A question that was first presented by Socrates.

"While there were occasional periods of spiritual revival among the Hebrews (as in the days of Josiah, a good king - see 2 Kgs. 22-23), the tragic fact is, the nation was on a gradual, degenerative slide — a path of apostasy that would culminate with the blood-thirsty cry, Crucify him! Crucify him! (Lk. 23:21). The Jewish people, through the influence they exerted upon the Roman authorities (see Mt. 20:19; Acts 2:23), had Jesus killed. They murdered the very Messiah for whom they had waited across the centuries (see Mt. 21:33ff). Though they had enjoyed every conceivable spiritual advantage, they had become, for the most part, an utterly renegade nation.In the symbolism of the Scriptures, a fruitless, withered tree was worthy of nothing more than being cut down (cf. Psa. 90:6; Hos. 9:16). Withering was a symbol of imminent death (Joel 1:12). In the blasting of this fruitless fig tree, the Son of God was suggesting this:

1. The nation, as a political entity, had become a worthless mechanism in the sacred scheme of things. It thus was worthy of nothing but destruction.
2. That destruction would shortly come (within forty years — A.D. 66-70) with the invasion of the land by the Roman armies (cf. Mt. 22:7ff; 24:15ff).
3. The punishment would be complete and final; the tree would be dead from the very roots (Mk. 11:20).*"

Rrhain writes:"Why do you think he made a covenant with Noah after the flood never to flood the earth again?Because he made a mistake. He did something wrong. In fact, the entire reason that god flooded the world was because he realized he made a mistake:Genesis 6:6: And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.Why would god repent if he hadn't sinned?"

12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth."

Rrhain writes:"In fact, if you read the creation stories of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, you can see a shift in the personality of god. In Gen 1, god is perfect, makes no mistakes, and everything is good. But in Gen 2, god is continually backing up and correcting for things that were done incompletely and incorrectly. For the first time, we hear god say, "It is not good" (in reference to man being alone). Why is man alone if it is not good? Wouldn't god always do good? After all, in Gen 1, god had the sense to create male and female together at the same time."

Rrhain writes:"God made man and could easily have made man to be better."

"So which is it? Do male humans come after the animals as Gen 1 specifically details or before as Gen 2 claims?"

ramoss writes:"Was killing all those people in sodom and Gomorria good? Was the alleged event of the flood good?If so, why was it good?"

Rrhain writes:If the flood was good, why did god repent after he did it, admit it was wicked...

Because god goes on and on and on when he repents. What is the point of the rainbow? Why on earth would god make a promise to never, ever do it again? If killing everything on earth is not wicked, why would god proclaim that it is off limits? Why on earth would god care what humans thought if it weren't wicked? Why form a covenant with humans to never, ever do it again if everyone agreed it needed to be done and was a good thing to do?You seem to be saying that unless the Bible has a verse saying, "I, the lord, your god, being of sound mind and body, do solmenly swear that my actions were wicked," then it doesn't count.

Rrhain writes:Fine...will you accept that god's direct statement that he is the source of all evil?Isaiah 45:7: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Genesis 6:6: And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Exodus 32:14: And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

1 Samuel 15:10: Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,15:11: It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.1 Samuel 15:35: And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Pink Sasquatch writes:But in the Bible He goes back on his word, by commanding people to violate His commandments.