Difficult To Answer Questions

By John Sun

Questions & Answers:

The following are the ‘difficult to answer’ questions raised by a pastor in India who had been preaching the Gospel for more than 30 years. They represent many queries man cannot find the answers easily.

Only the Holy Spirit knows God’s Secrets.

Whenever we encounter a query while reading the Holy Bible, it is always wise to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and to show us God’s meanings in His words.

Question 1

How god was created? Or who made him? Do you agree? If yes, why? No, why? Does bible has any evidence?

Answer 1

God was not being created. He existed before everything. God said: “I am Who I am.” (see Exodus 3:14-15).

Question 2

The sin committed by Adam and Eve were committed when god was not looking? Or looking?

Answer 2

For God is Spirit (see John 4:24). We cannot use our limited knowledge to measure God’s power. He knows things that will come to effect thousands of years before their happenings. He did not need to look at Adam and Eve when they were tempted by Satan (the Devil) as He knew what would happen to them ahead of time. However, God created man with a “free choice”. Man can make decisions by himself/herself.

Satan was originally Lucifer, the most beautiful and powerful angel in Heaven. After he sinned, he was being thrown out of Heaven to earth (this world). This happened before God created Adam and Eve (see Isaiah 14:12-20 and Ezekiel 28:14-19). God knew man would be defeated by Satan ahead of time. If Adam and Eve depended and obeyed God completely, then, they would not be tempted by Satan (the Devil). God was “disappointed” rather than “offended” when man listened to Satan’s ambiguous temptations.

Question 3

Each of us accept religion only in emotion ground not by rational analysis. Why?

Answer 3

Can the pot ask the potter why it was being made? Wisdom comes from God. If we depend merely on human knowledge, we will be led to nowhere but disappointments.

Question 4

According to the bible, I have been chosen by lord in Adam? Then he foresaw all the pain in the World. How you say these (death, curse, pain, suffering, accidents etc.,)? Are those things happened due to sin?

Answer 4

God created man and warned them certain things they should not do. He did inform man of the consequences of disobedience. Because of man made decision (against God’s instructions), man became slaves of Satan and tried to hide away from God. God always fulfill His promises (see Genesis 3:16-19).

Question 5

God is responsible for the consequences of good and bad when he decided to create man, true or false?

Answer 5

God is not responsible for the consequences of good or bad as God gave man ”free choice” when He created man (see Genesis 3:22; 1:26).

Question 6

How could a sinner John the Baptist baptize a sinless Jesus?

Answer 6

Baptism is an “act” not a promise from God for man to have eternal life (see John 3:3). Man may merely “see” the Kingdom of God through Baptism or being ”born again”. Baptism is not a forgiveness of sins by itself. Rather, it is an act through which a man or a woman decided to accept and to obey “the Words of God” and promises to live in a “new life” with witness from others and God Himself.

Question 7

Why free sex is not considered as a sin at the time beginning?

Answer 7

Since man could distinguish the “good” and the “bad” (see Genesis 3:22), God permitted man to use their own “decisions” to set up rules and regulations in governing themselves. However, man failed to do so. God then gave the laws to man through Moses.

Question 8

Why Christ’s teaching not an ethic based on theology but a theology based on ethic?

Answer 8

Jesus is in fact the “Words of God” (see John 1:1-3 and Revelation 19:13). When Jesus came down from Heaven and became a man (John 6:38), He preached in a way which could be easily understood by man by using the most common practices of man.

Question 9

Why we have to suffer (or) make us to suffer by biblical doctrines, which are, can’t be applicable in the course of activity?

Answer 9

God expects man to live in this world for His Glory by defeating Satan (the Devil) as Jesus did (see Matthew 5:16).

True believers of Jesus should not be afraid of problems, sickness or death as they do not belong to this world as Jesus prayed in John 17:14, 16.

Jesus promises His believers Eternal Life (John 6:37-40).God did not promise “anyone” that his/her body of flesh and blood will not be harmed or die on earth; or man will live forever in this world. God wants to see man’s spiritual life be strengthened by His Words and His Spirit (see John 6:63), so that man may endure to the end (Matthew 24:13) and to join Him with Eternal Life.

Question 10

Jesus is full of mercy, kindliness but whenever he preached we could see the doctrines of cruelty and punishment for sin. Why? My own questions.

Answer 10

Sin was born out of disobey the Words of God. Jesus is God (of course, He was a man too). In the last day, judgment will be enforced by the “Words of God” (see John 12:46-48). Jesus came to the world as a man to save all mankind (creating the WAY for man to follow), not for judgment.

Question 11

From the beginning man evolving and ever changing in thinking, faith, style of worship, dressing, food etc., but even God the Father often changing his mind, (e.g.: he changed the mosaic law and established a new law in the cross,) Why?

Answer 11

God did not change the law He gave to man. Jesus was born as a man to fulfill the law, not to abolish it.

Jesus said: “I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God’s law will remain until its purpose is achieved.” ( Matthew 5:17-18 NLT).

Question 12

We can see the cogent chronology, in Gensis, Matthew, Chronicles, Kings etc., why? How the heavenly inspired text got mistakes? Whose fault that is?

Answer 12

Different interpretations, human view points and translations were the causes of many “differences”. The relationship between God and man cannot be explained explicitly through human knowledge. After all, God created man and He told man what to do; not the other way round.

Question 13

Most of the biblical commentators, illustrators, biblical teacher accept that bible has insufficient Calculating the year of the world (when the BC and AD starts) why?

Answer 13

Same as 12) above. However, this is not an important issue in determining the “qualifications” to Eternal Life.

Question 14

How about the book ?On the origin of species??

Answer 14

If man came out of monkey, why men have not given birth to monkeys after thousands of years? Did any monkey give birth to human being in the past 6,000 years?

Question 15

If god knows to scrutinize the evil, good and knows everything how he could be an innocent?

Answer 15

God is God. God is not innocent. He does not have to be innocent as He is in Control at all times.

Question 16

Does bible agree divorce?

Answer 16

Yes. Please refer to Matthew 5:31 and Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

Question 17

Does bible agree love marriages?

Answer 17

Does 16) above explained your question as well?

Question 18

Why Jesus cursed the fig tree?

Answer 18

Although all man will be resurrected (in two different resurrections or in two different stages), not all man will have Eternal Life. Only those who obeyed “the Father in Heaven” will enter into the Kingdom of God. Likewise, if a tree did not perform its obligation as originally intended by God, God can send this tree to death. It is a good example for man that after he/she learned about the “Words of God” and yet he/she refused to obey, then, he/she would not be able to join God in His Resting Place (see Matthew 7:19 and Revelation 22:11).

Question 19

Why Jesus chose to send the devils in to pigs’ mob?

Answer 19

Satan (the Devil) was given power on earth. He is in fact an evil spirit.If the Devils were not allowed to go to the pigs, more man might be harmed instead of pigs.

Question 20

Does God the father give much or considerable privilege to his chosen people according to the bible? May we consider this is partiality?

Answer 20

There is no difference (or special privilege) in the eyes of God whether the person is His chosen people or not. Please refer to John 14:6, Isaiah 10:21-22, 17:7. If God’s chosen people did not use the “unique way” (the Same Way or the Only Way), none of them can go to Heaven (see John 8:24). It is only in the last generation that all God’s chosen people (the remnant few as being prophesied in Isaiah 11:11) will recognize – Jesus indeed is the Holy One of Israel (see Matthew 23:37-39, 24:34, Zechariah 12:10-14).

Question 21

Judges: 5:23 does god allow us to curse anyone? Do we have authority to curse?

Answer 21

If we obey the New Commandment (John 13:34 – It is a fulfillment of the Old Commandments not a replacement) Jesus gave to His disciples: “To Love Each Other”, then, no one should curse the other.

Question 22

According to the Mosaic Law bible has begun the slavery?

Answer 22

We cannot depend on the law to save us as no one can perfect it (see Jeremiah 31:31-34). If we sinned, we are the slaves of Satan. Man became the slaves of Satan in the first generation. On the other hand, if we want to have Eternal Life, we need to become slaves of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 7:21-22).

Question 23

Why did Jesus not make any attempt to rescue John the Baptist?

Answer 23

If a seed does not drop onto the ground and die, no new plant can be grown. No man (having a body of flesh and blood) can escape death, including Jesus Himself (except for those to be transformed as per 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The secret is “Resurrection” and “Eternal Life”. When Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17, while He was a man, He did not ask God the Father to protect His disciples from dying on earth. Instead, He asked the Father to keep them away from the evil one (which may result in weakening their faith or spiritual life) so that they might go to Heaven one day.

Question 24

Leviticus: 20:10,13,15,18,27. I see the doctrine of cruelty. How about you?

Answer 24

That is why the One Time Priest used His own blood (instead of animal’s blood) once for all to cleanse all sins “on demand”.

Question 25

Leviticus: 14:34. Leprosy to a house? What does it really mean?

Answer 25

Canaan is no longer the promised land for the Jews. The Ultimate Promised Land is in Heaven (New Jerusalem) not on earth (see John 14:2-4, Revelation 21:1-3, Isaiah 65:17-18 and 66:22).

Question 26

Mark: 8:22 why Jesus led a blind man outskirts of the village and cured him?

Answer 26

It is a way to show the Glory of God.

Question 27

Mark: 10:30, 9:42, 12:25 is there any chance to enter into the heaven with lameness, blindness, without perfection according to this context?

Answer 27

Yes. Even the dead will be resurrected to transformed bodies. We cannot use our own imaginations to measure the power of God.

Question 28

When the seduction began? After the fall or before the fall? If your answer is before the fall, how could a man (godly imaged) have the sense of sex?

Answer 28

Sex is one of the needs of the bodies of “flesh and blood” ever since God made man. However, there is a different situation in Heaven where man no longer need to marry a woman or vice versa. There will be a new relationship between God and man as cordial as a husband and a wife.

Question 29

What is conscience? How it related with the bible?

Answer 29

Conscience is a virtue (sense) God put into the minds of man. Conscience is a knowledge for man to distinguish what is right and what is wrong. However, often times, human consciences have been corrupted by the temptations of Satan. Please refer to 1 Peter 2:19, 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 8. Conscience does not generate actions. It is the “Decision Process” resulting in actions. God does give man the freedom to make his/her own decision(s).

Question 30

Do we have the predestination? What is predestination according to the bible?

Answer 30

Only God knows what will happen to each person well in advance, or even before the birth of that person. Yes, God can change a person’s encounters. Satan can sense God’s actions but does not have the full authority to change what God had decided. Take Job for example, God permitted Satan to torture Job, but with a restricted scope. The ultimate fate of each person is in the hands of God. That is why God does not like fortune tellers (also known as sooth sayers) as no fortune teller can foretell what God has in mind and the decision He will make in the future (see Revelation 22:15).

Question 31

Mark: 13:14 to 18 why we should pray to the lord (those) things will not happen in winter?

Answer 31

This refers to the beginning of the Tribulation (see Revelation 6).

In the Northern hemisphere near the Mediterranean Sea, winters are cold and activities getting less, longer nights and shorter days, there were frequent food shortages and people must wear thicker clothes. Winter days became difficult compared with the warmer days in Spring, Summer and Autumn.

In Matthew 24:20, Matthew recorded: “And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” In the fourth Commandment God gave to His people through Moses was to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Normally, the Jews do not work and follow God’s instructions to rest on this day of the week. While relaxed and unprepared may bring more damages in the case of Tribulation. Another important point worth attention is that even in the last days, Jesus still expected the people to keep the Sabbath Day holy (the Fourth Commandment). It was a human decision (not from God) to change the day of worship every week from Saturday to Sunday in about 300 A.D.

Question 32

John: 20:22 according to this if any articulate like that, then shall we say, he is the anointed one? From some anonymous writer:

Answer 32

Our bodies are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19). In John 20:22, the Resurrected Jesus passed the Holy Spirit (His Representative) to His disciples. Only with the presence of the Holy Spirit inside a person that he/she can conduct the duties assigned to him/her by God properly. That is why Jesus said in John 3:5 – “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit”. (NLT) In fact, Jesus said that the Words He spoke are the Spirit and the Life (John 6:63). Without the power of the Holy Spirit, no man can defeat Satan. Failed to defeat Satan means being a slave of Satan as there is nothing in between ‘defeat’ and ‘being defeated’. Only by defeating Satan one may be made Holy. Without being Holy, no one can see God – for God is Holy.

Question 33

Leviticus: 11:5,6. Every body knows that the ?hare? and the ? coney? do not chew the cud. What is your concept on this?

Answer 33

This was to remind the people they can only eat the “cleaned food”. The symbols are: a) Able to distinguish the good and the bad, and b) Only those who Repent will be saved. The Resurrected Jesus told Peter in Acts 10:9-15 that all the food not being permitted in Leviticus 11 can be eaten as He had cleaned them.

Question 34

Prov: 6:8 Solomon was wiser than all men, well posted in zoology, including entomology and the other branches of natural history.(I.kings:4:31-33) The scientific skeptic affirms that the ant, being carnivorous insect, could not gather her food in the harvest and that the very nature of that food would prevent it from being laid up in store, and that Solomon committed the blunder of many amateurs, in mistaking the white cocoon of the ant-pupae, properly known as ant-eggs, for grains housed for future use.

Answer 34

Solomon’s statement may not be totally wrong as the life cycle of ants depends on the ant Queen. She does no hunting. She eats more than other ants. Labor ants provide food to the queen before the winter so that their next generation can be produced. What the Queens eats can be considered as “in store” for the ant family.

Question 35

Abraham fought with the five kings with 318 men servants (not warriors) is a sheer impossible. Do you agree?

Answer 35

Since God could dry up the Red Sea for the Jews to pass through and escaped from the Egyptians, this could be a much smaller miracle.

Question 36

Nebuchadnezzar never had a son by the name of Belshazzar and that Babylon fell to Cyrus and not to Darious the Mede. What do you say to this?

Answer 36

But what has the son of Nebuchadnezzar to do with the most important issue – Eternal Life?

Where is indeed the place called ‘Babylonians’ or ‘Chaldeans’ in Jeremiah 24? They both mean – “The World We Are Now Living In”.

Question 37

Isaiah’s forecast of Judah’s fate was therefore falsified by the events took place. Do you agree?

Answer 37

One descendant of Jacob (as being prophesied in Isaiah 41:8-16) will act as the Messenger of God to bring out the Good News (Isaiah 40:9-10) in a book as prophesied by Isaiah about 700 years before Jesus was born as a man (Isaiah 29:18). This book will contain the Messages from God to open the eyes and ears of the Jews. God will save His people the Second Time (Isaiah 11:11) by sending His people (His Own Responsibility) to His Ultimate Promised Land – the New Jerusalem (Ezekiel 39:28, Revelation 21) through His Own WORDS (John 6:37-40), and not a single one will be missing. And, the Words of God is no other but Jesus (John 1:1-3).

Question 38

Jeremiah: 20:7 ?thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived?? Can the Holy Ghost utter unfulfilled prophecies?

Answer 38

No. The Holy Spirit does not make unfulfilled prophesies. In the case of Jeremiah 20:7, Jeremiah was making a complaint to God for how he was being mocked. Making no mistake, Satan is always behind those who wishes to serve God well. The closer one goes to God, the more challenges, temptations and troubles will come from Satan. Can you imagine while I was writing God’s book – “God Today”, my new Dell desk top computer experienced four major breakdowns within one year under careful use: total damages to the hard drive three times (three replacements) and once total damage to the power supply (also replacement).

Question 39

Matthew: 27:9 ? spoken by Jeremiah the prophet? but the reference should have been to Zechariah: 11:12,13, is it a lapse of memory?

Answer 39

The Holy Bible only contains a certain portion of historical events. For example, the history of Jesus from 13 to 30 years old was not being mentioned. This can be a similar case here that not all the prophesies of Jeremiah were being recorded in the Holy Bible.

Question 40

Hebrews: 10:5 (a body hast thou prepared for me) and Psalm: 40:6 (mine ears hast thou opened) it is an inexact quotation?

Answer 40

In Psalm 40:6, the Spirit of God spoke through David. In Hebrews 10:5-8, Paul quoted a similar statement in the capacity of the Christ. It is consistent for both statements because Jesus was a man and meantime He is God. He came down from Heaven (John 6:38). His father was not Joseph but the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus is also God the Father (see Isaiah 9:6, John 8:24, 8:28, 8:56-58, 10:30, Revelation 1:7-8, 1:17-18, 22:13 and 22:16).

Question 41

Contradiction: Matthew: 20:29,30 with Luke 18:35; Acts: 9:7 with Acts: 22:9; Mark: 2:26 with I Samuel: 21:1-6; II Timothy: 3:16 with John: 10:3 ?

Answer 41

Matthew 20:29, 30 vs Luke 18:35:

The important issue is that when Jesus was being asked to heal the blind, He healed the blind. It is consistent in both Matthew 20:29-34 and Luke 18:35-43 for this fact. As far as whether there was indeed one blind or two blinds, the number was not the issue. If you insist to find out either Matthew or Luke was correct, you can lien more on the statement made by Matthew as he saw what had happened as opposed to Luke, being a family physician, obtained information from various sources after the resurrection of Jesus. However, if we intend to go to great details of less important matters, there is a Chinese dictum: “one that climbed into the tip of a bull’s horn” and can no longer get out from it anymore.

Acts 9:7 vs Acts 22:9 :

”As he was nearing Damascus on this mission, a brilliant light from heaven suddenly beamed down upon him! He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’’Who are you, sir?’ Saul asked. And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’The men with Saul stood speechless with surprise, for they heard sound of someone’s voice, but they saw no one! As Saul picked himself up off the ground, he found that he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days.” (Acts 9:3-9 NLT)

”As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ’Who are you, sir?’ I asked. And he replied, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ The people with me saw the light but didn’t hear the voice.I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you are to do.’I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led into Damascus by my
companions.” (Acts 22:6-11 NLT)

Obviously there were two different writers to the above instance. One of them (Acts 22:6-11) was Paul (formerly named Saul). Paul described that the people with him saw the light but didn’t hear the voice. The other version describing that they heard the voice but saw no one. This cannot be considered as a contradiction. Among the words the Resurrected Jesus spoke to Saul, for a certain part of it could be only heard by Saul himself but not others.

Mark 2:26 vs 1 Samuel 21-1-6:

The name of the priest stated in 1 Samuel 21:1 was Ahimelech and the name of the high priest stated in Mark 2:26 was Abiathar. There is a possibility for both correct as one was the high priest and the other was the priest (the assistant). Alternatively, there could be a human error on either one. Chronologically 1 Samuel was written earlier and closer to David’s era; and Mark documented after the resurrection of Jesus and he obtained most information from Peter. Nevertheless, the issue was David and his followers took the bread for the priests. Both versions are consistent on this fact.

2 Timothy 3:16 vs John 10:3:

They do not correspond to each other, kindly specify.

Question 42

Does matthew: 5: 39 abrogate Exodus: 21:24?

Answer 42

Yes. The New Commandment Jesus gave to His disciples is to “Love Each Other”. If everyone can love each other, there is no more hatred, war or confrontations.

Exodus 21:24 is not part of the 10 commandments.

Question 43

Ecclesiastes: 9:4-6 and 3:19 with I Corinthians: 15:33 to 55. Here no ingenuity of exegesis ever can make those two agree. What is your answer?

Answer 43

In Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 and 3:19 are encouragements for people to “perform well” when they are still alive in this world as when they died, nothing can be done and they would be soon forgotten.

In 1 Corinthians 15:33-55 describes about the Eternal Life and resurrection. These are two different issues. In Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 described about our present life in this world. In 1 Corinthians 15:33-55 described about our future life. Although Solomon did not mention about resurrection, it does not mean that he did not believe resurrection. On the other hand, there were two major beliefs among the Jews in the Old Testament days. Sadducees were disturbed by teaching of resurrection (see Acts 4:1-2) and Pharisees believed resurrections would exist.

In Genesis 28:10-15, in those earlier days, God promised Jacob the land above the ladder not below it. The ladder is the Words of God or Jesus (see John 1:51). God spoke to Jacob from His own resting place (above the ladder). God wants man to go to His Resting Place (Heaven or the New Jerusalem as being described in Hebrews 4:1-11 and Revelation 21). If man shall have no resurrection, how can they go to God’s Resting Place one day? About 700 years before Jesus was born as a man, Isaiah prophesied about the resurrection (see Isaiah 26:19).