"Why did God approve of so much violence in the Bible?"
God Never Runs Ahead of Mankind
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| HARD QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ASKED "Why did God approve of so much violence in the Bible?" God Never Runs Ahead of Mankind |
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| ����������� God only goes one step beyond because we cannot make such giant steps.� After Eden, the morals of the world went down until people were acting barbaric toward each other.� So, whenever there were killings and wars, God always gave them a better standard than the nations around them.� Probably the lack of torture, so prevalent in ancient cultures, is the best example. | ||||||||||||||
| ����������� There are many websites that refer to the torturing by various nations then.� This site refers to Assyrian captives who were flayed alive.� This site refers to Egyptians who used torture.� The Greeks used it too.� And the Babylonians. | ||||||||||||||
| Instant Reward and Punishment in Old Testament | ||||||||||||||
| ����������� The New Testament is full of promises to both good and bad people.� We do not see those promises fulfilled in our lifetime usually.� But because of the examples in the Old Testament, many people believe God keeps his promises.� | ||||||||||||||
| ����������� For instance, in the Old Testament, God said people who were outright evil had to be killed.� Why?� Partly so they couldn't keep hurting people.� Partly as punishment.� As seen HERE, the Canaanites threw their children in a fire as a sacrifice to their god.� Other nations did that also.� If someone had a loved one flayed alive, would they want to punish them?� Or body parts cut off?� Or other such tortures?� And would they want others to be protected from them? | ||||||||||||||
| What About the Innocent? | ||||||||||||||
| ����������� Obviously, not everyone within a population did the torturing.� But death did not always mean the end of all things.� For example, God caused Moses to die before his time (Deuteronomy 32:48-51).� Did this mean he went to hell?� No, he just got to go to heaven sooner.� We know he went to heaven because he appeared to Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8). | ||||||||||||||
| ����������� What about the sincere non-Jews who tried to honor God but were surrounded by non-believers?� | ||||||||||||||
| Romans 1:19-20������������������� "Since what may be known about _______ is plain to them, because God has made it ___________________ to them.� For since the ___________________ of the world God's ______________________ qualities ~ his eternal power and divine nature ~ have been clearly seen, being _______________________ from what has been _____________ so that men are without excuse."� Yes, God always recognized those who love him.� And if they died, he took them to heaven. | ||||||||||||||
| Jesus Changed This | ||||||||||||||
| ����������� Jesus taught us to "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39). �He said, "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52).� By the time Jesus introduced the New Testament of peace and grace, �some of formerly barbaric mankind was ready for it.� | ||||||||||||||
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