Posted on 07/26/2014 7:09:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The canonical Bible is filled with mysterious characters, many of whom drop in for a cameo, do their thing, and then slide out, never to be heard from again. Some are merely extras, but some have a contextual presence that begs further examination. And some are, well, just weird.
10 Melchizedek
Probably the single most mysterious figure in the Bible, Melchizedek was a priest-king of Salem (later known as Jerusalem) in the time of Abram (Abraham), suggesting a religious organization, complete with ritual and hierarchy, that predated the Jewish nation and their priestly lineage from the tribe of Levi. He is only portrayed as active in one passage, although he is alluded to once in Psalms, and several times in the New Testament’s Epistle to the Hebrews.
Some Jewish disciplines insist that Melchizedek was Shem, Noah’s son. He is thought of, in Christian circles, as a proto-messiah, embodying certain traits later given to Christ. New Testament writings assert that Christ was “a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek,” indicating an older and deeper covenant with God than the Abrahamic-Levite lineage.
Hebrews 7, though presents him in a more unusual light. In verses 3 and 4:
“Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning
of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the
patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.”(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at listverse.com ...
He would be correct that inbreeding does not happen just because of a single act. It comes from concentrating the gene pool until there is no variation left to draw from.
I don’t know about your second point, but I think it was done to ensure viability of the human race and it was done when it was appropriate to do.
That Cain was permitted to live suggests extenuating circumstances. Did it occur so close to The Fall that God hadn't given a set of laws covering murder? Perhaps it was a case of manslaughter rather than murder? Even if it was manslaughter, it has always appeared to me to be a situation where no prior law existed.
Might Cain's conduct while displeasing to God have broken no law and therefore God in his displeasure banished Cain? If yes, wouldn't it be suggestive of an event closer to The Fall than The Flood?
great point. i never assumed that other humans may have been created. just to avoid incest, etc.
Thank you for remembering that for me.
If there was no law, God could not hold Cain accountable. So there must have been principles in place for God to do that.
One of the principles that repeatedly arise in Scripture is that God never renders judgement until the spirit of disobedience is complete. That is one of the reasons why, in the OT, that God commanded some nations for destruction and others He commanded to be left alone.
It was likely this to be the case with Cain. Cain did kill Abel, but there was always the possibility at that point that Cain could repent and turn back to God. As long as that was there, God would leave Cain to make his choices.
That does not mean that God was not willing to judge Cain because we are all subject to the Final Judgement.
What did Adam know?
So incest would be OK with God if it didn’t lead to genetic malformations? Nonsense.
What failure in the Garden?
You left out the possibility of God creating other people who weren’t mentioned specifically.
“One is the demoniac from whom Jesus casts the demons into the swine.”
I suspect there is much more going on here than Jesus simply showing us the very real demonic spirit world in contention all around us, we learn things like, how many potentially there could be, meaning its a lot more than we may understand, and we learn they know there is a time coming when they will be tormented, and they knew it wasn’t that time yet,
This encounter happened in the area known as Bashan,
When we read Psalm 22, written by David 1000 years before this psalm was fulfilled, we’re being shown firsthand information about whats happening at the cross,
“They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. “ v5
“Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. v. 12-13
It happened so it would fulfill the scripture at the cross, but I suspect there is still even more going on here that we need to consider,
No, God did not mention that. I have no reason to believe that there were other humanlike creations.
Too tired to look it up but wasn’t he talking to His brother James?
I didn’t say that incest was ok for all time if there were no risk of genetic malformations. I only said that it was allowed until it was deemed unnecessary. Than it was forbidden because there would be risk of genetic malformations.
The possibility of that happening is well known in both the historical world and scientific evidence. Any groups of humans that have specific physical traits to that group is very much likely from a narrow point in their history, which would obviously include the possibility of incest.
Like many Bible passages, the story is meant to elicit certain feelings in the listener. The mileage of literal interpreters may vary.
Genesis, in particular, is, to me, full of shrouded meaning and history. The idea that as soon as there were two brothers, one of them killed the other one, is mind-blowing. Fratricide, it would seem, is stronger than patricide and explains so much about warfare today.
And the wandering of the earth with a mark: Two punishments that teach us something about what is important—having a home and keeping a good reputation. This may seem a bit facile, but I find that every time I read Genesis I see more.
Think about the fact that God did not prohibit the eating of the Tree of Eternal Life. Presumably, it is still there. And the fact that it only took one sample from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to change all of mankind forever. You can’t unring a bell. Especially after the changes become physical AND spiritual.
Okay, I’m quitting now. . . .
Re: The Roman Centurion.
The Roman had heard of Jesus and had faith in him. The Holy Spirit convicts people of their lost nature according to Scripture.
Even the most lost can be converted. Paul is example of that.
Then, by your logic, you have no reason to believe Cain married his sister either.
The information with Genesis is limited, so I have to draw from what is there. The Bible only mentions Adam as having been created and all men are descendants of Adam.
Based on that, Cain’s wife would have also had to have been a child of Adam. It is a battle in the human heart to always want to do things our way, and not God’s, so it is likely that of Adam’s children, Cain was not the only one who had difficulty with this. So if Cain left, why wouldn’t one of his siblings go with him?
James & Mary were already son & mother, so I have always heard it was John - that Jesus was commanding them to adopt each other as son / mother since Mary’s other son(s?) had not (yet) become His followers & Mary would be better served by John due to his faith in Jesus.
Bflr
I’ve come to believe that Genesis describes, all of human history. If evil were to inhibit human consciousness, it would happen by knowing enough, yet, not living long enough to fully discern- truth. Perhaps, that is our spiritual heritage.
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