Does Babel Really Explains Different People Groups?

The Singerl twins (above) are just one example where one twin is very dark and the other is very light. This is a vivid reminder that we are all one race.

Q: Are we really “black” or “white”?

A: According to the Bible’s history, all humans are descendants of Adam and Eve—thus only one biological race exists. All humans in the world today are classified as Homo sapiens sapiens (same genus, species, and subspecies). When the Human Genome Project published a draft of their findings in 2000, the New York Times reported that “the researchers had unanimously declared there is only one race—the human race.”

To form different people groups with distinguishing characteristics, one would need to split up the human population and isolate groups from each other. The Tower of Babel, as recorded in Genesis 11, provides the historical basis for the formation of such people groups. There is so much information in the human genome that zillions of combinations are possible.

Yet all humans basically have the same skin color—a brown pigment called melanin. Although there are a couple of forms of melanin and other pigments and factors playing minor roles in skin color, every human basically has a brown color.

Lots of brown is called black, and a little brown color is called white. In actuality, no human really is “black” and no human is “white.” There are not different colors but different shades of one basic color, brown.

Continue reading to learn about “black” and “white” twins, how a person’s skin color is determined, and how there is truly just one race—the human race.

Website: www.answersingenesis.org

Is Heaven or Earth our Home?

Is The New Jerusalem Heaven?

Q. Am I correct in thinking that the New Jerusalem is not actually heaven? Will the New Jerusalem be our home for eternity or does anyone know for sure? The Bible does not give any hints , as far as I know, as to what will happen after the Millennium, so are we to assume that it will be our eternal home?

A. Here’s what I think. In Rev. 21:2 John reported seeing the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, which tells us that’s where it had previously been. I believe this is the place Jesus has been preparing for us since He left and when He comes for us in the rapture, this is where He’ll take us (John 14:2-3). When it comes down out of heaven we’ll be in it because we’ll have been living there for the preceding seven years. The New Jerusalem will continue to be our home for at least 1,000 more years, and maybe for all eternity. While it might not actually be Heaven, it will have come from Heaven and whether we realize it or not, it’s the place we’re referring to when we say we’re going to Heaven to be with Jesus.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Where Does Bible Prohibit Masturbation?

Is Masturbation A Sin?

Q. Is masturbation a sin? I’ve looked through the Bible and can’t find anything mentioned about it one way or the other.

A. Masturbation is not specifically mentioned as being a sin, but looking upon someone with lust in one’s heart is equated with adultery and is a sin (Matt. 5:28). Therefore I would say that if someone uses a mental or physical image of someone as a stimulus in the act of masturbation, that person is committing adultery in his or her heart and is sinning. Where sin is concerned, the intention of our heart is just as important as our actual behavior.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Is the Jewish Calender a Indicator of Our Lord's Return?

Israel’s Calendar Discrepancy

Q. If the age of man is supposed to be 6,000 years and we expect the Lord to return soon, Why is the Hebrew calendar only at 5770 years? This seems like an odd number if indeed we are so close to the end?

A. First of all, 6,000 years is not a number that came from God. It’s an approximation originating with mankind that appears to be accurate in the general sense. Second, while Israel’s calendar is thought to have begun at the Creation, some scholars believe that when ancient Israel was under subjugation by a foreign nation or out of the land entirely their calendar didn’t advance. They disagree on the exact number of years that might have been lost, but if their opinion is correct it’s at least 181 and may exceed 200. Whatever the actual number, Israel’s official calendar is probably not a reliable indicator of our closeness to the Lord’s return.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Yahweh?

Where Does The Name Come From?

Q. What is the meaning of Yahweh or where does it come from?

A. It was against the law for the Jews to speak or write the Lord’s name except for one day each year when they spoke it 7 times in a Temple ceremony called Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. When they wrote His name they used 4 initials to represent it. They were translated into English as JHVH. The King James translators put LORD, all in caps, where the initials appeared. Somewhere along the way vowels from Elohim,which means God, and Adonai, which means Lord, were added to the initials forming Jehovah. Later it was determined that in the Hebrew language the four initials are pronounced Yodh, He, Waw, and He. Because of this some say Yahweh is more accurate. But the truth is no one alive today knows God’s actual name. After the Temple was destroyed the Yom Kippur ceremony changed and they no longer spoke it. Scholars estimate it was eventually lost to the memory of man in about 300 AD. Today Jesus is the name above all names (Phil. 2:9-11).

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Are having multiple wives God's will in OT?

Why Polygamy And Then Monogamy?

Q. Why do you think God permitted David and Solomon and the other Kings to have so many wives – was it to build the Nation of Israel faster? Why so many wives permitted in the OT and one wife and one husband in the NT? Thanks for any insights or possible answers to this.

A. I don’t believe God ever officially authorized plural marriage. As early as Genesis 2:25 He spoke of man and wife in the singular and said the two would become one. How does a man become one with multiple wives? And If he wanted to accelerate the population growth, why didn’t He give Adam multiple wives? Or how about Noah and his sons? He missed two great opportunities if that was the goal. I think it’s more likely that polygamy was a practice that emerged from the pagan world and was man’s doing, not God’s.

In the explanation the Lord had Paul give on marriage as a model of the relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephes. 5:25-33), we see His true perspective on the subject.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Where is Dan in Rev 7?

Why No Mention Of Dan?

Q. Re: Dan’s Tribe. What is your opinion as to why the tribe of Dan- one of the 12 tribes of Israel (Gen 49:16) is not listed in Rev.7?

A. There were originally 12 tribes but after the reunion in Egypt Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph and split his tribe between them. So counting Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, there are actually 14 names to choose from. If you want the original 12 count Joseph. If you want to leave out Levi because you’re going to war and Levi is exempt split Joseph in half and call one half Ephraim and the other Manasseh. In Revelation 7 the Lord wanted to avoid mentioning Dan and Ephraim so He included Levi and split Joseph with Manasseh. Here’s why.

In 1 Kings 12:25-33 the City of Dan is identified as the location where one of two golden calves was set up for worshiping. The other was in Bethel in the region of Ephraim. Bethel actually became the center of religious worship for the Northern Kingdom before the temple was built in Samaria. Beth-El means house of God. Mind you this all took place nearly 300 years after the escape from Egypt. When they were dedicated, the pagan priest actually quoted the words Aaron spoke at the original introduction of the golden calf at Mt. Sinai, saying “These are your gods, Israel, that brought you up out of Egypt.” Incredible.

The placement of golden calves in these two cities marked the beginning of idol worship in Israel. It was the reason for all the faithful of all the tribes moving south (2 Chron 11:16), and the subsequent destruction of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians.

2 Kings 10:29 explains that those calves were still being worshiped in Dan 100 years later. Perhaps this is why the Tribe of Dan is not mentioned at all and Ephraim is only included by inference. Remember, Joseph and Manasseh are included in the list, and when you subtract Manasseh from Joseph you’re left with Ephraim. So the Lord included Ephraim but avoided having to mention him.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com