Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
He wouldn't do that. God is not the author of sin. Sin entered through Adam.
Well, first off, the Medes were not puppets, mindless automatons God was moving to military action. The Medes weren't fluffy bunnies God forced to become savage barbarians. If God stirred up anything, it was what was already in the hearts of the Medes. They were already cruel, violent, savage warriors before God stirred them to action against Babylon. And it was precisely because they were so cruel that they could be used as a tool of divine judgement.In Isaiah 13 god judges Babylon and one of his judgements is particularly scary. v16Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.If you read the whole chapter it seems apparent that these things are a result of his judgements because he uses statements like "I command, I will, I declare, my wrath" etc etc
I don't understand how Christians get past this. Yes they were sinners, yes they refused to repent, yes they disobeyed and angered god but does that make it morally justifiable to rape them and beat their babies heads against rocks?
If you sinned and you refused, absolutely refused to repent and god judged you by having me attack you and rape you, if he "stirred" me up like he did the Medes... would it then be ok for me to rape you? Would him having me rape you be ok for him to do?
It appears you didn't understand my comments. As I said in my last post, if you raped a person, it would never be because God caused you to do so. Rape would've been already in your heart by your own choice. God might direct your own wickedness to punish the wickedness of another, but He wouldn't force you to act outside of your already existing propensities.Aiki
So you really think it's ok for god to cause me to rape you if you refused to repent? If that's god's decision then, he has the right to do that?
It appears you didn't understand my comments. As I said in my last post, if you raped a person, it would never be because God caused you to do so. Rape would've been already in your heart by your own choice. God might direct your own wickedness to punish the wickedness of another, but He wouldn't force you to act outside of your already existing propensities.
You realize, too, that Isaiah 13 does not say that God designed the kind of violence the Medes would enact upon Babylonia. God described, through the prophet Isaiah, what the Medes would do, but He never says He manufactured the exact way they would act. God is omniscient, which means, among other things, that He knew exactly how the Medes would behave once He had stirred them to action against the Babylonians. But His foreknowledge of their actions does not make Him the originator of those actions. God described how the Medes would act, but He never prescribed their actions.
In light of this, it seems to me your question is rather moot.
Selah.
I often think these verses are directed at otherwise cruel societies that terrorize those who are vulnerable. The only language those who oppress might understand is that which must make them fear divine retribution in the hope that they will repent. This is about 3000 years back & certainly human cruelty is often just as bad now as then but realization how bad it really is was beginning to take hold then. Only God can tell his prophets to instill shock therapy to us sinners in that we might repent.
It sounds to me like you're asking me if God is just in punishing the wicked through the wickedness of other people? What could be more just than to use evil to punish itself? Let evil be its own abuser! Why not? God remarks on this point:If you sin and you refuse to repent and god's judgement upon you is to bring me a rapist to your home and make you vulnerable and helpless to me and he knew that I would rape you and this is how god wants to punish you... do you feel like that is ok for him to do?
It sounds to me like you're asking me if God is just in punishing the wicked through the wickedness of other people? What could be more just than to use evil to punish itself? Let evil be its own abuser! Why not? God remarks on this point:
Galatians 6:7
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Matthew 26:52
52 But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
All through the OT, God uses one wicked nation to render His judgement and punishment upon another. When a nation sows evil, God promises it will reap that same evil. I see nothing wrong in this. In fact, it seems quite poetically just to me.
Selah.
I see, thanks for explaining your position on god and rape.
Did I do that? I don't think so. I explained why God might use the evil of one person to punish the evil of another.
You seem to want to make an emotional appeal, to reason from an emotional reaction to the horror of rape. But reason and emotion often diverge from one another. Yes, rape is awful - especially when a relatively-innocent person is raped. But we aren't talking about a saint being raped, or even a generally good person being raped, but about an evil person getting as good as they've given. Such a thing has been called getting one's "just deserts," which implies that there is a certain justice in a person tasting of the evil of their own actions. Do you disagree?
Selah.
Here's a better picture
Isaiah 13
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Yes I do think you did. You actually spent some time explaining it all to me.
I did not make an emotional appeal, I didn't even make an appeal
I asked you a question, the emotional characteristic is your own. You seem to have an emotional response to the question.
Hi Kiritsugu,
The first thing necessary to interpret these passages is to divide the passages by topic. Verses 1-16 speak of general eschatology (end of times- see the mention of the day of the Lord). Verses 1-12 depict the calling of an unnamed army which will carry out God's wrath at the time of judgment during the end of times. No nations or locations are mentioned and the scope is global. These verses discuss the nature of the events including God's punishment of sinners. God will do all of this and most events depicted by Isaiah here are similar to those depicted by the apostle John in Revelation.
Verse 13 begins to describe the effects that the end of times events will have in the remaining population. The use of "therefore," which begins the verse, makes this clear. It contains images of scattered and confused people being hunted like wild animals and without a leader. Like frightened animals, people will run, and when necessary they will turn against one another just to stay alive. Their destiny is compared to the fate of wild game which are captured and killed. Even the small innocent children will be mercilessly and savagely killed while their parents helplessly watch. Their wives will be raped since anarchy and inhumanity will reign (for an example study the effects during the first few years of the power vacuum created by the fall of the Roman empire in 476ad in Europe). There will be no safe place where one can hide, not even in a persons own home.
Verse 17 introduces a new paragraph ("behold") and a new topic. From this verse until the end of the chapter Isaiah prophesies the fall of Babylon at the hands of the Medes (God will use the Medes to destroy Babylon). Here concrete geographical locations, nations, and armies are named (in contrast to verses 1-16).
The end of days will bring forth calamity and great tribulation. This is prophesied throughout the bible (old and new testament). However, you are mistakenly reading verse 16 as God commanding an unnamed people to kill the children and rape the women. This interpretation is not supported by the context or the grammar. I hope this helps.
I am confused on how you could come to the conclusion that you have, it seems like your last two sentences are hanging entirely upon themselves and out of place.
13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 Lift up a standard on the bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
Wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My mighty warriors,
My proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger.
4 A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a far country,
From the farthest horizons,
The Lord and His instruments of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands will fall limp,
And every mans heart will melt.
8 They will be terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash forth their light;
The sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.
11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
And the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the Lord of hosts
In the day of His burning anger.
14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle,
Or like sheep with none to gather them,
They will each turn to his own people,
And each one flee to his own land.
15 Anyone who is found will be thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.
18 And their bows will mow down the young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their eye pity children.
19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
21 But desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.
22 Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious palaces.
Her fateful time also will soon come
And her days will not be prolonged.
Hentenza
What do you make of this?
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
It seems like the killing and raping are products from his wrath and his shaking the heavens.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?