Reasons Christians Accept Things Which Transcend Natural Laws
Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
The age old debate between Christians view of creation and that of atheistic naturalists continues and shall do so until the earth no longer supports life. But why is this such a big deal? The big deal is, the Christians' view leaves only one unanswered question, but gives adequate evidence to accept that one by faith. On the other hand, the atheists, evolutionists, naturalists, or whatever name you may refer to them by, has a whole raft of unanswered questions, some of which they can only stutter and slobber about. They will tell you they don't know though and consider that a satisfactory answer to all the other unanswered questions.
This was the general time in history when the Philistines had as a god, a half man, half fish, which had emerged from the Erythraean Sea which they called Dagon. This god was supposed to represent the powers of nature, fertility and reproduction. There are evidences that certain of the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians also worshipped Dagon. The Bible itself tells us of this god:
"When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the temple of Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only the torso of Dagon was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day." - 1 Sam 5:2-5
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The Assyrians were the descendants of Asshur, from whom they derived the name Assyria for their nation and Assyrians for the people. They deified Asshur and worshipped him for many years. The city of Nineveh was founded by Nimrod who is also referred to in the Bible:
"And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Jehovah. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city)." (Genesis 10:8-12: )
Most are familiar with the biblical prophet Jonah, who's mission it was to go preach against Nineveh for their wickedness and idolatrous worship. But the bible also predicts more about Nineveh:
"For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod." (Isaiah 30:31)(Prophecy written in 713 B.C.)
"And He will stretch out His hand against the north, Destroy Assyria, And make Nineveh a desolation, As dry as the wilderness." (Zephaniah 2:13)(prophecy written in 630 B.C.)
Assyria weakened during the 7 th century B.C. And was attacked by the Medes about 625 B.C., and Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C. And "razed to the ground" according to Wikipedia. After the destruction of Nineveh, it lay desolate for centuries.
The foregoing is only one small avenue of evidence, to the thinker, of why the Bible is regarded as true by millions of people. That a man who was brought up in the time of Moses, (1572-1451 B.C.) could write five books of the magnitude of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Could tell a story of a Spirit who spoke a universe into being, described the beginning of all things other than the God who is described as from everlasting to everlasting. Write the accurate history and geography of the time, much of which he had not even seen, that would remain irrefutable for 4500 years. When there were many gods at the time of purely worthless imaginations.
Then, later authors who prophesied accurately from about 18 to 101 years before the fact, of Nineveh's destruction. These things alone are enough to make the bible something to look deeper into, and the deeper one looks the more of such are found. Far and away, too much to be passed over as coincidence. There is no way either of these men could have possibly have written these proven facts, with the education available at the time and the mindset of those of the time, without inspiration which transcends man's own wisdom.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)I agree, Joel. There is just too much there, if one desires to look. Good article.Thank you Lorrie, I appreciate your coments.
Joel, a very profound subject. Thank you for elucidating and sharing your knowledge and thoughts. ~Nenita~Thank you Nenita, I always appreciate your kind remarks.
Thank you for opening up the "owner's manual" with this insightful read. Every jot and tittle is meaningful - your piece was like a day glow pink magic marker underlining the importance and validity. Please keep writing and opening doors and turning on lights! May all who are looking for answers read and think. MarijoWow, thank you Marijo, for the complimentary remarks. I love to read and study the subject of this article, but I find it very difficult to break it down into sections which are meaningful, yet not too long. Books have been writen on this same subject and seemingly, none actually finish the facts.Great start - I am finding myself with 2 totally different topics (one on sexual purity in relationships and the other in spiritists, psychics and witchcraft and "the owner's manual" - which will definitely have various parts to keep them in "chewable" bites. Please pray as I write these? THANKS! Marijo
Sorry, I think the Bible is an interesting anthology of the Jewish history explained by men as best they could without an understanding of the natural universe, or of who tipped over the Dagon statue.You say it leaves one unanswered question, I think it leaves many, many and many. It is easy to lump all mysteries into one big black hole and label it "God" and be done with it, and the hard work of actually seeking knowledge of the natural world is left to the bold-hearts.
A good read, nonetheless.If it means anything, yours and e Raymond Rock's are the only SearchWarp authors worth responding to articles having anything to do with religion.- GHi Gregory, I disagree, it is much easier to say, we just accidentally happened to be here. Thanks for commenting though, I never ask or expect all to agree with me.I beg your pardon!(see my"Christians,jews and psychics" article)Paul SchroederI read your article Paul and it is enlightening. It proves that your understanding of both the Old and New Testaments is virtually nil.One cannot be wrong in one's opinion. It's just an opinion.Joel, you (and I )could make a living from just being wrong so often; I was a rabbinical student for three years, in my twenties, before I saw the light of what pure nonsense The Old Testament was.E.G.Its description of an all loving God 's " eagerness to 'smite', His being vengeful, jealous, angry, and vindictive".I do admit that the five varied versions of the small addendum (New Testament) paint God in a much better light. Christ proposes a gentler, kinder version of God.Contrary to what you believe, as a very devout Jew, I thoroughly studied the Jewish Book of Fairytales just as hard as anyone else could as well as the explications presented in theGomorrah.Now, after all that study I can accept and understand all too well how abjectly silly it all is but, of course, that's only just my educated opinion; just my opinion:Paul SchroederPaul, I don't mean to be hateful, but somehow or another, you got off on the wrong foot in your studies. I can see where you could arrive at such ideas about the scriptures, but with all that study, did you resolve any of the questions of how those ancient people were able to predict the future as accurately as they did? Take Daniel for an instance. He foretold the coming of the kingdoms that would over run Israel and the ones which would replace each other, etc. And all of the other things that prove that the bible cannot be a fairy tale as you like to refer to it. As you know, the subject is much too long to resolve in these comments and responses, etc.And, the addendum you refer to is also foretold quite clearly in those O.T. Books. Read, again, Jeremiah chapter 31, beginning with verse 31, for an example. Try reading them without a being determined of their being false. If they were written ordinary men, how could they have been so coordinated?I'm glad that we can deeply disagree without being deeply disagreeable or 'hateful' as you say.Simply, there is much truth inherent in fictional fairytales that can 'tweaked' to explain loads of future things.As these semi tall tales were relayed from father to son orally for thousands of years before they were written, they were 'fitted' to have seemingly predicted events which unfolded .You won't allow an inch of credence for an Edgar Cayce or a Jean Dixon or even a Nostradamus who very much like the biblical notables that you proffer, predicted future events that history, in retrospect, seemed to align with.It's that simple. It was just likely that Israel would be eventually vanquished.You won't accept any modern psychic of the gifted ilk of Allison Dubois or John Edwards but you are deeply reverent of seeming sooth sayers of Biblical times.I am sure that both of us can continue to disagree without becoming "hateful" as that is biblically counterproductive.The bible, as a book of stories, isstrictlya Jewish one and simply put, Jews like to 'throw the bull'We both know that intimately from you having worked for them and I because I am one .PaulWell, yes, but I admired those bull slingers.I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. ~ Gandhi99% of "Christians" give the 1% a bad name - Joelnow,you're being truthful, funny and loveable,again!(are you the 1% ?) methinks,not!(smile,using the deeper muscles of my face)worse; unlike Christ's "turn the other cheek" and "love thy neighbor",Christians have been evil and violent throughout history E.G. the Crusades,The Spanish Inquisition,and after all,it was Christians who built and managed the death camps in Europe that murdered 6 million Jews with 2 million of those, just children.If Jews had conquered the American West, the American Indians would still be alive and eating in Chinese restaurants!this is one reference about the source of our gifts1 corinthians 12:4-111 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
Enjoyed your interesting and informative article. Thanks for sharing.Linda DThank you for reading and the kind comment, Linda.
Joel, by the way, as I understand it, in the Letters of Paul, the spirit of prophesy is encouraged and made sacred.Hi Paul;Immediately following the establishment of the Lord's church on the first Pentecost after the passover (Acts 2), all of those who were added to the church were given a "gift" of the Holy spirit, some were able to prophesy, some could speak in foreign languages which they had not studied, some could discern false teachings, etc. Prophesying here is used, not as foretelling but being able to declare the message from God. That all stopped after the Apostles were gone, because it was only through the laying on of their hands which would bestow such a gift to the new Christians.Sort of like changing the 'rules' in mid stream, E.G. eating meat on Fridays?Pentacost simply means the Five books of moses and after Passover underlines the total Jewishness of even early Christians,as the Apostles were all Jews;why dost the 'branch' flail at the 'tree'?Eating meat on Fridays was never condemed in the Bible. That was a man-introduction. You didn't read Jeremiah 31:31ff as I asked you.The Jews, methinks don't recognize this as a bonafide "covenant" promise to 'Christians as Ephesians 2:12 describes the condition of Gentile Christians as "strangers from the covenants of promise."The covenants are varied and multifaceted,for JUST the Jews;1. He made a covenant with Noah to never again destroy the earth with a flood -- a promissory covenant (Gen. 9:9-12).2. The promise in Gen. 3:15 was a covenantal promise of God which he renewed from time to time -- a promissory covenant (see 2 Sam. 7:12, 22).3. The covenant God made with Abraham was a promise to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:10-11).Jeremiah 31:31-34 - "Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.The passage is quoted in the New Testament, Heb. 8:8-12. No amount of theological manipulation can make this implied "new" covenant supercede the original covenants ,is my Jewish theological learningPaul! Theological manipulation? Man, the Old Testament prophets foretold this. No manipulation necessary. By the way, thanks for signing onto my fan club. But wait! Does this mean you are going to read all my articles and tear them apart?I shall only say nice things from now on;promise
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