One of the issues I have with any organized religion is the way the rules governing the religion are passed on. Typically, this is through some sort of book, The Bible, The Quran, Battlefield Earth for example. The problems with these books, as I see it, are two fold. Firstly, they are written by third parties, not directly by the deity. Secondly, and inexplicably, they are directly tied to the time and place they were originally written. In some cases this means talking about animals and tasks that were around at the time, in others it’s raging sexism or homophobia. Either way this results in proponents of the religion interpreting certain aspects in their own way. A way which tends to suit their already established beliefs. And they can do this because of the inherent ambiguity of language. This essentially gives practitioners an “out”, and allows them to selectively believe parts of their holy book. Compounding this is the fact that many of these books have been translated multiple times between numerous languages.
So when reading this short list of quotes taken from The Bible, remember that many Christians choose not to follow these statements, because that would be ridiculous. They did choose to believe that a man can walk on water, and an invisible entity created everything in seven days.
For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.
Exodus 35:2
If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.
Exodus 21:20-21
For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
Leviticus 20:9
When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you. But if it makes no peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. And when the Lord your God gives it into your hand, you shall put all its males to the sword, but the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you. Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here. But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded.
Deuteronomy 20:10-17
I’m an “all or nothing” sort of guy so I find it hard to understand the stance that Christians take on the numerous contradictions and inaccuracies in the bible. If you were to ever read The Bible, it becomes blatantly obvious that it was written by people of the time who had no divine guidance. The simple scientific mistakes, which very much reflect the thoughts of the people at the time, really back this up.
Source: Scary Bible Quotes
We need more of these great quotes.
James, I’ve posted a new set of Bible quotes. You can find them here:
More Bible Quotes to Live your Life by. Enjoy.
Apart from your sneery style, you make a good point. Either all the Bible is the inspired word of God or it isn’t, in which case the extra bits should be snipped out, or it plainly admitted that the whole thing is a phoney.
Historically both solutions have been held by some believers (for example those who thought the entire Old Testament should be replaced by the New Testament).
You are absolutely right, however, that all the books without exception are “written by third parties” (unlike the Qu’ran which devout Muslims believe was dictated to Mohammed directly). For this very reason you are also right that “they are directly tied to the time and place they were originally written.” However it does not follow that they can just be interpreted in any way at all. The inspiration of the Bible by God in a traditional Christian view is neither dictation, nor the same type of inspiration, say, that led Tolkein to develop his whole landscape of Middle Earth. Rather, God is the true author, in that his basic message is faithfully transmitted, but also the writer (or writers) are the true author, in that they express things in their own language and in their own culture. That is always the way God deals with anyone: as they are – there is no other way, in fact.
Thus we need to be able to separate out specific questions “of the day” and those things that are meant to be universal truths. This is not normally as difficult as you make out. When you live in a nomadic tribe the rules of conduct will differ from when you have established a city. God patiently changes customs and ways of thinking as he teaches his people. We are too impatient with God. Fortunately he is not so with us. All the quotations you bring are from the very earliest books of the Bible and need to be understood in that context of a people still living as nomads. The rules you isolate are in every case, actually civilising curbs on the culture of the day. Note, for example, that at least some protection is now given to a slave. That was not the case in surrounding cultures. It would take some centuries before slavery was first further restricted, then the slaves respected (eg read the letter of Paul to Philemon) and finally slavery outlawed. The passage to an understanding of the inherent human dignity of every person (and thus the immorality of slavery) is a long one. But it would not be fair to ask a Christian, for example, why those who work on the Sabbath should be “put to death”. Indeed if you recall these very questions were asked and answered in the most complete way by Christ himself in the New Testament.
PS as an addendum to my last comment, I would suggest this analogy: it is not fair to complain that doctors did not sterilise their equipment before the discovery of bacteria causing unnecessary disease and death. We should look sympathetically and kindly on those who did what best they could under the circumstances even though we now know better. The Old Testament, especially the first few books should be read with much more empathy than you do. It contains some wonderful stories. The first three chapters of Genesis, for example, are surely unsurpassed even in purely literary terms.
You atheists are soo funny. all of these quotes are from the old testiment. we christians don’t follow anything from the old testiment except the 10 commandments. in the new testiment slaves are unexceptable. through jesus all things are made new as it is written in the bible. Let me translate that for you the old testiment doesn’t apply.
So, just to be clear adam, you don’t believe the entire Bible, just half of it. Well, not quite half, but part of the first half. Can i ask you why? Why do you, personally, only choose to believe the ten commandments and then the New Testament? Why is that so believable, but the other bits not? Surely it’s either all God’s word, or not God’s word at all? After all, there are plenty of people out there who believe in the entire Bible, so are they more Christian than you? Do you just choose to believe in the bits your comfortable with? And let’s be honest, the New Testament isn’t exactly lacking in morally questionable acts by self-professed good people.
And I’m serious about my question. I’d really like to know why you personally only choose to believe in certain parts of the book you supposedly hold as being holy, and ignore other bits. It doesn’t make sense to me.
There are two covenants, the new and the old, you must do you research. In the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
I hope you continue your research to prove the Bible faulty, there are many atheists who have attempted this and now are firm believers in the faith.
ok i dont agree with everything adams saying im a christian (little one like christ) or i try to be as best i can but i would love you to reply to mr J . baker up there 😉
Absolutely Adam!! Way to go, I was going to leave this exact same comment lol. Besides, isn’t it a little out of character for an “athiest” to be quoting the bible in the first place. Read the bible… stop trying to analyse it, you’ll get more out of it that way. All I can say is, you will see. Jesus is coming and I personally believe he’s coming fast. Get ready, because where are you going to be if your analogies are wrong??? The bible also says that it’s better to believe and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong…
also, stating that the old testament no longer applies does not imply that we do not believe it was true. we do. the reason the laws of the old testament no longer apply is because God sent Jesus to suffer the burden of our sins and pay the price for those sins by his death. it by His blood that we are saved. Everything that Jesus endured on that cross was meant for us. All of the pain and suffering that amazing soul experienced on this earth was meant for us… he beared it so that we would not have to. He gave us a way to be saved from that suffering and that is by confessing your belief in Him and accepting Him into your heart. Once Jesus came and died for our sins, He declared that He was making all things new again, hence the new testament. So we as Christians no longer follow the laws of the old testament (the laws of Moses) we follow the laws and commandments of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. However, the old testament is simply historic teachings that we all should learn. It’s simply the laws of the old testament no longer apply because Jesus came and changed the laws. That is what Adam meant. He never said that we didn’t believe in the old testament. You can’t believe in the new testament if you don’t believe in the old, that makes no sense.
Ok. For Mr J. Baker. There is a major difference between
doctors going through a learning curve with regards to bacteria and
sterilization and The Almighty. Isn’t he supposed to be omniscient?
So your comparison lacks merit. If God truly is going through a
learning process with us, then he isn’t all that mighty. Next point
I would like to bring up is the separation of Old Testament from
New Testament. If I will through a few verses at you. 1 Corinthians
13 which lists the characteristics of what love is. “Love is
patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ” Next is
John 4:16 “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in
God, and God in him.” So we have a list of qualities about love.
Kind, patient, slow to anger, keeps no record of wrongs (doesn’t
hold a grudge), does not seek for itself (not jealous), etc…. We
also have a new testament quote that God is Love. Oddly enough from
the same book of the Bible that said God is love we also learn in
John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;whoever
does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
remains on him.” Pay particular attention to the end there. “but
the wrath of God remains on him.” Isn’t that keeping a record of
wrongs? Isn’t that failure to forgive? Doesn’t that contradict the
definition of love as set forth by the Bible? How about Romans
12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath
of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says
the Lord.'” Does seeking revenge sound like a quality of love from
anything Corinthians had to say about it? Now lets add in the Old
Testament quotes. Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the LORD your God is a
consuming fire, a jealous God.” Jealousy is yet again a direct
contradiction of the Bibles own definition of what love, and
therefore by extension thanks to the book of John, the definition
of what God is? Old Testament or New, the Bible is still riddled
with contradictions even when trying to explain the central
character. If the Bible is God’s own word, then how was God so
inept at even explaining himself? Why would he condone slavery at
ANY point in the Old Testament and decide later that it was wrong.
He certainly had no problem condemning other behaviors of the time
that he thought were unacceptable on threat of death. So Why not
that one? The whole argument that he adapted with the people
doesn’t stand to theological reason. It’s all simply a flawed set
of random rules made up by the leaders of the time to suit their
needs at that time.
you atheists don’t believe in god due to ignorancy. Go forth and worship your racist theorys of science. theories are unproven and always will be. there is no way to prove theorys are truth. all truth is born from fact. and you cannot prove that these theorys are real because they are not fact.
We atheists are not ignorant by any means. We reach conclusions based on observation and experimentation.
Also you say ‘ theories are unproven and always will be’. The Oxford Elgish Dictionary defines a theory as:
” A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or cause of something known or observed”
Theories can be proved! The pythagorean theorem is a fine example of this.
In my opinion, taking information soley from one source and rejecting all other sources of information, that is ignorance!
If you would spend more time getting to know him as opposed to trying to prove he does not exsist, I cannot begin to tell you how dramatically your life would change for the better. I cannot describe for you the feeling of accepting Jesus into your heart, but I do encourage you to try it. You may not believe in Him, but He believes in you and He has not given up on you and it is not to late to repent and live your life pursuing your purpose!! God has a promise for your life right now, and you are just throwing it away.
How do you “get to know” someone (in this case god) that which does not have the ability to reply in a matter which makes logical sense? I mean sure, you can talk to god all day if you want to, but he’s never going to talk back and say “Oh yeah, my favorite color is green, and i like pizza.” It’s like getting to know a lamp shade, you can talk to it all day and convince yourself that it is someway acknowledging your faith in it spiritually by “loving you”.
dear atheist, jesus christ died so we don’t have to follow the ways of the old covenent (Old testiment) between man and God. the old testiment consisted of animal sacrifices to cover up for sin. Also slavery was ok in the old testiment. As it says in matthew. through jesus christ all things are made new. in the new testiment jesus speaks of love not killing someone because they don’t follow christian ways. in the old testiment it was commonly practiced to kill somebody if they did evil things. i understand when you atheists think that a beast coming out of water with 10 horns and heads is a little silly. but 2000 years ago prophets couldnt describe a lot of what they seen because they live in the past not the future. if you atheists don’t understand the bible then ask a pastor and he will explain it to you. it is written in the bible that a lot of the prophecies will not make sence until the prophecies are closer to being fullfilled. throughout my life before i got saved a year and a half ago. i was a very evil person. i did numerous hate crimes against blacks. i spent my childhood in lockup. when i became saved my hatred and anger all went away overnight. this right here is one of the main reasons why 88 percent of the world is religeous. athiests believe in racist theorys of science. darwin stated blacks were less evolved that whites. we got black people who are smarter than whites can run faster and are stronger. i honestly think darwin was a drug addict. theorys are not proven fact. religeon predicts the future while science predicts weather only part of the time correctly. mr atheist i respect your views and opinons in not believing in christ. but stop and think about the current world right now and what a shit hole its in and compare it to these bible prophecies in the link. the bible prophecies are not vague by no means. some of the prophcies have been being fullfilled very quickly as of the last 100 years. i would rather have my soul believe in something that wasn’t there and die and not got to hell rather than not believing in god and going to hell. this prophecy is not vaugue my friend. it even is stated in the bible in daniel 12 that in the end times man’s knowledge will increase and he will run to and fro.
i am telling you my little atheist friend. when i pray to god i feel him i don’t see him or nothing but i feel him in my heart. you atheist people wouldn’t understand what i am saying because you don’t know jesus christ. in the bible it talks about a bird which does not need rest (airplanes) flying over isreal to make war with them. and in revelations it speaks of symobolism of helicopters locusts which do not harm plants but only people and these locusts (helicopter) take orders from the antichrist. i have read the bible four times from front to back i have memorized much of the verses. i have studied it while i was in jail and that is when i becamed saved.i was once a very bad person i have done 13 hate crimes in my life. i have gotton tattoos to show my hate. but all of my hate went away over night when i was 17 and i commited my life to christ. i know god is real just as much as i know this computer in front of me is real. and i will show you what i mean tommorow i will send the information to you. but it is time for me to go to bed. right now america is on the verge of war with multiple nations including iraq which in the bible iraq is known as persia and it says in the bible in the end times assyria or persia will go towar with isreal and lose.
all i ask my friend is that you read this page with an open heart and mind and compare it to current day events.http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/prophecy.htm
here are just some of the few prophecies that have come true in the last hundred years. in the bible it even speaks of you athiests. it doesn’t actually say atheists it says unbelievers. and it says the will hate christians and persecute them in the end of days along with the entire world. it is also written in the bible in the end times many people will turn against jesus and try to claim he doesn’t exist that is now happening at an alarming rate. Satan uses the media and science to divert people from the faith but what they don’t realize is in the bible in numerous passages it talks about mans technolgy greatly increasing in the end times specifically. over the last 50 years mans technology has increased more than it has over the last 20,000 years.
For God to be God, He must know all things. That’s obvious. That includes everything that has happened, is happening, and most incredibly, what will happen in the future. The God of the Bible says this about Himself – Isaiah 46:9-10 ‘I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ So not only does the God of the Bible know all things, but He has chosen to make known to us, through the Bible, what is still to come! In fact, even more than that, the God of the Bible CHALLENGES any so-called ‘gods’ to do the same!!! Isaiah 41:21-23 �Present your case,� says the LORD. �Set forth your arguments,� says Jacob�s King. �Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods.’ Jehovah, the God of the Bible issues this challenge because He knows that there are no other Gods. He alone is God, and therefore, it stands to reason, that He alone is the only one who could accurately and consistently declare the end from the beginning! In view of this, it should not surprise us to learn that there are no detailed prophecies in the Koran (Islam’s holy book), the Hindu Vedas, the book of Mormon, or the sayings of Buddha. The reason being that it is impossible to consistently and accurately predict specific future events unless you are God! Yet 30% of the entire Bible is devoted to prophecy of what is to come! So let’s examine some of the different prophecies contained in the Bible. This will be split up into the following categories: prophecies of the Messiah, prophecies concerning Israel, and prophecies concerning the conditions in the last days. o prophecy foretold the coming of Buddha, Confucius or Muhammad. Yet there are hundreds concerning Jesus Christ, the Messiah. All of these prophecies were fulfilled in the life and death or Jesus Christ. Please also remember that all of the Old Testament prophecies (in red) were spoken, and recorded, hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth. Keep in mind these prophecies have been written many years before jesus christ.
prophecies concerning jesus christ.
1. Be Born in Bethlehem OT Prophecy: Micah 5:2 ‘But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old.’ NT Fulfillment: Matt 2:1 ‘After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea…’
2. Preceded by a messenger OT Prophecy: Isaiah 40:3 ‘The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 3:1-2 ‘In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
3. Enter Jerusalem on a colt OT Prophecy: Zech 9:9 ‘Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King comes to you… humble riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ NT Fulfillment Luke 19:35 ‘They bought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and they put Jesus on it.’
4. Be Betrayed by a friend OT Prophecy: Psalm 41:9 ‘Yes, my own friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 26:47-50 ‘And while he spoke, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords… Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whosoever I shall kiss, that same is he; hold him fast… and Jesus said unto him, ‘Friend, why have you come?’
5. Have his hands and feet pierced OT Prophecy: Psalm 22:16 ‘The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and my feet.’ NT Fulfillment Luke 23:33 ‘And when they came to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.’
6. Be wounded and whipped by his enemies OT Prophecy: Isaiah 53:5 ‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 27:26 ‘Then they released Barabbas unto them and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.’
7. Be sold for thirty pieces of silver OT Prophecy: Zech 11:12 ‘And I said to him, If you think it is good in your sight, give me my wages… So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for my price.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 26:15 ‘What will you give me if I deliver him unto you? And they agreed with him for thirty pieces of silver.’
8. Be spit upon and beaten OT Prophecy: Isaiah 50:6 ‘I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked out my hair: I did not hide my face from the shame and spitting.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and hit him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands
9. The betrayal money thrown in the temple and used for a potters field OT Prophecy: Zech 11:13 ‘And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter that magnificent price at which I was valued by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 27:5-7 ‘And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple… And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.’ This is a remarkable prophecy for it is God who says ‘Cast it to the potter that magnificent (sarcasm!) price at which they valued me…’ How could man put a price on God? It doesn’t make sense until God Himself, Jesus Christ, came to earth and was valued and betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver!
10. Cast lots for Jesus’ clothing OT Prophecy: Psalm 22:18 ‘They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.’ NT Fulfillment Matt 27:35 ‘And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.’ Statisticians have calculated that for all of the above prophecies to be fulfilled in one person it is a combined probability of One chance in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000! And this is limiting ourselves to just these 10 prophecies! Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messianic prophecies, and now we have seen that His life and death did accurately fulfill these prophecies made hundreds of years before.
prophecies concerning the nation of isreal
By far, the greatest number of prophecies in the Bible concern the nation of Israel. In fact, many have said that if you want to know what time it is on God’s clock, then look at the nation of Israel, for she shall be the center of attention in the fulfillment of Bible prophecies in these last days. Today we live in an age when the entire focus of the world is upon a tiny strip of land in the Middle East called Israel. So lets have a look at what Bible prophecy says about this nation.
1. Disobedience would lead to the nation of Israel being scattered amongst all nations. Deut 28:64 ‘Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.’ See also Lev 26:33, Jer 9:16, Ezek 12:15. In all, 6 different books of the Bible predict the scattering of Israel amongst all the nations of the earth. History records this being fulfilled in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Empire and the remaining Jews were scattered amongst the nations.
2. No rest for their souls while in exile amongst the nations Deut 28:65-66 Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. For nearly 2000 years following the destruction in 70AD, the ‘wandering Jew’ has lived without a homeland, subject to the strongest racial prejudice and torment suffered by any people group. From the day they were scattered to the day Hitler devised his ‘final solution to the Jewish problem’, this prophecy spoken by Moses has sadly been fulfilled.
3. God himself would restore the Jews to the land of Israel from all the nations Jer 16:14-16 However, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when men will no longer say, �As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,� but they will say, �As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.� For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers. In all, 13 books of the Bible speak of the nation of Israel being restored in their land from the nations in which they were scattered. This prophecy became history in 1948 when the United Nations granted a homeland to the Jewish people and the nation of Israel was reborn! See also Jer 3:14, 31:8-9, Isa 60:8-9, Deut 30:3, Amos 9:15.
4. The desolate land of Israel would again blossom and be fruitful in the last days. Zech 7:14 I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate. History records that while the Jewish people were exiled amongst many nations, the land of Israel was a barren desert. See also Lev 26:14, Ezek 15:8, Jer 9:12-13, 23:10, 44:22, Isa 32:13 Isa 27:6 In the days to come, Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill the world with fruit. This is exactly the case today! Not only has God bought the Jewish people back into their land like He said He would in the last days, but He has also blessed the land so that they now export flowers and fruit around the world! Satellite photos show the green pastures of the nation of Israel, in sharp contrast with the surrounding desert lands of the Arab nations. See also Isa 35:1, Ezek 36:35.
5. God Himself would defend Israel and cause Israel to be mighty in battle Zech 12:8 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. Taken in context, this verse speaks about God defending Israel in a battle to come in the last days. Have we not seen this miraculously occur several times since Israel became a nation again in 1948. They have been greatly outnumbered in key Arab-Israeli wars in 1948, 1967, and 1973. Yet Israel exists! God has seen to that!
6. In the last days, Jerusalem would be a burden to the entire world. Zech 12:2-3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about… And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces. Turn on your TV and watch the news. What nation and what city would you most likely expect to see? Israel and Jerusalem! Today, Jerusalem is a burden that causes trembling for all the nations just as God foretold. What makes this prophecy even more remarkable is that when the prophet Zechariah spoke these words around 520BC, Jerusalem lay in ruins. But God said it would become the focus of the world’s attention! Today, Israel has 0.01% of the worlds population, yet 33% of the United Nations resolutions have been passed concerning her!
7. In the end, all nations shall come against Israel. Zech 14:2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Apart from the USA, Israel has few allies. In a recent conference on racism in South Africa, the Israeli and United States delegates were forced to walk out as the other participating nations vented their anger towards Israel and tried to declare it a racist state. One day, the Bible predicts, she will have no allies, and all nations shall be gathered against her. The TV news will show you that we are on the road towards that battle. But if the odds seem a little uneven, please read the next prophecy that the Bible predicts…
8. God Himself, Jesus Christ, will return and fight for Israel against the attacking nations. Zech 14:3-4 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You may have heard of this battle to come. It’s called the battle of Armageddon because of the location where the nations assemble themselves before attacking. The book of Revelation puts it like this… Rev 16:14-16 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty… Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Revelation also prophecies the return of Jesus Christ on this day saying… Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.
9. The nation of Israel will finally recognize that Jesus was their Messiah, whom they crucified! Zech 12:9-10 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. What a day that will be! Even though the Bible predicted that the Messiah would die, and have His feet and hands pierced, the nation of Israel has, for the last 2000 years, hardened their heart and not believed that Jesus was their Messiah. At the time of the end, they will again look to the one whom they pierced and oh how great the mourning and sadness will be on that day for what they did! Yet Jesus will pour out His grace upon Israel!
10. God will judge the nations depending upon their treatment of the Jewish people. Joel 1:1-2 In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. Today we live in an age where we hear all the time about a ‘Middle-East peace process’. It essentially comes down to ‘Israel give up more of your land and we won’t send as many suicide bombers into your cities…’ It seems everyone wants a slice of Jerusalem for themselves. For this, and the world’s repeated and continual abysmal treatment of the Jewish people, the judgment of God will come. These prophecies are not vague like Nostradamus or modern day ‘so-called’ psychics. They are detailed and specific in their application. Time and space does not permit us to go into the many other prophecies concerning the nation of Israel. Yet such things as a false peace, the rebuilding of the third Jewish temple, and a coming great persecution of the Jewish people under a world leader have all been prophesied. It will all take place because God has said it. While there are many key signs to look out for to recognize the end of the age, several are repeated consistently by Jesus Himself, and writers of the New Testament.
prophecies concerning the end age
While there are many key signs to look out for to recognize the end of the age, several are repeated consistently by Jesus Himself, and writers of the New Testament.
1. An increase in natural disasters and wars and rumors of wars Matt 24:3-7 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. �Tell us,� they said, �when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?� Jesus answered: ‘…You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. That our generation has seen a marked increase in famines and earthquakes has been thoroughly documented. The word ‘nation’ in this passage can also be translated ‘ethnic group’. Again, even within nations there has been a great increase in the unrest between races. See also Revelation chapter 6. right now america is in war or on the verge of war with numerous nations, iraq, taliban,afganistan,,northkorea,iran, and palestine.
2. Rise in false religious leaders and those claiming to be Christ. Matt 24:4-5 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, �I am the Christ,� and will deceive many. Again, out generation has seen a flood of guru’s and so-called Christ’s invade our culture as the west has opened itself up to Hinduism in the form of the New Age. Obama is a prime example of this he claims to be a christian yet says muslims are no less gods people. If obama picked up a bible he would know jesus said I am the light I am the way nobody receives the father except by me. Obama claims to be a christian but yet supports gay marriages and abortion. Atheism and Obama are definilty false religeous leaders.
3. A falling away from the true faith in Jesus Christ. Matt 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.2 Thes 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy (a falling away from the faith) comes first. It is sad to see, but our generation has seen a great move away from Biblical Christianity, in favor of ecumenicalism and unity with all faiths. This is setting the scene for the one world religion which will occur in the last days. Now days we have atheists who use there ideals of unbelief to do evil things, such as killing babies supporting gays and being massively hypocritical. The athiest worship there science and claim christianitly is wrong yet science evolution and big bang the dinosaurs extinction is all theorys. A theory is based on hypothesis not fact. Also the athiest’s theory of evolution’s idea came from charles darwin a man who stated blacks are less evolved then whites.
4. Knowledge and Travel will be greatly increased. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. This increase in knowledge is occurring now at an exponential rate. We now play God with the very genes and DNA that make us human. Surely Jesus will have to return soon, for where will this lead if left in the hands of a fallen creation? We also have vehicles and airplanes which enable us to run (travel to and fro)
5. Increase in wickedness and a decrease in morals. Matt 24: 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Matt 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Luke 17:28-30 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot… Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. The days of Noah were known for their wickedness (Gen 6:5). The days of Lot, living in Sodom and Gomorrah were known for the homosexuality that occurred. (Gen 19) We see both increasing today with parades to openly display and flaunt their wickedness. Now days we have the massive porn industry. Women killing there children. Gay marriages being legalized anyman would be blind to not take these prophecies as truth.
6. General condition of the heart of men. 2 Tim 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Men will love themselves, money, and pleasure, but not God! – In our age, self-esteem and loving yourself is in… boasting and pride is promoted! Family life is breaking down as people are becoming more disobedient towards parents, unthankful, unloving, and unforgiving.
7. The emergence of a world leader. Rev 13:3-8 The whole world was astonished and followed the beast (the Antichrist, who will rule the world)… and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast�all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. Listen to the world leaders today as they speak of the ‘New World Order’. See the unification that is occurring within Europe and other nations. Even non-Christians can see that we are heading for a one world government. This is what the Bible predicted nearly 2000 years ago. This government will be given into the hands of the most wicked man this world has ever known.
8. The mark of the beast! Rev 13:16,17 He (the antichrist) also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. What was an absurd impossibility 2000 years ago, is rapidly becoming reality today. Does anyone really doubt that this is where we are going with today’s technology? We already place microchips in our cats and dogs to give them a unique identifier. If we are to have a one world government, then what better way to control the people than to control all finance and trade? It is a clear sign of the age in which we live that we now have the technology to control finance in this way. We started by showing the challenge that the God of the Bible issues for all other ‘gods’ – that is, to accurately predict the things which will take place in the future. And they can’t! No other religion would dare to base it’s validity on the basis of repeated and accurate predictions. Yet the Bible is full of prophecy from the first book to the last! If you are looking for proof of God or the Bible, here it is! All the prophecies that I have mentioned above have either already taken place, or are heading in that direction in our age. It can only be explained by this – that the God of the Bible is the true God and He has given enough evidence for those who truly want to find the truth!
Im a muslim, and I liked what you wrote except for the parts about give us your land or we will send more suicide bombers, and about Obama saying muslims are good people nevertheless which proves he’s a liar.
I couldn’t read the rest
I respect the your religion and your beliefs. I respect that you think that Israel/Palestine is the jews land
but let me ask you something, would jesus christ PBWH like it that you throw people (like you and me) who were sitting in their living room one day, paying their bills, saving up for college, Mind you Not Terrorists which is against islam because islam CLEARLY says Killing the SELF is haram, and the killing of an innocent(muslim or not) is the same as killing all of humanity in its magnitude, out of their homes and being told sorry your not jewish so bye bye. in this modern day how is this acceptable, why cant they live together? I cant even begin to answer that quote about Obamas credibility because he said we are good. dont you see he wants Peace? and his good word is working? forget polls, what muslims really want is respect for their identity and peace.
The muslims dont know how to react to the isrealis, obviously they cant fight back but they are passionate people and will fight even if it gets them killed.
What I read alot of zionists say is that muslims are savages and what do they need this little peace of land for? they have all of the middle east? we are not one nation. do you excpect its inhabitians, the palastinians, to say oh sure let me just pack my bags and leave my country, anyways they cant cause israel wont let them.
these people are not a statistics they are individuals.
if one man is killed do we do nothing and say he is only one man and the world is billions.
thats is how you look at palastinians.
I am an egyptian and I live with christians, also the egyptian history is filled with jews.
We live in peace because we see each other everyday, understand each and everyones belif, boundries and go by it.
I mean If I had a christian friend who was drinking, I would say nothing and she would not offer. But most americans and europeans want to segregate yourselves from us, abominate us, wish we didnt exist. but dont you see thats the root of the problem? no understanding.
please dont take my words as muslims are saints and christians and isreals and americans arent, thats not the point thats not what I mean.
Its just how could you be in a religion all about love and forgivness and hate muslims and want to abominate them. You must base your opinion on something rather than tv, Visit Egypt for instance see the people, you will not see hate. blind hate is the result of ignorance, and ignorance indeed exists on both parties.
one last thing I live in Cairo, the capital of egypt. and I am terrified at the thought that israel wants from the furat to the nile as its homeland. which is where I live. this upsets me and I am like those palastinians in the end. just a savage who lives in a tent, and doesnt go to school, wheres a burka, father is a wife beater, and when we speak we go lalalalala. you forget that arabs created algebra, toothbrushes, deodrants, first to have womens rights and others. but our nations have fallen corrupt due to too many reasons that I dont have time to post.
we are all going to die anyway, so why dont we just be nice to each other and make the world nice for the short time we’re here?
I really like what you’ve said here. It makes a lot of sense and technically speaking is a good idea. The idea of peace sounds great, but it’s just not realistic. The bible speaks of wars and rumors of war during the end of times so we know that the idea of peace will be simply that… an idea. You are very right in what you say however. You should not be judged based on your religion or even your appearance. Not all Muslims believe the same as the “radicals” that were responsible for 9/11 and I as an individual know that. However, I as an American can still feel the sting of that day. It’s not fair that the Muslim nation is being persecuted for what they did, I completely agree, but it’s just not that simple for a group of individuals to view it that way. Have you ever heard the expression “A person can be smart, but a crowd is stupid?” It’s kind of the same principal here. While I don’t agree with many of the Americans that would like to see the entire middle east just blown off of the map, I can understand why that mentality exists. I’m not saying I condone it or that it’s even justifiable. As Christians we should forgive those who have harmed or wronged us. I’m just saying I understand why that mentality is still instilled in Americans. All I can suggest for you to do is offer up prayers with the rest of us that all nations may be healed of this type of racism and that God protects His people.
an mr. athiest i am 21 years old born in 1987 and i know what the bible speaks of. if you would just take time to read it and if you don’t understand it then ask a pastor to help you. i am telling you on everything i love i know god is real more than i know this computer is real. you atheist spend your time trying to hate on christians and tell them why there beliefs are wrong. but you atheists don’t realize this but you are only fullfilling christian prophecies when you do that.
Mate i like your conviction i am a christian i try to act like christ as best i can as a human i just have to say try not to come off to spitefull and make sure your not argue ing to win but to be understood and not for anyone but god the first christians comment on this page was almost flawless and fact because he knows what matters i believe god bless brother
Hebrews 11:1
faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see
Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see…
I seriously hope theres unicorns out there – and i sure as hell cant see them…
virtually EVERY religion has people say that they KNOW what they believe in is real – because they just have a feeling so strong that theyre certain. it seems obvious that this feeling is simply one caused by religion, instead of the particular god you happen to believe in. (particularly caused by indoctrination from an early age.)
“you atheists don’t believe in god due to ignorancy. Go forth and worship your racist theorys of science. theories are unproven and always will be. there is no way to prove theorys are truth. all truth is born from fact. and you cannot prove that these theorys are real because they are not fact.”
Racist theories! And were ignorant? That is seriously pathetic. Yea – the heliocentric “theory” that the earth revolves around the sun – it cant be proven – but its pretty bloody certain. If you dont believe in that your an IDIOT – yet your disbelief in other theories (im assuming you mean evolution) is equally as retarded.
Living your life through faith/feeling is DANGEROUS. Hitler felt what he did was right…
Grr I would have left my comment in not so angry a tone were I not confronted with “Adams” insulting and disrespectful comment.
Hope the world can sort itself out eventually.
Goodbye,
Owen.
“virtually EVERY religion has people say that they KNOW what they believe in is real – because they just have a feeling so strong that theyre certain. it seems obvious that this feeling is simply one caused by religion, instead of the particular god you happen to believe in. (particularly caused by indoctrination from an early age.)”
Then prove us wrong!! Get to know God on a spiritual level. Talk to God. Let Him talk to you (yes He does in fact talk back. Prayer is a conversation not a wish list!!) Develop a relationship with Him… a TRUE relationship with Him. Read His word and accpet that it IS His word. Educate yourself in Him. (Reading the Bible as you have does not qualify as education. It’s rebellion, not even close to the same thing.) Change the way your mind views God. Ask Jesus to come into your heart (and mean it with your whole heart. don’t just say the words to be saying the words)… You may need to ask Jesus into your heart first before you can do the things I listed above. You may need the Holy Spirit to burn inside of you to burn out the demonic nonsense before you are able to see God for who He really is… then update us on how you feel. You are so determined to prove to us that what we say and believe is wrong… here’s your chance to put your THEORY to the test!! What do you have to lose?? Better question still is… what do you have to gain!!
In reply to Shannon’s statement regarding the proof of God’s existence through gut feeling “Then prove us wrong!! Get to know God on a spiritual level. ”
If the only proof of existence you require is the fact that you can’t prove something DOESN’T exist, then do you believe in fairies, zombies, vampires, werewolves, the tooth-fairy, the three little pigs, or any other made up story? You certainly can’t DIS-prove them. Does that mean that they are absolutely real? If it does not for these obviously made up supernatural mystical beings, why should it for yours then? As a child I knew the tooth-fairy was real. Not only did I have a gut feeling, but I could see physical evidence! Now as an adult I know this is not the case. Through the scientific approach of testing a hypothesis to see if it stands to reason and experimentation, I discovered that it was all make believe. I can’t disprove the Tooth-fairy but I can prove to a certain level of improbability that she is not real. Why, then, can this approach not be taken for all supernatural entities that can’t be disproved?
It is irrational, and in any other situation apart from religion, considered mentally disturbed if you govern your life, change your speech, modify your actions, and hold an emotional attachment to invisible supernatural entities from another plane of existence. If someone came to you and said that they heard “Klutons from the Zandar Dimension” who came to them in a dream and told them to spread the good news, we would think they were crazy. Or suppose they just had a gut feeling that these spirits from another world wanted them to quit their job, sell the house and relocate their family to a third world nation and spread the gospel of the Klutons. Would we be having such a huge debate about their firm belief in what they felt was right. They had an emotionally enlightening experience when they accepted the wisdom of the Klutons. Why, then, should the exact same claim be treated any differently when someone uses the exact same defense but substitutes “Klutons from the Zandar Dimension” with Angels from Heaven, or the voice of God?
Emotional response does not count as proof of existence. I have had emotional responses to literary characters before. That does not make them anymore real in their fictitious story than any other character from any other book.
So it is fairly plain to see that lack of evidence does not constitute proof, neither does a firm belief, or an emotional response. In the overwhelming majority of the time when people make such claims we treat them as insane. It’s only in the realm of religion such a claim as “you can’t prove it ISN’T real”, “a feeling in my heart”, or the “I just know” argument is entertained as possible.
I never said anything about a “gut feeling”. It’s so much more than that and it’s something that no one can describe to you, it’s something you have to experience for yourself. If you would actually surrender your life and your heart to Christ, you would know exactly what that feeling is and you would deny Him no longer. The bible says it’s better to believe and be wrong than to deny Him and be wrong. Again, there is no punishment if I am wrong about His exsistance… I love the God I serve, I’m not ashamed of the God I serve… He is the reason I exist and I will do what I can to try to inform people of his glorious wonder. Take a look around at this world. With all of the chaos and anarchy you can still find pieces of God everywhere you look. Things don’t happen by chance, everything happens for a reason and to God be the glory for all of the blessings he pours out to us (even those who don’t believe). He believes in you even though you don’t believe in him and He’s just waiting for you to realize it. You keep saying that nothing I’ve said proves that he exists… well, nothing you’ve said proves that He doesn’t. He’s real and even if you have to find out the hard way, one day every tongue will confess and ever knee shall bow… He is God… He is real… and He is coming!!!
Sir, I hope that with God’s help that this will be clear.
“Firstly, they are written by third parties, not directly by the deity.”
It’s just God uses humans to hold the pen for Him. After all, God personally written the Ten Commandments and still, none can/will keep it. God already performed miracles at that time and still many people still doubt Him and His authority. So no matter if He does anything to prove Himself, if we keep denying Him, there’s no use.
“Either way this results in proponents of the religion interpreting certain aspects in their own way”
This is why you need to read and understand the whole Bible. It’s a sad thing that many false witness tend to get this portion and ignore the other just for the profit. That’s why you need to look at it as a whole. Read alot of different translations and if possible, look for the cultural setting. Maybe you’ll find it similar to here.
Example the deuteronomy 20:10-17… you need to to follow through verse 18
“… Otherwise, they they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshipping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 20:18
Does this thing happened already in America? The way we have alot of religions and gods?
Not that I mean to wage war to every non-believing nation, but this only confirms on how God have a zero tolerance for sin.
His standard is way up high that none can reach it.
And those who fall short will be punishable to death.
Be glad that we are still walking here and chatting with each other. And be glad that instead of us dying, Jesus died for us. The only thing we need to do is to believe in Him and follow Him. Those guys in the Old testament didn’t get to know Christ.
And last thing. Yes, Christians can still stone people BUT under in one condition.
“If anyone of you is WITHOUT SIN, let him be the first to throw the stone.”
John 8:7b
It’s not because stoning is ridiculous to this culture but if a Christian stone a sinner then the Christian must be stoned too because he/she is also a sinner. In fact, all of us are.
“It’s not because stoning is ridiculous to this culture but if a Christian stone a sinner then the Christian must be stoned too because he/she is also a sinner. In fact, all of us are.”
Lets hope no Christain throws a stone then – that could end UGLY.
In the end, all that matters is that we respect each other, no matter what our religion. Being extremist about anything is not very healthy, wheteher its extremism in atheism or in religion. Who cares whether there is life after death? There is life before death. Who cares whether there is a God? There is inherent goodness within humanity. You people shouldn’t get cross with each other for having your own beliefs. You shouldn’t try to force your beliefs down others throats either(unless its a belief that racism is wrong or something). Just be happy to know that you are able to express your beliefs, but don’t do it in a way that is overly offensive or rigid.
I agree with you that we shouldn’t disrespect each other, that is very important and foundational in Christianity, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But i wouldn’t say that it doesn’t matter whether or not God exists because if God does exist and if He has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ then it is imperatively important how we live our lives. The same goes for Atheism, if God doesn’t exist then it does matter and we will form our worldview by that standard.
I don’t get it……Why haven’t anyone made the connections that the Bible is a form of philosophical teaching?…..
Golden rule of Jesus Christ “Do unto others….”
hMmmmmmMMMmmm…oh yeah..where have I seen this before? Confucius taught it…hmm…so did Socrates….hhmmm…..And these were born before him….hmmmmmm….
And that’s just ONE…….
The person with the Muslim background cited that “islam CLEARLY says Killing the SELF is haram, and the killing of an innocent(muslim or not) is the same as killing all of humanity in its magnitude”……..isn’t that also found IN THE BIBLE!?
Regarding the connection between Confucius, Socrates, and Jesus Christ, they ALL SPOKE OF GOD!!! Which confirms that God is infact the “Alpha and the Omega.”…..”God made us in his likeness” Satan came from God……
I took up the bible faithfully and willingly. Result? Well, in order to follow all the teachings of Jesus Christ, one will HAVE TO either knowingly/unknowingly COMMIT ONE OF THE SINS – SIN OF PRIDE – Because you HAVE TO MAKE IT KNOWN THAT WHATEVER GOOD IS DONE IS DONE SO IN THE NAME OF GOD. No, there’s nothing wrong with that. But it also says that anything done with true love does not ask for anything in return. But becuz your sins are already forgiven…………………….
Anyone with a basic knowledge of Mathematics can see that it just goes around and around and around in a circle…just like that of the Buddhist faith. But because every culture’s religion claims that their god is jealous and is the ONLY ONE, they ACTUALLY FORGET TO TEACH THE TRUE MESSAGE THAT IS IN THOSE TEACHINGS!1!!! LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER!! WTH IS WRONG with this picture!?
Tell me I’m wrong…….BUT…realize that in doing so, YOU are placing a judgement on me which according to the scriptures, it is not your job to do so. Furthermore, to get “angry” with what I have said, you would be committing the sin of Wrath…which…u are not supposed to….But…because your sins are forgiven, or that with Jesus Christ, all things are made new.
Really…it’s that simple. The forces of Good and Evil can be found on our number scale:
-1, 0, 1 and depending on which side of the spectrum u stand on, either end is good or evil. Thank you for reading.
I’m a noobie – well written 🙂 I enjoyed It a LOT 🙂 thanks for posting 🙂
Joel you too lol
Izzy – I thanks you for trying to moderate, but really one of the major problems facing to world today is Fundamental Theists. THATS generally our problem.
If believers in god did not act on their belief there would be no problem – but when you get terrorist bombers crashing into towers, you know something needs to be done – you can’;t just let them have their religion.
Thanks,
Owen.
Hi, Owen,
Thanks for your post. I agree with you regarding fundamentalism in general. But don’t you think many of the New Atheists (including Atheist) share many of these characteristics?
Glad you agree 🙂
Can you define fundamental atheist for me? – can you give an example? Would you class Dawkins (if you know him – I don’t know where your from) as one?
Thanks,
Owen.
I find this discussion fascinating, and the fact that both theists and (presumably) atheists are responding intriguging.
So here goes.
Adam Jacobsen writes:
“If you would just take time to read it and if you don’t understand it then ask a pastor to help you.”
That’s the problem: I have read the Bible numerous times and I do understand it. I don’t need a pastor to interpret it for me — indeed, if people actually READ the Bible and didn’t rely on the word of others, we’d have far fewer theists upon the planet.
My question for you is: have YOU actually read the Bible?
If so, I find your comment intriguing that: “Jesus Christ died so we don’t have to follow the ways of the old covenent (Old testament) between man and God.”
The Bible itself disagrees. Matthew 5:18 say “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (KJV)
I’d like an explanation here because clearly this is a command from Jesus upholding the teachings of the Old Testament.
It also triggers a more basic problem: If the Old Testament isn’t valid, as you claim, why is it included with the New Testament at all? What purpose does it serve?
Since there are clearly some theists on here who want to speak of God’s truth as revealed through the Bible, then let me ask some important questions.
Who wrote the books of what we refer to as the New Testament and when were they written? And don’t tell me “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,” because clearly that’s not the case. And, please, don’t tell me they were written by God either. Because God would look pretty foolish, thinking the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds (Mark 4:30-2)
If the answer is, as I suspect it will be, that it was written by humans who made mistakes and is only the “inspired” word of God, couldn’t God have inspired a better book? And if there are many errors in the book, can we trust what we read within as proof of God’s love. What if it was a mistake? What if we aren’t supposed to turn the other cheek? And what about the various translations and additions by later authors?
As for citing prophecy, doing that is a tricky thing. It’s easy for us to look back at ancient texts and scream “Eureka! He predicted the airplane.” Of course we have no way of knowing that’s what they were referring to — prophecy is often vague. People love to interpret the teachings of Nostradamus and outline how his predictions have come true — of course, when it doesn’t come true, they adjust and re-interpret the prophecy. It’s carte-blanche for any hare-brained scheme someome can dream up.
Adam once again
“The athiest worship there science and claim christianitly is wrong yet science evolution and big bang the dinosaurs extinction is all theorys. A theory is based on hypothesis not fact. Also the athiest’s theory of evolution’s idea came from charles darwin a man who stated blacks are less evolved then whites.”
Atheism, by definition, is the lack of belief — so claiming we worship science is ignorant.
Evolution and the Big Bang are both theories — yes, but they are based on testable, verifiable information. If they are proven to be wrong with other testable, verifiable information, then they will be discarded or changed. Claiming that God created the world in seven days and that humans used to ride dinosaurs is not something you can prove at all — and should be given even less credibility (and don’t claim the Bible as proof… it isn’t…). On that note, Isaac Newton’s Theory of Gravitation (ie. Gravity) is also a theory. Do you dispute that gravity exists?
And your latter claim that Origin of Species advocates a theory of racism… have you read the book in question? Are you even familliar with the concept of evolution outside of what your preacher has told you?
Again, your arguments lack weight and conviction — maybe you should do some reading of your own before advocating mindless theories and attacking others.
As for the comment by Ivan Tullao,
“After all, God personally written the Ten Commandments and still, none can/will keep it. God already performed miracles at that time and still many people still doubt Him and His authority.”
How do you know this information? Please don’t tell me “the Bible tells me so,” because that’s not a right answer. I mean what evidence do you have that God personally did so. As for the miracles, which ones are you referring to? Where’s your proof? How do you know these are miracles and not the misunderstanding of disease and mental illness?
Izzy, I agree for the most part with your statement — Even though I think religious people are wrong, I can rest with that assumption and take no issue with someone’s spiritual practices. Therefore, I can respect their views. That’s not the case for a true believer. If you really, truly, believe that those in who believe in Christ are heaven-bound and those who don’t will be doomed to hell for eternity, how can you possibly “respect” contrary views? Tolerate is more like it, but don’t claim you respect religion — because you don’t.
As for the claim of “fundamentalist atheism,” the entire phrase is a contradiction. How can you be fundamental when you lack believe in something. Does that mean I’m a fundamental a-Santa-ist (one who lacks believe in Santa)? I can here in the question the charge of “is Atheism a religion?” The answer to that question is, of course, no — you can’t base a system of belief upon lacking belief in said object in the first place.
The only thing I can state unequivocably is that I believe there is no God. If I’m proven wrong with evidence, I’ll gladly change my position.
To theists who post here, are you willing to do the same?
This is the second time I’ve tried to write this. I have all of this stuff I want to respond with, but God is telling me that the only thing I have to say right now to make my case is this…
Let me encourage you to pick up your Bible and read it… only I want you to focus only on hell. Read about hell and research hell and get a good idea of what it may (or in your case may not) be like. Get the idea that it is fake out of your mind and really use some imagination (I know you have some somewhere) and really think of what it’s like.
Now, you are so determined to prove to yourself that we are wrong and that there is no God. Here’s some more research for you. Find for me a punishment of ANY kind for believing in God and then finding out that I am wrong about it. Don’t worry… I’ll wait………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Not there is it?? THERE IS NO PUNISHMENT FOR BELIEVING IN GOD ONLY TO FIND OUT YOU WERE WRONG IN THE END… Now look up the punishment for yourself should your THEORY be wrong… compare it with the notes you took on hell…
Which one of us is better off being wrong?
To all above comments. Please excuse my grammar. English in not my first language.
Dear all,
I believe God is only One, owner of earth, sky and universe, and loves each of us without discrimination. We as humans are being trained since many centuries for the beggining of a new world. A better world.
The end of the world is approaching. The purpose of human kind is to faight evil. evil is not a person, but a weakness and confusion that causes discord among us. We are all going to witness the truth when the time comes. And for those who knows of the Word of God, should not fear when catastrophes happen. That means everything is happening as He predicted and His promise of the new perfect world of love will come to us.
Those who believed in Christ will be resurrected with a glorious body just like He was, after being judged accordingly. It is normal to be scared and being skeptial about “non-normal” things. But what most humans are not aware of is that there is an existace after death. A better or worse existace. As far as I’m aware of, there is a better existance for those who believed in Christ and LOVE each others fraternally, those with compassion and those who reconized their own errors and convert into good persons, those who did good deeds on earth and those who died without taking their own lifes. I’m pretty sure each of us will be judged by God and will be saved according to each own religion and I hope we all get saved. It’s very difficult for me to explain what I witnessed. You have to experiece it yourself.
*Here is how:
-Go to a quiet place where nobody can see you or hear you. Make sure there is no noise around that may disturb your concentration.(Works better if you do it before going to bed after fasting all day, just water only when you really need it. No sex)
-Clear your mind, reconized that you are not perfect but that you wish to have Him in your heart (need to mean it)and want to please his eyes. Remember God is Love.
-Begin you sentence as follows:(with deep concentration)
Our Father,
who art in Heaven,
hallowed by Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
-Than, Ask Him with humility to help you to understand Him and guide you. He will teach you with patient. He loves you.
God bless us, the world and have mercy on us.
Kyle – thanks for posting – I agree with pretty much everything that you said.
I think mostly theists use the term fundamental atheism when talking about someone who attacks christianity – am I correct?
Anon… I don’t know what to say to you other than been there done that… Hate to say it but it simply DOESN’T work. Good effort though.
“Works better if you do it before going to bed after fasting all day, just water only when you really need it. No sex.”
Really unnecessary? Most Christians would agree with me on that too. Why not sex? Oh yea god is the ultimate cockblock I forgot 🙂
Adios 🙂
ALL of you should read a book called “the case for faith”
It pretty much answers all of the questions I came across on here. It was written by an atheist. By the time he finished the book, he was a christian.
Forgive them Lord…For they know not what they do…Amen
I can’t argue as eloquently as many of the postings here…but in my case I was raised as a christian and then asked if I wanted to be “saved” when I was around 10. My thoughts were basically “why not? The alternative is eternal suffering, so why not hedge my bet?”. As I got older, I became a skeptic, since I saw no evidence that god exists. As stated by other posters, once I have proof, I’ll change my position…until then, nah.
note to anonymous: are those who commit suicide automatically committed to Hell? That seems unfair to me, unless of course you’re a suicide bomber. Is that mentioned in religious scripture?
Jeff – I applaud your scepticism 🙂
To all,
After reading adam’s comments,I have never been so angry. I find his language to be highly offensive, and I consider myself a Christian. There is no call for using language such as “you people… you little atheists…” etc. How demeaning and belittling is that?? Although atheists, agnostics, and people of other thoughts and religions don’t have the same beliefs as you, they are still people. By belittling other people with that kind of language, ignorance, and terrible proclamations, you are essentially saying you are better than them… and isn’t that kind of prideful thought against the Bible? So-called “Christians” who yell at people and use hateful, hurtful words in order to “bring salvation” are very contradictory and are hypocrites. Jesus preached love and acceptance, not hate. He loved and hung out with sinners, and tried to save their souls through love and friendship- not by rebuking them. I applaud your sincerity, but not your judgment and your means of communicating your beliefs. I apologize to all those he offended.
I, personally, used to be agnostic and have gone through a spiritual journey in order to discover spiritual truth. I now believe in God, but I do not believe in religion. God is an entity outside of time, space, matter, and physical energy who created the universe. Religion, however, is purely man-made. Rituals and traditions do not save you, and they do not help you. Only God can do that. I have seen him work in my life, completely change me an made me a better person, as well as many of my friends and relatives. I can see him working and moving in people. However, I know for many of you, statements of faith and feeling and explanations of how God has changed lives are not enough to change your mind and beliefs. Therefore, as somebody had suggested earlier, if you are sincerely interested in the scientific, mathematical, and philosophical evidence that supports the existence of the Christian God, I highly recommend Lee Strobel’s “The Case for Faith.” There are many other great books and resources providing similar information.
Thanks!
How can you say that religion is man made? Jesus himself had church and the Bible (God’s word) encourages us to go to church). Now that being said I think some of the political aspects can be more of man rather than God, but that’s when you pray for God to lead you to the church you are meant to be at. He will. Trust me. I’ve avoided church most of my life but he led me to the church that I am at now. When I first started going I wasn’t even going there for a religious experience… I was receiving counceling in my marriage and then one night we stayed after a session for bible study and so began my walk with God. Church is a vital tool in spritiual growth if you are going for the right reasons. If you are currently not attending, I’d like to encourage you now to begin to pray about it. Listen to what God has to say to you and move where he leads you. If you trust Him, you know he already knows the way so follow him. God bless.
I personally think the bible is a good thing to an extent.
I am an Atheist and I believe that there is some good in the bible.
I also agree with the atheists in this conversation it is just a
book written by man. Historically the bible has changed through
translation. I believe not everything came out perfectly throughout
time as some religious people say. And honestly is it a huge deal
if someone else believes you or not? I feel that the bible teaches
many good lessons. At one point I considered myself an “Atheist for
Jesus†I don’t believe in God, however a lot of the teachings that
are in the bible can still be applied. There are good life lessons
in the bible which if you follow some of its teachings, you will be
a better person. There may or may not be an afterlife but kindness
shouldn’t matter when it comes to others. I was raised to believe
in God and I did for a long time. I was schooled in a religious
private school, and I learned that many people, who are religious,
can be just as insensitive as people who do not believe in a higher
being. People need to try to avoid forcing their beliefs on others
and or mock the other spectrum. Also if you buy a text book for
chemistry, and have to use it for a class, many times the teacher
will skip parts… does that mean everything is wrong in the book
because some may be irrelevant to that class?
First understand that my views are based on interpretations and understanding of teachings and that I am not GOD, what I say may not be entirely or completely true but is my understanding. Research for yourself before accepting anything I say as fact.
Brandi~
If there is no “God” why are you so offended? I mean, if there truly is no “God” as you claim to believe, then truly, there is no good, or bad, right or wrong, we simply, are. In fact this is the view of many of the most popular non believers.
With out right or wrong, good or bad, there is only the strong and the weak, the powerful and the powerless. This would lead to a very slippery slope.
Using this logic, I’d like to paint an image of a world with out a “God”, with out right, or wrong, good, or bad. Please forgive me for the extreme scenerio I am about to project.
If I am walking down the street and I see a female (or male for women) that I find attractive, and she is walking with a male (or female). Why not murder her, take the female (or male), willing or not, to be my own?
Of course there are laws that would make this not a smart thing to attempt, but on a moral level there is nothing wrong with this, because there is no right or wrong, good or bad with out “God”.
Not to mention that many laws wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the idea that there is good, bad, right, and wrong. In fact if these ideas didn’t exist laws would be more likely to enslave us, and limit us from having any rights or freedom because we would surely use our freedom to secure wealth and power, and anything else we desired.
I know this seems like an extreme POV, how ever if you truly believe that we are simply evolved animals, that live in a world that was randomly generated by a universe that randomly created itself, why not?
I know that if I truly believed that there was no “God”, no right, wrong, good or bad, and no purpose to life outside of the value we placed on ourselves and those we cared about, I would do just about anything to rain supreme.
Some might argue that this is the very reason religion exists is to limit this type of thinking, but I would argue that I am still a free thinker, with free will, and if I chose these things over “God” I could easily achieve wealth and power and anything I desired with little to no care of what it took to get it. Luckily, for the rest of the world I do believe in “God”.
The fact that right and wrong, good and bad exist proves there is a God. One might argue that right and wrong, good and bad are simply learned beliefs, however I would strongly disagree, and point out that even when I find a way to justify my wrongs, I am still aware that it is wrong. And even when I’m conflicted in doing right, I feel very good about it later on. How much I let this effect my mood, and how long I hold on to the feeling that I have committed a wrong or right may vary, but it undeniably exists with in all of us.
The fact is we are right and wrong, good and bad, from birth. And although we can learn rights and wrongs, goods and “bads”, we ultimately can identify both with in ourselves instantly.
This ability to identify “truth”, both right and wrong, good and bad, is another “proof” that God exists, and that we were created in his image. This is the “Gut feeling” people speak about, this is “God” with in us, as “God” is apart of everything, including each and every individual. However the bible states many times that God will flee from you, or will not stay in you, depending on the type of person you are and/or the acts you commit.
Note, multiple times I have stated something as “fact”, yet I have not backed it up with any “proof”. That is because those who can identify “truth” will, those who will debate, won’t. This is also apart of bible teachings, that the bible, which essentially is the word of “God”, which essentially is “God”, is meant for some to understand, and others will harden their hearts not to believe, and try to dispute and try to disprove.
I will go over all that I can recall off hand, then I will list the bible quotes I can find to verify. If I don’t find a quote or forget to reference everything I state, look it up yourself, simply search the things I’ve stated and you will come across the quotes in a very short time period. I will also add a few quotes I found along the way I thought were worth adding, and/or were relevant.
There is a clear line drawn between believers and non believers. However, and not in contradiction to the preceding, we are to teach the non believers.
There is 2 sides to every coin, that is not to say that heads and tails contradict one another, they are 2 sides of the same coin. We are to surround ourselves by believers, and not to surround ourselves by, or accept non believers. We are also to treat everyone as if they are “Christ” as they may very well be, he is in all of us who accept him.
You must understand that the bible is filled with these “riddles”, not “contradictions”. As I stated, 2 sides of the same coin. At first glance these can seem to directly contradict one another, but under going further research you will find they are 2 sides of the same coin.
“Jesus” came to save those who were non believers. And stated something along the lines of what good would it do for me to come to preach to the true believers?
Also it states that you should correct someone when they are wrong, this is not passing judgement, and is done out of love. It is also along the same lines it tells you to discipline your child with a rod, as his wounds will heal, and he will be a better person because of it.
Some might argue that it is wrong to hit a child in any way, yet the word of God explains how this can be the right thing to do, and how ultimately your child will be better for it. I can testify to the side of not being disciplined, and how disrespectful I was as a child. I have also had many friends who had fathers who would back hand them if they got out of line, and how much they respected their father for doing so, and even at as a teenager were able to identify how it made them better and how they would raise their kids the same way.
Many of you pointed out that there is multiple translations / transliterations of the text and this is true. If you notice, along with key terms, I put in parentheses “God” and “Jesus”. That is because these are transliterations. Many times the name GOD or LORD appears in all capitals, it was originally the NAME of “God”, Yâ-hwéh(Yah-way) or possibly Yahuweh (Yah-hoo-way) and the true name of “Jesus” is actually Yâhuwshúa` (Yah-hoo-sha-wa).
“And there is deliverance in no other one, for neither is there another name that has been given by the heavens among men by which we must be delivered!â€
This alone has changed the meaning of many things, although the direct transliterations are problematic, it is important to atleast know the sound, or how to say each name. As Yahweh and Yahuwshua have specific meanings, and multiple quotes point out the importance of these names, as well as the fact that nothing should be added or taken away from the original text. I won’t dig too deep in to this topic but I thought it was an important issue worth mentioning to believers, because of the number of “Jesus / Christ” quotes / references.
The name was transliterated through Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and both primitive and current forms of English, in fact the letter “J” did not exists before the 1600’s. It is important for true believers to seek to true translation of the text and a word can be translated to “of” when in fact it should be “in” and even something as simple as this can change the entire meaning of a quote.
For the most part, the meanings and overall message is there, so I am in no way trying to discredit anyone or their belief, I am essentially a “Christian” who has recently come to understand that truly I am a “Yahuwshua-ian”? And that I have been calling the SON the wrong name, and also the importance of understanding his true name.
Another important fact, and I will use terms you know, as to know confuse, but please take in to account my previous statements about the names. “Jesus” is “GOD”. This is proven both literally, and through cross reference. One such instance: In scripture, “the Word of Yâ-hwéh (God)” is found used completely interchangeably with “Yâ-hwéh (God”), meaning the “Word of Yâ-hwéh (God)” definitely IS “Yâ-hwéh (God)”, and since Yâhuwshúa` (Jesus) is the “Word of Yâ-hwéh (God)”, Yâhuwshúa` (Jesus) is Yâ-hwéh (God).
Again there are 2 sides to this coin because it states that “Jesus” is at the right hand of the throne of God, but the important issue I am addressing here for believers is to understand that HE is GOD, and not to get confused as to think he is separate or different than GOD. This is a confusing topic for myself as well, but through research I have discovered the importance of understanding this.
John 1:1-51 ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. …
Also important to understand that light is measurable, darkness is simply the absence of light. Think about what that means for a true understanding of what it is to be a believer or a non believer.
2 John 1:9-11 ESV
Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
Another message I wanted to give was in reply to those who stated things like “It’s better to believe and be wrong than not believe and be wrong”. Although this is true, the bible also states, and I quote.
Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Lawlessness can also be translated inequity. Basically meaning that you shouldn’t believe, for the reward of eternal life or heaven. It is a good selling point for a non believer, to get them to read and understand the bible, but as a believer, it is not something you should live by. There is many other verses which explain that “God’s” will is for us to live in his likeness, for OUR sake, not his. That we are better off doing the will of God, and living in the “light” as opposed to living in “darkness”. I believe this is important to understand as a believer, and not to get confused as to believe that you are saved based on your works. Again, 2 sides of the same coin.
John 14:12 ESV
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
It is very easy, and common to confuse these meanings, and/or see them in direct contradiction to one another, when that is simply not the case.
Romans 1:19 ESV
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Psalm 14:1 ESV
To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.†They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.
James 1:22-25 ESV
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
2 Corinthians 6:14 ESV
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
For those who wish to criticize the following is not a direct contradiction to the preceding.
1 Corinthians 7:13-14 ESV
If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
I had some trouble coming upon the exact verses of when “Jesus” says he comes to preach to non believers, and I’m sure I missed a few others. Hopefully, and I pray, that I was still a vessel of “God’s” will, that my words might pierce through your hearts and plant seeds that might grow, if not today, later in life.
Thank you for reading, and thank you ahead of time for any replies, corrections, or criticism you might have for my analysis.
i would like to express appreciation to your question. i found it very interesting researching it and the verses in question. i do hope that these responses can help in the understanding behind them. i used two different commentaries to find information on them. they are contrasting commentaries, so you can catch a glimpse at what is being interpreted here.
Exodus 21: 20-21
Interpreter’s Bible:
• The laws governing the corporal injuring of slaves show the effect of resting on two irreconcilable postulates i.e., that the slave is a human being, and that he is another man’s property. If a master strikes a slave so that the latter dies under his hand, he must be punished for destroying a human life, probably by paying a fine. If, however, the slave survives a day or two and then dies, there is no punishment. The loss of property by death is equal to the fine fit the crime.
o Ancient severity and gradual humaneness
 In respect of striking there was a great difference between the status of the freeman and the slave. But in vss. 20-21 and 26-27 must be read with the understand that they were mitigations of the more primitives customs which gave the master absolute power of life and death over his slaves. They probably went as far as public opinion at that time would stand; more merciful laws would not have been obeyed, as they would have been thought to undermine the master’s power too radically. The rod was believed in those times to be necessary to enforce discipline and obedience. (prov. 10:13; 13:24) if the slave dies as he is being flogged the master must be punished, but not by death, as no master could deliberately plan to destroy his own property; in fact if the slave did not die in the flogging but survived for a day or so, then the loss of the slave was deemed sufficient punishment for the master. If bodily injury resulted, the loss of an eye or tooth, then the principle of tit for tat (vvs. 23-25) did not apply as he was only a slave; but instead, the slave should receive his freedom. (vvs. 26-27) These laws were more humane than even those of Hammurabi.
New International Version: The New American Commentary
• A somewhat analogous situation must then be considered because a righteous might ask, on the basis of the previous verses, “Can I not, then, use corporal punishment (“a rod being the paradigm word for any corporal punishment from slapping to caning) to discipline my servants, or my children for that matter?†without the present law this question could arise even though the situation of corporal punishment is not specifically a matter of fighting arising from an argument. This law does not doubt the legitimate right of an employer to punish a servant physically. But it addresses the question of how far any physical punishment could go by using the example of a “slave†— whether male or female — who was beaten, presumably for some sort of serious wrongdoing. (e.g. stealing from his employer, but cp. Lev. 6:2-4 ) what thee employer could not do was beat the servant so severely as to cause permanent injury or death, both for such eventualities are clearly forbidden by this law.
• If the servant died, it was murder. If the servant lost just a day or two at work, however, the owner was not obligated to do what the previous law required, that is, compensate the servant for time lost from work or for medical cost because “he is his money†(NIV “the slave is his propertyâ€). There was, in other words, no point in asking the servant’s boss to compensate himself for the loss of his own servant’s labor. If the servant had been to severely punished, however, so that the servant took more than a couple of days to recover completely or was permanently injured, some combination of the terms, of the prior law (vv. 18-19) and the law in vv. 26-27 would be used to make sure the employer did not get off without penalty.
Exodus 35: 2
Interpreter’s Bible:
• The Sabbath law as here stated ignores the rich account of its source and meaning provided by P in 31:12-17. In its provision that on six days shall work be done it seems to concentrate on the work of the tabernacle, the announcement of which the brief statement of the law serves to introduce. Galling accentuates this particular reference by emending the Hebrew text in vs. 3 to read, “for all the work you have planned you shall kindle no fire… on the Sabbath day,†making the fires refer to those needed for the work in metals (Beer, Exodus, p. 164).
o Note: 35:1 – 39:43. These are almost exact repetitions of previous chapters with changes of person and tense.
New International Version: The New American Commentary
• the prohibition against working on the Sabbath day and the death penalty attached to its violation are reiterations of what has already been commanded in 20:8-11 (which like the Ten Words/Commandments has no expressed death penalty clause) and (31: 14-15). The wording here has some variations that allow for summation of what was stated earlier (e.g. the wording “ Sabbath of rest to the Lord†which combines the concepts of “Sabbath to the Lord†from 20:10 and “rested on the seventh day†from 20:11 and “Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord from 31:15)
Leviticus 20:9
Interpreter’s Bible
• 9. His blood is upon him, i.e., the man who kills him shall be guiltless of his blood. Albert Clamer thinks that incest may be intended here.
New International Version: The New American Commentary
• CURSING PARENTS (20:9). 20:9 in every one of these offenses the central issue is proper conduct within the family unit. It is not surprising that the legislation begins with the role of one’s relationship to his parents. Anyone who would curse (see Exod. 21:17) either of his parents was to be put to death.
o Note: the Heb. word “qolell†literally means “to make light of “and is thus the antonym “couver†“to make heavy,†i.e. “to honor†(see 19:4; 24:11, 14, 15, 23). because cursing may have involved magic, what is involved here may be a pagan ritual to make the wording of the curse effective (Harris, Leviticus,612)
o See also Deut. 21:18-21. Normal discipline of an Israelite child would not lead to death (Prov. 19:18). The Hebrew word for “blood†often connotes that a capital crime has been committed and that the death penalty is warranted (Gen 42:22, Num 35:27; Lev. 20:11-13,16, 27; Josh 2:19; Ezek. 3:18; 18:13 [Levine, Leviticus, 137, and Gerstenberger, Leviticus, 294]
Deuteronomy 20: 10 – 17
Interpreter’s Bible
• 10-18. two cases of siege are here described. The first is of a distant city (vss. 10-15). An offer of peace shall be made. If accepted, its inhabitants shall be saved and made subject to the will of Israel. If it is not accepted, the city is to be besieged, all males killed, the women, children, and spoil captured and spared. See 21:10-14 for a law affording a measure of consideration to women captured in this manner. An exception to the law is the special case of Amalek, the reasons for the exception being given in 25: 17-19.
• A second type of siege (vvs. 16-18) is provided for the cities in the land in which Israel is to dwell. (i.e. in Palestine). In this instance every living thing is to be destroyed (and no spoil taken; cf. Josh. 7 for the case of Achan), in order that Israel may not be tempted into idolatry. In vs. 17 the words utterly destroyed translate the Hebrew verb, hrm, a special term used in the institution of holy war. It means that any object or person under the ban of this type of war is invested with a holy taboo and must be utterly consumed as a holocaust to God. The conception is one which a Christian has great difficulty in accepting, though the perplexing thing is that if Israel had been dominated by any less tolerant attitude she would have amalgamated with her pagan neighbors and in so doing lost all that she was to contribute to the world. The ideas behind the conception of the ban cannot be accepted as the Word of God for the modern Christian, but they may well have been so for Israel in the same sense that they must be understood in the light of God’s purpose and what was needed in that day and under those conditions to accomplish it (see Exeg. on 9: 1-6)
New International Version: The New American Commentary
• 20:10 military policy is the subject of vv. 10 -15, specifically that pertaining to war against “distant†cities. In the context this refers to any places outside the parameters of the land the Lord had promised to Israel as an inheritance (cf. v. 16). These peoples were not subject to “herem” but many of them would constitute a threat to Israel from time to time and so had to be preemptively or defensively attacked; in addition, all were hostile to the purposes of God and so were subject to his punitive wrath. Nevertheless the Lord’s policy toward them was merciful and redemptive. If they surrendered to him and submitted to his sovereignty, they could be spared. Such leniency was impossible toward the hopelessly unrepentant Canaanites.
• The first step in undertaking war of this kind was the offer of terms of peace. The formula here, “if you call out to it with respect to peace, “followed by the words “if they rely peace to you†(v. 11), expresses the technical language of making treaty (cf. Judg 21:13). The idea was not that of a simple nonaggression pact in which both parties agreed to live in peace but a demand for capitulation. Only under such terms could the threatened city expect survival. To make peace was therefore tantamount to making a covenant, the kind in which the city under attack placed itself in subservience to the peoples demanding the terms of peace.
• 20:11 all this is clear from the fact stated here that cities that comply do not go free but, rather, are reduced to forced labor (v. 11). the status reflected by the term “lamas†(“to forced laborâ€) occurs elsewhere with reference both to people pressed into civil service by their own governments, especially Israel by Solomon (I Kgs 5:27; 9:15,21; 12:18) and conquered populations (as here; cf. Also Josh 16:10; 17:13; Judg 1:28, 30-35; Isa 31:8; Lam 1:1). The most celebrated case in the Old Testament is that of the Gibeonites who, having deceived Joshua into making a treaty with them, were forced into compulsory labor on Israel’s behalf. The term “mas†does not appear in the narrative (Josh 9:3-27), but it is clear that the Gibeonites were being dealt with as the Deuteronomic legislation here mandated, that is, as “distant†peoples, for that, indeed, was what they professed to be (Josh 9:6).
• 20:12-15 for a “distant†city to reject overtures of peaceful subservience was to invite stern measures of retribution. Such a place was to be placed under siege (v. 12) until the Lord had delivered it over to Israel (v. 13a.) then all the men were to be slain (v. 13b), but the women, children, livestock, and all other assets of the city could be taken as plunder and used in any way deemed appropriate by the victorious Israelites (v. 14).
• This response occupies a medial place between the terms of peace articulated in vv. 10-11 and the harsh demands of “herem†in vv. 16-18. A distant city under such circumstances could not go altogether unpunished for its refusal to capitulate, but inasmuch as there was hope for repentance by the comparatively innocent women and children, they could be spared. The death of the men was not only to induce other cities to a more ready submission to Israel but to prevent future uprising in the city that had just been taken. These drastic measures seem harsh indeed, but one must never forget that the sovereign purposes of God are not up for negotiation. Those who attempt to thwart them lay themselves open to swift and sure retribution.
• 20: 16 the principle of “herem” to which reference has repeatedly been made finds full definition in the next section of the “Manual of War†(vv. 16-18) inasmuch as this principle and its underlying theology have been dealt with before (cf. 7:1-5), it is necessary here only to see how the principle was to be fleshed out in the context of offensive warfare.
• The object of this action was the cities the Lord had promised to Israel as an inheritance (v. 16). The land they had occupied in the distant past been entrusted to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants and was therefore rightfully Israel’s. The Canaanite nations were squatters who had no right to be there and who were to be evicted from it. Moreover they had so irrevocably and implacably set themselves against the lordship of the Lord and were such a moral and spiritual risk to his people Israel that there was no other course of action than to annihilate them, men, women, and children (v. 16) the verb describing this all-consuming destruction of life is the familiar term “haram†almost always in the causative (hiphil) stem “heharim†(cf. Deut 7:2, 16; 12:2, 13: 15).
Works Cited
Buttrick, George Arthur, ed. General Articles on the Bible; General Articles on the Old Testament; Genesis; Exodus. Vol. 1. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1952. Print. The Interpreter’s Bible.
– – -, ed. Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua; Judges; Ruth; Samuel. Vol. 2. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1953. Print. The Interpreter’s Bible.
Merrill, Eugene H., ed. Deuteronomy. Vol. 4. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994. Print. The New American Commentary.
Rooker, Mark F., ed. Leviticus. Vol. 3A. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000. Print. The New American Commentary.
Stuart, Douglas K., ed. Exodus. Vol. 2. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006. Print. The New American Commentary.