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Questions On God's Dealings With Humanity (2)
Question 6. Does God know our future thoughts? Answer He can, if He wants to. He is God, and He owns this place! But that does not remove our personal responsibility for our actions. Otherwise, God would be unreasonable to hold us accountable for our actions, and we know that He does hold us accountable. A preacher in Zimbabwe, in south Africa, once explained the Bible doctrine of predestination. He used one passage: Gal 6:7-8 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (KJV) And he used common sense, which they in Africa may have a lot more of than we do, because their life is so much simpler than ours. When a farmer plants beans, he gets beans, not wheat. When he plants peanuts, he get peanuts, not potatoes. You get the picture. We will reap what we sow. God has promised it. And I have experienced it. Trust me, God knows what He is talking about! Remember Cain? There is a message there for us: Gen 4:3-7 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (KJV) Focus on that last statement "...and thou shalt rule over him." Let's see it in another version: Gen 4:7 7 "If you do well, will not {your countenance} be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (NAS) We must play an active role in our own life. Satan is out there trying to snag us, but we must do all we can to prevent that. And God will help us: 1 Cor 10:13 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (KJV) Two messages here: 1. God will protect us, and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure. A very comforting promise. 2. God will always provide a way of escape. It will always be there, but we may have to really look hard to find it. And when we find it, God's way of escape may not be pretty, and it may not be fun. But if we are going to get out of that mess, we must take advantage of God's escape plan. Remember the one about the guy standed in a flood? He escaped to the roof of his house. A man in a rowboat came by and asked if he could take the man to safety. The man said, "No, I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will." Then as the waters got higher, a military amphibious vehicle came by and ordered the guy to evacuate, but again he refused, saying, "No, I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will." Then as the waters got higher, and the guy was standing on the top of his chimney, a news helicopter came by and begged him to climb up the rope to the safety of the helicopter. But the man said, "No, I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will." Then the waters rose higher, and the man drowned. When he saw God, he asked God, "Why did you not save me!" And God responded that He had sent the man in the rowboat, and the military amphibious vehicle, and finally the news helicopter. God gives us a way out. We have to use it. Contact David Question 7. Should we fear God? Answer YES Consider carefully the following passages in the Holy Scriptures which discuss the fear of God: Ge 20:11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear <03374> of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. Ge 42:18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear <03373> God: Ex 9:30 But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear <03372> the LORD God. Ex 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear <03373> God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: Ex 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear <03374> not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear <03372> may be before your faces, that ye sin not. Le 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear <03372> thy God: I am the LORD. Le 19:32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear <03372> thy God: I am the LORD. Le 25:17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear <03372> thy God: for I am the LORD your God. Le 25:36 Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear <03372> thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Le 25:43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear <03372> thy God. De 4:10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear <03372> me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. De 6:2 That thou mightest fear <03372> the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. De 6:13 Thou shalt fear <03372> the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. De 6:24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear <03372> the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. De 8:6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear <03372> him. De 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear <03372> the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, De 10:20 Thou shalt fear <03372> the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. De 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear <03372> him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. De 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear <03372> the LORD thy God always. De 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear <03372> the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: De 31:12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear <03372> the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: De 31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear <03372> the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. Jos 4:24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear <03372> the LORD your God for ever. 1Sa 12:14 If ye will fear <03372> the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 2Sa 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear <03374> of God. 2Ki 17:39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear <03372>; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. 2Ch 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear <06343> of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 2Ch 20:29 And the fear <06343> of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel. Ne 5:9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear <03374> of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? Ne 5:15 But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear <03374> of God. Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear <03372> God for nought? Ps 36:1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear <06343> of God before his eyes. Ps 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear <03372> not God. Ps 61:5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear <03373> thy name. Ps 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear <03373> God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. Ps 67:7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear <03372> him. Ps 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared <04172>. Pr 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear <03374> of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Ec 3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear <03372> before him. Ec 5:7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear <03372> thou God. Ec 8:12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear <03373> before him: Ec 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear <03372> God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Isa 29:23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear <06206> the God of Israel. Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear <06345> is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. Jer 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear <03372> the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Da 6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear <01763> before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. Ho 3:5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear <06342> the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. Jon 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear <03373> the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Mic 7:17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear <03372> because of thee. Hag 1:12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, and the people did fear <03372> before the LORD. Lu 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear <5399> not God, nor regard man; Lu 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear <5399> God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? Ac 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear <5399> God, give audience. Ro 3:18 There is no fear <5401> of God before their eyes. 2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear <5401> of God. Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear <5401> of God. 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear <1167>; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear <2124>: 1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear <5399> God. Honour the king. 1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear <5401>: Re 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear <5399> God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Re 19:5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear <5399> him, both small and great. Wow! A lot of verses tell us to "fear God". And not just in the Old Testament, but verses in the New Testament have the same command. One verse is enough, and we have many, such as (from above): Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear <5401> of God. 1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear <5399> God. Honour the king. It is clear that God is trying to tell us something here, that He wants us to fear Him. But what do these words mean, exactly? These are the definitions of the original words rendered "fear" in the Old Testament: 03372 yare' {yaw-ray'} a primitive root; TWOT - 907,908; verb AV (Authorized Version = KJV) - fear 188, afraid 78, terrible 23, terrible thing 6, dreadful 5, reverence 3, fearful 2, terrible acts 1, misc 8; 314 1) to fear, revere, be afraid 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to fear, be afraid 1a2) to stand in awe of, be awed 1a3) to fear, reverence, honour, respect 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared 1b2) to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe 1b3) to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe 1c) (Piel) to make afraid, terrify 2) (TWOT) to shoot, pour 01763 d@chal (Aramaic) {deh-khal'}corresponding to 02119; TWOT - 2672; verb AV - fear 2, dreadful 2, terrible 1, afraid 1; 6 1) to fear 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to fear 1a2) terrible (pass participle) 1b) (Pael) to cause to be afraid, make afraid 03373 yare' {yaw-ray'} from 03372; TWOT - 907a; adjective AV - fear 59, afraid 3, fearful 2; 64 1) fearing, reverent, afraid 03374 yir'ah {yir-aw'}from 03373; TWOT - 907b; noun AV - fear 41, exceedingly + 01419 2, dreadful 1, fearfulness 1; 45 1) fear, terror, fearing 1a) fear, terror 1b) awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear) 1c) fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety 1d) revered 04172 mowra' {mo-raw'} from 03372; TWOT - 907c,907d; noun AV - fear 8, terror 3, dread 1, terribleness 1; 13 1) fear, reverence, terror 1a) fear, terror 1b) reverence 1c) object of reverence 1d) awe-inspiring spectacle or deed 06206 `arats {aw-rats'}a primitive root; TWOT - 1702; verb AV - afraid 3, fear 3, dread 2, terribly 2, break 1, affrighted 1, oppress 1, prevail 1, terrified 1; 15 1) to tremble, dread, fear, oppress, prevail, break, be terrified, cause to tremble 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to cause to tremble, terrify 1b2) to tremble, feel dread 1b) (Niphal) to be awesome, be terrible 1c) (Hiphil) 06343 pachad {pakh'-ad}from 06342; TWOT - 1756a; noun AV - fear 40, dread 3, great 2, terror 2, dreadful 1, greatly 1; 49 1) terror, dread 1a) dread 1b) object of dread 06345 pachdah {pakh-daw'}from 06343; TWOT - 1756b; noun AV - fear 1; 1 1) dread, fear, awe, religious awe These are the definitions of the original words rendered "fear" in the New Testament: 1167 deilia {di-lee'-ah}from 1169; noun AV - fear 1; 1 1) timidity, fearfulness, cowardice 2124 eulabeia {yoo-lab'-i-ah}from 2126; TDNT - 2:751,275; noun AV - godly fear 1, fear 1; 2 1) caution, circumspection, discretion 1a) avoidance 1b) a reasonable shunning 2) reverence, veneration 2a) reverence toward God, godly fear, piety 3) fear anxiety, dread 5399 phobeo {fob-eh'-o}from 5401; TDNT - 9:189,1272; verb AV - fear 62, be afraid 23, be afraid of 5, reverence 1, misc 2; 93 1) to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away) 1a) to put to flight, to flee 1b) to fear, be afraid 1b1) to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm 1b1a) of those startled by strange sights or occurrences 1b1b) of those struck with amazement 1b2) to fear, be afraid of one 1b3) to fear (i.e. hesitate) to do something (for fear of harm) 1c) to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience 5401 phobos {fob'-os}from a primary phebomai (to be put in fear); TDNT - 9:189,1272; noun AV - fear 41, terror 3, misc 3; 47 1) fear, dread, terror 1a) that which strikes terror 2) reverence for one's husband So we see that we must fear God, we must reverence Him, because of His great power and authority. And because if we don't take Him seriously and obey His commands, He will sorely punish us for rebellion against Him! Contact David Question 8. Does God or will God still punish an entire nation as a unit for their sins as he did his chosen people the Israelites? Answer Excellent question. I hope I get close to your question but it raises the broader questions of how God had dealt with the nations in the past and how He deals with them today. Maybe by answering these, your answer will be presented also. 1. God has always ruled the nations. In the Old Testament, we are made aware that God is the ruler of the nations. Daniel 4:16-17. And, He exercised judgments upon nations depending on how unrighteous they were in their behavior. Prov. 14:34. When a nation became so rotten that God viewed them as beyond repair, He brought either partial or total destruction upon them. However, He was always aware of those who were righteous in the midst of wickedness and provided a way of escape for them. Gen. 18:21-33, Ch. 19. For examples of some of His judgments, see the following. 1. Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities of the plains. Gen. 18-19. 2. Destruction of the Canaanite nations by Israel. Gen. 15:16, Deut. 9:4-6, Joshua. 3. Destruction of Israel (Northern Kingdom) by Assyria. 2 Kings 17, Isaiah 10. 4. Destruction of Assyria by Babylon. Nahum 5. Destruction of Judah by Babylon. Habakkuk, 2 King 24-25. 6. Destruction of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. Isaiah 13, 44:28-45:7, Daniel 5. 7. Destruction of Medes and Persians by the Greeks (Alexander the Great). Daniel 8:22-27. Through these examples, we learn God uses various wicked nations to punish other wicked nations and when His instruments for judgment reach a certain level of wickedness, then they are punished also. But, does God still punish the nations today? 2. God, through Jesus, rules the nations today. It was prophesied that Jesus, the Messiah, would rule the nations. Psalm 2, 45, 110, Isaiah 11. And, when He was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He received all authority over Heaven and earth from the Father, these were fulfilled. Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:29-38, 4:25-30, Heb. 1:7-9, 1 Cor. 15:23-28, Rom. 15:7-12. Jesus Himself foretold He would judge the rebellious Jewish nation for their unrighteousness. Matthew 23:37-39, 24:25-35. And, john saw Him as ruler of the nations. Rev. 1:5, 12:1-5, 17:14, 19:11-16, Isaiah 63:1-6. 3. How should we behave in light of this? Since Jesus now rules the nations, we should make it our goal to live a righteous, obedient, prayerful life seeking to please Him above all and to submit to our government as long as we are not called on to disobey God. Acts 2:36-38, Acts 22:16, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Tim. 2:1-8, 2 Thes. 3:1-5, Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Pet. 2:13-17, Acts 5:27-32. If we are serving Him, then no matter what happens to our nation, we will eventually be with Him for eternity. For more on how to be saved, please see the section on What Must We Do To Be Saved. Contact Gary
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Answers To Your Bible Questions "Scripture
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