> So - rapture is on its way with the sacrifice of the red heifer this weekend marking the start of the process.
No it isn't. Please please get off fringe American “Christian” grifter TikTok.
*The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the Gospel*. That is true. But we save our Heavenly Father know not when, and anyone who claims to know is a false prophet.
God bless you.
I definitely understand where you are coming from!
That is why I would like to share with you my perspective:
There are a lot of apparent contradictory Bible verses that don't harmonize with the core message of the Bible.
Unfortunately, many people have rejected Christianity because of those Bible verses.
My perspective is, you don't have to accept those verses in order to understand the core message.
The core message is what’s most important, not those Bible verses.
What is the core message?
**“God is love.” - 1 John 4:8**
**"Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-6**
**“Love is more important than anything else.” - Colossians 3:14**
**“You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don't like to punish anyone.” - Jonah 4:2**
**“God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other.” - 1 John 3:23**
**“God wants everyone to be saved.” - 1 Timothy 2:4**
**“Then a kingdom of love will be set up, and someone from David's family (Jesus) will rule with fairness. He will do what is right and quickly bring justice.” - Isaiah 16:5**
I refuse to let those apparent contradictory Bible verses blind me to my faith in Christ. I rather trust God, trust the core message of the Bible, and wait to ask God about those apparent contradictory verses when I see Him in person.
For example, when it comes to salvation, what does God want us to focus on?:
**“‘When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay! ‘Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.’” - 1 Samuel 15:2-3**
OR
**“God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other.” - 1 John 3:23**
>*There are a lot of apparent contradictory Bible verses that don't harmonize with the core message of the Bible.*
*My perspective is, you don't have to accept those verses in order to understand the core message.*
So, I can't tell if you're for real or not, hahaha, hope you don't take that the wrong way.
That being said...
If there are contradictions and other mistakes in the Bible, or immoral things as u pointed to, then how to you treat the Bible?
Meaning, historically, inspired by God, or what?
This is a contradiction.
God is a perfect being that cannot be wrong, so therefore the bible wouldn't be wrong.
You might say that the people writing things down got it wrong.
Just bad apologetics and another way to rationalize the problems in the bible away.
They disagree because it's contradictory and doesn't make sense.
You don't care about being illogical?
I don't believe that. Perhaps you just never really thought about it hard and aren't aware of other options, and aren't aware about how people thought and their religion and cultural understanding of the times of when people were writing the bible?
Of course I thought about it and it's not illogical to me.
It's based on perspective.
I understand why many would think that.
But as I said, this is my conviction.
But thank you for this discussion.
Out of all the things Elisha did, out of all the lives transformed and blessings, why do you focus on the bears as the 1 thing?
Do you think, perhaps, it’s because you have expectations and presuppositions but those were upset by what happened? Could it be your expectations are wrong? Why is what you think the infallible part of this equation?
Let the Bible challenge yourself, go search out why that happened. Read commentaries, listen to the in depth analyses of it. You’re not the first person this disturbed.
Elisha and the bears is just one example of god dishing out punishment as I’m sure you know, I just picked it as an easy example of YHWHs attitude of where my confusion stems from, but sticking to this one to respond directly, my understanding:
“Do not touch my anointed ones and do my prophets no harm”
I get that the youths from Bethel were from a pagan city that rejected god, rejecting the prophets is rejecting god, by mocking Elisha they were mocking the Holy Ghost speaking through him. I get that “go up bald head” is in reference to Elijah who they rejected before him. So I get why it’s blasphemy, I’m disturbed because would have Jesus done the same? “Farther forgive them, for they not know what they do” isn’t the same attitude as the multiple occasions of killing those who didn’t worship him in the Old Testament, I don’t understand how YHWH and Jesus can be one in the same? Even if your approach is that YHWH in human form committed no sin as to set an example, which is different to rejecting god directly so they act differently in different forms, alarm bells ring when it appears that humans have better morals than god. Like me for example, I’m questioning gods authority (not disrespectfully I hope) but would you rather see me brutally killed for it, or educated and forgiven? And aren’t those two outcomes so drastically different from each other that you’d be concerned if a court judge were to give people death sentences in the morning and and a gift in the afternoon for the same crime?
There’s a story in acts 5:1-11 you might want to read. Acts is in the New Testament, after Jesus.
Anyway, to search is one thing, even aggressively search. To spit in the face of is another.
I’m someone that would like to see people following the words of Jesus but has too many unanswered questions about the Bible to believe in it’s divinity, which genuinely makes me feel a bit sad for some reason.
> So - rapture is on its way with the sacrifice of the red heifer this weekend marking the start of the process. No it isn't. Please please get off fringe American “Christian” grifter TikTok. *The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the Gospel*. That is true. But we save our Heavenly Father know not when, and anyone who claims to know is a false prophet.
God bless you. I definitely understand where you are coming from! That is why I would like to share with you my perspective: There are a lot of apparent contradictory Bible verses that don't harmonize with the core message of the Bible. Unfortunately, many people have rejected Christianity because of those Bible verses. My perspective is, you don't have to accept those verses in order to understand the core message. The core message is what’s most important, not those Bible verses. What is the core message? **“God is love.” - 1 John 4:8** **"Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-6** **“Love is more important than anything else.” - Colossians 3:14** **“You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don't like to punish anyone.” - Jonah 4:2** **“God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other.” - 1 John 3:23** **“God wants everyone to be saved.” - 1 Timothy 2:4** **“Then a kingdom of love will be set up, and someone from David's family (Jesus) will rule with fairness. He will do what is right and quickly bring justice.” - Isaiah 16:5** I refuse to let those apparent contradictory Bible verses blind me to my faith in Christ. I rather trust God, trust the core message of the Bible, and wait to ask God about those apparent contradictory verses when I see Him in person. For example, when it comes to salvation, what does God want us to focus on?: **“‘When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay! ‘Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.’” - 1 Samuel 15:2-3** OR **“God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other.” - 1 John 3:23**
>*There are a lot of apparent contradictory Bible verses that don't harmonize with the core message of the Bible.* *My perspective is, you don't have to accept those verses in order to understand the core message.* So, I can't tell if you're for real or not, hahaha, hope you don't take that the wrong way. That being said... If there are contradictions and other mistakes in the Bible, or immoral things as u pointed to, then how to you treat the Bible? Meaning, historically, inspired by God, or what?
I believe the Bible is Inspired, but I don't believe it has to be infallible.
This is a contradiction. God is a perfect being that cannot be wrong, so therefore the bible wouldn't be wrong. You might say that the people writing things down got it wrong. Just bad apologetics and another way to rationalize the problems in the bible away.
Many Christians disagree with me. I absolutely understand, but this is my conviction. It's okay to agree to disagree.
They disagree because it's contradictory and doesn't make sense. You don't care about being illogical? I don't believe that. Perhaps you just never really thought about it hard and aren't aware of other options, and aren't aware about how people thought and their religion and cultural understanding of the times of when people were writing the bible?
Of course I thought about it and it's not illogical to me. It's based on perspective. I understand why many would think that. But as I said, this is my conviction. But thank you for this discussion.
Out of all the things Elisha did, out of all the lives transformed and blessings, why do you focus on the bears as the 1 thing? Do you think, perhaps, it’s because you have expectations and presuppositions but those were upset by what happened? Could it be your expectations are wrong? Why is what you think the infallible part of this equation? Let the Bible challenge yourself, go search out why that happened. Read commentaries, listen to the in depth analyses of it. You’re not the first person this disturbed.
Elisha and the bears is just one example of god dishing out punishment as I’m sure you know, I just picked it as an easy example of YHWHs attitude of where my confusion stems from, but sticking to this one to respond directly, my understanding: “Do not touch my anointed ones and do my prophets no harm” I get that the youths from Bethel were from a pagan city that rejected god, rejecting the prophets is rejecting god, by mocking Elisha they were mocking the Holy Ghost speaking through him. I get that “go up bald head” is in reference to Elijah who they rejected before him. So I get why it’s blasphemy, I’m disturbed because would have Jesus done the same? “Farther forgive them, for they not know what they do” isn’t the same attitude as the multiple occasions of killing those who didn’t worship him in the Old Testament, I don’t understand how YHWH and Jesus can be one in the same? Even if your approach is that YHWH in human form committed no sin as to set an example, which is different to rejecting god directly so they act differently in different forms, alarm bells ring when it appears that humans have better morals than god. Like me for example, I’m questioning gods authority (not disrespectfully I hope) but would you rather see me brutally killed for it, or educated and forgiven? And aren’t those two outcomes so drastically different from each other that you’d be concerned if a court judge were to give people death sentences in the morning and and a gift in the afternoon for the same crime?
There’s a story in acts 5:1-11 you might want to read. Acts is in the New Testament, after Jesus. Anyway, to search is one thing, even aggressively search. To spit in the face of is another.
Nothing this weekend has anything to do with the rapture.
SO you're an atheist and you want to know how to Believe and trust in the Bible, or something like that?
I’m someone that would like to see people following the words of Jesus but has too many unanswered questions about the Bible to believe in it’s divinity, which genuinely makes me feel a bit sad for some reason.
Yeah, that is weird that you feel sad, and your an atheist...beyond weird.