Being Open to Scripture
Maybe we should be more open to scripture.
There are many questions to be answered. The scripture says that God is spirit, yet could this be said because no one of that time saw God? Enoch walked with God Genesis 5:24, Abraham clearly saw God Genesis 12:7, Moses and the Elders saw God Exodus 24:11. Just because we or others haven’t seen God physically isn’t enough to believe that he is only in spirit. Doesn’t the Revelation say that God will live with his people? How can he live with his people if he’s not a physical being or some type of entity with a presence?
First I believe that one must realize that heaven is a physical place. Jesus was in a physical body upon his resurrection and ascended into the sky to be with his Father and God. In scripture sky and heaven are one in the same; this is the realm of God.
I’ve often been perplexed over whether God is a spirit or is a being or another dimension.
A spiritual heaven doesn’t make sense. Why would one die to be with the Father in a spiritual realm and then resurrect to be with the Son and away from the Father? The Bible says no such thing! When we are dead, we are but dust of the Earth until the resurrection where then Christ through the authority vested upon him by the Father will resurrect us to be with him. He will smite Satan and his Armies and then the Father will come and dwell with us and his Son. Note that scripture is clear that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. Let me paraphrase it as Jesus says in the Lord prayer, “Our Father who is in heaven… your kingdom is to come as your will, will be done on earth just as it is already done in heaven”. One of Jesus’ greatest messages is that the Kingdom is at hand, we just can’t see it as it is somewhere out there in space. Even Jesus said, I am not of this world. This should make this whole statement obvious.
The spirit or “breath of God” is given by God, also known as the breath of life. Upon death I believe it returns to the source, the Creator. The breath of God is what animates our soul. All living things are filled with the breath of life. I would believe that we all are of one spirit as that spirit comes from one source. Although, we can have a good or bad influence upon the spirit within depending on whether we chose the way of the world or the ways of God. He we pattern ourselves after Christ we will in essence have a Holy Spirit about us.
In regards to the questions…
Question: 1
I would question how would anyone explain Deut. 32:3-4 and 1 Cor. 10:2-4 if Jesus is NOT God. I have not found an explanation justifying how these verses could possibly be made to harmonize.
Answer: 1
In regards to the people that followed Moses, did they live forever or did they parish? The people did eventually parish. It says in 1 Cor. 10:4 “They drank from that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” If they had truly drunk of Christ life giving water than they would have never died, thus this was speaking of Christ coming in the future resurrection where all will drink of the life giving water Rev 22:1. Thus when it says followed them; it meant to proceed after them. Jesus even said that he was spoken of by Moses.
Now let’s address Deut. 32:3-4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” I don’t see a contradiction, the passage says that a God and not the God. There are many lords and gods but for us there is only One! The LORD of Lords and the God of gods. We must remember that god can also mean judge and Christ has been given all authority on earth and in heaven to judge. Of course this text can be written to try and give it a different meaning, but I don’t believe that we should try to do this when it is not concurrent throughout scripture. Scripture is clear that there is only One God and Father, and that Jesus sits at his right hand. I will add that v.18 does state that the Father was their Rock, thus showing that this is not a reference to Christ unless you were to believe that they are one in the same. Again I have to reference Isaiah 42:1 which clearly tells us that God planned to put his Spirit upon Christ. Unfortunately receiving God’s Holy Spirit doesn’t make one a litteral god or we’d all be gods; however receiving the word of God does give one the authority to judge as a god; meaning: one who passes judgement on mankind on God’s behalf. The best examples of this being Moses, Prophets, and Christ.
Question: 2
Also how would you explain the alpha and omega phrases in relation to Jesus and God being two or the same being.
Answer: 2
It must first be noted that Jesus didn’t know when he would return, only the father knew. The book of Revelation is message or truth about Christ that the Father revealed to him, so that he could show his servants what was to happen. Jesus’ sent his angel to show John what had been revealed to Christ’s by his Father. Thus the message is given by the Angel and speaks of both the Son and the Father. Note in Ch1 verse 4 “grace and peace to you from the One who is and was and is coming [the Father], and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ [the Son who is shown as a separate individual]. V6 “…He [Christ] made us to be a kingdom of priests who serve God his Father.” One should remember this is all being spoken to John by an Angel. V8 says, “The LORD God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” You will find in Revelation that God the Father is referred to as: the One Seated on the Great White Throne, the Alpha and Omega. Christ on the other hand is the first and the last which could be explained in 1 Cor. 15:45 “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” Jesus being both the first and the last, being both living and a life-giving spirit. What gets me is Revelation 22:13 which I will agree is hard to ignore. This could be as I believe the Father speaking, yet then there is the common use of “first and last” which was used by Christ in Revelation 2:8. Thus my only explanation on this would be that “first and last” may have multiple possible uses. If this verse was to be believed as implied then we would have to believe that the Father and the Son are one in the same person and/or being which I feel in contrary to scripture.
Sincerely,
DoubtingFaith
