[stacky1]

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and is getting off to a good start with lent. I gave up facebook(cause I was on it waaaay too much) so these next 40 days will be rough, but I will make it! I also am going to try start reading my bible again. I started reading it at the beginning of the year and was reading with a bible in a year plan, then I got off a couple weeks in and haven't gotten back into it yet. I figured now was a good time to start again. But also I thought I might start posting on here or other forums with questions I have as I go along so you all can help me out and maybe that will help me to stay on track.

Well so far I have gotten through Genesis. So here are some of my questions, and sorry if they are random or just a list of questions. I don't know if these questions should all be in different posts. But I hope someone out there can understand what I'm asking or answer any of my questions. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

When were the dinosaurs?

Did Cain and Abel(Adam and Eve's kids) marry their sisters? Gen 4

"When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. 6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. "
... Did they just hang out with God or have conversations with God? Otherwise how did they know what God said or thought? Gen 4

Couldn't God find another way to punish everyone or teach them instead of killing them with the flood with Noah? And why did he have to kill all the animals? Gen 6

With this quote from the bible...
8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”
... He says over and over how it will never happen again, does he feel bad for making it flood? Does he think that he shouldn't have done it? Gen 9

Also doesn't this...
And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands.
... doesnt that kind of contradict itself? Wouldn't everyone just have to kill everyone then? Gen 9

This is more of just a side note, when Lot and his daughters ran away from the village and lived in a cave, and then the daughters wanted to have children but no men were around so they got their father drunk and had sex with him and got pregnant from him... what did Lot think 9 months later when they gave birth to a baby and their was no guys around? I bet he was mad! Gen 19

What did people look like when they were 100 back then, cause it says “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”, so they were old then and too old to have children. But they lived to be 400, so after 100 did they just hobble around and not move much and lay around a lot and be old and age? Or did they age slower or something? Gen 17

Couldn't Issac give a blessing to both sons Esau and Jacob? Why could they only give one blessing? Gen 27



I think that might be all my questions for right now. Im sure I will be back with more shortly. This is my first time reading through the bible so that is why I have so many questions. People have told me that I should start with the gospels, and a few days into genesis I thought about going and starting there, but after reading a little into matthew I kept asking who was this or what were they referring to there, so I decided that starting at the beginning was good for me. And I already know the basic story of Jesus so I know what he did and who he was but not in depth. Oh and in case anyone wonders or wants to know, I'm catholic and have been since I was born but I am working on my faith. Im not sure what I believe or if I do, I'm just trying to figure it out and I decided to start with reading the bible. Thanks everyone for any help! Ask me any questions if you want and I will try to be back on here soon! Thanks!

[Wondergirl]

Here are my answers. Other members might disagree, but then that's the interesting thing about the Bible. God didn't give us a handbook to go with it to tell us exactly what He meant and the reasons behind various things. That's why there are so many differences of opinion and different denominations.

When were the dinosaurs?

The Bible isn't a science textbook and doesn't give us all the answers to who and what have lived on our planet. We have fossil evidence that they lived long ago, so I consider them one of God's marvelous creations that no longer exist.

Did Cain and Abel(Adam and Eve's kids) marry their sisters? Gen 4

My informed guess is no. Again, the Bible doesn't tell us about all of God's creations, so He easily could have created lots of people all over the world, not just two in a big garden.

Did they just hang out with God or have conversations with God? Otherwise how did they know what God said or thought? Gen 4

I've always been taught that God had very close relationships with his people in the beginning and actually conversed with many of them. That changed somewhat because of sin entering the world and as more and more people were born into it.

Couldn't God find another way to punish everyone or teach them instead of killing them with the flood with Noah? And why did he have to kill all the animals? Gen 6

God had warned the people many times, but they didn't listen. We don't know that the Flood was worldwide. Many Bible scholars think it was actually local to the Mideast and that people and animals in other countries were spared. For instance, there were no kangaroos or penguins on the Ark.

He says over and over how it will never happen again, does he feel bad for making it flood? Does he think that he shouldn't have done it? Gen 9

The Bible says the rainbow is God's sign that He will never again use a Great Flood to destroy mankind.

And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person's life will also be taken by human hands.
... doesnt that kind of contradict itself? Wouldn't everyone just have to kill everyone then? Gen 9

Not everyone is a murderer, and this is where the government and capital punishment come in.

This is more of just a side note, when Lot and his daughters ran away from the village and lived in a cave, and then the daughters wanted to have children but no men were around so they got their father drunk and had sex with him and got pregnant from him... what did Lot think 9 months later when they gave birth to a baby and their was no guys around? I bet he was mad! Gen 19

He probably was. We aren't told what his reaction was.

What did people look like when they were 100 back then, cause it says “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”, so they were old then and too old to have children. But they lived to be 400, so after 100 did they just hobble around and not move much and lay around a lot and be old and age? Or did they age slower or something? Gen 17

We don't know. There is no information about the human body and how quickly it and its ability to reproduce ran out back then.

Couldn't Issac give a blessing to both sons Esau and Jacob? Why could they only give one blessing? Gen 27

They both did get blessings, but only the oldest son got the blessing that the Messiah would be in his family.

[dwashbur]

... He says over and over how it will never happen again, does he feel bad for making it flood? Does he think that he shouldn't have done it? Gen 9

It doesn't give any indication that he regretted doing it; it just says he won't do it again. Since he made it all, it's his right to decide if and how he'll destroy it. Sounds rather callous, but there it is.

This is more of just a side note, when Lot and his daughters ran away from the village and lived in a cave, and then the daughters wanted to have children but no men were around so they got their father drunk and had sex with him and got pregnant from him... what did Lot think 9 months later when they gave birth to a baby and their was no guys around? I bet he was mad! Gen 19

You may be giving Lot too much credit; it's possible he lacked the necessary brain power to figure it out! He seems to have had a major talent for missing the obvious.

Couldn't Issac give a blessing to both sons Esau and Jacob? Why could they only give one blessing? Gen 27

The blessing given to the firstborn was important beyond what we can imagine. Isaac did manage to give Esau a blessing of his own, but it was anything but what Esau really wanted because Jacob had already taken the "good" one. Isaac's response to Esau shows its importance:

Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”
(Ge 27:37)

By virtue of this blessing, Jacob took the right of ruling over the family and those who served them, a right that should have been Esau's because he was the oldest. This kind of blessing was considered a sort of prophecy, in that as Isaac decreed in his blessing, God would make it happen in Jacob's life. It's hard for us in this day and age to grasp its importance and effectiveness, because we don't have anything similar in our culture. This sort of thing is why it's important to read everything in its grammatical, historical and cultural context: so we can be sure we're understanding and interpreting things correctly. It's a process that takes a lifetime, and it's worth it.

[Fr_Chuck]

When were the dinosaurs?
Some believe there were never dinosaurs and the bones are merely tricks by the devil to confuse man. Other teach a older earth and they were there in the "days) during creation which was millions of years And then others say we do not know how long Adam was in the garden, so all of this may have been happening outside the garden.

I belong to the group that believe they never existed.


Did Cain and Abel(Adam and Eve's kids) marry their sisters? Gen 4
Most likely, of course DNA was clean and pure at the time so there would have been no issue in this. Others of course believe if you read the two stores of creation in GEN that God created men and women, so Adam and Eve were just two of the many people created

"When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. 6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. "
... Did they just hang out with God or have conversations with God? Otherwise how did they know what God said or thought? Gen 4
Yes, God walked in the garden and at that time, they would just talk with God

Couldn't God find another way to punish everyone or teach them instead of killing them with the flood with Noah? And why did he have to kill all the animals? Gen 6

He tried, he had sent Prophet after Prophet but the heart of man just followed their own lust and desire And this was the punishment, death, it may sound hard to us, but this was common in Bibical times

With this quote from the bible...
8 Then God told Noah and his sons, 9 “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”
... He says over and over how it will never happen again, does he feel bad for making it flood? Does he think that he shouldn't have done it? Gen 9

No, just that he will not use flood again, if you read more you will see fire is the next planned destruction

Also doesn't this...
And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person's life will also be taken by human hands.
... doesnt that kind of contradict itself? Wouldn't everyone just have to kill everyone then? Gen 9
Poor translation, replace any murders, not kill. It is more thou shall not murder, more so than thou shall not kill. Translations are hard,

This is more of just a side note, when Lot and his daughters ran away from the village and lived in a cave, and then the daughters wanted to have children but no men were around so they got their father drunk and had sex with him and got pregnant from him... what did Lot think 9 months later when they gave birth to a baby and their was no guys around? I bet he was mad! Gen 19
Yes

What did people look like when they were 100 back then, cause it says “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”, so they were old then and too old to have children. But they lived to be 400, so after 100 did they just hobble around and not move much and lay around a lot and be old and age? Or did they age slower or something? Gen 17
They would age slower, no issues with pollution in the air, or water, ate a good diet, and no issues with illness and issues with DNA problems yet

Couldn't Issac give a blessing to both sons Esau and Jacob? Why could they only give one blessing? Gen 27
No, only one son got the blessing and only one son gets the main inheritance.
Follow the line of to Christ.

[joypulv]

The last dinosaur disappeared about 65 million years ago, many millions of years before the first human appeared.
We find dinosaur bones under the soil all the time, many in the US. This whole idea that dinosaurs were invented by the devil is just too funny for words. That's a heck of a lot of devil-work for no devilish reason.

Congratulations on your observation about killing those who kill. It shows you think about what you read, and question it. Killing those who kill is an ongoing controversy in society even today. In the US we argue for and against capital punishment (putting people to death) all the time, and the right to do so varies by state. And that doesn't always stay the same either. Some states have abolished it and reinstated it.

I think giving up something you are really addicted to, like Facebook, and spending more time reading and asking questions, is a wonderful idea. I spend a lot of time on Facebook too, but maybe not as much as some people. I suppose I could say I'm addicted to my computer though.

[classyT]

Seriously? I have never heard there are people who believe dinasours never existed. That is a new one for me.

There are also many Christians who believe dinasours and man lived together. There is verses in Job concerning a beast that many people believe is a dinasour. There are many who believe in the gap theory, they believe millions of years passed between the first and second verses of Genesis.

I am going to throw something out here; food for thought because I really think it is interesting. I heard Pastor Joseph Prince say he believed the reason God destroyed mankind with a flood is because he was trying to preserve the human race. The Bible says that demons came down and slept with women. The women gave birth to giants, they were half human and half demon. The reason he believed they did this was so the promised child ( Jesus Christ) could not be born. There is a verse I think in Peter that says after the Lord Jesus died on the cross he went and preached to the disobiedient spirits during the time of Noah. Now I actually always wondered what in the world he said and why he said it to those people. Pastor Prince said the word preached was translated poorly and should have been HE proclaimed or harald to them. So he believed the Lord went directly to these demon beings and let them know they didn't stop God from completing his purpose. I don't know if this is true... I think it is interesting. I DO know the demons did sleep with women, that I have read before. But the rest I'm not sure he could back it up, they could simply be his thoughts but I thought it was really interesting.

As far as Sarah, we know that she laughed at the thought of having a child. She was obviously passed child bearing years and no longer had menses. Therefore the Lord had to have restored her hormones. She not only was able to conceive but she breast fed as well. I believe the Lord renewed her youth. She also had to be very attractive because in her old age a King wanted her for his harem. Of course we know nothing is impossible with the Lord.

[classyT]

Fr_Chuck,

Satan is a created being, I don't know of anywhere in he bible where is has the ability to create anything. He is powerful but how could he create bones? Have you found somewhere in he bible where he is able to create? I know he can take on forms but that isn't the same as creating.

[dwashbur]

Dinosaurs never existed. That's a new one on me. The actual biblical answer is, they went extinct many million years ago. The "days" of creation are anything but literal, and trying to read them as literal days does violence to the text. The earth really is 4.5 billion years old, and nothing in the Bible actually contradicts that fact. The sequence of events in Genesis 1 bears a remarkable resemblance to what we see in the fossil record, and we know even today that extinction is part of the natural process that God set in motion. So what we have are six creative "acts" as God pushed his creation along toward its ultimate goal (us), but there is no good reason to see six literal days or a world that is only 6000 years old. The main reason Genesis doesn't mention dinosaurs is because, by the time it was written, they had passed off the scene and evidence of their existence had been buried for ages, so nobody knew they had ever existed.

If Satan planted a bunch of dinosaur bones in the fossil record to deceive us, he's even stupider than we give him credit for...