opuntia
Religion is Law
What does the world think about God? There are so many viewpoints that one is hardpressed to exclaim that ones view is the right one, for there will always be someone who will object. What then is the right view?
When the scriptures began to be written, these men called prophets had the correct viewpoint as they had seen God face to face or one of His messengers the angels. There was no better witness than the direct one. These days there are no prophets it seems that can corroborate the claims made in scripture. All we have to rely upon are centuries-old records since we have no accepted new scripture. We owe our debt and gratitude to a long-dead people and the records they left behind.
Recordkeeping through the ages relied upon the pen or writing instrument in the hands of men who wrote on what was available to them, papyrus, sheepskin, sometimes metal sheets, or some other medium. The records sometimes were lost or were misinterpreted if translated. Transcribers misplaced or forgot to add the correct word or made the mistake of adding a new word. Scribes can tire at times and make mistakes. At times deliberate alterations were made to records. Nature at times marred the writings. Various things can and did happen to records through the centuries that what we have today may not be the original writings.
Who then can say what God is like if we were to observe Him? The records leave us with some views on God. For instance:
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27; KJV).
"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
"And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone." (Exodus 24:9-10).
"And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11).
"And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
"My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
"With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Numbers 12:6-8).
"If ye had known me [Jesus], ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
"Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14:7-9).
Apparently, Jesus was the best witness of the Father. Who was Jesus? How shall He appear to us if He were to come to us today? How did He appear to the early disciples? They saw a man in bodily form there is no doubt. Jesus was a carpenter who helped His earthly father, Joseph, in the trade. Then He walked the dusty roads of Palestine with the disciples. He laid His hands upon the sick and healed them.
"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
"And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
"And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
"After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." (Mark 8:22-25).
These are the scriptural accounts that can be found in any Holy Bible whatever the translation, and they all say that Jesus was crucified on the cross and arose on the third day and appeared unto the disciples. See Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1. In Luke 24, we have the record that after the resurrection, Jesus, upon appearing to the disciples, showed them his hands and feet (v. 40) and then asked for something to eat (vv. 41-43).
"Behold my hands and my feet [apparently to show them the marks of the cross as a witness], that it is I myself: handle me, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones [the disciples, having never seen a resurrected being, Jesus being "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20), thought they saw a ghost], as ye see me have.
"And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
"And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
"And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
"And he took it, and did eat [as another witness] before them."
How, then, shall God appear to us when we approach Him on that prophesied Judgment Day, when all who lived on this earth will be judged? Will we see Him? Apparently so. If we have done well, with joy, and if we have not, with sadness.
These are the words that can be found in our present-day records, and I will suppose that naysayers will appear as they always have, even when Jesus was in Palestine and preached the gospel of the Kingdom.
EDIT:
What say you about this verse from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8).
When the scriptures began to be written, these men called prophets had the correct viewpoint as they had seen God face to face or one of His messengers the angels. There was no better witness than the direct one. These days there are no prophets it seems that can corroborate the claims made in scripture. All we have to rely upon are centuries-old records since we have no accepted new scripture. We owe our debt and gratitude to a long-dead people and the records they left behind.
Recordkeeping through the ages relied upon the pen or writing instrument in the hands of men who wrote on what was available to them, papyrus, sheepskin, sometimes metal sheets, or some other medium. The records sometimes were lost or were misinterpreted if translated. Transcribers misplaced or forgot to add the correct word or made the mistake of adding a new word. Scribes can tire at times and make mistakes. At times deliberate alterations were made to records. Nature at times marred the writings. Various things can and did happen to records through the centuries that what we have today may not be the original writings.
Who then can say what God is like if we were to observe Him? The records leave us with some views on God. For instance:
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27; KJV).
"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:
"And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone." (Exodus 24:9-10).
"And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." (Exodus 33:11).
"And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
"My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
"With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Numbers 12:6-8).
"If ye had known me [Jesus], ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
"Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14:7-9).
Apparently, Jesus was the best witness of the Father. Who was Jesus? How shall He appear to us if He were to come to us today? How did He appear to the early disciples? They saw a man in bodily form there is no doubt. Jesus was a carpenter who helped His earthly father, Joseph, in the trade. Then He walked the dusty roads of Palestine with the disciples. He laid His hands upon the sick and healed them.
"And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
"And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
"And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
"After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." (Mark 8:22-25).
These are the scriptural accounts that can be found in any Holy Bible whatever the translation, and they all say that Jesus was crucified on the cross and arose on the third day and appeared unto the disciples. See Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1. In Luke 24, we have the record that after the resurrection, Jesus, upon appearing to the disciples, showed them his hands and feet (v. 40) and then asked for something to eat (vv. 41-43).
"Behold my hands and my feet [apparently to show them the marks of the cross as a witness], that it is I myself: handle me, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones [the disciples, having never seen a resurrected being, Jesus being "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20), thought they saw a ghost], as ye see me have.
"And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
"And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
"And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
"And he took it, and did eat [as another witness] before them."
How, then, shall God appear to us when we approach Him on that prophesied Judgment Day, when all who lived on this earth will be judged? Will we see Him? Apparently so. If we have done well, with joy, and if we have not, with sadness.
These are the words that can be found in our present-day records, and I will suppose that naysayers will appear as they always have, even when Jesus was in Palestine and preached the gospel of the Kingdom.
EDIT:
What say you about this verse from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8).