How Did the Ancients Perceive God?

from Google Images

Earlier Job expressed his desire to speak directly with God (Job 9:32-35; 13:18-22), and this astonished both the friends (Job 22:3-4) and Elihu. How could a man appear before God and live (Exodus 33:20). Elihu attempts to show Job the incongruity of his desire. The small group seems to be in the middle of a storm, and that storm appears to be a hurricane. The bright light of the ‘eye’ of the storm is suddenly at hand, and the men have trouble adjusting to the sudden brightness of the sun. Elihu continues, saying if a man is unable to behold the bright light of the sky, after the wind had cleared away the dark clouds (Job 37:21), how would one ever be able to behold the glory of God, which far surpasses the brightness of the sun exposed in the eye of the hurricane?

 

How Close Is Heaven?

from Google Images

Many religions believe God is someplace far away and cannot be bothered with people. The Buddhists, for example, believe God created the world but left us to our own desires. In other words, he has no real interest in what we do or think. Many people today believe that, if there is a god, he certainly isn’t interested in us. If he were a moral god and interested in what we do, certainly our world wouldn’t be in such a terrible condition. How could a just god or a moral god permit so much evil in the world in which we live, knowing we are powerless to change it for the better? If god exists, it seems he must be either immoral and doesn’t care about our pitiful condition, or he is incapable to do anything about our destructive behavior. In either case why should we be concerned about what he thinks or desires? – …or so goes the argument!