@Isaiah 41:10
In a literal sense, I don't believe in the passages you're reference. However, in something perhaps metaphorical or in a value based spiritual sense, I do.
Hey, listen. I get it. I understand exactly what you're saying. I just don't agree. I believe that God raised up a people from the loins of Abraham and one of the responsibilities of those people was to deliver to the world, prior to God's sending His Savior, His written revelation of Himself to all mankind.
Peter, one of Jesus' closest apostles understood it that way. He wrote about the very claim you're making: Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the
prophet’s own interpretation of things. And again: For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets,
though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Paul understood it that way. He wrote about the actual writings of men as they applied to the written Scriptures: “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled
in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas,..." He understood that it wasn't men's understanding and ideas about God that were written in the Scriptures, but the knowledge and wisdom of the Holy Spirit that wrote about the things of God. Merely using the hands of holy men of God.
So, those words that are found in the law, which have been there since the very beginning of the law as handed down to Moses in the wilderness. Those words were not the words of men who were trying, as best they could, to interpret and resolve the world as they understood it. Those words were given to them to write by the knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit and what he knew and understood of the things of God, which would be pretty much everything.
You obviously don't see it that way. That's ok with me. But I write these things that you may know that there is a difference in how 'christians' see the Scriptures, but I don't think there is in how those who have been born of the Spirit of God, see the Scriptures. Christians are just like Jews in their individual understanding of the things of God. Some of them are a remnant that have truly trusted God and some of them are just practicing the faith, as they understand it, explained in the Scriptures. But supported and proved by the wisdom of men. This is proven by Jesus in his discussion with Nicodemus. Of course we also have God's word that not all Israel will be saved.
Jesus gave us the new covenant understanding of that same principle:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
These are christians that Jesus is speaking to on the day of God's judgment. Who else on all the face of the earth does such things,
in Jesus' name, but christians. Do you hear Buddhists making such claims in Jesus' name? Atheists? Muslims? Do any of them prophesy in Jesus name. Have you heard of them driving out demons in Jesus' name? Or perform miracles in Jesus' name? Of course not. These are christians living upon the earth doing, what they believe to be great things in the name of Jesus.
I have, I believe, the same understanding as Jesus has of the Scriptures: God's word is truth. Every jot and tittle. I believe a donkey spoke to a man. I believe the sun turned back at one time and stood still at another. I believe that a sea parted that was at least a few hundred feet deep. I believe that the whole of the earth was covered in water. I believe that there was a night in Egypt were somehow, inexplicably, only the first male offspring died for no apparent reason. They hadn't been sick or subject to some disease or struck down by a sword. They just died that night. And there was weeping and wailing throughout the whole darkness in Egypt. I believe that a young Jewish girl became pregnant with the promise of salvation carried in her womb, although she had never had sexual relations with a man. I believe the words of God.
I believe that He had a purpose in calling the children of Abraham for the very purpose of writing all these things down that we might believe who He is. He wants us to know that science has it all wrong. We live in a created realm. A realm of existence that somewhere around 6,000 years ago did not exist. If it were possible that a man could have stood in the black inkiness of empty space 6,000 years ago, his eyes would have seen nothing. Nothing! No stars. No planets. No comets shooting across the night sky. Just pure, complete, thick inky darkness all around him in every direction that he looked. Then suddenly and without any cause or created by anything that might have been in the black inkiness of space in which he stood, there appeared a planet. The earth! Spinning with its entire surface covered with water, because God has just spoken it to exist out of nothing. Then, by the time that first spin was completed, God spoke and divided the waters and the dome of the sky surrounding all of the earth. Then He commanded and plants were just immediately upon the earth and then He spoke again and the entire universe was just filled with more stars and planets than any man could ever count. Then He spoke again and fish and birds and other animals were just instantly seen roaming to and fro upon the earth. Then He stooped down and formed the first man, the one for which He had created all that came before. The creature that He made in His image of all the living creatures on the earth and that He set His heart on to love and to cherish.
One day, it's all going to come to a stop about as fast as it all started. Then, according to the Scriptures, God is going to cull from all of mankind that has ever lived upon His earth, in this realm of His creating a home where man could live, a group of mankind who believe Him. Who trust Him. Who love Him. That group of mankind will have found their names written in the Lamb's book of life, because they too, like Jesus, believed God. They will hear God say, "Enter into my eternal rest."
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
However, the cowardly,
the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
This is all possible because we live in a created realm. Created miraculously by the will and power and majesty of a God who loves us. Not some existence that took billions and billions of years to be built to sustain the life of man, but an existence that was near instantly created to sustain the life of man.
God bless,
Ted
