If I predict that there's going to be an earthquake that will kill hundreds of people - and this happens at any point in the future, was I (or whatever deity I was writing my book on behalf of), the only possible cause of the prophecy?Cause of the prophecy? It's a foretelling of what is to come! What in the world you mean--cause?
What about Ezekiel 26:1-21 - Nebuchadnezzar never destroyed the fortress island of Tyr, nor was it wiped bare and left a barren wasteland for nothing more than laying out of fishing nets.The only unfulfilled ones, are the ones that are yet to come.
What about Ezekiel 29:1-15 - Egypt was never an uninhabitable desolate wasteland for any time let alone desolate from the towers of syene to the borders of ethiopia for 40 years as prophecised, humans and animals have crossed it repeatedly over the thousands of years since this prophecy was declared with nary a hoot made from anyone about it.
What about Ezekiel 29:16-21 - Egypt proper was never conquered by Nebuchadnezzar.
What about Ezekiel 30:12 - The River Nile never dried up.
What about Isaiah 19:1-8 - The Nile never stopped flowing into the Sea and the Sea never drained.
What about Isaiah 19:18 - The Egyptians never spoke Canaan (or the Hebrew language derived from Canaan)
I could easily go on, but in the interests of brevity, I'd like to hear what you have to say about these "fulfilled" prophecies and why they look exactly like failed prophecies instead.
Seems like a lot of post-hoc rationalisation going on here - where did the Bible mention these by name, and for the anonymous writers writing on behalf of the almighty creator of the universe to only be concerned with their immediate neighborhood is disingenuous to say the least. Why weren't the Chinese, the Mayans, etc. not important enough to be addressed by the God that created everything and loves his creations? Why were they all left to make up their own religions and God(s) that had no crossover with your religion?Medo-Persia and Greece by name. Bible prophecies are mainly dealing with things from the middle east, Europe. China did not conquer the Middle east and Europe. It also doesn't mention the Mayan Empire--not pertinent to what Israel and Jesus is about. It does, however, prophecy America--not by name.
so the only thing that's important to your God is this one little tribe occupying little more than a city in size pretty much throughout all of history? That does create more questions than it answers, because it literally excises all the facts of all these other contemporary world powers so it can have a convenient narrative to mislead its followers, yet you then want to assert that for some reason America is mentioned, but not by name, even though it too is not a world power conquering the Middle East? Do you really find that acceptable?Again, USA, Russia, China have not conquered the Middle East/Europe. No one has ever united Europe, Hitler was the last to try.
Where in the OT does it say this, and what conditions does it say have to come to pass before the old covenant is done away with? How come so many Jews both then and now remain so unconvinced the old covenant has been done away with?I already said, He did not change His mind, He already mentioned in the OT that there would come a time when a new covenant would come into play.
Well, the bible definitely has God talking to Adam and Eve face to face after they sinned - so he can and that's just nonsense post-hoc rationalisation on your part. Your God gave them a good dressing down before cursing them and all of their descendants, before kicking them out of the Garden... perhaps your loving God included that as part of his curse on all of humanity for the inequity of two people who didn't know any better?Yes--He was face to face with Adam and Eve in the Garden, Then they fell and sin separated them from Him. He no longer could meet them face to face-sin can not live in the presence of God and they would have died. He then spoke directly to them. When that, too was rejected by man--He then spoke through the Holy spirit --until Abraham and Moses. He spoke directly to them. He has occasionally spoken to His prophets directly. Even His voice is power and not easily tolerated by sinful man.
Did your God have no idea what would happen in the future?There you go again. He chose the tribe of Israel to be descended from. He then had to protect them from those who would wipe them out
Your God chose to allow Satan to exist, AND have power in the real world - how would it be our fault that your God fostered this supernatural cold-war with Satan in a small pocket in the middle east? It's far more plausible to see the Jews as just another warmongering tribe in the area at the time - they never had much in the way of territory or stature with the regional powers of the time anyway.Satan also knew they were His chosen people from which He would descend and tried to wipe them out.
from the Children and Infants and Oxen that were likely themselves victims of this alleged corruption too?? Your God doesn't seem very thoughtful... or powerful.... or wise either for that matter...Besides their being totally depraved and sinful--which I've already mentioned several times, sacrificing their children to idols and inappropriate behavior with animals and pagan orgies----those that had to be eliminated were trying to kill all the Jews-He was protecting his people.
Don't like it----too bad. If you had been a Jew, you would have thought otherwise.
I doubt it. God doesn't have to do any such thing. Here's a handful of things that I as a fallible mere mortal could imagine to be a better way to handle things just using things he's already done in the Bible. Your God could have walked the victim children & infants & Oxen to the (possible) safety of the Jews before the Jews slaughtered the evil adults and children, just like the animals came to Noah before the Flood that horrifically drowned the entire world - or your God could've plagued them in a reverse "egyptian first born" like scenario, that is all the evil parents and corrupt children would die in their sleep overnight leaving the innocent children, infants and oxen untouched - or God could've turned the Beasts on their masters, killing only the evil among them like the two she bears killed all those evil namecalling children who made the bald priest cry, etc. There's so many better ways that such a thing could be done, yet it seems your God either lacked the humanity to avoid such a barbaric and totalitarian way to achieve his goals, or lacked the will/power to action it.He always has loved everyone--but everyone hasn't always loved Him. The parents of Jeffrey Dahmer loved him--but he was a monster that had to be out down. God has to make that choice sometimes.
Also, isn't Jeffrey Dahmer likely in heaven, enjoying an eternity of bliss with Jesus right now?
Because they're Different! Exodus 34 are labelled the Ten Commandments whereas the others weren't!LOL. You think I haven't read those?? Why do you ask what I have already answered? The 10 commandments are the 10 commandments-period.
The original 10 at Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5 were never labelled the Ten Commandments! Instead, the commandments recited in Exodus 34 are the ones labelled the Ten Commandments! Why would your God recite these Ten Commandments for Moses to write down if they weren't what God wanted Moses to write down?There is no difference between them. You are putting something that was not labeled as the original 10 with the 10. Ex 34 --I already said--is just a summation of the fact the Moses had broken the original set of stone tablets and he had to go back and God rewrote them---He rewrote the same original 10 as in Ex., 20--those are the 10--period. Those are the ones in the Ark. Do what you will with your theory.
Jesus only lists two commandments in Matthew 22 as he specifically states - neither of which are a word-for-word portrayal of either sets of ten commandments. Perhaps these are the first two, with another 8 to come to complete the new covenant Ten Commandments? It's clear that Jesus' "two commandments" aren't any of the Ten Commandments at either Exodus 20 or Exodus 34. It seems you're adding interpretation to the Bible there.The 1st 4 of the 10 deal with our duty to God, the last 6 of the 10 deal with our duty to man. Jesus summed them up thus:
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
To this day--the Jews have no trouble in knowing the 10---Ex 20.
Doesn't match up. Israel doesn't recognise Jesus as the messiah let alone that he's mediated a new covenant with them, so no covenant has been renewed with Israel as far as Israel knows. It doesn't make sense for a God to say he will be changing the covenant with his chosen tribe of Israel, then forget to tell said tribe - or worse, find the worst way to get his message across and then never follow it up to see that they eventually get the message, even after they establish the nation of Israel again... If your God can't even convince his chosen people that he has a new covenant with them, then how on earth can you be surprised that nobody else outside Israel doesn't believe either?OT:
Jer_31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
er 31:32 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 an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
NT:
Heb_8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb_8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Heb_12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
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