Two books

[Sexton Blake]

Fortunately for christianity, most christians have never read the bible and never will.

 

The bible is two entirely different books, the old testament and the new testament.

 

The old testament is all about God's interaction with his chosen people, the Jews. God directly interacts with them, even talking to them and showing himself to them

 

https://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/seen.html

 

He gives them direct orders and often fights on their side in battles and they in turn have 613 rules they must follow in life. And death is death.

 

The new testament claims God decided he had been wrong for thousands of years and that he wants to change everything and no longer wants anything to do with the Jews.

 

Apart from a few very doubtful mentions at the beginning, God is not in the new testament.

 

The Jews knew Jesus was not the Messiah from Day One. He had no Jewish father and no might army to drive out the occupying Romans and kill others, so why would (their) God send Jesus if he knew Jesus would be rejected by them?.

 

Also Jesus told them he came to change the rules, that they should forget their god given laws they have obeyed for thousands of years and obey just the ten commandments and do what he says.

 

It was clear that Jesus had not been sent by God or blasphemy of blasphemies, was God, and the Jews knew he was not the Son of God as a God does not have sons or other aspects. He is one of a kind.

 

Jesus became bitter and twisted that God's chosen people had rejected him and he rejected them and preached only to the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles leading to most of the NT being written in Greek (70%), and Latin (12%) with just 18% in Hebrew or Aramaic.

 

Jesus came up with new stuff, with going to Heaven as a reward or eternal torture in Hell as a punishment, and you go to Heaven through him (not God).

 

It was the Jews, not the Romans, who demanded that Jesus die, for his many blasphemies against God and their religion as it became clear that this new religion of Jesus had nothing to do with their religion of God.

[◊ Weezer ◊]

Good summary.   Except.

[◊ Weezer ◊]

1 hour ago, Sexton Blake said:

 

God directly interacts with them, even talking to them and showing himself to them

 

 

Doesn't John 1: 18 say no one has seen god except Jesus?

[walterpthefirst]

6 hours ago, Weezer said:

 

Doesn't John 1: 18 say no one has seen god except Jesus?

 

Good point Weezer.  Except.

 

 

 

SextonBlake says that the Old and New Testaments should be considered as two different books.  Therefore, his claim was that god showed himself to the Jews (the 12 tribes of Israel) applies to the Old Testament and not the New.  And sure enough, we see that god shows some of himself to them.

 

 

Exodus 24 

 

9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 

10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 

11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

 

(But his face was probably hidden, which is why this passage describes the only part that was seen - his feet.)

 

 

Exodus 33 : 18 - 23

 

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 

20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 

22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 

23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

 

So, Sexton's claim about god showing himself to the Jews in the OT is correct.  But in the NT, god the Father is never seen and cannot be seen.

 

 

1 Timothy 6 : 13 - 16

 

13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 

14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 

16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen.

 

And nobody will see god the Father until the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, at the end of days.

 

 

Revelation 22 : 1 - 5

 

1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 

2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 

3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 

4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 

5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

 

 

So, the face-to-face relationship with god that was enjoyed by Adam and Eve before they sinned is restored in the New Jerusalem.  Then everyone there will see god as he truly is.  Here endeth the lesson.

 

 

Thank you.

 

Walter.

[◊ Weezer ◊]

Isn't it strange how all these "takes" on god appear in the bible?