By the Numbers

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Could Unbelievers Fear A Real God?

                        Could Unbelievers Fear A Real God?

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Ha! Ha! That question seems ridiculous, even stupid! I see trees, birds, animals, people, stars, but no God, or anything suggesting God. God is nothing but a figment of ignorant peoples' imagination, maybe their attempt to comfort themselves in difficult circumstances.
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Not so fast! Could we have mistaken notions about what God must be? Could we be looking in the wrong places? Or, maybe be blind to what we see? Could we even be deceiving ourselves? Let's think openly, honestly and courageously about these following questions.
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Could God Be An Invisible Spirit?
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 So we don't see anything we would call God. Honestly, it's good that we don't. For if we did see some physical being, animal, or man, alleged to be God, it would likely be severely limited to occupying one spot on earth and one place in time like all other things do. If God were an animal as a lion, or insect like an ant, we likely could never think God was anything to be concerned about and that we might kill god as an inferior being and pest. And if God were a man, we could probably communicate with him. But being no more than a man he would have our same limitations and we would see no reason to worship or  to expect anything more from him than from ourselves. But the word "God" is used to mean much more than mere human limitations.
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If people everywhere can pray to God, worship God, seek to obey God, and expect God to do far greater things, even things impossible for man, then God must be several things more than a mere man. A God everybody can pray to is not a physical thing limited to one spot, time, or language and must know everything. His knowledge would be astronomical maybe infinite. That's the kind of God taught in the Bible and the Christian faith. The Bible's God is an infinite Spirit existing throughout time and space. Any man made idol of wood, stone, or metal would greatly misrepresent him making him worthless.
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Could God Be A Creative Person?
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Now we don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that nothing can't create something. Nothing means nonexistence without mind, will, and power. We know the universe hasn't always existed but came into being at some point when matter, space and time began. So if it didn't exist, something else must have existed to bring it into being. That something must be equally great or greater than its material creation since something can't give what it doesn't have. So the Bible says,"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
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We know also that life doesn't magically spontaneously spring into being from non life. Non life has no mind, will, and power to create itself in any amount of time. Atoms can't decide let's arrange ourselves into germs, virus, plants, animals and man. Again, the facts require that that creative something have life and to always have been living without change. God must be an eternal, self-existent, intelligent, living, planning creative being or person. This is what is meant in the Bible by the word--God.
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"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,  and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5.    
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Could We Miss Other Pointers To God?
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Some persons claim we don't need God since evolution can explain everything. But can it? Nonexistence can't explode and evolve into anything. Anything begun requires a Beginner. Numerous things require a creative mind and will outside the mindless elements of nature. Eggs require chickens to lay on them before they hatch and the chicken has a chemical necessary for eggs to form. Everything that breathes requires just the right combination of gases and density of atmosphere. Nature can't know birds need wings to fly, animals need legs to walk, fish need fins to swim, men need arms to make things. Male and female gender is tremendously complicated, had to exist together at the same time, and exists in myriad life forms throughout the animal kingdom. No closed-minded faith as evolutionary naturalism can account for these things and a million others. Everything points to God.
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Our eye beholding things of breathtaking beauty inspire a sense of awe and wonder giving us the impression something more than nature exists, and that it must be good and love us. Just as things which thirst have a need for water, there is water. Loneliness means we have a need for companionship, and compatible companions exist. Our sense of incompleteness implies something exists to complete us. Our need for purpose is pointless unless there is an ultimate purpose or Purposer. Even truth is irrational unless there's an ultimate truth to make it rational. All such things point to God and make no sense unless the biblical kind of God exists.
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Could God Be A Moral Person?
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Would you be appalled to see your loved ones used for target practice, or see human beings hung on meat hooks to be purchased and roasted for food?  Would you not object to others lying, stealing, deceiving, and cheating you? Since we are a common humanity, if such things are wrong for one  person, they would be wrong for us all.
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Can we believe human life has no more value than that? No, something inside us cringes at such things knowing they can't be right and are terribly unjust. It's called a conscience. But if there's no ethical God to whom we must give account of our lives, concepts of justice and love make no sense for merely perishing animals. This too points to a just but loving God to whom we must one day give account of our lives.
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Could God Walk Among Us?
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Now if God be creator of all the universe and made us in his rational, moral, immortal image for relationship with us, what could possibly be difficult for him to take on a human nature and body to communicate with us? But how could we recognize him if he came among us and was no different than any other ordinary man? We couldn't in that case recognize him. He would have to not only claim to be our God but do extraordinary things to get our attention and demonstrate his claims true. What would that require?
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"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotton of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). See my article, The Great Mysteries of the Christian Faith.
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Consider these things. What if Jesus claimed to be God and could predict things months even years before they occurred? What if he did specific things predicted centuries earlier that only God could know and do? What if he could do astonishing things nature's patterns cannot normally allow? Such things beyond human ability would definitely show he was more than man and must be a God-man!
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Jesus predicted Peter's denial three times before the roaster crowed, Judas' betrayal, his death and resurrection after three days. He fulfilled centuries earlier prophecies that Messiah would be God, perform miracles, live without sin, die for sinners and be raised from the dead. His disciples and his critics were astonished at his miracles and couldn't deny them. All these things are impossible if Jesus be a mere man. (For more detail, see my articles on Jesus' prophecies and miracles.)    
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Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
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 Nothing but arguments are sometimes used to ridicule Christians with pretense of knowledge one doesn't have and sense of self-importance not pleasing to God. If we could gain the whole world but lose our own soul, would that be wise? Everywhere we look is evidence pointing to the biblical God. Human dignity and real justice exists only if God exists and Jesus demonstrated he is our God who walked among us. Heaven is where God's perfect love is made known. We are given the choice to trust Jesus to forgive our sins, save us from Hell, and follow Him in life. You are invited to become right now a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ seeking His will the rest of your life. Say, Lord Jesus I trust You to save me and show me Your will for my life from now on. Trust Jesus as your loving Lord. Follow the Bible. Don't be afraid!
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Monday, May 7, 2012

Warfare in the Quran & in the Bible

                         Warfare in the Qur'an & in the Bible 

#Qur'an  

Since the terrorist 9/11 assault on symbols of American wealth and power secularists have come to feel that devotion to the God of any holy book is a dangerous thing. Postmodernists believe everything is in flux, socially estranged and requires their authoritative interpretation. They despise any hint of objective religious authority. They may know little if anything about either holy book but equate the God of both as the cause of religious wars. Can we know the truth about this important matter? 
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One thing they seem to overlook is that the twenty century socialists/communists and Nazis denying God and religion have caused more deaths and destroyed more lands in wars than all the previous religious wars put together. I wonder how they can casually dismiss that as insignificant. Are we right to assume religious wars are all on the same footing? Is there no difference between Muslim terrorists and biblical Christians, between Quran's hate teaching to fight and slay pagans where you find them (Surah 9:5) and Jesus' commandments to love God and man (Matt. 24:37-40)?
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Warfare in the Quran.
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Islam is a state religion bent on conquering the world. It seems impossible to separate the religion from the government or from Islamic society. They are one indivisible community that regards all infidels who won't summit as their enemy. This is the plain teaching of the Quran and the Hadith and gives Islamic soldiers dying in battle for Allah (God) assurance of going to paradise where all their sensual desires will be satisfied--wine, many beautiful women, song and every comfort of life (Surah 37:40-48; 60:10-40; 76:10-21). Nothing is said about their wives having virgins.
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Muhammad is known at the prophet of the sword and his life is the pattern Muslims are to follow (Surah 33:21; 68:4). Islam began in conquest, and has a history of warfare with its objective to impose its religion and law upon the world. When in a minority, Muslims cite their annulled  verse in the Quran that teaches no compulsion in religion and claim peace (Surah 2:256). But when they gain a majority, they enforce the multiple passages that plainly teach to kill all infidels who will not submit to Islam.
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Any unbelieving nation and people who won't summit to Islam is their enemy and if not subdued by persuasion must be by force. Jews and Christians are not Allah's friends or protectors (Surah 5:51; 60:1). Even treaty obligations with pagans may be dissolved (Surah 9:1, 3; 16:101). Muslims with head bowed to the ground facing Mecca are taught to pray five times a day and that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet. That's instilled in them from cradle to grave and difficult to renounce.
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Their ideal of peace cannot be achieved until all nations are brought under Islamic rule. Muslim states rich in oil enable them to equip Jihadist terrorists to use violent destruction all over the world. Islamic law oppresses any personal opinion (Surah 33:36). It governs all political, social, military and family life. Unlike biblical Christianity, basic Islam does not promote human dignity, equality, freedom, love and peace.
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While not all Muslims agree with this, they are not very vocal to protest it. Islamic schools and mosques teach hatred of unsubmissive infidels and fearful threats to Muslims who would convert to another religion. Committed parents will disown or even kill their own children who accept another religion. Consider three of  over a hundred plain terrorist statements of the Quran and the Hadith.
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Sura 8:12, 17. "I will instill terror into the infidels, smite them above their necks; smite all their fingertips off them. It is not you who slay them but Allah."
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Sura 9:14. "Kill the infidels, God will torment and cover them with shame."
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Hadith 1:35. "The person who participates in Allah's cause (namely, in battle), . . will be recompensed by Allah either with reward or booty or will be admitted to Paradise."
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Warfare in the Jewish Tanakh or Old Testament..
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Israel was a theocracy or state religion directed by God that sought justice and peace in the world. But fairness requires we understand several factors. First, its recorded killings aren't always approved biblical teaching. It records Moses unlawfully killed the Egyptian. Warfare among kings may be simply stated without expressed approval or disapproval. Second, Israel's just God does  command warfare as one means of judgment. He drowned Pharaoh's army in the sea, used Joshua to defeat the Canaanites living in Israel's promised land, later used Israel's leaders called judges to defeat their warring neighbors. But Israel too was subject to God's judgments for wrong doing. Among them God slew 24,000 idolaters in a plague (Num. 25:9), complainers against God over  age 20 weren't allowed into the promised land, Israel's defeat at Ai, and her later captivity.
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Third, unlike other nations Israel's rules of warfare were most humane (Deut. 20). A priest would tell soldiers God would give them victory and officers would tell those afraid to go home. The army coming against a city was to offer them peace and to pay tribute but if they didn't accept, only then to kill the soldiers and put others under subjection. Among the Canaanites living in the land promised to Israel, God commanded everything be utterly destroyed except believers in the true God such as Rahab. Even then God gave the Canaanites 400 years to repent before judgment. He knew they would  lead Israel from God into idolatry, astrology, homosexuality, child sacrifice, and bestiality (Ex. 22:18-20; Lev. 18:20-23). Further, Canaanites practices were unsanitary and productive of disease.
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Surely postmodernists don't forbid governments to oppose evil, or do they? Sometimes war is necessary to put down evil. Hitler unopposed would have subjected the world to death or slavery. Isn't it the state's duty to arrest criminals, burglars, rapists, murders, child abusers and the like for public safety and security? But if there is no personal ethical God as a standard, then anything can happen for the worse.
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Warfare in the New Testament.
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Biblical Christianity is not a state religion but a worldwide spiritual brotherhood of all who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the Bible teachings as their authority and guide. It's true that some nations have been called "Christian" but that is subject to interpretations. Never in any nation could all be called Christians in the biblical sense just mentioned. Even where a majority claimed the Christian faith it may mean only their belief in a personal ethical God and Christian ethics as the accepted norm. The Crusades of the middle age were called holy wars to retake lands Muslims had taken from them but this clearly is not the teaching of the New Testament. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight"John 18:36.
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Unlike Muhammad who brandished the sword to kill many people who saw him as a false prophet, Jesus told Peter to put away the sword because he could have twelve legions of angles come to his rescue but then the Scriptures of his dying to save us sinners would not be fulfilled (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27; Matthew 26:52-54; Ephesians 1:7).
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New Testament warfare and armor is described in Ephesians 6:10-19. "But on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places".
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Further explanation metaphorically represents the pieces of armor in spiritual  concepts of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. These are the weapons New Testament believers are to fight with and they are powerful to bring down strongholds.
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"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4-5). These articles are supreme examples of Christian spiritual warfare. In uncensored libraries and bookstores many books can be found mentioning the same things said here, even in some books by Muslims. See books below and the article: They have come for us, Claiming America for Islam.
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Saul, the first great persecutor of Christians was transformed into Paul, the first great preacher of Christ. It's happened many times and can happen many more times. Brothers and sisters around the globe, let's take courage, put on the gospel armor and witness what great things God will do through us. Jesus alone is Lord and Savior of us sinners. 1 Corinthians 15:58.
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