I CHANGE NOT. DOES GOD REPENT OR CHANGE HIS MIND?

-
The bible says in Malachi 3:6 (KJV) "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." What does this statement mean? Does God repent or change His mind?

I change not could only refer to basic character and to keeping covenant, not to acts of judgment or mercy when needed. God has repented or changed His mind when it became necessary because of free moral agents revelling to the point of judgment and this was in keeping with His character.

He is absolute in holiness and justice, and is morally and divinely obligated for the good of all to judge the few or all if need be or to show mercy to one and all should they meet the conditions of mercy. God does not and cannot change His original and eternal plan and purpose, but He can and does change some ways and means of fulfilling the plan.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MISINTERPRETED: JUDGE NOT, LEST YOU BE JUDGED

-
Image
Today we address one of the most quoted and most commonly misinterpreted passages in the Bible, a verse usually cited to mean that people shouldn’t judge one another but meaning something entirely different:  Matthew 7:1–2 “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged, since you will be judged in the same judgment that you make, and you will be measured by the same standard you apply.” Popular Interpretation   This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, usually in a context something like this: “Yeah, he cheated on his wife, but who am I to judge? Hey, we’re all sinners, right? Like Jesus said, ‘Judge not, lest you be judged,'” or “Don’t judge me—if you were really a Christian you’d listen to Jesus when he said, ‘judge not.'” That is, the verse is often marshaled in order to defend against any declaration that a given person’s behavior is wrong (quite often marshaled by the person in question). Effectively, when quoted as such, the verse is understood as a prohibition...
Read more

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING CLEANSED AND BEING MADE WHOLE?

-
Image
Many Christians believe that the word translated “whole” in Luke 17:19 KJV refers to both physical and spiritual healing and that the nine lepers  in the chapter received only physical healing because they did not return to give thanks to Jesus where as the leper that returned to give thanks to Jesus received both physical and spiritual healing. They believe all the lepers were cleansed but the one that returned to Jesus got something extra which is that he was made whole (i.e his limbs which may have been lost or deformed as a result of the leprosy were restored or that he got salvation for his soul). Though this may be true, there's however a more likely possibility that the leper did not get something more than the rest of the nine. Let's first read the story: (Luke 17:12-19 KJV) And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when h...
Read more

JACOB DID NOT WAIT FOR 7 OR 14 YEARS BEFORE LEAH/ RACHEL WERE GIVEN TO HIM. HE TOOK BOTH WIVES IMMEDIATELY.

-
Many Christians thought that Jacob worked seven years for Laban, realized that Laban deceived him to marry Leah, and then worked seven more years before finally getting married to Rachel. However the bible shows that he took both Leah and Rachel immediately before he began serving Laban. For clarity, I advise you to read this Jacob's story in other translations of the Bible aside King James Version (KJV). Meanwhile lets look at look at some of the facts from the Bible: (Genesis 29:21 KJV) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Please note that the 7 years of service required of Jacob were the total dowry and not the customary waiting period before a wife was given to the groom. In other words, Jacob took Leah after the customary waiting period which was a couple of days just like we read in vs 21. Notice that he said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled" implying a certain number of d...
Read more

WHY DIDN'T JESUS TURN THE STONES INTO BREAD?

-
Image
What the Devil asked of Jesus in Matthew 4:3 was something moral and there is nothing in God's law that says it would be wrong to create a meal from stones. So why didn't he turn the stone into bread? (Matthew 4:3 KJV) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Several reasons have been given for not turning the stones into bread by many writers and teachers but not all are accurate. Here are the reasons presented by some writers and teachers: " It was God’s will for Christ to overcome the sin of appetite that He may be an example for us." "The problem wasn't that God forbade turning stones into bread. The problem was that God hadn't authorized it." "If Jesus had turned the stones into bread, not only would He have been acting without authority, He also would have been demonstrating a lack of trust in God." "Turning stones into bread would have bee...
Read more

WHY DID THE MASTER COMMEND THE DISHONEST STEWARD IN LUKE 16:8?

-
Image
The parable of the dishonest steward is about a steward/ manager who, knowing that his master/employer was about to dismiss him because he was unfairly enriching himself through unethical and immoral practices in the course of transacting business for his master, repented of his sin and asked the debtors to only pay what they owed his master. Let's read the passage in the bible. (Luke 16:1-8) And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had squandered [wasted] his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his l...
Read more

UNDERSTANDING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORETELLING, FORTH-TELLING AND FORTUNE TELLING

-
Image
There is so much misunderstanding in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future. In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.”  “ Prophecies ” is transliterated (i.e. brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun  prophēteia . It is made up of  pro , meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb  phēmi , meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer  EITHER : Foretelling  (predicting or telling something before it happens). It seeks to predict the future. It predicts or reveals personalities, occurrences, circumstances that will hap...
Read more

IS REINCARNATION BIBLICAL? SHOULD CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION?

-
Image
What is reincarnation? Is reincarnation a Christian belief? Does the Bible teach reincarnation? Are there evidences in the Bible to support reincarnation? Several people (including many Christians) believe in reincarnation. However, the Bible does not teach reincarnation, rather it teaches resurrection from the dead. What is the difference? In reincarnation (or transmigration), the body dies and returns (i.e comes back to life again) in a different body to live on earth again. Depending on your deeds in the previous life or lives, the new body is entirely different from that of the previous life. For instance, a man could get reincarnated as a woman or an animal or a stone. On the other hand, in resurrection of the dead, the body that dies is the exact body that is raised. For the resurrection that will occur in the last day, the body is made new in the sense that it is perfected and no longer subject to frailty and death, but it is still the same body. In reincarnation, the previous m...
Read more

IN ISAIAH 59:19, IT IS NOT THE ENEMY THAT COMES IN LIKE A FLOOD.

-
Image
Most of us are familiar with this portion of the scripture:  (Isaiah 59:19 KJV)   “…… When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him . The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible seems to suggest that it is the enemy that will come in like a flood. Well the enemy is not the one that will come in like a flood rather it is the Lord that comes in like a flood (a rushing stream). The translators of King James Version of the Bible departed from the ancient versions which resulted in the misconception. The Amplified Version of the Bible puts it better: Isaiah 59:19 (AMP): So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives [overwhelming the enemy] In other words, He (Jehovah) shall come like a rushing stream which the breath of Jehovah (i.e., a strong and mighty wind) drives. It will mean that...
Read more

Three That Bear Record: Understanding 1 John 5:8

-
Image
“And there are three that bear record in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” — 1 John 5:8 (KJV) This powerful verse doesn’t just offer poetic symbolism — it gives us three divine witnesses on earth that testify to the truth of Jesus Christ. These witnesses stand as irrefutable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God , and they each confirm a specific aspect of His identity. Let’s explore each one. 1. The Spirit Bears Record In John 15:26 , Jesus said: “But when the Comforter is come… He shall testify of me.” And again in Romans 8:16 , we read: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” From His baptism, when the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove (Matthew 3:16), to the outpouring at Pentecost and beyond — the Holy Spirit continues to testify of Jesus' divine sonship. The Spirit bears record through: Divine revelation Internal witness in the believer's heart Prophecy, ...
Read more

WHO IS THE DEVOURER IN MALACHI 3:11?

-
Image
The phrase "rebuke the devourer" is found in the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament.  (Malachi 3:11 KJV) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. In this verse Malachi records a wonderful promise of God to the nation of Israel.  The Hebrew word translated “devourer” means “eater” and refers to the locust or caterpillar or any such creature that devours crops. The NIV translates Malachi 3:11 as “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops.” The “devourer” could also refer to plant diseases—really, anything that would destroy Israel’s crops: the NLT says, “Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.” Swarms of locusts were common in the Middle East in those days and could destroy virtually all the produce of an entire country. The devastation brought by locusts could be horri...
Read more