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28
Feb
2022

Is God Responsible For Evil?

God Responsible For Evil

There is a statement in Genesis 22 which is related to the assertion that God is responsible for evil. Before I share with you what that statement in Genesis 22 is (in the next post), allow me to tell you a little story of one of the most puzzling theological challenges I have ever wrestled with.

Many years ago a friend presented me with a problem in logic and theology that took me months to sort out. A fellow soldier in the US Army posed a challenge that I was ill prepared for. My friend’s name was Demetrios. We worked together and we were also roommates in the barracks. This provided us with many hours of time to talk. 

Demetrios did not believe in God and presented points of view I had never been exposed to before. We spent a great deal of time debating science, philosophy, the Bible, you name it. We were soldiers with time to kill and we made the most of our conversations. I truly enjoyed his company and our debates.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis, Theology
21
Feb
2022

Why Is “LORD” Often In All Caps In The Bible?

LORD
The Tetragrammaton

Have you ever noticed that often the letters in the word “LORD” are all capitalized? Other times the Bible only capitalizes the first letter. However, both “the LORD” and “the Lord” refer to God. Why is there a difference?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Basics, Word Studies
14
Feb
2022

Who Is The Angel Of The LORD?

The Angel Of The LORD

A mysterious being called “the angel of the LORD” is an important character in the story of the binding of Isaac. Genesis 22 is not the first time the angel of the LORD has appeared (Gen 16), but this is the earliest indication that he was not an ordinary angel. The angel of the LORD makes lots of appearances in the Old Testament. Who is he and what is special about him?

Abraham and the angel of the LORD

If you haven’t read Genesis 22:10-17 recently, take a moment to read it now. If you were paying attention as you read, you probably noticed that the angel’s language kept shifting back and forth. He starts out by speaking of himself, but by the end of his sentence he seems to be referring to himself as if he was God.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Angels, Genesis, Theology
07
Feb
2022

Was Jesus Sacrificed On Mount Moriah?

Sacrificed On Mount Moriah
Image from ESV Study Bible

According to 2 Chronicles 3:1, Solomon built the first temple on Mount Moriah. As we noted in the previous post, some people confuse Mount Moriah with the mountain where Isaac was bound. As we noted, there is zero scriptural support to conclude that Isaac was bound at the site of the future temple. This conflation has led some people to assert that Jesus was sacrificed on Mount Moriah. 

It is true that His crucifixion was near Mount Moriah, but we can be sure it didn’t take place on Mount Moriah. If the crucifixion were on Mount Moriah His cross would have been on the Temple Mount. The New Testament is clear that His crucifixion happened outside the city (Jn 19:20, Heb 13:12). Since the Temple Mount (aka Mount Moriah) was inside the city walls, we can be confident the sacrifice of Jesus didn’t happen there. Besides this, it would have been unthinkable to the Jews to conduct a crucifixion in the sacred temple precincts.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis
31
Jan
2022

Did The Binding Of Isaac Happen On The Temple Mount?

Temple Mount


The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a very special place to both Jews and Christians. It was the location of Solomon’s Temple and the site where the temple was rebuilt after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. According to Jewish tradition, this is also the place where Abraham bound Isaac. 

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Genesis