God NEVER makes a mistake, BUT--

[Duane]

I often wondered how the world would be different if God handled these twoo like situations differently.

King David saw Bathsheba bathing and lusted after her, did WRONG WITH HER resulting in pregnancy, had her husband  killed, then had her all to himself in marriage.   HOWEVER, the baby died!

Abraham, didn't await God's promise, and at the suggestion of Sarah, "went into his handmaid" and she had a son ISHMAEL that was "the father of the Muslim nation" being blessed by God thru the Abrahamic Covenant.

Had God allowed David's son to live he probably would have been a notable person but HE didn't!
Had God caused Ishmael to die--we the JEWS nor the world right now wouldn't be dealing with a history of TERRORISM
caused by his decendants!

[aqrinc]

Hi Duane,

Pardon my asking, but exactly what is your point or contention. Everywhere you read in Scripture, it shows that God had it planned out; think you can figure a different way. Do you think maybe it would be better or worse, and in what way?.

Keep in mind you need to know The end from the beginning and all the other nuances in between.

Isa 56:8-12 (GNB)
8  The Sovereign LORD, who has brought his people Israel home from exile, has promised that he will bring still other people to join them.
9  The LORD has told the foreign nations to come like wild animals and devour his people.

10  He says, "All the leaders, who are supposed to warn my people, are blind! They know nothing. They are like watch dogs that don't bark---they only lie around and dream. How they love to sleep!

11  They are like greedy dogs that never get enough. These leaders have no understanding. They each do as they please and seek their own advantage.
12  'Let's get some wine,' these drunkards say, 'and drink all we can hold! Tomorrow will be even better than today!' "

george .

[darren]

Duane, I often think about the what ifs. If God handled certain situations differently. I'm going through a bunch of what ifs right now. As John from Kentucky said, This is where faith comes in. That we trust that God knows what He is doing. Many things that God does is beyone my understanding. I get what your saying. Your not questioning God. Just wondering what if. Sorry to say, I am always working on my faith.

Darren

[Stacey]

Duane, I often think about the what ifs. If God handled certain situations differently. I'm going through a bunch of what ifs right now. As John from Kentucky said, This is where faith comes in. That we trust that God knows what He is doing. Many things that God does is beyone my understanding. I get what your saying. Your not questioning God. Just wondering what if. Sorry to say, I am always working on my faith.

Darren

AMEN there Darren, I second that, especially the last sentence. Sometimes though, I think it's faith working on me instead of me working on it although I think I'm working on it. That probably didn't sound right, but I know what I meant.  

Just one other thing to add, Duane, to go along with your Topic Name. I remember one time in church the Preacher said, " You and I know that God never makes a mistake but, as I look out across the audience tonight, HE sure came awfully close with some of you!! LOL 

[arion]

When I was still in the church system a number of us always commented on what would life of been like if Eve never ate that darn piece of fruit.  We all would be lounging around in paradise born already perfect and we wouldn't have to suffer so.  Yet, 'Christ was slain from the foundation of the world'!!  It's all a part of his plan and it's all necessary.  It was necessary for David to sin with Bathsheba and it was necessary for Abraham to have a son with his womanservant.  I agree it's wise counsel that others have given that there are things that we have to take on faith.  Truly, as Paul mused;

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Or even better in the contemporary English Version;

1Co 13:12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.

It's all necessary, it's all a part of his plan...even the bloodsucking mosquito that drives us nuts in the night.  We may not fully understand now, but the day is coming when we will.

God bless!!

[Deborah-Leigh]

How the world would be different>

Adam might still be naming the animals, pining for a mate, longing for a spouse and perhaps nearly going out of his mind waiting on God to provide him with a help meet, whilst doing the garden boy job of maintaining and looking after the garden of Eden all by himself. The nearly going out of our minds waiting on God, feeling like we are all by ourselves, scattered and few at best, with the parallel of the whole world groans for the manifestation of the Sons and Daughters of God...may be where God stepped in to bring relief, mercy and peace to Adam, that He promises to us, who endure till the end...of our wait...our hope unending, proven, established and made perfect in the purging fire of long suffering Faith of Christ in us our hope of Glory.

Gods plans don't stop. They finish. They don't fail, they accomplish for us the better end. Adam too is saved through Christ in us who have the better promise that without us, Adam would be finished, terminated, ended but is to be accomplished, perfected and finished in the Image of God that

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Arc

[jassy]

God caused Ishmael to die--we the JEWS nor the world right now wouldn't be dealing with a history of TERRORISM
caused by his decendants!

That was an extremely haughty and misguided thing to say about an entire nation of sons and daughters of God.

[daywalker]

I often wondered how the world would be different if God handled these twoo like situations differently.

King David saw Bathsheba bathing and lusted after her, did WRONG WITH HER resulting in pregnancy, had her husband  killed, then had her all to himself in marriage.   HOWEVER, the baby died!

Abraham, didn't await God's promise, and at the suggestion of Sarah, "went into his handmaid" and she had a son ISHMAEL that was "the father of the Muslim nation" being blessed by God thru the Abrahamic Covenant.

Had God allowed David's son to live he probably would have been a notable person but HE didn't!
Had God caused Ishmael to die--we the JEWS nor the world right now wouldn't be dealing with a history of TERRORISM
caused by his decendants!

If you think the Muslims are the sole cause of "terrorism" then I'd suggest you do a little research and get your facts straight. But to avoid turning this into a political debate, I'll stop there.

Daywalker 

[Duane]

Daywalker...I am sure there ARE other terrorists but the one's I clearly fear the most are the ones that yell:  "alli,alli akbar" before the big KERBOOM!
Love in the Lord,
Duane

[Kat]

Hi Duane,

As God is sovereign every single thing that has ever happened down to the most minuscule detail is exactly as He planned it.

Isa 46:10  Declaring the end from the beginning,
      And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
      Saying, "My counsel shall stand,
      And I will do all My pleasure,'

We can not second guess what a perfect God has already decided will be. How ridiculous to think that things would be better another way than the perfect plan God already is working out I do realize that it is very difficult seeing so many things are so messed up in this world the way it is now. But I am totally confident that God in His wisdom and justice will succeed with His plan according to His great love for this creation and will have an absolutely perfect outcome. Here is an email of Ray's that helps explain why things must be the ways they are for now.

http://bible-truths.com/email6.htm -------------------

[Ray Replies]

It is true that there are many mysteries that we do not understand. And yet, there is much that we do understand, at least in part.

God is GOOD.  What IS good?  How does anyone BECOME GOOD?

Take a very close look at ANY VIRTUE, Jake, and see HOW IT BECAME A VIRTUE! Is "truthfulness" a virtue if everyone always was and always will be "truthful?" No, because there is NOTHING TO COMPARE IT WITH!  Is "patience" a virtue that one can buy at a department store?  Can "patience" be developed and achieved QUICKLY AND WITHOUT DISTRESS?  I think not.

There is nothing, and I mean absolutely NOTHING that we can come to understand as part of our knowledge, that is not understood by how that bit of knowledge CONTRASTS with OTHER pieces of knowledge. Everything that exists is only understood by contrasts.  How does one know what "big" is if he doesn't know what "small" is, and vice-a-versa?  How can we say something is rough if we don't have any concept of smooth?  Up is only up in relation or contrast to down.   Light is contrasted with darkness, etc., etc., etc.

Do you see where this is going?  If we are to appreciate "good," it is essential that we have an experience of "EVIL."  If we are to appreciate (I mean REALLY appreciate) LIFE, then it is essential that we ALL DIE!!!

And so, God in His infinite wisdom, has provided all of these things--we call it CREATION--so that mankind might experience all that is necessary to humble, educate, experience, and appreciate, the wonderful things that God has prepared for us.

All the ugly, evil, and misery of life can be likened to the scaffolding of a building. While creation of the new building is in progress, the scaffolding is an eye-sore, and serves NO PRACTICAL PURPOSE except the actual creation of the building. But, when the beautiful building is completed, we tear down the ugly scaffolding and throw it away--it serves no more useful purpose to our completed building, EVER.  And so we read that even DEATH, the LAST ENEMY, will be ABOLISHED (I Cor. 15:26)!!

I hope this helps your understanding a little better.

Sincerely,
Ray

[jassy]

Daywalker...I am sure there ARE other terrorists but the one's I clearly fear the most are the ones that yell:  "alli,alli akbar" before the big KERBOOM!
Love in the Lord,
Duane

Ok, I am going to readdress you Duane. Only because your amazing statement has only been touched on by me and Daywalker.
If someone uses But in a statement you can generally ignore all they said before the But.
For eg. She is a nice girl, But, or God never  makes a mistake But.
The first part is a given, nothing more should be said unless you disbelieve the first part.
So, you were never asking a question, you were making a statement as you see it.

I know I am going to get my wrists slapped for this but I ask does Kerboom refer to a nuclear explosion? If so, then do some research as Daywalker suggests and find out who actually does have nuclear missiles at this present time.
I assure you, as  things stand today the nations that can push the red button will not be screaming Alli Alli Akbar.

You made a worldly post I believe, so I answered in kind.

[Marky Mark]

Are we all not brothers and sisters on this earth? God does not look at any one person or race as being better or worse than the other. After all, is He not The One who put us here.

No Buts allowed, only the ones we sit on.

1Jn 2:8  And yet I *am* giving you a new command, for such it really is, so far as both He and you are concerned: because the darkness is now passing away and the light, the true light, is already beginning to shine.
1Jn 2:9  Any one who professes to be in the light and yet hates his brother man is still in darkness.
1Jn 2:10  He who loves his brother man continues in the light, and his life puts no stumbling-block in the way of others.
1Jn 2:11  But he who hates his brother man is in darkness and is walking in darkness; and he does not know where he is going--because the darkness has blinded his eyes.


Act 17:19  Then they brought Paul to the city court, the Areopagus, and asked, "Could you tell us these new ideas that you're teaching?
Act 17:20  Some of the things you say sound strange to us. So we would like to know what they mean."
Act 17:21  Everyone who lived in Athens looked for opportunities to tell or hear something new and unusual.
Act 17:22  Paul stood in the middle of the court and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious.
Act 17:23  As I was going through your city and looking closely at the objects you worship, I noticed an altar with this written on it: 'To an unknown god.' I'm telling you about the unknown god you worship.
Act 17:24  The God who made the universe and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in shrines made by humans,
Act 17:25  and he isn't served by humans as if he needed anything. He gives everyone life, breath, and everything they have.
Act 17:26  From one man he has made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth. He has given them the seasons of the year and the boundaries within which to live.
Act 17:27  He has done this so that they would look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. In fact, he is never far from any one of us.
Act 17:28  Certainly, we live, move, and exist because of him. As some of your poets have said, 'We are God's children.'
Act 17:29  So if we are God's children, we shouldn't think that the divine being is like an image made from gold, silver, or stone, an image that is the product of human imagination and skill.
Act 17:30  "God overlooked the times when people didn't know any better. But now he commands everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
Act 17:31  He has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice, and he will use a man he has appointed to do this. God has given proof to everyone that he will do this by bringing that man back to life."


Email response from Ray, on the But of it.

http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,972.0.html



Peace...Mark

[jassy]

Thank you Mark.

You have addressed this issue using scripture. As it should be done on this forum rather than the way I did it.
Apologies to Duane and the others.

peace to you as well Mark

Jassy

[Duane]

THANK YOU for all your well thought out answers!  NO MORE speculating from this guy!
How dare I infer that ALMIGHTY GOD may "have made a mistake"!!
Apologies,
Duane

[arion]

Been there and done that Duane.  We're all on the road of coming out of Babylon and it just takes time.  We all have a boatload of unscriptural teachings and beliefs we have to forsake so don't feel alone because your not.