Random Questions; Bible-based answers

[ewq1938]

The Scriptures contain a few discrepancies that will serve as my next RQs. Here are the first three:

MK 9:40 says "the person not against Jesus is for him", but MT 12:30 says "the person not with Jesus is against him".

Do you see a way to harmonize these?

Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Mar 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.


Mat 12:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Mat 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.



The subject and contexts are very different. There is nothing to harmonize.

LK 23:46 says the last words of Jesus were "Father, into...", and JN 19:30 says the last words were "It is finished".

Possible to harmonize?

Different people hear different things...nothing needs harmonized.

MK 10:46 reports that one blind man is healed, whereas MT 20:30 says two blind men are healed.

Which is it?

Again, not everyone sees and knows what others see and know. One person saw one blind man, another saw one more.

 

[GWH]

God often uses secondary means to accomplish his own plans.

.

Yes.

2SM 24:1, "Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying 'Go and take a census of Israel and Juday'".

1CHR 21:1, "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel,"

Either Satan is viewed by the second writer as being the agent of God's wrath, and/or the writers have slightly different oral sources.

Okay, what about:

GN 2:17 says A&E would die on the day sin was committed, but

GN 5:5 reports that Adam lived 930 years before dying.

And y'all say?

 

[GWH]

Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Mar 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.


Mat 12:26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
Mat 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.



The subject and contexts are very different. There is nothing to harmonize.







Different people hear different things...nothing needs harmonized.





Again, not everyone sees and knows what others see and know. One person saw one blind man, another saw one more.

Very good answers IMO. There is only a problem if one believes the extant Scriptures are verbally (word by word) inspired.

See the next RQ just posted.

 

[ewq1938]

Yes.

2SM 24:1, "Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying 'Go and take a census of Israel and Juday'".

1CHR 21:1, "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel,"

Either Satan is viewed by the second writer as being the agent of God's wrath, and/or the writers have slightly different oral sources.

satan isn't only a name but can simply mean an opponent. In this case, the Lord was an opponent of Israel.

Okay, what about:

GN 2:17 says A&E would die on the day sin was committed, but

GN 5:5 reports that Adam lived 930 years before dying.

And y'all say?

The first one was a spiritual death that happened the day they sinned. The second is physical death which happened hundreds of years later.

 

[GWH]

satan isn't only a name but can simply mean an opponent. In this case, the Lord was an opponent of Israel.

The first one was a spiritual death that happened the day they sinned. The second is physical death which happened hundreds of years later.

I agree regarding spiritual vs. physical death.

Regarding "satan isn't only a name but can simply mean an opponent. In this case, the Lord was an opponent of Israel.":

You raise a point I had not considered. While I had realized that God created theoretical evil or the possibility of rejecting Him as an option that actualizes MFW/free human personality, because as such it is necessary and even good (GN 1:31), and that it was wrong for Satan (1JN 3:8) and humanity (RM 5:12) to make evil actual by choosing to Sin or reject Faith in God’s Lordship,

I had NOT considered whether Satan was the means God employed for creating theoretical evil and therefore was good before he exercised volition to actually rebel against God. Hmm--(I am pondering that thought :^)

 

[ewq1938]

I agree regarding spiritual vs. physical death.

Regarding "satan isn't only a name but can simply mean an opponent. In this case, the Lord was an opponent of Israel.":

You raise a point I had not considered. While I had realized that God created theoretical evil or the possibility of rejecting Him as an option that actualizes MFW/free human personality, because as such it is necessary and even good (GN 1:31), and that it was wrong for Satan (1JN 3:8) and humanity (RM 5:12) to make evil actual by choosing to Sin or reject Faith in God’s Lordship,

I had NOT considered whether Satan was the means God employed for creating theoretical evil and therefore was good before he exercised volition to actually rebel against God. Hmm--(I am pondering that thought :^)

God can create something known as natural evil...tribulations, hardships, deaths and sometimes uses satan but not always....but not moral evil like doing wrongs to people.

 

[GWH]

God can create something known as natural evil...tribulations, hardships, deaths and sometimes uses satan but not always....but not moral evil like doing wrongs to people.

Yes, natural disasters and diseases should be viewed as amoral rather than as evil.

There are so many who seem to be sons of perdition that it may be difficult to recognize the main one when he is revealed!

(BTW, I still like the idea that Satan was the means God employed for creating theoretical evil and therefore was good before he exercised volition to actually rebel against God and thereby actualized evil in the world, which I may add to my website, so thanks :^)