The Blasphemous Blog of Biblical Blunders

Contradiction Friction

2012-01-18T23:49:00.000-06:00

I now present to you one of the biggest contradictions in the bible. We will be looking at II Samuel 24 and I Chronicles 21. These two different verses are speaking about the exact same event, but are suprisingly contrasted.

God Moves David

II Samuel 24:1-15
- (v.1) "Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, 'Go, and number Israel and Judah."

So God gets His anger aroused by a petty mortal once again. He then moves, or forces, David to number the children of Israel, which he accomplishes through verses 2-9.

The interesting thing is that after David had numbered Israel, his heart condemned him, "So David said to the Lord, 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly." (v.10)

First of all, how could David have sinned and acted foolishly if he was just doing what God told him to do? God moved David to number Israel, so why is his heart condemning him for obeying God's command?

Secondly, why did God kill Seventy-thousand men in v.15 simply because David numbered the people? Once again, David only did as God told him to. Why would God send a plague and kill seventy-thousand people because of obedience?

How many innocent people must suffer under such a tyrranical rule, for how much more would the death count have been if David would have disobeyed God?

Satan Moves David

I Chronicles 21:1 - "Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel."

These stories are identical, except that God moves David in II Samuel, and Satan moves David in I Chronicles.

Wow! So the very people chronicling the bible have a hard time discerning God from Satan? I certainly am! I thought that Satan was the antithesis to God? Not being able to tell God from Satan is like not being able to tell light from dark.

Considering God Himself murders men, women, and children, I've had difficulty seperating who is more evil. The bible never records Satan as killing infant children, but it certainly says that God has killed infant children. (See Jesus loves the little children post)

So why is there confusion over these verses? And if God can be confused for Satan once, or vise versa, what's to stop it from happening again throughout the bible?

But the better question is, who's to say that God and Satan are not one and the same?

On a side note, another inconsistency from this verse is the actual number of people recorded.

*II Samuel 24 records: *I Chronicles 21 records:
- Israel 800,000 - Israel 1,100,000

- Judah 500,000 - Judah 470,000

Jesus loves the little children

2012-01-17T00:34:00.000-06:00

Numbers 31:17 - "Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones."

Deuteronomy 2:34 - "We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining."

Deuteronomy 3:6 - "And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city."
(60 cities, v.4)

Joshua 6:17,21
- (v.17) "Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it."
- (v.21) "And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword."

Judges 21:10 - "So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, 'Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children."

I Samuel 15:2,3 - "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child."

I Samuel 22:19 - "Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants."

Psalm 137:9 - "Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock."

Isaiah 13:16 - "Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes."

Isaiah 14:21 - "Prepare slaughter for his children because of the iniquities of their fathers."

Jeremiah 15:7 - "I will bereave them of children; I will destroy My people."

Jeremiah 18:21 - "Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword."

Ezekiel 9:6 - "Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women."

Hosea 9:16 - "Yes, were they to bear children, I would kill the darlings of their womb."

Hosea 13:16 - "Their infants shall be dashed to pieces, and their women with child ripped open."

Nahum 3:10 - "Her young children also were dashed to pieces at the head of every street."

***These verses are by far the most horrific and wicked verses that I've found in the bible. It takes time to soak this type of depravity into your system. It is a shock to the senses to see this come from a source so widely cherished and read. How does one end up missing these kind of verses? Why is this side of God's character, the side where He and His followers viciously murder children, not spoken of in churches and among believers?

But Can we find somewhere in the bible where God is justified for killing infants?

Sure we can...

Daniel 9:14 - "For the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does."

If God is righteous in the "all" the works which He does, then killing children is a form of righteousness if God orders others to, or He personally does it Himself.

These verses clearly speak for themselves. Judge for yourself how comfortable it makes you feel to worship a baby killer.

Have you kept all the women alive?

2012-01-16T14:37:00.000-06:00

Numbers 31:9,15-18
- (v.9) - "And the children of Israel took the women of Midian captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their cattle, all their flocks, and all their goods."
- (v.15-18) "And Moses said to them: 'Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately."

I must say, what a wonderful way to "love your enemies". First of all, these verses are horribly vile and sick. What kind of people would kill all the women who have had sex before, and then keep the virgins alive for themselves? And just how many virgins were kept alive... 32,000 to be exact (Numbers 31:35). This alludes to a significant number of non-virgins that were slaughtered for just having known a man.

More senseless deaths from an ever surmounting senseless religion. For how does one justify to kill at all, when the commandment says, "Thou shall not kill?" I guess it should have said thou shall not kill, unless you have had sex before...and those who haven't, thou shall be raped.

But the most unnerving part of these verses is the slaughter of little children. There is nothing more depraved and downright evil, if ever you could name something as evil, than killing little kids.

Here though, the killing of countless male children by God's own people is justified and accepted by God. There have been many acts that Israel has done through the bible that have caused God's wrath and anger to punish His people.

Where is His wrath here? Where are the plagues and punishments that should go in accordance with the mass slaughter of innocent kids? It seems that if God disapproved of killing children, He would have punished Israel like He does every other time throughout the bible.

For example, let's look at Numbers 11. All the people did was complain, and it greatly displeased the Lord, so He "burned among them" and killed some of them.

So, if His people simply complain, God will send fire to punish then kill them. But if His people butcher innocent women and children, then He sits back as a casual observer and casually condones the act.

The Manipulation of Pharaoh

2012-01-15T16:40:00.000-06:00

Exodus 4:21-23 - "And the lord said to Moses, 'When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.' Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord: 'Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let my son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."

God's treatment of Pharaoh and the Egyptians is unforgiving and unmerciful. These verses form the base contradictions to Pharaoh's involvement with the Israelites. In verse 21, God is charging Moses to perform His wonders before Pharaoh, at the same time making the assertion that He will harden Pharaoh's heart to not let Israel go. God then states in verse 23 that if Pharaoh will not let His people go, then He will personally kill his firstborn child.

The first alarming part of these verses is that God is hardening Pharaoh's heart, which He does approximately 9 different times in Exodus.

Mind Control - Exodus 4:21/ 7:3/ 9:12/ 10:1,20,27/ 11:10/ 14:4,8

The second most alarming part is that God threatens to kill Pharaoh's son if he will not let Israel go. The main question we have to ask, then, is why God expects Pharaoh to let Israel go, when God Himself hardens his heart against the demand. Why does God, therefore, have to kill Pharaoh's son, along with all the other countless firstborn victims in Egypt, when Pharaoh was just given the facade of a choice?

How is Pharaoh not just a puppet on a string here, if God renders him incapable of making his own decisions?

Pharaoh's sole purpose was for God's power and name to be declared in all the earth (Exodus 9:16), at the expense of countless innocent lives just for God's vanity.

God even led Pharaoh and six hundred chariots to their own death. After the children of Israel departed from Egypt, God hardened Pharaoh's heart to pursue them, even to the red sea. Whenever Israel had crossed safely over the sea with Pharaoh's army in fast pursuit, God ordered Moses to stretch his hand over the waters so the sea would drown the entire army (Exodus 14:26).

Why would God concern the Egyptians any longer with Israel since they had finally agreed to let them go? So many lives senselessly wasted. Why couldn't God have let Pharaoh be, and Israel pass in peace away from Egypt? Why did God have to MAKE Pharaoh pursue Israel, just so that he would die in the red sea for no reason? What lesson could God possibly want His followers to learn from such a meaningless death?

*Photo courtesy of: Robertreckmeyer.com

God's Fiery Indignation, Wrath, Fury, and Anger

2012-01-14T02:29:00.000-06:00

There are two parts to this post. For the first part, I am listing verses in the Bible that show how God does not get angry very easily and how foolish it is for anyone to be angry in the first place. The second part of this post is very long and tedious, but is very effective at showing just how angry and wrathful God actually is.

I. Anger Rests in the Bosom of Fools

I. Nehemiah 9:17 - "But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness."

II. Psalms 103:8 - "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy."

III. Psalms 145:8 - "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy."

IV. Ecclesiastes 7:9 - "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools."

V. Isaiah 27:4 - "Fury is not in Me (God)."

VI. Proverbs 14:29 - "He who is slow to wrath has great understanding."

VII. Proverbs 22:24,25 - "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul."

VIII. Proverbs 27:4 - "Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent."

These verses speak very clearly of God being slow to anger, compassionate, and merciful. I will now list several verses in the bible where God gets angry and is clearly the antithesis to this view, considering the bible records Him being angry more than He is loving. I wonder, then, what is the true nature of God's personality? I suppose the better question is, why would God be angry at His creations when He already knew they would be so unfaithful to Him? It seems that God impulsively punishes Israel with His anger and wrath almost as if He did not know they would behave so from the beginning. I think in order to call God an "all-loving God", He first needs to take some anger management therapy in dealing with His subjects.

II. Anger Rests in the Bosom of God

1) Exodus 22:24 - "And My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless."

2) Exodus 32:10-12 - "Now therefore, let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people."

3) Leviticus 26:28 - "And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I will also walk contrary to you in Fury."

4) Numbers 11:1,10,33 - "Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp."
- (v.10) "And the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused."
- (v.33) "The wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague."

5) Numbers 12:9 - "So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them."

6) Numbers 16:46 - "For wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun."

7) Numbers 21:22 - "Then God's anger was aroused."

8) Numbers 25:3-4 - "So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the lord, out in the sun, that the FIERCE ANGER of the Lord may turn away from Israel."

9) Numbers 32:10,13,14
- (v.10) "So the Lord's anger was aroused."
- (v.13,14) "So the Lord's anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. And look, you have risen in your fathers' place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the FIERCE ANGER of the Lord against Israel."

9) Deuteronomy 1:34,37
- (v.34) "And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry."

- (v.37) "The Lord was also angry with me."

10) Deuteronomy 3:26 - "But the Lord was angry with me."

11) Deuteronomy 4:21,25
- (v.21) "Furthermore the Lord was angry with me."
- (v.25) "To provoke Him to anger."
***How could someone possibly provoke God to be angry? Changing the emotional state of an all-powerful being sounds pretty impressive. Does God seriously not have that much control over His own emotions to let His creations get the better of Him and make Him play the fool? As you read, really think about the word "provoked" here and in the upcoming verses.

12) Deuteronomy 6:15 - "Lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth."

13) Deuteronomy 7:4 - "So the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly."

14) Deuteronomy 9:7-8,19-20,22
- (v.7-8) "Do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. Also in Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry enough with you to have destroyed you."
- (v.19,20) "For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the Lord was angry with you, to destroy you."
- (v.22) "You provoked the Lord to wrath."

15) Deuteronomy 11:17 - "Lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you."

16) Deuteronomy 13:17 - "The FIERCENESS of His anger."

***We're going to take a little break here to point out the descriptions of God's anger. His anger was described as hot, and His wrath burning hot against His people. His anger is also described as being furious and fierce. Why does God have such emotional problems? If God really is a god, why does He lose control of His emotions like a human?

17) Deuteronomy 29:20,23-24,27-28
- (v.20) "The Lord would not spare him; for then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy would burn against that man."
- (v.23-24) "In His anger and His wrath."
- (v.27-28) "Why has the Lord done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?"

18) Deuteronomy 31:17,29
- (v.17) "Then My anger will be aroused in that day, and I will forsake them."
- (v.29) "To provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands."

19) Deuteronomy 32:16,21-22
- (v.16) "With abominations they provoked Him to anger."
- (v.21-22) "They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell."

20) Joshua 7:1,26 - "So the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel."
- (v.26) - "So the Lord turned from the FIERCENESS of His anger."

21) Joshua 22:18 - "And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow He will be angry."

22) Joshua 23:16 - "Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly."

23) Judges 2:12,14,20
- (v.12) "And they provoked the Lord to anger."
- (v.14) "And the anger of the Lord was HOT against Israel."
- (v.20) "Then the anger of the Lord was HOT against Israel."

24) Judges 3:8 - "Therefore the anger of the Lord was HOT against Israel."

25) Judges 10:7 - "So the anger of the Lord was HOT against Israel."

26) I Samuel 28:18 - "Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His FIERCE wrath upon Amalek."

27) II Samuel 6:7 - "Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error, and he died there by the ark of God."

28) II Samuel 22:8 - "The the earth hook and trembled; the foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because He was angry."

29) II Samuel 24:1 - "Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel."

30) I kings 11:9 - "So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel."

31) I kings 14:9,15
- (v.9) "For you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger."
- (v.15) "Because they have made their wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger."

Freewill Part 2: God Appoints and Chooses

2012-01-14T02:05:00.000-06:00

In this second part against the freewill argument, we will further examine the character of God when it comes to choosing, appointing, and controlling His followers. In this first section, I have listed several verses which show God to be just and fair to His subjects, showing no partiality or special treatment to any one group of people. In the second section of this post, I have cataloged verses that contradict the first set, showing just how biased God really is regarding humanity.

I. God shows no partiality

1) Deuteronomy 10:17 - "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe."

2) II Chronicles 19:7 - "For there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes."

3) Acts 10:34 - "Then Peter opened his mouth and said: 'In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality."

4) Romans 2:11 - "For there is no partiality with God."

5) Galatians 2:6 - "God shows personal favoritism to no man."

6) Ephesians 6:9 - "And there is no partiality with Him."

7) I Peter 1:17 - "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work."

According to these verses, it is insanely obvious and completely inarguable that God shows no partiality to any man. God shows no personal favoritism and judges every man on Earth according to each one's work. So far, these seven verses establish sound biblical doctrine that God is just, and He judges everyone fairly.

However, in the second section you will see blatant contradictions to this doctrine. Read and judge for yourself.

II. God shows partiality and much more

*James 2:9 - "But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors."

**If indeed God shows partiality, then by His own law He would be committing sin and should be convicted as a transgressor.

1) Exodus 11:5,7
- V.(5) - "And all the firstborn of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even from the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals."
- V.(7) - "But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."

2) Exodus 19:5 - "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine."

3) Exodus 33:19 - "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

4) Leviticus 20:26 - "And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine."

5) Deuteronomy 7:6/14:2 - "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."

6) Deuteronomy 18:14 - "For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you."

7) Deuteronomy 26:18,19 - "Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.

8) I Kings 3:8 - "And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen."

9) I kings 8:53 - "For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance."

10) I kings 20:42 - "Then he said to him, 'thus says the Lord: 'Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction."

11) I Chronicles 17:21,22 - "And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people - to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt? For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God."

12) Job 23:13,14 - "But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does. For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such things are with Him."

13) Psalm 65:4 - "Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You."

14) Psalm 135:4 - "For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure."

15) Isaiah 43:20,21 - "Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise."

16) Matthew 11:27 - "Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

17) Matthew 20:16/22:14 - "For many are called, but few chosen."

18) John 15:16 - "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit."

19) John 17:9 - "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours."

20) Acts 10:41 - "Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God."

21) Acts 13:48 - "And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."

22) I Thessalonians 5:9 - "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

23) II Thessalonians 2:13 - "Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation."

24) I Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people."

The contradictory conclusion to this whole post is that God is said to show personal favoritism and partiality to no man.

The question remains, therefore, why God chooses and appoints? Why is Israel a special treasure above all the other people on the Earth? When God formed Israel for Himself to be His own special people, how was He not showing personal favoritism toward them, at the exclusion of everyone else?

Freewill Part 1

2011-10-25T20:22:00.002-05:00

Numbers 16:28

"And Moses said: 'By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will."

I would define freewill as man's ability to control his own choices and decisions, free from any supernatural or divine intervention, interference, or instigation. In order for freewill to actually exist, man must be free from being chosen, called, stirred, appointed, predestined, or having his heart hardened in any way. The best example against the freewill argument is to look at the life of Jesus.

Did Jesus have Freewill?

1.) John 5:30/6:38 - "I do not seek my own but the will of the Father who sent me."

2.) Matthew 26:39/Mark 14:36/Luke 22:42 - "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but You will."

3.) John 4:34 - "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me."

4.) Matthew 6:10/Luke 11:2 - "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

These verses are a testament to Jesus' faithfulness to God's will. But could Jesus really have chosen something different for his life than being crucified?

Jesus came to the earth with a simple purpose to his life; to die on the cross for the sins of the world. There is no way that Jesus could have avoided this fate. As if Jesus did not know that he would be crucified from the beginning. Is he not omniscient?

If being a Christian means being "Christ-like," then you have about as much freewill to live your life as Christ had to reject His cross.

Chosen and Appointed?

II Thessalonians 2:13 - "Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit."

From the beginning, God specially chose people and set them apart by His Spirit to inherit salvation. If He chose people for salvation, then he certainly must have chosen those that would not inherit salvation.

Matthew 25:34,41

- (v.34) "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

- (v.41) "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Before you were born, not only were you either chosen or not chosen by God, but He had already prepared a place for you. If someone was already going to inherit God's kingdom, then their belief and faith in Jesus was decided for them from the foundation of the world. And if God had prepared a place for the devil and his angels, then He already sentenced them before their crime.

Does this mean that God makes choices for people without them being able to decide? If what Paul says is true, then He does.

Romans 9:15-23 - "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.' Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, 'why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?' But indeed, o man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, 'why have You made me like this?' Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?"
- (v.22) "Vessels of wrath prepared for destruction."
- (v.23) "Vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory."

Who has ever resisted His will? No one. There is not anyone anywhere who has ever resisted God's will. That is a huge revelation in terms of freewill, because if no one can resist God's will, then everyone is His doing His will whether they choose to or not.

This would mean that the devil is a vessel of dishonor formed by God, and he is simply doing exactly what he was made to do. For, if God were truly the "head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:10), then we may conclude that Satan has no power unless it was first given to him, and he has no authority unless it's under God's. Jesus would also be a vessel, but one for honor formed by God, molded to be the messiah. It makes me wonder where to draw the line between good and evil if God is playing both sides of the field.

Even Paul was "Called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God," being a chosen vessel of honor. (I Corinthians 1:1/II Corinthians 1:1/Ephesians 1:1/Colossians 1:1/II Timothy 1:1)

Judas, likewise, was called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. Unlike Paul, he was called to be a chosen vessel for dishonor by betraying Jesus. It's very crucial to note that Judas did not actually betray Jesus until Satan entered into him, destroying his choice to actually make the freewill decision to betray or not to betray Jesus. How could anyone make a choice when they're possessed by Satan? Just as Jesus had to die, someone had to betray Him. Judas was called through the will of God to betray Jesus. What a powerful statement against the notion of freewill.

Predestination

Predestination in Greek means to "decide beforehand." Does God predestine our lives?

Ephesians 1:4-5,11

- (v.4-5) "Just as He chose us (vessels of honor) in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having PREDESTINED us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."

- (v.11) "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being PREDESTINED according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will."

If God works "all things" according to the counsel of His will, then that means everything. Every decision that you've ever made down to every decision that you haven't made yet is all wrought under the direct influence of God, according to the good pleasure of His will. "For of Him and through Him and to Him are ALL THINGS." (Romans 11:36/I Corinthians 8:6, 11:12/II Corinthians 5:8/Hebrews 2:10, 3:4)

Romans 8:28-30 - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also PREDESTINED to be conformed to the image of His Son. Moreover whom He PREDESTINED, these He also called; who He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

These verses are the only times in the Bible the word predestined is used, but it is clearly enough to establish sound doctrine against the idea of freewill. Some might ask, "Why would God do this? Why would He needlessly punish and reward people if He predestines their decisions?"

Once again, "[W]ho are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to Him who formed it, 'why have you made me like this?' Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?"

Job 14:1,5
- (v.1) "Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble."
- (v.5) "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass."

Acts 17:26 - "He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings."

If you still have not made up your mind on having freewill or not, these verses should make it crystal clear. How can a person possibly have freewill if God has set not only their boundaries on this earth, but also their "preappointed times." Notice the word preappointed here. If everything that happens in your life is preappointed, then how can you possess freewill? For instance, let's look at Acts13:48.

After almost the whole city of Antioch heard Paul and Barnabas preach about Christ, "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." This is a devastating verse against freewill, because it directly implies that people are "appointed to eternal life." What it also says without saying it is, as many as had not been appointed to eternal life did not believe. Tell me, where is the fairness in only some being appointed for eternal life? To be appointed is to be denied the choice.

To Serve or Not to Serve

*Bondservant - "A slave; one who gives himself up to another's will; devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interest."

Romans 1:1/Philippians 1:1/Titus 1:1/James 1:1/II Peter 1:1/Jude 1:1 -

Paul, Peter, James, and Jude each declared themselves to be bondservants of Jesus Christ, having become slaves to the gospel through the will of God.

The argument is that they chose to take on the form of bondservants and made themselves slaves to the will of God, through their own freewill. From all the verses that we've examined in this post, that is no longer a sound argument. What is clear is that the apostles were chosen of God to be vessels of honor before the foundation of the world. God predestined them to be conformed to the image of His Son. God determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. God did this all this according to the counsel and good pleasure of His own will.

Now tell me... do you still think the apostles had a choice? How about you?

*Godsword.org
*Picture Copyright DMV Comics

Is God's Word Pure and True??

2011-10-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

Before one contradiction begins to be presented against the bible, one must understand the affirmation which God attributes to it. The Bible, itself, confirms that it is the unerring word of God by God.

Isaiah 34:16 says, "Search from the book of the Lord, and read; not one of these shall fail; not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His spirit has gathered them."

So, it is God's mouth that has commanded His word to be written into existence, and His spirit has gathered them into what we know as the Holy Bible. But, a Christian can't base anything off of just one scripture, for the scripture cannot "lack her mate"... so, let's establish it.

II Timothy 3:16 reads, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God," signifying again that the Bible is the divine inspiration of God and not men.

We'll take it a step further and get the testament of Peter.

II Peter 1:20,21 states, "No prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

Job 23:12 tells us that Job "treasured the words of His mouth more than his necessary food," and David declares in Psalms 119:160 that, "the entirety of Your word is truth."

Moses and Jesus also confirm that the Bible is the living word of God when they say, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Deuteronomy 8:3/Matthew 4:4

The Bible is the only means by which a Christian can have faith at all, for Romans 10:17 reads, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." So, it is the Bible that builds the base foundation for faith in Jesus Christ.

Since there remains so great a testimony giving credence to the importance and infallibility of God's word, if you are of faith, then the Bible must be the absolute perfection of truth.

We must assume, therefore, that if the Bible is truth, and God "cannot lie" Titus 1:2, if we find but one flaw or contradiction, then the truth of the Bible no longer holds its credibility. Since there is an insurmountable collection of contradictions throughout the Bible, we can only conclude that it is very flawed and imperfect, contrary to its claims.

Thomas Jefferson once orated, "Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."

Isaiah 1:18 is an exhortation by God saying, "Come now, let us reason together." I have written these posts in hopes of reasoning with Him, with others, and with myself about the validity of God's unerring word.

Sins of the Father

2011-10-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

Here we have three different scriptures from three different authors of the bible that are all agreeing on one thing; every man shall bear the consequence of his own sin. The only problem with the validity of these scriptures is that they are contradicted over and over again throughout the bible.

Deuteronomy 24:16/ II Kings 14:6 - "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin."

Ezekiel 18:19, 20 - "Yet you say, 'Why should the son not bear the guilt of his father?' Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."

Contradictions

I. Joshua 7:15,24,25

- This chapter is about a man named Achan. After the fall of Jericho in the sixth chapter of Joshua, all of Israel was forbidden to take any of the spoils from the city. Of the spoils that were forbidden, Achan coveted and took "a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels." (v.21) When Joshua gets Achan's confession and finds the items in his tent, Joshua and all of Israel take Achan, his sons, and his daughters to the Valley of Achor. Whenever they arrive, Joshua and all of Israel stone Achan, along with his sons and daughters.

*** Why would Achan's sons and daughters be punished for his own personal sin? The bible mentions nothing of them having anything to do with Achan taking the spoils from the city of Jericho. Naturally, they should have nothing to do with the consequences of Achan's actions, yet they are stoned to death and burned just because they were related to him. If God issued the commandment that children would not be put to death because of their father's sin, why were Achan's sons and daughters punished because of his sin?

II. II Samuel 11 & 12:13-15,18

- King David commits adultery with Bathsheba, who was currently wed to a man named Uriah. Out of their affair, she bore a son to David. This consequently caused David to kill Uriah so he could then marry Bathsheba. God was greatly displeased because of David's sin, and sent the prophet Nathan to rebuke him. After Nathan rebukes David, he is convicted and confesses his sin. "And Nathan said to David, 'The Lord has also put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child who is born to you shall surely die.' And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill." (v.14,15) "Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died." (v.18)

***First David has an affair with Bathsheba, and then he orders her husband, Uriah, to be sent to the front lines of war so he will be killed. It seems a great evil that David's child has to pay for his sin. What did the child ever do to deserve such a punishment. It was David's sin, and by the commandment that God gave, he should have been put to death for his own sin, not his child. Furthermore, it is God that clears David of his sin, imputes it to his child, and then personally kills it. Why would God break His own commandment that he expects men to uphold? Commandments like these make a simple statement in their translation and context. If God says, "a person shall be put to death for their own sin," that is a very clear instruction with very little room for error. I wonder why, then, that God justified not only killing a child, but condemning it in light of it's utter innocence to David's sins.

III. I kings 14:12,13,17
- In this chapter, Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, becomes sick. Jeroboam convinces his wife to disguise herself and go to the prophet Ahijah to know what will become of their son. Before she arrives, Ahijah receives a message from God telling him that Jeroboam's wife is coming, and that she has hidden her identity. The reason behind her disguise was that Jeroboam was evil in the sight of God, and did not follow His commandments. Jeroboam, being the king of Israel at the time, feared God's retribution from his unfaithfulness, and did not wish her identity known. After Ahijah sees through their ruse, he pronounces disaster on Jeroboam's household, including the death of his child.

***Once again, a child is punished because of the sins of its father. God had the power to either heal the child, or kill him. Even though the child was the only good thing that God could find in the house of Jeroboam, he still went to the grave because of Jeroboam's wickedness.

IV. Isaiah 14:21,22 - "Prepare slaughter for his children because of the iniquity of their fathers."
- This is the most controversial verse of the entire argument. Isaiah is preaching a proverb against the king of Babylon and its inhabitants. Although God's commandments were only preached and delivered to the nation of Israel, that still does not mean that children everywhere should pay the price for their father's sins. Are children so despised in God's eyes that He cannot have mercy on them simply because they are kids?

***The real issue here is not just that this verse is a complete contradiction to Deut. 24:16, but that God is "Preparing slaughter for their children." If you move on to verse 22, it says, "For I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and offspring and posterity, says the Lord." I wonder how God could not be involved in the slaughter of these children since He is the one that "Rises up against them."

Contradictions (Cont.)

I. Exodus 20:5/34:7 - "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me."

II. I kings 21:29 - "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house."

III. Jeremiah 32:18 - "You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them."

IV. Lamentations 5:7 - "Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities."

V. Hosea 4:6 - "Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children."

I sincerely hope this helps anyone really trying to understand the bible. I have written these posts not only for people questioning the bible, but for Christians who believe in it with all their heart. All of the scripture that I use and quote is from meticulously studying the bible myself for ten years, and not from any online or book sources. Although this post is just a small part of the whole, more posts are yet to come, such as; Freewill, the Fallibility of Gods Word, and God's Wrath.