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You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Christianity - Restorationism > Latter-day Saints > the first one
Expert: Hannah - 9/21/2007
Question
QUESTION: Hannah, you said that you can understand numbers, what if God was like a number in his existence yet was not bound to this earth by any physical means...if he were the actual beginning "1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." to get a better understanding of what i mean, and to better understand what I am talking about, read the book of Genesis in a modern text that does not seem so mysterious http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201;&version=49;
one of my favorites is the nasb but a more common one is the niv
but in any event, I have to come to the same conclusion, not because I have no other explanation but because it is what the word of God has revealed to me through his word, He said I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. there are so many passages that clearly say...He is the only one, why would he say it so many times if it were not important... I would very much like to keep this conversation going, so I hope that I have not offended you or discouraged you in any way. I truly value your opinion and look forward to reading your next response.
charlie
ANSWER: No. I'm not offended.
I feel that the "In the beginning..." doesn't keep me from believe in exaltation. I feel that it has been revealed to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, in which case I feel that I don't know everything about God. But I know that it will be okay, and I know that God is still God, regardless of where he came from. He is the only one. I'm not trying to say that we are polytheists. Far from. God is the only One-- for this Earth and all others under his dominion.
I did read the other Genesis passage...it seemed to have the same meaning to me. But I'm afraid that I don't share your enthusiasm for the nasb or the NIV. I feel that in order to receive the truest version possible, one should try for the earliest, usable translation possible. In which case, I use the KJV, supplemented by what of the JST (Joseph Smith Translation) we have. By the way, the Joseph Smith Translation is some verses where the meaning has been made really strange and almost flip-flopped, the Lord inspired Joseph Smith to change it. And these are the kind of verses that you read the King James and you just think, "What?! That can't be the right translation" because it goes against some plain, simple thing concerning God, or Christ or the Gospel. For example, would God harden Pharoah's heart? I think Pharoah would do the hardening. That kind of stuff.
To sum it up: I feel that the Holy Ghost has taught me the truth.
I am enjoying this conversation as well.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I think an understanding of the exodus is in order...how did God harden Pharaoh? By God displaying his power through the working of miracles, Pharaohs heart was hardened...not because God wished for it and so it was, but because Pharaoh did not want to submit to Gods will and in turn God hardened, through actions, his heart because Pharaoh wanted to be god. I am not sure if you know much about ancient Egypt, but they believed in becoming gods in the afterlife...Pharaoh never denied God, this would have been to deny logic but he did deny what God said and the more Pharaoh denied God as the one and only true God, the more his heart was hardened.
I think this is very important to establish because if someone does not walk in the will of God, they will have a hard heart by nature of refusing Gods will...I think what it comes down to is...is the word of God correct as it was written, not translated? this is why I try to study the bible in many different translation, if nothing else just to get a different perspective...
thank you for being so courteous in this dialog, I am learning much and enjoying our conversation.
I think the next response will be a new thread, this site only allows me to respond a couple of times before it prompts me to ask a different question.
in truth and learning
Charlie
ANSWER: I would disagree. Pharoah hardened his heart against God, in response to God's action. But though God's actions were the thing that did it, Pharoah made the choice to harden his heart. God didn't force anything upon him.
Sorry about the severe misunderstanding in the timing. I explained it in the other response.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: You said what I was trying to say perfectly! sorry for not being able to articulate the correct words in the last comunication, some times my mind gets going faster than I can keep up with, than I dont get the message across straight.
I totally agree with that explanation of scripture. The scripture reads God hardened Pharaoh....The way I read this is that God did the miracles and that was good, but Pharaoh's heart was hardened by Pharaohs will, this is the same will that makes him think he will become a God, and it is the covetousness of Pharoah to become a god that was the real sin, thus hardening the heart.
this is really amazing how much we agree on.
God bless
Charlie
Answer
It is amazing how much we agree on. It's really cool that though we've been raised in completely different belief sets, we have similar beliefs.
And I can totally understand what you mean when your mouth (or hands) go faster than your mind. I do that all the time, and then I end up embarassing myself. :)
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