how did Satan manage to appear as a snake.

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Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
59,682
29,022
113
#81
Another thing to ponder... their desire came from the natural world, and is associated with 1 John 2:16
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not
from the Father but from the world.
Compare to Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the
tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some
and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
In Hebrews we are told
that people are enslaved to sin (in bondage) due to their fear of death. It really makes me wonder how
much this played into their decision to eat, because hello!?! The Tree of Life was right there too!
.:unsure::giggle:

But God knew what choice they would make, since Jesus was purposed from before the foundation of the world .:D
 
Jan 4, 2023
43
16
8
#82
This doesn't apply to Christians, Christians are free from a curse. my friend is concerned God has not accepted him. Which as we know God says come as you are.
Jesus said "I will never leave you nor forsake you." And he said somewhere else "If it were not true I would not tell you" To those who are temporarily weak in their faith, this can seem hard to believe. I hope your friend's brother can be patient with himself during this spiritually dry spell. We've all had to cope with doubt, it's "missing the mark" (sin), the reason He willingly went to the cross, to purchase our forgiveness. God rest your friend's brother.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
13,878
5,622
113
#83
Another thing to ponder... their desire came from the natural world, and is associated with 1 John 2:16
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not
from the Father but from the world.
Compare to Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the
tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some
and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
In Hebrews we are told
that people are enslaved to sin (in bondage) due to their fear of death. It really makes me wonder how
much this played into their decision to eat, because hello!?! The Tree of Life was right there too!
.:unsure::giggle:

But God knew what choice they would make, since Jesus was purposed from before the foundation of the world .:D
Amen he always knows the outcome of both choices man makes he knew Adams transgression would lead to death so he said “ in the day you eat “ not “ if someday maybe you might eat “

He always knows but this doesn’t mean we know or it doesn’t change our position of making the choices we make god knows but we’re still in the middle part making the choice
 

Happy_hobnob

Active member
Mar 11, 2023
171
29
28
#84
I w

I hope to add a word of guidance, but others might jump on me for it. I'm concerned that your friend is worrying himself literally sick. It is possible to be anxious enough and worry enough to make yourself physically depressed which is an actual physical ailment that can be treated. I wish your friend could talk more about his troubles, even to any listening ear, because that has the effect of organizing your thinking and straightening out knotty problems. If his problem was having a compound fracture, we wouldn't send him to scripture. Self condemnation is a huge problem: When Martin Luther was a young man, a teenager, he had the same problem and it was almost convinced that God couldn't help him. He knew the scripture well, and to make the story short, the verse "The just shall live by faith" entered his mind, and freed him from his doubt and worry. I hope your friend finds the way out. I'm concerned that is despair might go too far and make him take his life. God never intended for his threatenings to cause that. I think your friend has repented of his sins, and it's true that "God is faithful and just to forgive all our sins and shortcomings". Please bring that message to your friend.



problems
yes I'm sure it is a mental Block he has, I'm hoping when I show his sister how pilgrim'shope explained our fragile minds where never supposed to have all knowledge of good and evil, it may just strengthen his weakness, remove his block, and hopefully help him to stop beating himself up. I think this could the answer where looking for, as we have overlooked that scripture, maybe it will be a good remedy for him. We have been coming increasingly concerned for him, lately as his vacant spells have become more frequent, where worried it could lead to more serious illness, but where keeping him busy and watching closely, I would love if you all could pray for him that pilgrims post works, I really think this is the breakthrough.
 
Dec 21, 2020
1,825
474
83
#85
He always knows the outcome
Does He?

Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Jer 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

If God knows everything ahead of time, how would it be possible for someone to cause His anger to be kindled? It would at best be a staged anger. "I knew ahead of time this was going to happen, and now I need to be angry."

I do not think everything in life is all prearranged or foreknown by God. I think we can please God, or upset Him, and I think God's responses to what we do are genuine. I'm familiar with the "God lives outside of time, He can see from eternity past to eternity future" argument. I'm not convinced it's true. Prophecies come to pass because God brings them to pass, not because He "saw" them happening in the future.

Also, prayer can actually change the future. In Isa 38, God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he was about to die. It was "Thus saith the LORD." Hezekiah prayed, and God gave him 15 more years. The word of the LORD to Hezekiah changed when Hez prayed. If God knew ahead of time that Hez would pray and that God would give him 15 more years, why would God have told him that he was about to die?

..just some thoughts.
 

Sipsey

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2018
1,470
689
113
#86
Does He?

Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Jer 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

If God knows everything ahead of time, how would it be possible for someone to cause His anger to be kindled? It would at best be a staged anger. "I knew ahead of time this was going to happen, and now I need to be angry."

I do not think everything in life is all prearranged or foreknown by God. I think we can please God, or upset Him, and I think God's responses to what we do are genuine. I'm familiar with the "God lives outside of time, He can see from eternity past to eternity future" argument. I'm not convinced it's true. Prophecies come to pass because God brings them to pass, not because He "saw" them happening in the future.

Also, prayer can actually change the future. In Isa 38, God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he was about to die. It was "Thus saith the LORD." Hezekiah prayed, and God gave him 15 more years. The word of the LORD to Hezekiah changed when Hez prayed. If God knew ahead of time that Hez would pray and that God would give him 15 more years, why would God have told him that he was about to die?

..just some thoughts.
Anthropomorphisms, is one possibility. It’s a rather large word that says that there is a good bit of language in Scripture used to describe things about God that are used to help us relate to Him. His love is quite different than what passes for most of us, but we can relate to a God that is happy, sad, or disappointed, yet God is above being at the beck and call of such emotional states.
 

2ndTimeIsTheCharm

Well-known member
Feb 17, 2023
1,850
1,027
113
#87
If God knows everything ahead of time, how would it be possible for someone to cause His anger to be kindled? It would at best be a staged anger. "I knew ahead of time this was going to happen, and now I need to be angry."
God lives outside of time though. So when He need to express that anger to the one that offended Him, it's genuine and timely. It's like that for every interaction with and from the Lord.

Psalm 90:4 A thousand years in your sight
are
like a day that has just gone by,
or
like a watch in the night.

God is pretty fascinating..... :)
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
13,878
5,622
113
#88
Does He?

Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Jer 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

If God knows everything ahead of time, how would it be possible for someone to cause His anger to be kindled? It would at best be a staged anger. "I knew ahead of time this was going to happen, and now I need to be angry."

I do not think everything in life is all prearranged or foreknown by God. I think we can please God, or upset Him, and I think God's responses to what we do are genuine. I'm familiar with the "God lives outside of time, He can see from eternity past to eternity future" argument. I'm not convinced it's true. Prophecies come to pass because God brings them to pass, not because He "saw" them happening in the future.

Also, prayer can actually change the future. In Isa 38, God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he was about to die. It was "Thus saith the LORD." Hezekiah prayed, and God gave him 15 more years. The word of the LORD to Hezekiah changed when Hez prayed. If God knew ahead of time that Hez would pray and that God would give him 15 more years, why would God have told him that he was about to die?

..just some thoughts.
I’d say so personally,

I believe God is omnipotent he knows what’s going to happen if man does something or does the other thing but he often doesn’t intervene because of man’s freedom and dominion on earth and tbier will set against him ruling over them

I’d say God knew your eye color before the world was made but that’s just me though nothing official from “the big guy “ 😃
 
Dec 21, 2020
1,825
474
83
#89
Anthropomorphisms, is one possibility. It’s a rather large word that says that there is a good bit of language in Scripture used to describe things about God that are used to help us relate to Him. His love is quite different than what passes for most of us, but we can relate to a God that is happy, sad, or disappointed, yet God is above being at the beck and call of such emotional states.
And yet the Bible says He experiences them. Don't forget, we are created in God's image, and I think part of that is the emotions we experience. (..and I am familiar with anthropomorphisms.)
 
Dec 21, 2020
1,825
474
83
#90
God lives outside of time though.
I specifically commented on that belief...

So when He need to express that anger to the one that offended Him, it's genuine and timely.
If God knew ahead of time that Moses' resistance would make Him angry, how could it be genuine?

It's like that for every interaction with and from the Lord.

Psalm 90:4 A thousand years in your sight
are
like a day that has just gone by,
or
like a watch in the night.

God is pretty fascinating..... :)
Indeed He is. :)
 

Sipsey

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2018
1,470
689
113
#91
And yet the Bible says He experiences them. Don't forget, we are created in God's image, and I think part of that is the emotions we experience. (..and I am familiar with anthropomorphisms.)
If we combined all the metaphors pertaining to God, He would be be something other than who He is, Spirit.
 
Dec 21, 2020
1,825
474
83
#92
If we combined all the metaphors pertaining to God, He would be be something other than who He is, Spirit.
I'm not sure how you arrive at that, but ok. :)
 

Happy_hobnob

Active member
Mar 11, 2023
171
29
28
#93
No worries. He is not. He is just very wise. (And, ironically, capable of the greatest of errors.)
God has a list of things that He will allow Satan to do and not do. Satan is only a fallen angel. He is not the Demigod that he would like people to think he is. Other angels have successfully contended with him at times in the past.
Jude 1:9
“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
Michael here sets a good example for all of us to follow.

Satan will be bound for 1000 years, perhaps by the same angel...
Revelation 20:1,2
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”
“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”

Satan does his best to try to get us to fear him because fear is a form of reverence and worship.
no worries my dear, I have just noticed, I wrote invincible, when I should of wrote invisible, don't panic, I'm having issues with an android phone I think its damaged, absolutely no way did I write that, Gosh I've just had a hard time the last 2 days, I can't believe all my mistakes I've made in this thread. Thanks for staying cool with me, hopefully I will be back to normal with a new phone. I think it must be China phone possessed by gremlins, I can't believe everyone here as been so tolerant of my ridiculous comments no wonder it was called fruitless, the trouble with my new phone Also was i could hardly see my screen, the brightness would not turn up and my couldn't notice hardly, plus my hands where wet, and I may have damaged my new phone i didn't even know, it's a good job I kept my cool, I feel so embarrassed repeating all this, I feel like running away.
 

2ndTimeIsTheCharm

Well-known member
Feb 17, 2023
1,850
1,027
113
#94
I specifically commented on that belief...

If God knew ahead of time that Moses' resistance would make Him angry, how could it be genuine?

Indeed He is. :)
I don't know how to describe it, but I'll try.

If God lives outside of time, then time for Him isn't linear the way it is for us. When you wrote "God knew ahead of time....", you're thinking of time in a linear way where events occur one after the other. But since God doesn't live on any timeline, He can experience any given moment, react genuinely to it and express that to us within the timeline we're in.

It's just mind-blowing what God the Father can do. I think this is one of the reasons why if we actually see God face-to-face that we die because we won't be able to grasp God's full glory.

It also shows that Jesus sacrificed more than we realized when He came to earth the first time. He actually limited Himself to our timeline, which to me is a lot. If I had the ability to transcend time I don't know if I'd want to give it up even temporarily. But that's what Jesus did.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,526
2,608
113
#95
If God lives outside of time, then time for Him isn't linear the way it is for us. ...you're thinking of time in a linear way where events occur one after the other. But since God doesn't live on any timeline, He can experience any given moment, react genuinely to it and express that to us within the timeline we're in.
Something to think about:


1.) The Bible says God is eternal, and it says he knows all things, and knows the future.

2.) The Bible does not say God lives "outside of time", or that he does not experience time in a linear way.

3.) The scripture seems to only speaks of time, and temporal events, in a linear fashion, which is called the "A Theory of Time." And even when God himself talks about time, and temporal events, it is always in a strict linear fashion, with a "before" and an "after" which are absolutely consistent, and which are never confused.

The idea that God remains outside of time, and experiences all of time at the same moment... that is not actually an idea found in scripture.



Something to think about.

God Bless.


.
 

2ndTimeIsTheCharm

Well-known member
Feb 17, 2023
1,850
1,027
113
#97
Something to think about:

1.) The Bible says God is eternal, and it says he knows all things, and knows the future.

2.) The Bible does not say God lives "outside of time", or that he does not experience time in a linear way.

3.) The scripture seems to only speaks of time, and temporal events, in a linear fashion, which is called the "A Theory of Time." And even when God himself talks about time, and temporal events, it is always in a strict linear fashion, with a "before" and an "after" which are absolutely consistent, and which are never confused.

The idea that God remains outside of time, and experiences all of time at the same moment... that is not actually an idea found in scripture.

Something to think about.

God Bless.

.
It would be more biblical to say that for God time does not mean the same thing as it does to humans. God is eternal.
VARob was just asking how can God be genuinely angry at someone who offended when God already knew what they were going to do.

I guess I didn't explain well. But I just know that even if He knew someone was going to do something that would anger Him, He can be genuine about His anger.

When I was a young Christian I got angry at God because I felt He was so strict with me and not with other Christians - I NEVER get away with anything (even now), and God would reprimand me quite swiftly. But I saw other Christians do ungodly things and it seemed like God would let them skate. (I know better now.)

So I got rebellious with Him and of course He was pretty angry about it and had to chastise me for a long time. Looking back, I know He KNEW I would rebel long before it occurred, but somehow He conveyed His anger to me about it as genuine at the time when I did rebel against Him.

I replied to VARob as best as I could from my own experience with God because I wanted to let VARob know that God's reactions and feelings He expresses to people are GENUINE.

-=<>=-

I know God is eternal - without beginning or end. But when God created in Genesis, He also created time as we know it. So the Bible might not spell it out (just like with Trinity and the rapture), but yes God does lives outside of time.

There's a lot of writing about whether God lives outside of time or not, but I don't think this is a salvific issue. As long as one is close to the Lord, we can ask God about it when this is all over. In the meantime, you can believe whatever you want and I won't argue your view. I've already presented my own points about it.
 

Dino246

Senior Member
Jun 30, 2015
25,325
13,713
113
#98
The serpent did not appear as a snake, until God cursed it. There is nothing in the genesis scripture saying that Satan was even involved. Eve was deceived by an animal called serpent.
Um… you do understand that ‘serpent’ and ‘snake’ are synonyms, don’t you?

It’s called a serpent before it was cursed.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,526
2,608
113
#99
VARob was just asking how can God be genuinely angry at someone who offended when God already knew what they were going to do.

I guess I didn't explain well.
I replied to VARob as best as I could from my own experience with God because I wanted to let VARob know that God's reactions and feelings He expresses to people are GENUINE.

-=<>=-

I know God is eternal - without beginning or end. But when God created in Genesis, He also created time as we know it. So the Bible might not spell it out (just like with Trinity and the rapture), but yes God does lives outside of time.

There's a lot of writing about whether God lives outside of time or not, but I don't think this is a salvific issue. As long as one is close to the Lord, we can ask God about it when this is all over. In the meantime, you can believe whatever you want and I won't argue your view. I've already presented my own points about it.
2ndTimeIsTheCharm,
I think everyone around here appreciates you, and appreciates the gentle ways you try to explain doctrine to people.

I also think it's a pretty big deal when our members are willing to open up about themselves, and share their past struggles, so we can all learn from that. This is a hard thing to do. So when you do that, it's not only a help to the lost, and to those young in the faith, but to all of us.
: )

Now, on to the matter of "time."


History & Frailty:
Discussions of time have baffled philosophers and theologians as long as we've been here.
It's an extraordinarily strange and mysterious thing to discuss, because it doesn't really seem to be a thing at all.
Philosophers and theologians still debate this topic, and even Christian philosophers disagree, because it's such a hard thing to discuss.

Physicists like to weigh in, but there's a lot of debate about whether or not time is better relegated to philosophy than science. And even when scientists discuss it, they make a lot of philosophical statements rather than sticking strictly to science. So even scientists end up doing a lot of philosophy which is frankly outside of their expertise.

* We all suffer from the same general problem here: because we all have a personal experience of time, and we all deal with it on a daily basis, we all tend to philosophize about time in quite ordinary terms, without first thinking about how to really define it. And yet as soon as we define it, we often find ourselves in even more conundrums than where we started.
: )


Now Some Of The Weird Problems:
- It is true that God created time, in the beginning.
- So before he created time, was he "outside" of it?
- How could he have been outside of something that didn't yet exist?
- So it seems, that before he created time, he was not outside of it.
- How about AFTER he created time, was he "outside" of it then?
- Well, how can you be outside of a thing that has no spatial dimensions to be "outside" of?
- So, it isn't really possible to say God is outside of time, since there is no "place" to either be inside or outside of it.
- Now, it is still possible, I suppose, for God to "not engage with time", in some way... there might be some way that is possible.
- However, if we start by defining time, and really thinking about what it is, it's very hard to rationalize any way in which God could not be engaging with time.
- It is ESPECIALLY hard to think of God "not engaging in time" if we consider that the Bible actually shows God ENGAGING IN TIME.
- In the Bible, a linear, ordered, consistent, and immutable sense of time is merely implied throughout scripture... and God even speaks of himself, and temporal events, in this same way.
- We might simply say, "time is a thing God pops in and out of."
- But does he?
- Does the Bible really teach that?
- It is easy to merely speak an idea, especially an idea we've often heard, but it's much harder to show that a particular idea lines up with scripture or logic.


Conclusion:
A.) This is not an issue we should ever divide over. It's good to discuss it, and think about it, but we shouldn't ever divide over any issues that remain so mercurial in the realm of men.
B.) Time is a very strange thing, and it's a very hard topic to discuss - languages have words to "use" time, not to "analyze it's being."
C.) To the best of my understanding, the Bible seems to support a simple "A Theory of Time", in which time is linear and transitory.
D.) However, the Bible does not suggest a "B Theory" cannot exist, or does not exist... the scripture does not preclude this other theory.
E.) So either an "A Theory" or a "B Theory" are logically possible, in scripture, or in theoretical physics... but this doesn't mean they're equally likely.
F.) The theory of time we actually experience, in both daily life, and in all of science, is the "A Theory." And the one we see both used and implied in scripture, is the "A Theory."
G.) We often hear the expression that God is "outside of time", primarily, I think, because time has little effect on God, and this is just an easy way to encapsulate this strange idea. But that doesn't necessarily make it an articulate expression.
H.) We cannot, with perfect certainty, take a stand on either theory of time. So we should be thoughtful and gracious on this. But it seems to me (in my fallible mind) that if we were to embrace a different theory of time, that would undo the gospel, sin, salvation, the human experience, logic, everything in scripture, the fabric of the universe, and even the nature of God. So although we cannot stand with perfect certainty on either theory of time, if I were to stand on the side with the most evidence for it, and the least evidence against it... I think that would be the traditional "A Theory" of time.



I hope this has been fun to think about.
God Bless.
: )


.
 

Cameron143

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2022
18,729
6,437
113
62
2ndTimeIsTheCharm,
I think everyone around here appreciates you, and appreciates the gentle ways you try to explain doctrine to people.

I also think it's a pretty big deal when our members are willing to open up about themselves, and share their past struggles, so we can all learn from that. This is a hard thing to do. So when you do that, it's not only a help to the lost, and to those young in the faith, but to all of us.
: )

Now, on to the matter of "time."


History & Frailty:
Discussions of time have baffled philosophers and theologians as long as we've been here.
It's an extraordinarily strange and mysterious thing to discuss, because it doesn't really seem to be a thing at all.
Philosophers and theologians still debate this topic, and even Christian philosophers disagree, because it's such a hard thing to discuss.

Physicists like to weigh in, but there's a lot of debate about whether or not time is better relegated to philosophy than science. And even when scientists discuss it, they make a lot of philosophical statements rather than sticking strictly to science. So even scientists end up doing a lot of philosophy which is frankly outside of their expertise.

* We all suffer from the same general problem here: because we all have a personal experience of time, and we all deal with it on a daily basis, we all tend to philosophize about time in quite ordinary terms, without first thinking about how to really define it. And yet as soon as we define it, we often find ourselves in even more conundrums than where we started.
: )


Now Some Of The Weird Problems:
- It is true that God created time, in the beginning.
- So before he created time, was he "outside" of it?
- How could he have been outside of something that didn't yet exist?
- So it seems, that before he created time, he was not outside of it.
- How about AFTER he created time, was he "outside" of it then?
- Well, how can you be outside of a thing that has no spatial dimensions to be "outside" of?
- So, it isn't really possible to say God is outside of time, since there is no "place" to either be inside or outside of it.
- Now, it is still possible, I suppose, for God to "not engage with time", in some way... there might be some way that is possible.
- However, if we start by defining time, and really thinking about what it is, it's very hard to rationalize any way in which God could not be engaging with time.
- It is ESPECIALLY hard to think of God "not engaging in time" if we consider that the Bible actually shows God ENGAGING IN TIME.
- In the Bible, a linear, ordered, consistent, and immutable sense of time is merely implied throughout scripture... and God even speaks of himself, and temporal events, in this same way.
- We might simply say, "time is a thing God pops in and out of."
- But does he?
- Does the Bible really teach that?
- It is easy to merely speak an idea, especially an idea we've often heard, but it's much harder to show that a particular idea lines up with scripture or logic.


Conclusion:
A.) This is not an issue we should ever divide over. It's good to discuss it, and think about it, but we shouldn't ever divide over any issues that remain so mercurial in the realm of men.
B.) Time is a very strange thing, and it's a very hard topic to discuss - languages have words to "use" time, not to "analyze it's being."
C.) To the best of my understanding, the Bible seems to support a simple "A Theory of Time", in which time is linear and transitory.
D.) However, the Bible does not suggest a "B Theory" cannot exist, or does not exist... the scripture does not preclude this other theory.
E.) So either an "A Theory" or a "B Theory" are logically possible, in scripture, or in theoretical physics... but this doesn't mean they're equally likely.
F.) The theory of time we actually experience, in both daily life, and in all of science, is the "A Theory." And the one we see both used and implied in scripture, is the "A Theory."
G.) We often hear the expression that God is "outside of time", primarily, I think, because time has little effect on God, and this is just an easy way to encapsulate this strange idea. But that doesn't necessarily make it an articulate expression.
H.) We cannot, with perfect certainty, take a stand on either theory of time. So we should be thoughtful and gracious on this. But it seems to me (in my fallible mind) that if we were to embrace a different theory of time, that would undo the gospel, sin, salvation, the human experience, logic, everything in scripture, the fabric of the universe, and even the nature of God. So although we cannot stand with perfect certainty on either theory of time, if I were to stand on the side with the most evidence for it, and the least evidence against it... I think that would be the traditional "A Theory" of time.



I hope this has been fun to think about.
God Bless.
: )


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Wow, that took alot of time to read. Or alot of untime. Did anyone time me?