The Bible is God’s direct Word to humanity, so reading and interpreting Scripture accurately in order to gain an accurate picture of who He is.
The Bible describes various aspects of God’s appearance. One such description is His jealousy and passion; He also has fiery characteristics, with His throne being surrounded by seraphim–angelic beings whose name means “burning ones.”
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What Does the Bible Say About God’s Appearance?
Old Testament accounts record numerous occasions when God appeared as a human-like form to communicate with and reveal Himself to his people and followers, such as appearing to Hagar (Abraham’s mistress), Jacob at Peniel and Abraham at Mamre. Additionally, He appeared as an angel of the Lord at Mamre and Peniel and Moses was visited by Him at a burning bush. On other occasions in New Testament writings however, He spoke through words and other means to speak directly with His followers.
The Bible does not give an exact depiction of what God looks like, but does give us some insights. Ezekiel 1:26-28 and Daniel 7:9-14 both prophets describe a vision of what they saw regarding His appearance – human-like figures sitting atop fiery-lit thrones with rainbow-colored auras enclosing Him are described here as depictions.
One key element of the Bible’s account of God’s appearance is that it uses words like “resembled,” indicating that no matter how hard people try to explain what they saw, their words alone cannot truly capture what was there before their eyes.
Finally, the Bible emphasizes God as being spirit-based. This can be seen from verses such as Deuteronomy 4:5 and John 4:24 which state “God is spirit; those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”.
These appearances were designed to establish or strengthen Israel’s relationship with God, for instance by receiving an appearance from Him prior to being considered for prophet or leader positions within their community or when spreading the Gospel among non-Jews. Even according to New Testament teachings, an individual must see Jesus first before being considered an apostle.
What Does the Bible Say About Angels?
Angels in the Bible are depicted as ethereal creatures that float through the skies and frequently resemble humans in appearance, though not in size or wingspan. All angels, regardless of appearance, are spirit beings who have existed since before humanity existed – immortal, never dying and capable of taking on any form that pleases God; these beings travel faster than humans while sometimes appearing directly before Abraham and Lot – although Abraham himself witnessed an angel take the form of an individual to appear before them!
The Bible describes angelic contact through dreams, visions and in-person visits; angels also provide divine guidance and deliverance by appearing as prophets with important messages or as comforting presences to provide relief from anxiety (Matthew 18:10-12). Additionally, according to James 5:13 of the Bible each person is assigned their own guardian angel at birth who remains by their side throughout life (unless removed by God due to disobedience or lack of faithfulness in Christ ). If people feel threatened by evil spirits they can ask an angel for assistance (James 5:13).
God often uses angels in the Bible as God’s means of answering prayer (Daniel 9:20-24–Gabriel; Daniel 10:10-12–Michael; Acts 12:1-17–Peter released from prison). Angels also play an important role as agents of destruction and punishment – the Bible records instances when angels destroyed Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:20-34) or killed all firstborn Egyptian children (Exodus 1:22).
Scripture indicates that some angels are bound and chained, while others are free. According to Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:14, some fallen angels serve Satan at his bidding (Jude 1:6; 2 Peter 2:14) while holy angels that have not fallen are known as sons of God in Job 38:7 while fallen ones are called demons in Scripture.
What Does the Bible Say About Humans?
Many Christians struggle to reconcile the Biblical account of creation with modern genetics. A popular view among some is that humans were created in God’s image and likeness – an assumption which puts all verses they disagree with into an “error” category, diminishing faith in Scripture as an authoritative source. Additionally, such an approach undermines God’s Word’s status as authoritative over human knowledge in general; including scientific disciplines.
But it is essential to keep in mind that God has never provided an explanation as to why mankind was created in His image and likeness; the Bible simply states this was done because He desired an authentic relationship between two authentic individuals.
In addition, the Bible teaches that humans are uniquely capable of loving and trusting in God. Additionally, marriage between one man and one woman is the only morally permissible expression of sexual relationships and any other unions should be avoided to ensure human welfare.
The Bible indicates that humanity resembles God because we possess the capacity to think, communicate and create. Other animals may possess these capabilities as well, yet don’t possess the spiritual capacity needed to love and trust in their creator.
Notably, God made his first covenant with Adam and Eve only, not with all living beings; all subsequent agreements have involved human beings – culminating with Christ’s work to restore creation that had been corrupted by sin.
It is true that much of what the Bible states can be verified historically, geographically and scientifically and that its claims pass these tests with flying colors. Yet its claims regarding matters untestable such as its inerrancy must be accepted on faith – its accuracy over thousands of historical details attests to divine inspiration – it would be folly to assert that an all-knowing being such as God could produce such an imperfect book which contains errors untestable by science!
What Does the Bible Say About the End Times?
The Bible teaches that God will establish his kingdom over all the Earth (this may involve more than simply raising up believers at death), yet before doing so he will unleash his wrath against a world which opposes his rule.
And when that day arrives, it will signal the end of our world as we know it. Revelation, however, portrays a great scarlet beast with seven heads and seven crowns as an allegory for Rome; most scholars understand these seven heads to represent Julius Caesar through Tiberius and Claudius up until John wrote his writing at the end of the first century.
It also teaches that there will be war, famine, earthquakes and terror attacks worldwide; love between many will become cold. This period is known as “the great tribulation.” According to Luke 17:24 of Luke’s gospel this tribulation will occur prior to Christ’s return and it will be as severe as in Lot’s days (Luke 17).
Believers in Jesus Christ will be exempt from God’s wrath at the end of time, when His judgment falls on those who do wrong in this world. Before His return, however, He will bring judgment against those responsible and restore order, justice, and goodness back into creation.
As such, Bible’s teachings about end times are often disturbing to people, making them feel threatened by an uncertain and chaotic future. Skeptics such as Harold Camping and Mayan calendar prognosticators have emerged to fill this void; but according to scripture it is all God’s plan – only we humans cannot calculate or predict its timing – we simply must prepare our hearts in anticipation for when he returns again!
