(May 26, 2014 at 12:57 pm)Confused Ape Wrote:(May 26, 2014 at 10:30 am)Godschild Wrote: I have a book that breaks down the Creation and Garden of Eden stories word by word, I've loaned it out several times and need to find where it's at, it would be very useful in these discussions.
Do you remember what it's called and who wrote it? I could then look it up and see what, if any, religious beliefs the author had or has.
Unfortunately I do not, it might be called "Genesis," it's been a long time since I've seen it, hopefully I can turn it up soon.
(May 26, 2014 at 3:34 am)Godschild Wrote: Lucifer has no descendants, angels can not procreate, I do not know the verse in the NT that tells us this, but I will find it if you wish.
CA Wrote:I'm going to use the Complete Jewsish Bible for a change.
Fair enough.
Quote:The Complete Jewish Bible was translated by David H. Stern, an Israel-based Messianic Jewish theologian. Published in 1998 by Jewish New Testament Publications, the CJB claims to be “Jewish in manner and presentation.” The names of the books are Jewish along with their English names (if different). Semitic names are used for people and places. It also incorporates Hebrew and Yiddish expressions that Stern refers to as “Jewish English.”
Restoring the "Jewishness" of the Bible is a good thing. The Bible was written predominantly by Jews and to a Jewish audience. The Complete Jewish Bible should be commended for recognizing those facts. Overall, the CJB is a good and accurate translation of the Bible. It does tend to be too "free" in its renderings, sometimes interpreting instead of translating. Also, although it was in no sense the purpose of the Complete Jewish Bible, the idea of there being a separate Bible for Jews can lead toward division in the Body of Christ.
CA Wrote:So back to Genesis 3
Quote:3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any wild animal which Adonai, God, had made.
14 Adonai, God, said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and eat dust as long as you live. 15 I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
Other translations use the word 'seed' instead of descendant. For example, Genesis 22 - King James Version
I use the New American Standard, it's sited as one of the best literal translations of all the different ones. The NAS uses the word seed, I think the word seed fits best because by necessity the word seed does not have to mean just procreate, but to create in general.
CA Wrote:The question, then, is what was God talking about when he referred to the serpent's descendant/seed?
The serpent's seed is those he comes to deceive until their death, those who reject God. He creates them by deception not through biological conception.
(May 26, 2014 at 11:37 am)Brakeman Wrote: Many, if not most of the christians of old believed that the angels did have sex with humans and procreate successfully by their interpretations of these Genesis verses. Why wouldn't they have gotten it right?
CA Wrote:A good point. I found an interesting article about this on Got Questions Org which is a Christian website - Who were the sons of God and daughters of men in Genesis 6:1-4?
Quote:The three primary views on the identity of the sons of God are 1) they were fallen angels, 2) they were powerful human rulers, or 3) they were godly descendants of Seth intermarrying with wicked descendants of Cain.
Yes I agree these are the most popular views and I hold with #2 powerful humans.
CA Wrote:View 1) is the most likely position. Yes, it is an interesting “contradiction” to say that angels are sexless and then to say that the “sons of God” were fallen angels who procreated with human females. However, while angels are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:14), they can appear in human, physical form (Mark 16:5). The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to have sex with the two angels who were with Lot (Genesis 19:1-5). It is plausible that angels are capable of taking on human form, even to the point of replicating human sexuality and possibly even reproduction.
I disagree, the angels were not created to procreate and scripture confirms this as you pointed out they are spiritual beings.
I agree that at times we see them in scripture appearing as men, never women, but do they have the power to change their appearance or is it God who changes their appearance. We are not told but I believe a little look at scripture can help, as you said below the fallen ones seem not to do this and angel means messenger, and in this case the messenger of God. This is what we see them doing throughout scripture. God also doesn't allow even Satan to make man to sin, tempt yes, man has the freedom to choose. As far as Sodom is concerned these people were so perverse they would probably seek most anything.
CA Wrote:Why do the fallen angels not do this more often? It seems that God imprisoned the fallen angels who committed this evil sin, so that the other fallen angels would not do the same (as described in Jude 6). Earlier Hebrew interpreters and apocryphal and pseudopigraphal writings are unanimous in holding to the view that fallen angels are the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4. This by no means closes the debate. However, the view that Genesis 6:1-4 involves fallen angels mating with human females has a strong contextual, grammatical, and historical basis.
Jude 1:6 is not about the angels having relations with the women on earth, it is about the rebellion in heaven. If you believe that God imprisoned them for such an act, do you think the condemned would care about this kind of punishment, they are doomed to hell. No one has proven the angels are the ones called "sons of God," but man has been referred to as sons of God. The angels being the ones who had sexual relations with the human female is not consistent with what is actually said about them in scripture. The word translated giant in Genesis 6:4 means tyrant or bully of a man, which translates to a giant of a man, not necessarily a giant.
CA Wrote:So, was the serpent in Eden a talking snake or a fallen angel who was going to have descendants?
No, the serpent was a special creation that was at the least controlled by Lucifer and the seed are those who fall to Satan's deception.
GC
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.