Category Archives: Contradictions

Is there anything under the earth to support it?

Job said God suspends the earth over nothing. And God confirmed that Job had spoken the truth about him. So if God is right that Job is right about this, the earth does not have anything under it supporting it. The Bible disagrees, though.

Job previously suggested that the earth is on pillars, and since he was talking about God at the time, that must have been true too. Asaph says God agrees that the earth has pillars. Samuel’s mother says God has set the earth on foundations. David and Solomon agree that the earth has foundations, and David also says the earth is floating on the sea. Other psalmists, like Asaph, agree that the earth is on foundations.

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Should people be childish?

Yes.

Jesus welcomes little children, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them. He says you can’t get into the kingdom of heaven unless you become like little children. And he says the way to become the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to take the lowly position of a child.

No.

When some boys acted like children (because they were) and made fun of a bald prophet, God sent bears to kill 42 of them.

Jesus said the people of his generation were like little children, and also that they were a brood of snakes who would be condemned to hell on judgment day.

Paul told his followers they needed to stop thinking like children. He said Jesus wanted them to become mature in every respect, and stop being gullible and undiscerning infants.

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Should people be patient?

Yes.

The Bible says God waited patiently for Noah to get done building the ark before flooding the earth. And God didn’t mind Abraham repeatedly challenging his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He didn’t get angry when Abraham repeatedly asked what he would do if there were increasingly small numbers of good people there.

So God is patient. Otherwise, he would have destroyed everybody by now. The Bible describes God as long-suffering, forbearing, and patient. It says God is love, and love is patient. And everything God does is right, so we should follow his example and be patient.

According to the Bible, Jesus is God, and Jesus is immensely patient too, which is an example we should follow.

David says you should wait patiently for God to help you. That’s what he did, and God approved of everything David ever did.

Solomon says being patient shows that you have great understanding, and being quick-tempered shows that you’re a fool. Hot-tempered people start conflicts, and patient people resolve them. Patience is better than pride, and better than being a warrior.

Paul advised his followers to be patient. He said love is patient, and you should follow the way of love. He commended himself for remaining patient throughout all his hardships. Forbearance is one of the fruits of the Spirit. (And also there’s no law against it, which means you should definitely do it!) Paul prayed for God to give his followers great endurance and patience.

Christians should imitate people who have been patient enough to get what God promised them. James says you should patiently wait for Jesus to come back, like a farmer patiently waits for rain.

Jesus commands you to patiently endure the trials he’s going to inflict on you, and if you do, then maybe he’ll give you a break from them for an hour. Or something. You might be destined to be taken captive and killed with a sword, but just be patient. Everyone is going to be forced to worship the beast, and then everyone who worships the beast will go to hell forever. But being patient will help, apparently, somehow.

No.

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How long was Jesus dead?

Three days and three nights

Before Jesus died, he told his disciples he would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. He said he would rise again after three days. In other words, he would rise three days later, and he would raise his body again in three days.

Other times, he told his disciples he would be raised to life “on the third day“. That’s a rather ambiguous way to say it. It’s not really clear which day he’s counting from as the first day here. But let’s just assume he meant the same thing as when he said it more precisely.

The day Jesus came back to life, some disciples mentioned that it was the third day since Jesus had been crucified. And then when Jesus appeared to some other disciples, he claimed that the scriptures said the Messiah would rise from the dead on the third day. And Peter and Paul both later stated that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day. So that’s what Jesus and his followers said, but what does the Bible say actually happened?

Two days and two nights

The gospels disagree with each other on most of the details of the resurrection story. But one thing they all agree on is that Jesus was not dead for three days and three nights. The gospels say Jesus died in the afternoon on Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath. By the time the women went to visit his tomb around sunrise on the first day of the week, after the Sabbath, Jesus had risen.

Preparation day starting in the afternoon + night + the Sabbath day (the seventh day of the week) + one more night before Jesus rises early on the first day of the week = less than two days and two nights.

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Will everyone die?

Yes.

God says humans are mortal. When Joshua was very old and about to die, he said he was about to go the way of all the earth. Because dying is what everyone on earth does. Solomon says all come from dust and all return to dust, because death is the destiny of everyone. People are destined to die. Isaiah says all people are like grass that withers.

The Bible says all people are subject to death, because all people have sinned. No matter how rich you might be, no payment can ever be enough to redeem your life so that you can live forever. Isaiah suggests that even in the afterlife, people will still die. It will just take longer before they do.

Zephaniah says not only is everyone mortal, but one day everyone is going to die at the same time and leave no one alive! God is going to sweep away everything from the face of the earth, destroying all mankind. The whole earth will be consumed with fire, and God will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.

No.

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Had David killed Saul’s relatives against God’s will?

In 2 Samuel 16, Shimei accuses David of having murdered Saul’s relatives, and says God is punishing him for it. David makes no objection to this claim, and accepts that this message and curse are from God. But what Shimei claimed David had done is not at all what the Bible says actually happened.

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