1. Why did Jesus say "God, why have you forsaken me" as his last words?
2. I have friends who have a difficult time believing the Bible. They bring up that there is no way a whale can swallow a human? How can I talk to them if this is true?
3. Why do we have the Book of Numbers?
4. With all the versions of the Bible on the market today, how do you know which one interprets the written word accurately?
5. Where do the dinosaurs fit into the plan?
6. What happens to the people around the world who die without ever hearing the gospel?
7. If God is so good, why is there so much suffering in the world?
8. Why does the Bible say that God sometimes has to see things for Himself (such as in Gen. 18:21)--doesn't He already know?
9. Where does the Bible say about about seeing other people again in
heaven? What does it say about babies who pass away--what will they be like in heaven?
1. Why did Jesus say "God, why have you forsaken me" as his last words?
The Bible records seven sayings from Jesus as He experienced the indescribable torture of dying by crucifixion. One of those sayings, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" is recorded in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34. These words are the beginning of Psalm 22. While the physical pain Christ experienced was horrible, the spiritual suffering was even worse. On the cross the sins of all humanity were placed on the sinless Jesus; but Jesus accepted them willingly because of His love for humanity and His obedience to the Father's plan. As Jesus did this He became "the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God" (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT).
But a holy God cannot look favorably upon sin. So when Jesus took upon Himself the sins of humanity God the Father turned away for a moment. Jesus had to pay the penalty for humanity's sin by Himself. And this is one of the most terrible aspects of hell--to be abandonded or forsaken by God. Jesus voluntarily experienced this separation from God so that humans would not have to experience it. This isn't automatic for all of humanity; it only applies to those who recognize their own sinfulness and accept that Jesus alone paid the penalty for their sin.
While Psalm 22 begins with a cry of abandonment, it ends with an expression of confidence in God. So when Jesus spoke the opening words of the psalm, He was very aware of the abandonment of God. But He was also certain of the deliverance that would come from His Father. And God's deliverance did come, two days later when God raised Jesus from the dead.
2. I have friends who have a difficult time believing the Bible. They bring up that there is no way a whale can swallow a human. How can I talk to them if this is true?
Obviously this question refers to the story of Jonah, where the prophet was thrown out of a ship and was swallowed by a great fish. (Though people talk about this being a whale, the Bible doesn't mention what type of fish.) The "great fish" may have been a whale or a shark or perhaps some other fish specially prepared by the Lord for this purpose. (The Hebrew and Greek words that are used merely mean a great aquatic animal.) Some species of whales and some species of sharks are quite capable of swallowing a man whole. Among these are the sperm whale, the white shark, and the whale shark, all of which have been found with whole animals as large or larger than a man in their stomachs.
Click here to read an article from ChristianAnswers.Net about how this could have happened and how Jonah could have stayed alive inside the fish.
"But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17)
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3. Why do we have the Book of Numbers?
The Book of Numbers tells about the history of Israel, after they left Mount Sinai (where Moses received the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments) and before they entered Canaan. It is somewhat of an ancient "database" for the Israelites: it mentions a lot of names and numbers that help us understand more about the nation of Israel. Above all, it may remind us how "human" the people of Israel were as they rebelled against God, even though He had delievered them from Egyptian slavery! The book also shows God's discipline to His disobedient people. Eugene Peterson, in the introduction to the Book of Numbers in The Message, gives an excellent response to why it was included in the Bible:
Becoming a truly human community is a long, complex, messy business. Simply growing up as a man or woman demands all the wisdom and patience and courage that we can muster. But growing up with others, parents and siblings and neighbors, to say nothing of odd strangers and mean enemies, immensely complicates the growing up.
The book of Numbers plunges us into the mess of growing up. The pages in this section of the biblical story give us a realistic feel for what is involved in being included in the people of God, which is to say, a human community that honors God, lives out love and justices in daily affairs, learns how to deal with sin in oneself and others, and follows God's commands into a future of blessing. And all this without illusions.
Many of us fondle a romanticized spirituality in our imaginations. The "God's in his heaven/all's right with the world" sort of thing. When things don't go "right" we blame others or ourselves, muddle through as best we can, often with considerable crankiness, and wish that we had been born at a different time--"Bible times" maybe!--when living a holy life was so much easier. That's odd because the Bible, our primary text for showing us what it means to be a human being created by God and called to a life of obedient faith and sacrificial love, nowhere suggests that life is simple or event "natural." We need a lot of help.
We need organizational help. When people live together in community, jobs have to be assigned, leaders appointed, inventories kept. Counting and list-making and rosters are as much a part of being a community of God as prayer and instruction and justice. Accurate arithmetic is an aspect of becoming a people of God.
And we need relational help. The people who find themselves called and led and commanded by God find themselves in the company of men and women who sin a lot--quarrel, bicker, grumble, rebel, fornicate, steal--you name it, we do it. We need help in getting along with each other. Wise discipline is required in becoming a people of God.
It follows that counting and quarreling take up considerable space in the book of Numbers. Because they also continue to be unavoidable aspects of our becoming the people of God, this book is essential in training our imaginations to take in some of these less-than-romantic details by which we are formed into the people of God.
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4. With all the versions of the Bible on the market today, how do you know which one interprets the written word accurately?
Most Christians think that an accurate translation of the Bible means a word-for-word translation. If the original has a noun, they expect a noun in the translation. If the original has sixteen words, they don’t want to see seventeen words in the translation. (This is sometimes called “formal equivalence” or form-based.) However, if you’ve ever learned a second language you know that a word-for-word translation is impossible much or most of the time. Idioms in one language need to be paraphrased. (For instance, in a couple of places in the Old Testament, the Hebrew text literally reads, “God's nostrils enlarged.” But the King James Version has something like, "God became angry"—which is what the expression means.
On the other end of the spectrum is a “phrase-for-phrase” translation (“dynamic equivalence” or meaning-based). It is more concerned with the meaning of the original language rather than the grammatical form. These translations are more interpretive, but are also easier to understand because they sound more like common English.
Therefore, when referring to accuracy in translation, the question must be asked: Accuracy to form? Or accuracy to meaning? Sometimes accuracy in one involves lack of accuracy to the other. There are problems with each of these.
Still, each of the translations below is reliable. (Not every translation is listed below; just a few in each category that you might consider.) They are distinguished far more in terms of how idiomatic their English is. (In other words, how much their English sounds the way ordinary fluent speakers of English speak and write.)
Highly Literal Translations
NASB (New American Standard Bible): favored by some conservative Christians who prefer a very literal translation. The quality of English is not as natural as that of the NIV.
NRSV (New Revised Standard Version): highly regarded in scholarly circles. Reads about as well as the NIV.
ESV (English Standard Version): The ESV is an essentially literal Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability.
Moderately Literal Translations
HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible): The HCSB attempts to be more readable than the NASB but more literal than the NIV.
NIV (New International Version): the best-selling English version. A relatively literal translation with some dynamic tendencies. Its English is, on the whole, a little more natural than that of the NASB.
Moderately Idiomatic Translations
NLT (New Living Translation): more accurate than its predecessor, the Living Bible. It’s a thought-for-thought translation. Reads better than most recent literal and moderately literal versions.
GW (God's Word): Not as idiomatic as the CEV, but still quite readable for both adults and children. GW is more dynamic and readable than the NIV.
Highly Idiomatic Translations
NCV (New Century Version): originally translated for children, it has undergone some revision so that it can be appreciated by adults, as well. Very readable.
CEV (Contemporary English Version): The CEV is highly readable, for both adults and children. It strives to preserve the meaning of the original in natural English expressions.
MSG (The Message): Very easy to read. Occasional overuse of idioms not familiar to the majority of fluent English speakers.
You will have to make your own choice as to which you value more, form or meaning. For those who wish as much of both as possible, a high degree of both can be found with Bible versions in the middle ranges of the groupings (such as the NIV or NLT). If you want a clear, understandable, accurate Bible, useful for adults as well as children, use the CEV, the NCV, or the NLT. If you need a version that is as clear as possible but is widely accepted, use the NIV. If you want a Bible for personal study (where you may be looking up the same word in different Bible chapters and verses), use the NASB or ESV. Or, you might even consider a Bible that has two or more translations side by side (such as NASB/MSG). These are often referred to as parallel Bibles.
Ultimately, the best translation is the one that you can understand and will use on a daily basis!
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5. Where do the dinosaurs fit into the plan?
The Bible does mention creatures that we don't recognize today. One name is "behemoth." This word means kingly, gigantic beasts. It could have included large mammals that have become extinct. Click here to read more about dinosaurs from Answers in Genesis.
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day." (Exodus 20:11)
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." (John 1:3)
"Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feed on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God..." (Job 40:15-19)
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6. What happens to the people around the world who die without ever hearing the gospel?
The Bible states there is only one way to get into heaven, through what Jesus did on the cross for us. He paid the price for our sins on the cross; no one else could do that because He alone is God.
What about those who haven't heard about the cross? They can be saved the same way that the people in the Old Testament were saved. The Book of Romans tells us that Abraham was saved the same way we are, by his faith. Abraham didn't know the name of Jesus or that one day Jesus would die on the cross for his sins, but he trusted all he knew about the God who had shown Himself to Abraham. Because of that trust, when Jesus died thousands of years after Abraham, the same forgiveness that was offered to us was given to Abraham.
God still reveals Himself to people who haven't heard the name of Jesus today. Romans 1:19-23 and 10:13-21 tells us that, even by nature itself, we can all clearly see who God really is. None of us can stand before God and say, "I didn't understand." We all live as His creations in the world that He has made; the evidence of the love and grace of God are all around us! Therefore a person who trusted in God without hearing the name of Jesus would be of the heart to immediately recognize that Jesus was the name of the one they believed in if they were ever to hear His name and story. They would know, just as Abraham would have known, that this is the truth about the God they have been following all of their lives. Someone who has begun to walk in the light is always able to recognize a brighter light.
"Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles." (Romans 1:19-23)
"'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our message?' Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: 'Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.' Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, 'I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.' And Isaiah boldly says, 'I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.' But concerning Israel he says, 'All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.'" (Romans 10:13-21)
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7. If God is so good, why is there so much suffering in the world?
The Bible teaches that God is all-powerful, able to do anything He wants. The Bible also teaches that God is thoroughly good. Yet bad things happen. But some people think, “If God is good and all powerful, He shouldn't let bad things happen. Since they do happen, either God isn't good or He isn't all-powerful.”
The Bible teaches that God made us to love us. Because of this, God gave us the freedom to respond to that love, or to reject it. Love is meaningless unless it is freely-given and freely-received. The first use of free will, according to the Bible, was the first humans, Adam and Eve. They made the purposeful choice to disobey God and remove themselves from His leadership. Each of us, like Adam and Eve, has used our free will in ways that has reflected rebellion and disobedience against God.
All choices come with consequences; else they were never really choices. The decision to reject God's leadership altered God's original design for how the world would operate and how life would be lived, ushering in sin and evil as well as the consequences of sin and evil. Theologians have termed this the "fall," and point out that we now live in a "fallen" world.
God is not the author of sin and suffering - we are. God let us choose, and we did. Even though it can be used in a way that rejects His love and can have terrible consequences, God has determined that the gift of free will is worth it. Could God step in and stop the consequences of our choices? Yes, but He doesn't, for to do so would violate our free will, and the violation of free will would end the possibility of a true relationship between us and God.
So where is God in the suffering? Right in the middle of it. He is in grief over how free will was used to reject Him. That's why He has invested Himself in the process of healing the wounds that have come from our choice by entering into the suffering process with us in order to lift us out of it. Jesus on the cross was God entering into the reality of human suffering, experiencing it just like we do, in order to lift us out of it. Jesus on the cross was God entering into the reality of human suffering, experiencing it just like we do, in order to demonstrate that even when we used our free will to reject him, His love never ended.
God could wipe out all evil and suffering this very night. But if at midnight tonight God decreed that all evil would be stamped out in the universe, not a single person would be here at 12:01. God's hope is that you will instead be given the time to search, and that your search will result in an authentic relationship with Him. So the real question is whether you, as a seeker, will allow the reality of pain and suffering to drive you away from God, or to God?
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8. Why does the Bible sometimes say that God has to go see something for Himself?
Gen. 18:21 is one of those verses that, when we think we’ve got God figured out, makes us realize we don’t! The best understanding of this verse seems to be that the writer was attributing human attributes to God to emphasize the seriousness of the people’s sin. From a human perspective it was so unbelievable that “you had to see it to believe it.” Thus it seems the words were used for emphasis—rather than diminishing God’s omnipresence and omniscience it emphasizes His justice. He is the ultimate fact finder—He’s doesn’t capriciously act without knowing and carefully weighing all the facts.
And these words (like those in Gen. 11:5 where God went down to Babel) may also be part of the larger message of Scripture—a reminder of how messed up our society is (and how depraved it can really get)—how broken people can be because of sin. This may be emphasized in Scripture (where God Himself is pictured as having to "see it to believe it") as a reminder to us that we live in that fallen world—indeed we are part of the problem because we are also sinful. Thus it leaves us longing for God to do something to fix the problem that He has experienced first hand—the reality and power of sin in the world.
And that's what God did in Jesus. He is Immanuel—God with us. He didn't "come down" to earth to discover the sin problem or to bring judgment for sin but to provide a solution to it. And that's the greatest message of the Bible, that we can experience the cure for sin (and the life, peace, hope, joy, and freedom that comes with it) through faith in what Jesus did—He took the punishment we deserved so we could be made right with God, as Isaiah noted:
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave. 10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
(Isaiah 53:5-11, NLT)
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9. Where does the Bible say about about seeing other people again in
heaven? What does it say about babies who pass away--what will they be like in heaven?
The Bible does not tell us
exactly what things will be like in heaven. In 1 John 3:2 the Bible says, “What
we will be has not yet been made known.” We know our bodies will be different,
but we are not told exactly how they will be different. Moses and Elijah
appeared at Jesus' transfiguration and were somehow identified by Peter (Matt.
17:3). Jesus told a parable of a rich man recognizing a poor man named Lazarus
after both had died (Luke 16:22-23). So in both of these instances people who
had died were recognized by others.
Jesus declared that
there would be no marriage in heaven and that we would be like angels (Matt.
22:30)--but note that He did NOT say we would "become" angels as some people
claim; angels are created beings just like humans are created beings (Colossians
1:15-17). But perhaps what Jesus meant was that like the angels, we will not
have the same physical limitations of time and space that our bodies have on
this earth. For instance, locked doors didn't hinder the resurrected Jesus from
entering a room where the disciples were gathered (John 20:19), even though He
had some type of "physical" body that His disciples could see and touch. We do
know that many people recognized Jesus after He was resurrected (Matt.
20:9-10,17; Luke 24:13-32,36-43; John 20:15-29; 21:1-23; Acts 1:3-8; 1 Cor.
15:3-8), but sometimes it was not until He spoke to them or enabled them to
recognize Him (as in Luke 24:31). Apparently Jesus had not become an old man
because His followers recognized Him the way they had previously known Him--with
an appearance in His early 30s. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we will
look the "same age" as when we were on the earth.
Truthfully, the Bible
doesn't tell us about this, so the things we may have heard people say are
simply speculation or are things they hope will bring some comfort to someone
who has experienced the loss of a loved one--whether the person was very young,
very old, or somewhere in between. Some people have speculated that babies are
given a resurrection body that is "fast-forwarded" to the "ideal age," just as
those who die at an old age are "re-wound" to the ideal age. Some suggest this
ideal age to be 33 since that is approximately the age Jesus was when He died.
But there is nothing in the Bible that supports any of this speculation.
One thing is for
certain. Whatever age we appear to be in heaven, we will be gloriously perfect.
Our entire person will be remade flawless--wholly and completely Christ-like. We
will lose all trace of human fallenness/sinfulness. So whatever age we are, it
will be the age of complete and total perfection.
While we will have a
physical body in heaven, it won't be in the sense of the "physical" body that we
have now. For whatever reason, there is much mystery in the Bible about the
nature of our heavenly bodies. Still, in 1 Corinthians 15 we have some insights
into the "resurrection" body we will have in heaven: it will be like the
resurrection body of Jesus because He was the "first fruits" of those who have
died (1 Corinthians 15:20,23). This means He set the example and leads the way.
In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 we learn a little about the nature of these
resurrection bodies as compared to our earthly (natural) bodies. Whereas our
earthly bodies are characterized by mortality (being susceptible to death), our
resurrected bodies will be characterized by immortality (not susceptible to
death). Likewise while our earthly bodies are susceptible to decay (corruption),
our resurrection bodies will become incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:53). Also,
where our natural bodies are prone to weakness (ask anyone who has reached 40
years of age or older!), our resurrected bodies will be characterized by
strength (verse 43). Whatever limitations we can think of in our current
physical bodies (whether as a baby, an adult in the "prime" of life, or an old
person), we can be certain that we won't have those limitations in our heavenly
bodies. Instead, they will be perfectly suited for us in heaven--the Bible says
that when we arrive in heaven, we will "be like [Jesus]" (1 John
3:2).
To summarize, the Bible
does not tell us exactly what we will look like in heaven--what age we will
appear to be, or if we will look thin or fat. We know that in whatever ways our
appearance or health has been altered as a result of sin (whether because of
overeating, malnutrition, genetic problems, injuries, aging, etc.), these tr
aits will not be carried over into our appearance in the next life. That's
because the sin nature all humans inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12) will no
longer be with those in heaven, for we will be like Christ (1 John
3:2).
For a detailed
description of heaven, see Revelation chapters 21-22. While we have questions
(or longings) here on the earth for things in heaven to be a certain way (such
as parents being able to hold a baby they lost on earth), we know that in heaven, we will
not have anything to be saddened by. Revelation 21:4 states, "He will wipe every
tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away."
There is much mystery about heaven, about our resurrection bodies,
and so forth. Perhaps this is because we can't understand it fully while we live
on this earth. But the Bible says that when we get to heaven we will finally see
everything from God's perspective, something which is impossible now. "Now we
see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything
with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I
will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." (1
Corinthians 13:12). In the meantime, we must accept by faith that what He says
about heaven is true and know that we will have only joy with God for all
eternity.
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For more questions or more in-depth responses, check out the following websites:
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry – This site will answer many questions that could be asked about our faith and the Bible.
Christian Answers.Net – This site has every possible subject you can think of from abortion to evolution.