Category: Q & A (page 5 of 17)

Tragedy and God

Pat T – Are tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis being created by God?

Dave – The short answer is these things were not part of the original, pre-Fall creation. There was no death or dying process at the creation beginning. If these storms were part of the original design, then they would have killed some people.

The longer answer is based on a careful read of Genesis. God originally made a tranquil earth. There also was no mention of rain before The Flood. Genesis 2 tells us that there was a mist raising from the earth that watered vegetation.

There was also no mention of the four seasons until after Noah’s Flood. This would logically lead me to believe that the earth was not tilted at its present 23 degrees because this tilt causes the change of seasons rather than the distance from the sun during earth’s orbit around it. I assume the original earth was straight up and down in relation to the sun. Perhaps an ice meteor hit the earth and caused the tilt. The British astronomer George Dodwell (1879-1963) worked for the government of Australia and conducted some remarkable research concerning how the tilt of our earth came about. He notes that the earth was wobbling, and this was gradually decreasing. He knew that if a spinning toy top got hit with something, it too would generate a wobble that ebbs over time. Taking precise measurements, Dodwell concluded, based on the rate of wobble decrease, that our spinning earth must have been hit with a meteor about 4500 years ago. This would be about the time of Noah’s Flood.

Once sin came into being among the human race, many negative results went into action, some having affects many years later in human history.

God’s judgment during The Great Flood caused the crust to burst open around the entire world as the “springs of the great deep burst open” thus causing the plate tectonics that we can observe today. This in turn would cause our first earthquakes and perhaps the first volcanic eruptions, and we can’t have tsunamis without earthquakes. Hurricanes and tornadoes are caused by severe temperature and air pressure differences colliding. Again, the earth was quite tranquil pre-Flood. It most likely had a decent temperature worldwide. So these differences could not have been great enough to cause a storm before the Flood.

Rather than labeling these storms as “acts of God,” I would rather call them “results of a fallen world.”

Pat T – Thanks for the good info Dave, I agree 100% about no cataclysmic events before the Fall. I just
needed someone to help remind me it was man’s sin that messed things all up.

Feedback:

Nels F (7/26/13) – Always learning something new–thanks so much!!

Forgiving Yourself

Linda B – I am having trouble forgiving myself. What can I do?

Dave – Great question, and many Christians have said they still need to do this, but it is never mentioned in the Scriptures as something we need to do. Our sins were not against us, they were against others but ultimately against God. God says He has forgiven and removed all our sin and iniquity (sinful state of being). Therefore, if we have truly believed and received His forgiveness, there is nothing more for us to do except forgive others who sin against us. I think if a believer feels they still need to forgive themselves, they have not yet fully received His forgiveness OR, and this is most likely, they are listening to a demonic spirit of condemnation. If so, Romans 8:1 needs to be quoted to that spirit as the thought enters our mind. I’ve used it often. It works.

Linda B – Thank you. I believe you’re right about the demonic spirit. I will keep that verse on my fridge and my bedroom mirror. 🙂

Feedback:

Mark D – I agree that much of the problem of not forgiving ourselves is simply not accepting God’s forgiveness. Sometimes we feel so bad about things that we resist His forgiveness. Sometimes we are so appalled at ourselves that we refuse such a free gift, and still feel in our hearts that somehow we have to work for forgiveness (“It can’t be that easy!” we think.) Sometimes our pride is hit so hard by what we did that we can’t process what we’ve really done–and its repercussions on others or even ourselves. We have to humble ourselves to accept His free give of forgiveness sometimes, and that can often take some time.

Galatians 1 Verse 8

Ruth D – What does Paul mean in Galatians 1:8 KJV – “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” What angel would he be referring to?

Dave – Paul may be using an extreme example to rivet home the idea how solidly true the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. In other words, he is saying that even if a good angel should proclaim a contrary message, then that angel is in big trouble. This is not to say that an angel of God would ever do this. Paul is simply taking his example to that extreme degree to make his point. Therefore, to answer your question, I do not think Paul had any specific angel from heaven in mind (again because no good angel would do this). He also could be saying that if some supernatural being appears to be holy, it may try to fool us. Therefore we need to use the Word of God laid down by Paul and others as the measuring stick to determine truth from lies. We need to be mindful of 2 Corinthians 11:14 where it says that even Satan can appear as an angel of light. Visions must be accountable to the Word of God. Over the years, people with inflated egos and demonic spirits of error have taught many off-the-wall doctrines that simply do not line up with Scripture. Some of these people have even claimed to have had visions of supernatural beings that were the source of their “revelations,” i.e., Joseph Smith who started Mormonism. Scripture tells us to not believe every spirit but to test it to see whether or not it is from God (1 John 4:1).

Feedback:

Mark D – Great answer, David!

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