Nothing like cherry picking, is there... Ever wonder why there hasn't been any evidence of the Exodus has never been found, and yes, they've looked and looked? Maybe satan hid all the poop and pottery shrouds. What a clever guy. Ever wonder why no one wrote about Jesus until at least 39 years after his death? Just think of it like this; A man walks about the country raising people from the dead, feeding multitudes with 3 loaves of bread and a few fish & made blind people see and no historians of the time ever wrote a single word about it. Not to mention a word about the people that rose from there graves when Jesus ascended and walkied in cities and villages. The children & babies that drowned in the flood, you want to tell me about their sin? Your bible is chock full or errors and mistakes but I guess you've never heard about them either. You have a bad case of brainwashing, my friend, and I hope someday you'll actually do some opposition research. Then and only then will your eyes truly be opened...
If God already knows the future, then mankind has no freewill. If He knows, but I don't know, it's like wasting time in a lottery, the lottery manager already knows the winners before the tickets are sold, that's corruption and God selling the story of freewill is also corruption.
Ahhha. That is what you THINK. But God is bigger than you can imagine. He created people with the ability to choose freely, yet knows what they will choose before they choose. It's not at all like wasting time because if they don't choose, then it didn't happen. They still have to do an action for it to take place. God will know if they will or not. It's not because God has figured out all the probabilities and knows the likeliness of each persons actions and so knows the future based on probabilities. Instead, from what I understand of the Bible, it's because He exists outside of time, so He is existing in the future, and He is currently existing in the past. Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." Which was a declaration of being God and also a declaration of existence outside of time. So, because He knows what people will do in the future doesn't mean that He forces anyone to do anything against their will. The Bible clearly teaches that we have choices that we are responsible for, not God. "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live..." Deuteronomy 30:19 "The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17
What?!! Where are you getting your information??? There is quite a bit of evidence of a large people group fitting the description of the Israelites existing in Egypt. There is even a statue that has been found of a revered leader wearing a coat of many colors and there are twelve tombs in the garden that sure sound like it resembles the story of Joseph, who was given a coat of many colors by his father when he was a boy, then rose to a high position of leadership within Egypt. His brothers and their family later came to live in Egypt and they all died there. From another thread: https://www.elitetrader.com/et/thre...lity-of-the-bible.348805/page-11#post-5215311 David Rohl is one of those scholars. Interestingly, he is an agnostic. He treats the Bible as a history book and has done much research on the Israelites in Egypt and the Exodus. I’m not sure if I agree with all of his interpretations and his timeline, but he does present a good case for the Exodus in his books and when appearing in the documentary Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus. http://davidrohl.blogspot.com/2012/01/about-david-rohl.html With degrees in Egyptology, Ancient History, Mycenaean Archaeology and Levantine Archaeology, Rohl is a genuine scholar with a full list of academic credentials, but, at the same time, is seen as a highly original thinker. The Kirkus Review called his best-selling first book ‘a ground breaking analysis of archaeological evidence for the historicity of the early books of the Old Testament … a work with profound implications for both Biblical and Egyptian history … a breathtaking archaeological tour de force.’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Chronology_(Rohl) has a lot of information on David Rohl’s work. Patterns of Evidence Trailer Patterns of Evidence review: https://www.icr.org/article/encore-presentation-patterns-evidence Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus discusses many interesting archaeological artifacts and site excavations that can be interpreted as supporting the biblical account. I really enjoyed watching it. It is free to watch on tubitv: https://tubitv.com/movies/500738/patterns_of_evidence_exodus 00:29:00 David Rohl discussed 12 tombs that could belong to Joseph and his brothers as well as a possible statue of Joseph 00:31:00 Dr. Charles Aling, Egyptologist, University of Northwestern, St. Pau, discusses the likelihood of the statue being of Joseph 00:40:00 What could have been Joseph’s tomb was empty, which corresponds with the biblical account that the Israelites took his body with them in the Exodus 00:50:00 Discussion about an egyptian papyrus from the 13th Dynasty, the middle kingdom, called the “Brooklyn Document” naming asiatic slaves. Some of those names are the same as Hebrew names also found in the Bible. 01:05:00 “Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage” - similarities between an ancient Egyption document and the 10 plagues (01:13:00 date of Middle Kingdom is given for document) 01:21:30 David Rohl discusses evidence of rapid burial and sudden abandonment 01:23:00 Egyptian tradition that God smote the Egyptians before they were conquered. Hyskos were likely the conquerors. 01:30:00 Summary of evidence of Jericho 01:37:00 Archaeological report detailing evidence of houses matching the description of Rahab’s house. 01:50:00 Timeline Excerpt from an interview with David Rohl: https://popular-archaeology.com/article/the-exodus-myth-or-history/ Question 6: So basically, if we look several centuries further back in time from the reign of Ramesses everything begins to fit together? David Rohl: That is not quite the right way to see it. Ramesses II’s dates are now lower, shifting down by three centuries. He is now a king of the tenth century BC and therefore a contemporary of Solomon (whose dates have not shifted). It is then interesting to discover that Ramesses had a hypocoristicon or short-form of his name used throughout Canaan. He was called Shisha … does that remind you of a certain pharaoh who plundered the Temple of Solomon in 925 BC? Looking further back in time, the biblical Exodus date of 1447 BC now falls in what Egyptologists call the Second Intermediate Period, which is the archaeological period known as the Middle Bronze IIA-IIB. It was at this time that we find a huge city, lying underneath the 19th Dynasty capital of Pi Ramesse (biblical Raamses), known in the contemporary texts as Avaris. And this Middle Bronze Age city, located in the land of Goshen, was teaming with Semites who had initially migrated from Canaan into the Egyptian delta. They then abruptly abandon the city and disappear. About half a century later the city of Jericho is violently destroyed, its walls falling down in an apparent earthquake. Jericho is then burnt to the ground and abandoned for nearly 600 years. All the cities described in the Book of Joshua as being ‘placed under the curse of destruction’ are also destroyed at this time.
That's not true either and I can prove it. https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/god-is.359932/page-96#post-5528358 The book of 1 Thessalonians was written about 51 CE and was written by the Apostle Paul. c. 51 CE. One of the earliest of the genuine Pauline epistles.[76] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dating_the_Bible This means that it was written only 18 years after Jesus death and resurrection, assuming that took place in 33 AD. What can the book of 1Thessalonians tell us about what people believed about Jesus? Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. The Thessalonians' Faith and Example 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. Just from the first chapter, we see that in only 18 short years, the Christianity had spread, not only the Thessalonians, but Macedonia and Achaia. Later in the book it mentions Philippi and Athens. Most importantly, note that the message in verse 10 says that Jesus is God's son, that He was raised from the dead, and that it is Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. Chapter 2 shows Paul believed that he and the others that shared about Jesus with them did so with integrity. This is important, because it's not that Paul is declaring it to them, but saying that they knew this was true about these people. Does this sound like it was "made up a century later and stitched into a yarn the best snake oil salesman would be proud of" as @themickey has told us it was? 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.11 For you know how, like a father with his children,12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 This verse that they were imitating the churches in Judea. This is significant, because if their faith was in the same gospel of Jesus as the churches in Judea, then the resurrection of Jesus was widely believed in Judean churches. If this was written in 51 AD, then we have to realize that this means that Christians in Judea (Israel) were believing that Jesus rose from the dead long before 51 AD, putting it much, much closer to the time of the resurrection. So much for @themickey's wild speculation that "3 generations later they made him out as a cult figure, complete with miracles." 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 Chapter 5 has another reference to Jesus rising from the dead: 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. And here: https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/god-is.359932/page-96#post-5528369 In addition to the book of 1 Thessalonians, the book of Galatians is another book that is accepted as a genuine Pauline epistle. It was likely written earlier, around 48 BC. A majority of scholars agree that Galatians was written between the late 40s and early 50s,[10] although some date the original composition to c. 50–60 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Galatians The South Galatian view holds that Paul wrote it during his first missionary journey, when he traveled throughout southern Galatia. This theory makes the letter quite early, perhaps 48 or 49 C.E. In this view Galatians may be the first of Paul's extant letters, even predating Thessalonians. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Galatians,_Epistle_to_the https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Galatians,_Epistle_to_the Virtually all scholars agree that Galatians is one of the most certain examples of Paul's own writing. The main arguments in favor of the authenticity of Galatians include its style and themes, which are common to the core letters of the Pauline corpus, and the historical connection to Acts of the Apostles. Moreover, Paul's description of the Council of Jerusalem (Gal 2:1–10) gives a different point of view than the description in Acts 15:2–29, whereas a forger writing in later decades would most likely have stuck close to the account in Acts to convince his audience that this was an authentic writing by Paul. Just for some perspective on the timeline of Paul's conversion, according to Britannica, Paul was converted about 33 CE. This would place his conversion very soon after Jesus' death and resurrection. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, he was active as a missionary in the 40s and 50s of the 1st century CE. From this it may be inferred that he was born about the same time as Jesus (c. 4 BCE) or a little later. He was converted to faith in Jesus Christ about 33 CE, and he died, probably in Rome, circa 62–64 CE. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Paul-the-Apostle Here are some things to note in the first chapter of Galatians: 1. The first sentence mentions that God the Father raised Him from the dead. 2. The letter is not to a single church, but to "the churches of Galatia" which means there was more than one. This would mean that there were likely many believers. 3. Verses 3 and 4 describe the substitutionary work of Jesus: "God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins" 4. In verse 11 Paul shares that he did not receive the gospel from people, but through the revelation of Jesus. 5. Verses 13 and 14 are interesting to me, because he assumes that his audience already knows this to be true, that Paul had previously persecuted the church. If Galatians was written in 48 AD, then there is only 15 years between 33 AD and it's writing. That amount of elapsed time is not anywhere close to @themickey's estimate that "So this guy probably did exist but 3 generations later they made him out as a cult figure, complete with miracles." 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 6. Something else important is that although Paul received the gospel from direct revelation by Jesus, Paul also did meet with Peter and James. The gospel message is that Jesus died for our sins was buried and raised from the dead. So, it is not a different message from what the disciples of Jesus and early churches were already teaching. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 7. Paul has a second encounter with Peter in chapter 2. Note that it is not the facts of Jesus death and resurrection that Paul has an issue with Peter about. That is important because it shows that they were on the same page as far as what the gospel message was. What Paul was upset about was a decision Peter made to not eat with Gentiles. Paul uses the truth of the gospel message, that we can assume Peter also believed, that is, that we are saved by faith in Jesus, to publicly confront Peter that his decision was hypocritical. 11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” Here is the first chapter of Galatians (NKJV): 1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Only One Gospel 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Call to Apostleship 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Contacts at Jerusalem 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) 21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.
The Bible explains it. Death entered our world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Adam and Eve passed not only their lives onto their descendants but their rebellion against God and the death sentence. Had they never sinned, people would not be subject to death. So, children are not innocent. They had their lives given to them from ancestors who rebelled against God. God will bring an end to this sad situation someday. But for now he is letting people do what they want to do and demonstrating to the angels and all, the consequences of evil. 10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
"The similarities between this ruined statue with the Biblical account of Joseph are so striking, that Rohl has an artist’s conception of what this statue might have looked like on the front cover of his book." Picture of the cover of the book is at the link above and also below: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/342769.Pharaohs_and_Kings Review of the book: The New Egyptian Chronology It is important to understand that the Biblical chronology does not put the Exodus at 1300 BC, but rather some 150 years before that, around 1450 BC. What a difference a couple of hundred years make! At that time period, there is evidence of a massive Semitic occupation of Goshen. Until recently, though, Egyptologists have claimed that this could not be the Hebrew occupation described in the Scriptures, because it is too early. They ascribe this occupation to other type Semites, such as the Hittites. However, there is a small but very vocal group of Egyptologists, led by British scholar David Rohl (author ofPharaohs and Kings), that is vehemently challenging the conventional chronology. They assert that there are numerous fallacies in the assumptions of the accepted chronology, and they have established a new chronology based on what they believe are more sound Egyptian archaeological grounds. Having done this, these secular scientists were astonished to discover that the new chronology supports the Biblical chronology, and the once mute Egyptian evidence is alive with testimony to the validity of Biblical history. The Historicity of Joseph One case in point is the historicity of Joseph. By looking for Hebrew occupation in the several hundred years before 1450 BC (instead of around 1300 BC), there is much evidence. There are large peasant-type cities in Goshen, with a Semitic culture obviously different from that of their Egyptian hosts. There are also some mass graves with numerous bodies, very unusual in Egypt, indicating some kind of plague that struck the land, as indicated in the Book of Exodus. In the upper Nile River, where the water flows between high cliffs, there are markings by the Pharaohs of the high levels of the river. There are several years in a row in this early time frame, when the level was marked as extremely high. This would cause excessive flooding along the Nile, making it impossible to plant crops until it was too late for the growing season, ruining the harvest. The new breed of Egyptologists thinks that the seven bad years in Egypt in Joseph’s time were caused by this type of flooding action, rather than by a lengthy drought. There is other evidence of Joseph in Egypt during this time period. An artificial lake was made in ancient times called Lake Moeris. It was formed by a canal running off the Nile River called to this day the Canal of Joseph. Beside the lake, which still exists (although smaller in size), there are ruins of a massive building, which contained a labyrinth, and was considered one of the greatest structures of its time by the Greek historian/traveler, Herodotus. The building had twelve sections (reminiscent of the twelve tribes), and might well have been an administrative headquarters for Joseph’s agricultural program. The Pharaoh of the time was obviously very proud of the lake and the massive building, because he built his own pyramid at the site for his burial. Nothing like this complex exists anywhere else in the vast ruins of ancient Egypt. Again, the new Egyptologists suggest that this complex is stunning evidence for a remarkable foreign assistant to Pharaoh, and occurs in the correct time frame for Joseph. The Possible Palace, Tomb and Statue of Joseph One last stunning piece of evidence for Joseph exists, and that brings us back to his burial in Goshen, and his bones that were removed by Moses at the time of the Exodus. In this same area in Goshen, where a large contingent of Semites lived, a great palace has been discovered, with a garden and a tomb, curious in its combination of Egyptian and Semitic styles. Rohl and his colleagues believe the palace is that of Joseph, perhaps his retirement villa after many years of service to Pharaoh. It has two apartments in front, suggesting the living quarters of his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. In the rear are the more spacious living quarters of the prime occupants, perhaps Joseph and his Egyptian wife. Adjacent to the ruins of the palace, there is an elegant garden area, and in the garden was an unusual tomb. The tomb was in the shape of a small pyramid, but it is clear that the vault was broken into and the remains removed. However, the damage to the tomb was not like that done by the all too common grave robbers of Egypt. It appears to be a careful and methodical removal of bricks from the tomb, as one would expect where the bones of Joseph were carefully removed from his long-used grave by Moses. Could it be that we have here the very tomb of the great patriarch Joseph? The evidence certainly takes it out of the realm of mythology, even for the hardened scientist, and into the realm of accurate history. But there is more. In the tomb complex, there are ruins of an ancient statue, also unusual in its design and subject matter. It has been violently smashed almost beyond recognition, but enough of it has been found to piece together a possible identification. The statue is of a man who had obvious stature in the Egyptian power structure, with the symbol of Pharaoh’s authority, the throw-stick, on his chest. Yet he also has an unusual Semitic hairdo, with flaming red hair, and wears a coat with variegated colors. The statue has been deliberately smashed and defaced, with an obvious attempt to destroy the head and face. It is as though the remaining Egyptians were so angry with the Semitic inhabitants that, when the Semites left, the Egyptians tried to destroy any trace of their occupation. One could well imagine this to be the reaction of the Egyptians after suffering the plagues and the Red Sea destruction at the hand of the Hebrews and their mighty God. The similarities between this ruined statue with the Biblical account of Joseph are so striking, that Rohl has an artist’s conception of what this statue might have looked like on the front cover of his book. The new Egyptologists are persuaded that they have not only corrected some of the most glaring errors in understanding the history of ancient Egypt, but that they have constructed a marvelous bridge between the histories of Egypt and Israel that demand further study and appreciation. Not least in this consideration is the possibility that the artifacts of the unique person of Joseph have been discovered in the stone ruins of Egyptian archaeology. https://www.levitt.com/essays/joseph
Dude, seek some mental help and soon! Verily I say unto thee, Your cheese has done slipped off your buscuit...