RTRider

I see.

Well, if we are going to see our bibles in English and read the words with our western culture, we cannot be sure of the intent of those words - because we are blind to the way the original writers intended that they be understood. I know that concept frustrates people because we don't want to go to the trouble of learning Hebrew customs and manner of thought. Simply put, without learning how to understand the culture of the writers, we will misunderstand scripture. Hermeneutics is more than simple reading in English.

Wouldn't it have been great if we had the original writings of the New Testament books? Since we have only Greek translations, we lose some things that could have been clearer. Any interlinear scripture shows that God the Father's name Yahweh has been replaced in our English translations with Lord. Our English bibles refer to the only true God as Lord, and the readers eventually are no longer certain of who the term refers. Then, we use context to try to determine to whom it refers. With Yeshua speaking, context says he is speaking of His Father Yahweh.

No, if we never open our eyes to recognize that we do not and basically cannot think like a 2000-year-old Jewish person, we will deceive ourselves. The English word "see" does not always mean "with our eyes," and sometimes it means more "perceive" or "understand." Other scriptures must be consulted in order determine truth. The Hebrew phrase for "I am" (ehyeh) is used 43 times in the Old Testament - and it did not refer to God all those times. The Greek phrase "ego eimi" is used on the New Testament 141 times and does not refer to God all those times either. We are not told that Jesus existed in the form of God before he was begotten. Jesus' only existence before His birth was in God's prophecy. https://21stcr.org/commentaries/preexistence-overview/preexistence-articles/the-nature-of-preexistence-in-the-new-testament/ I realize that you have been taught differently, but I rely on scripture which requires deep study. After all, we depend on scripture for our truth and prayer to God for revelation of that truth. Here, 2000 years later after scripture being tortured in the hands of man, the prayer part is huge. We will never see if we cannot open our minds to hear the answer. Since you seem to be saying that Yahweh is not God's name, who do you think God is?

There are many more statements in scripture about "other gods" which could have been kings, princes, property owners, etc. The term "god" was quite common. That is why I prefer to use God's name - I don't want to confuse anyone about what I am saying.

Oh, there is more to understanding what we read with our "western eyes." There are two principles illustrated in scripture that confuse us tremendously. A simple web search can explain our problems with understanding what is written. The principle of "Agency" and that of "preexistence" have to be understood to keep from making errors in our understanding. In short, the figure that Moses, Aaron, and 72 others saw could be any "agent" sent my Yahweh, or what they saw was however Yahweh chose to appear. If we believe that scripture is "God-breathed," then we also must understand that scripture does not contradict itself. If it appears to, the issue is how we understand or translate and not what is written.

I think we have been trained to not see the elephant in the room. Yahweh (One True God) in an interlinear bible states several times in the Old Testament that He alone is God and that there is no other. Before I believe that He changed that, He would then have to tell me that. Otherwise, I believe what He has already said.

I have come to understand that people, once steeped in dogma over a long period of time, cannot blank their minds long enough to hear God giving them truth when they try to ask for it. It has to be something that requires that we let go of our own egos and submit to learning from the One who has all the answers. Even those who have told me that Yahweh gave them a truth have gone back to their preachers for validation.

The original post resonates with me. I knew that I was missing something in my Christian walk, and I took the "me version" of a fix and started doing things that made me appear more devout and dedicated. I worked on how I appeared more than who I was. After visiting a few preachers, and even one who laid hands on me to give me the Holy Spirit, the missing element was still there. As I was working in a foreign country shortly after that, I went to a bookstore to find Christian books that might give me an answer (I could not find an answer anywhere else.) Then, I saw one word in a book that spoke of "surrender." Yep, like a hammer in my noggin, it hit me. Out of all the things I tried to feel close to God, I KNEW that I had never surrendered myself. I was play-acting, I was "appearing," but I was not surrendering. My mind was still in the world and my heart was not occupied by God's spirit. In my hotel room, I dropped to the floor and cried out with my repentance toward God. I was alone, no noise around me, but in an emotional dive = I even asked for His help in surrendering. To think, nobody with whom I spoke told me anything about surrendering. After all, I looked like a Christian.