Elisha cursed the children in the name of the Lord, and then the bears came out of the forest and tore the 42 children.  Did God direct the bears to do this, or was it some other force, or was it coincidence?
120236
Back then, there were more trees than now, even forests where wild animals roamed.  We see this from an incident that happened when Elisha had become God’s main prophet. Elisha was traveling up from Jericho toward Bethel, so he was in this area, some ten miles  south of Shiloh. What reception would he receive from the people of Bethel, which had become a center for the worship of a golden calf? (1 Kings 12:27-33; 2 Kings 10:29) Evidently the adults were antagonistic toward Jehovah’s prophet, and their attitude seems to have rubbed off on their offspring.\n\nSecond Kings 2:23, 24 tells us that a band of youths jeered God’s prophet: “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” In response, Elisha “called down evil upon them in the name of Jehovah. Then two she-bears came out from the woods and went tearing to pieces forty-two children of their number.” Such Syrian brown bears could be ferocious when surprised or when their cubs seemed threatened. (2 Samuel 17:8;) God used them to execute divine justice against those who grossly despised his representative and thus despised Jehovah himself.\n\nJehovah tolerates no disrespect for his official servants. When the delinquents mocked Elisha as the prophet of Jehovah, He brought swift recompense.\n\nThe primary reason for their jeers seems to have been not that Elisha was bald but that they saw a bald man wearing Elijah’s familiar official garment. They did not want any successor of Elijah around.\n\nTo answer this challenge of his being Elijah’s successor and to teach these young people and their parents proper respect for Jehovah’s prophet, Elisha called down evil upon the jeering mob in the name of the God of Elijah. It was a test of his prophetship. Jehovah manifested his approval of Elisha by causing two she-bears to come out of the nearby woods and to tear to pieces 42 of them.
26298
I cannot make sense out of your question, but if you are asking if these natural disasters were "acts of God," the answer is emphatically - NO!  He does not ever wish such things on people, nor would he do anything like these without prior warnings.  \n\nA good example to study is that of Noah.  Yes, that was a major "natural disaster," but the people had been warned again and again, and chose not to listen.  Read Chapters 6-9 of Genesis.  Also note what Jesus said at Matthew 24:37-39 - "Just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be.  For as they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away"
671102
It's the history of Satan in a nutshell.  He fell from heaven and took a third of the angels with him.  He then stalked the woman (Israel, through whom Christ would come) ready to defeat the prophecy God gave Eve - that through her Satan would be defeated.  Christ is the Child Satan was waiting to devour.  He tried when Herod had all the baby boys killed when the wise men were going to worship Him and told their plans to Herod.
44607
Satan has a lot of 'adopted' children... but are you referribg to actual children/offspring?\n\nGenesis 3:14-15\n(14) So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  (15)  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."\n\nGenesis 6:4\nThe Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.  (NOTE: "sons of God" should be "angels of God")\n\nThe offspring of fallen angels (all angels are male) and human women are hybrids... the Nephilim means... the fallen ones... a lot of the hybrids were giants... very tall people... and they followed the practices of the fallen angels... and were very wicked.\n\nIt is extremely possible...  but people don't want to believe it.  the blood of hybrids maybe in some of us... so what.  I don't want to think about that...\n\nAnyway what happened in the days of Noah will occur again.
111132
"Exodus 33: 'evil tidings' from LORD? Moses talked face to face with LORD, but only saw 'back' parts of LORD?"\n\nAre you trying to reconcile Exodus 33 with the Kabbalistic concept of Qlippoth?\n\nWhile its quite normal in most mythological systems for deities to tell humans that they won't survive gazing upon the deity's awesome visage, Qlippoth does make an interesting question here.  Perhaps the suggestion would be that while we try to look YHVH in the face, we are unable to really conceive of it and can only glimpse the "back", the Qlippoth, ie the stuff we don't like so much.  Interesting how akin it is to the way children think of their parents when they're young. Maybe someday humans will mature and be able to see YHVH in a more wholistic fashion.\n\n"Could there be two LORDS to consider, sort out, if there's also mention of the LORD of 'LORDS'?"\n\nIn the translation I'm looking at right now, I don't see the phrase "Lord of Lords" used in Ex 33.  However, when it does come up its referring to one or both of two things: The supremacy of YHVH in the pre-Abrahamic Judaic pantheon (before Abraham made his covenant with YHVH, the Jews were polytheistic and YHVH was one deity among many), and/or the supremacy of YHVH as a heavenly Lord to earthly Lords.\n\n"Which 'things' are an 'allegory' and 'mystery'."\n\nThere's no allegory in this chapter.  And, for me at least, the Bible in its entirety can be understood as a Mystery if one chooses to see it that way.\n\n"Why did story of Noah's Ark mention God and LORD, who notably gave Noah contradicting commandments?"\n\nThe commands aren't really contradictory: They don't "undo" each other.  So its not like there are two entities here giving opposite commands to Noah and using him as a pawn in some secret hidden war.  God doesn't say "save the animals" only to have Lord come back and say "don't save the animals."  There's just a confusion over number, which I consider being a result of bad editing - something that's bound to happen when a text is scribed, re-scribed, redacted, translated, etc. ad nauseum over the course of roughly 6000 years.
656434
Rev 13:15  And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might both speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. \nRev 13:16  And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads, \nRev 13:17  even that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name. \nRev 13:18  Here is the wisdom. Let him having reason count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is six hundred and sixty-six. \n\nRev 14:9  And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand, \nRev 14:10  he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. \nRev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. \n\nRev 16:1  And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the vials of the anger of God on the earth. \nRev 16:2  And the first went and poured out his vial on the earth. And a bad and grievous sore fell on the men who had the mark of the beast, and on those who worshiped his image. \n\nRev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet doing signs before it, (by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast), and those who had worshiped his image. The two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. \nRev 19:21  And the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sat on the horse, it proceeding out of His mouth. And all the birds were filled from their flesh. \n\nRev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. \nRev 20:5  But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
2392
(2 Samuel 12:11-14 NAB)\n\nThus says the Lord: 'I will bring evil upon you out of your own house.  I will take your wives [plural] while you live to see it, and will give them to your neighbor.  He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.  You have done this deed in secret, but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel, and with the sun looking down.'\n\n    Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."  Nathan answered David: "The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.  But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die."  [The child dies seven days later.]
59583
BEcause when noah was gathering up the animals the unicorns ignored him and kept on playing. So they were destroyed with all of the other evil doers. At least thats the story I heard.
112551
That verse does not say angels.  We have read that into the verse.  There are many different possibilities here.  This is my view, but I don't claim to have any "special knowledge" from God on this matter...\n\nI believe Adam and Eve had children while still in the Garden of Eden.  Part of the reason I believe this is that God told Eve that pain in childbirth would INCREASE.  One could conclude that this means increase from what it would have been, but I believe in such a case it would then just state that with much pain she will give birth.  I believe this is an increase in pain from what she had already had.  Adam was called the son of God (Luke 3:38).  Any children he had before the fall would not have inherited the sinful nature that had been passed on.  I believe these decendents were the "sons of God."  The chidren Eve bore after the fall would be the "daughters of man."  \n\nAgain, this is my theory, and a theory only.  However, it is no less valid than the theory that the "sons of God" were angels.
141455
Thank you for the article- it had some interesting insights!\n\nI have long thought that there was something odd in the part of Genesis 2:1 and the phrasing Genesis 1 used. I've been looking for things that explained it and your article did just that.\n\nIt simply makes no sense that the God who sent His people to the wilderness for 40 years would have (or needed to) rush the planet in 6 days, then fake various items to make it seem much older. He does not work that way at any other time, so why then?\n\nI have said for years that when the Bible and science or reality conflict, our understanding of one or the other is flawed- and I think we've really messed up our understanding of the Bible!
395744
Actually, it makes perfect sense if you look at it as nothing more than a story meant to scare the superstitious herd, and keep them in line.\n\n"God promised to never do it again..." what crap.  This is a fail-safe, so that if the actual localized phenomenon never occurred again (and yes, it was local to the Euphrates region...check out the archaeological evidence), they can say, "See, god kept his word."
377627
A person needs to read this passage very carefully, and it really helps to read it in the Hebrew. The three men are never actually identified as God. A number of Jewish rabbis have noticed the same thing. It is *first* said that Abraham was sitting in his tent and had a vision of God, *then* he opened his eyes and saw three men. While Moses's narative style sometimes has an overview of events, and then more details, it's hard to say if that's what's happening here or not. In fact, it's almost funny to read if you take the stance that these three were angels in the last half of Genesis, because it has Abraham speaking to the angel that remained behind, and calling him "Adoni" (Lord) but never YHVH. But the one to reply is always YHVY and never Adoni. Also, in Genesis 18:22, it says that the men Abraham was speaking with turned and left, but Abraham stayed and pleaded with the LORD.\n\nBut even if you take the stance that one, or even all three, of these "angels" were in fact God Almighty, there is nothing to keep God Almighty as a spirit from creating a body and animating it himself. St. Augustine gets into that kind of an idea  little bit in one of his 15 books on the Trinity, I don't remember which off the top of my head.
226833
2. You're wrong about the second scripture. God told Noah to take in two of every unclean animal, but to take in the clean animals by sevens. You were close, though. Thanks for shooting down a common myth. \n3. Yes. He had to tell the truth in the book of Job, when God asked Satan what he had been doing in the world. \n6. Yes. God will come down to establish a 100-mile high and 100-mile wide city on the earth. \n7. Abraham did have two sons. He had Isaac and Ishmael. The Jews that descended from Abraham, though, are also counted as his children.
254591
I asked some people about that yesterday. Apparently it was only supposed to apply to the Israelites... At least that's what they all said but I haven't fact checked it yet.\nThe abominations are the same.\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqnbbDeGVoLENsNqVkflpGvsy6IX?qid=1006051123125\n\nHere's a link to the questions I asked in regards to leviticus...
148120
Jacob was a real person with real children and these were real blessings. This is the generation of the children of Israel; the Jews.\n\nDans blessing found in Gen 49: 16-18\n\n    16 Dan will provide justice for his people \n       as one of the tribes of Israel. \n\n    17 Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, \n       a viper along the path, \n       that bites the horse's heels \n       so that its rider tumbles backward. \n\n    18 "I look for your deliverance, O LORD\n\nLook at Judges 18:27\n\n The treachery & Idol worship was foreseen. This was the serpent spirit. \n\nLesson:-\n\nWe may all be exposed to the same gospel of Jesus Christ but some may opt to take the broad road and all it leads to is destruction. May God help us.
479508
God killed them, he killed lots of people, just not directly. If you don't believe me, look at the flood, Sodom, etc.\nGod did not kill his children directly, but if God is all-powerful he could have stopped it, but he chose not too. Call it a master plan.
628318
"Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked.  Show no mercy; have no pity!  Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children.  But do not touch anyone with the mark.  Begin your task right here at the Temple."  So they began by killing the seventy leaders.  "Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded.  "Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill!  Go!"  So they went throughout the city and did as they were told."  (Ezekiel 9:5-7 NLT)\n\n\n If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey, I will inflict you with seven more disasters for your sins.  I will release wild animals that will kill your children and destroy your cattle, so your numbers will dwindle and your roads will be deserted.  (Leviticus 26:21-22 NLT)\n\n\n(Moses) stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "All of you who are on the LORD's side, come over here and join me." And all the Levites came.  He told them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Strap on your swords! Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, killing even your brothers, friends, and neighbors."  The Levites obeyed Moses, and about three thousand people died that day.  Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Because of this, he will now give you a great blessing."  (Exodus 32:26-29 NLT)\n\n\n "Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod. Yes, march against Babylon, the land of rebels, a land that I will judge!  Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them, as I have commanded you," says the LORD.  "Let the battle cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction".   (Jeremiah 50:21-22 NLT)\n\n\n As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace.  If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor.  But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town.  When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town.  But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder.  You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.(Deuteronomy 20:10-14)\n\nand maaannnyyy more if u interesting, but i think i already made a very good point...