 'ape-man' beliefs. They are probably just an example of genetic variation among people, more pronounced in the early post-Flood era. Neanderthal fossils are all post-Flood, so these bones are believed to represent just one more group of people which split off from other groups following the Tower of Babel dispersion. Evolution theory regarding the time line of so-called Neanderthal is not supported by the fossil record. Q: Obviously the ark was an extremely large boat, but I am curious if anyone has actually tried to determine how many animals with enough food could be sustained for the duration of the flood? (posted on 1/18/2010 9:29:21 AM) A: Yes. The institute for Creation Research has done extensive studies on this subject. You can find them on line at www.icr.org. Q: What is the general thinking of where the source of light came from that God created on the first day, since the sun and moon were not created until day four? (posted on 1/17/2010 12:59:24 PM) A: I can't point to a specific source on this, because I haven't done any prior research. However, I do have a personal reflection to share. Many of the Psalms describe God as being resplendent in light (Ps: 76:4, 104:2 to name two). Paul said that Christ lived in "unapproachable" light (I Tim. 6:16). When Moses came down from the mountain after being in the presence of God, He was "aglow"to the degree that He had to veil his face (Ex. 33). The Apostle John's description of Heaven said that "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp" (Rev. 21:23). Is it possible that the source of physical light present before the creation of the Sun and Moon came from the very source we now go to for spiritual light? Q: How can we be so definite that each day of creation is a 24 hour day as we know it, when the sun, moon and stars were not created until the fourth day where the Bible states that they would separate day from night and serve as signs to mark the seasons, days, and years? (posted on 1/17/2010 12:58:35 PM) A: When I was in college, I had a Old Testament professor state that the Hebrew term "Day" could mean a 24 hour period OR an era of time. To be honest, I didn't challenge his thinking on that for many years and was willing to live with the ambiguity of the terminology. It allowed for some flexibility as I talked with my scientific minded friends. But in recent years, I've come to the position that Moses intended the term Day to mean a 24 hour period for two reasons. The first, because (as Ken mentioned last weekend) Moses made an effort to deliberately declare, "there was morning and there was evening, the ____ day". Why would He say this if we didn't believe it was a literal 24 hour period of time? My second "aha" experience when I realized that the book of Genesis, Moses frequently used the term day and in a context that very obviously pointed to a 24 hour period. Q: Is there any indication that the creation of the heavens and the earth in Gen. 1:1-2 occurred during the creation of the first day that is described in verse 3. If not, then is it possible there is a great amount of time that occurred between the creation of the heavens & earth and the creation of light on the "first day"? (Do we have an idea of how old the earth is from a Biblical perspective?) (posted on 1/17/2010 12:56:55 PM) A: This is a very interesting question that became the topic of discussion over lunch with a friend yesterday. Could verses one and two be describing the actual creation of "matter" and verse 3 be describing the creation of "life" ? And the answer is...maybe. You will find biblical scholars who will defend this position and others who will very definitely say no way, it is a part of Day One. What is not up for debate, however, is the matter of authorship of the world. God created supernaturally the heavens and the earth. Q: Pastor Ken gave an interpretation of some text on page 5 of The Story which I did not understand. The text on page 5 that I am referring to is "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heal." In this text who is God speaking to and how does it tie into the crucifixion of Christ as Pastor Ken mentioned in his sermon? (posted on 1/17/2010 12:55:43 PM) A: The passage on page five (Genesis 3:15) is actually one of the first prophetic statements ever made about the Messiah. Verses 14-20 are God's verdict against Satan and humankind as a result of their act of rebellion against God. In verse 15, the serpent, which future readers would recognize as Satan, who seeks to leads the whole the world astray is now on trial for his deceitful act. He is first told that He will "Eat Dust". In literal terms, the snake would become a despised creature destined to crawl on his belly. Figuratively, it is a statement that declares that those who choose to live with a spirit of rebellion are destined to "Eat Dust" (find their end in their sin). The Messianic prophecy is revealed when God declares that from the seed of woman would come one that would demolish (crush the head) of sin. At the time of the Old Testament, readers could only to speculate what this might actually mean. But by the time of the New Testament, it is realized that from the seed of a woman (Mary) came the victor Jesus Christ who would defeat Satan. In the garden, Satan bit the heal by leading God's beloved creations astray. But, on the cross, the final defeat came to Satan and sin. Q: How did Adam and Eve, then Noah and his family populate the Earth when it was just their families? Did God create more people than mentioned in the Bible? (posted on 1/13/2010 4:11:19 PM) A: The Bible says that Adam had other sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4). Adam lived 930 years and had plenty of time to have plenty of children. Cain could have married one of his many sisters, or even a niece. In any case, a brother would have married a sister. Keep in mind that there was no command in Cain's day not to marry a close relative. This command came thousands of years later in Moses's day (Leviticus 18). Q: Were all the fish destroyed too when the floods came? I was unclear about this. (posted on 1/13/2010 4:10:20 PM) A: As far as we are aware, the scriptures do not seem to include any reference to sea life being completely destroyed. Genesis 7:22 gives a reference to, "everything on dry land that had the breathe of life in its nostrils died." Genesis 7:23 describes, "...animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth." Q: I follow your sermons on the internet - I live in New Albany, IN. I would like to know is "The Story" a book that you are using or what Bible version are you using? I really want to follow along; but I am a bit confused. (posted on 1/13/2010 4:09:25 PM) A: We are so glad to have you join us. "The Story" is a book that you can purchase online or at your nearest Bible Bookstore. It is published by Zondervan. Although The Story doesn't include the entire Bible, it is a powerful way to invite people to read God's Word together. The following is written on the back of the book: "God has gone to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people. That is what The Story is all about ---- the story of the Bible, God's great love affair with humanity. Condensed into 31 accessible chapters, The Story sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events arranged chronologically from Genesis to Revelation. Using the clear, accurate, and easy to understand text of Today's New International Version, it allows the stories, poems, and teachings of the Bible to read like a novel. And like any good story, The Story is filled with intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption." Q: How many generations were between Adam and Eve and Noah and his family? (posted on 1/13/2010 4:07:46 PM) A: Great question and the answer can be found in Genesis 5. Here we see the account of Adam's descendents down to Noah, including their ages. There is a total of 10 generations, including Adam and Noah. Here is the listing of those men: Adam (lived 930 years) Seth (lived 912 years) Enosh (lived 905 years) Kenan (lived 910 years) Mahalalel (lived 895 years) Jared (lived 962 years) Enoch (was taken away by God) Methuselah (lived 969 years) Lamech (lived 777 years) Noah (lived 950 years) Q: If God is all knowing and all powerful why didn't He stop Satan (the serpent) from tempting Adam and Eve? Does this mean that God worked collaboratively with the devil prior to the The Garden of Eden? (posted on 1/13/2010 4:06:55 PM) A: God provided Adam and Eve with very clear instructions and boundaries for living in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:16-17, God says, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." So in this sense, he does protect and prepare Adam and Eve for the upcoming temptation that they will face. The true dilemma here has to do with providing man a free will to choose of his own volition, or controlling the outcome by divine force. God determined to create man with the capacity to choose...to choose to love God or not love God, to obey God or to disobey God. For God, the risk of man choosing to disobey was of greater value than creating man with a predetermined, robotic response mechanism. In other words, it would have been impossible for Adam and Eve to be freewill beings AND for God to control/prevent them from facing any temptation. What we know of the devil is that he was originally a powerful angel, one of God's creations. But in his pride he wanted to dethrone God. So God cast him down from heaven to the earth where he was given liberty, but also within some boundaries. So, Satan (his angel name was Lucifer) originally was an angel-servant in heaven, but we have no evidence that God and the fallen angel Satan worked collaboratively after Satan's fall. Q: If Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel then how did Cain procreate from there (since no daughters or other women are listed)? (posted on 1/13/2010 3:55:59 PM) A: It was quite common in Biblical genealogies for women not to be listed. This is true in multiple examples of genealogies that we see in Scripture. God gave Adam and his family the imperative to be fruitful and multiply, so we can deduce from this that females born from Eve were a part of the procreative process that propagated the human race. Granted, it's weird to think of that way (Cain and his sister(s)) having a family, but this is the reasonable explanation for how the human race multiplied from Cain forward. Q: How do you account for someone living 900+'s years? (posted on 1/13/2010 3:54:25 PM) A: Prior to the flood, humans had very long life spans, and after the flood we see those life spans become shorter and shorter in duration. In Genesis 7:11, the flood rains are described this way, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month- on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." So the flood was caused by 2 sources: 1) the springs within the earth, and 2) by the floodgates of heaven opening up. Prior to the flood, the entire earth was encased in a water canopy of sorts, a mist around the earth. There is reference to this in Genesis 1:6-7 where God says, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse (seas) from the water above it." The phrase "water above it" refers to the water canopy that encased the earth. This water canopy protected life on earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, and also affected the oxygen pressure of the earth. When that water canopy collapsed as it did during the flood, it changed the environment of the earth permanently. We became more exposed to solar radiation and all of its by-products, which have shorted the life expectancy of humans. With the water canopy in place, studies have shown that such protection could have allowed humans to live up to 1,000 years of age. Q: In what language did God speak to Adam and Eve? (posted on 1/13/2010 3:28:56 PM) A: Needless to say, there are varying opinions on this question. However, there are generally 2 widely-accepted schools of thought on the original language. The first suggests an original language referred to as "Adamic", which is the language identified as the language used by God Himself to address Adam, or it was the language that Adam developed as he named the animals, etc. We know that God had verbal communication with both Adam and Eve in an original language. Whether Adam was created having this language "built-in" or whether he developed it as he began to speak, we do not know. The other school of thought says that Adam spoke Hebrew, since he gives Eve the name "Isha" or "Chava", both of which only make sense in the original Hebrew language. I think it is reasonable to believe that Adam was created with the capacity to understand the God-spoken language that the Lord instructs him in (Genesis 2:16-17), and thus the language was a divine language of God. This language is the one referred to as Adamic. |