mark 4:10-12
11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
Romans 11:8-10
8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
10Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
Isaiah 6:9-10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed
2007-09-20 13:03:34 · 24 answers · asked by hh 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The people in these passages were brutal people who killed anyone who tried to reason with them to give up their brutality. They rejected all compassion towards them and refused to show compassion for others and fell into deep denial, much the same way as an alcoholic or heroin user falls into a stupor or blacks out and falls unconscious. Having eyes to see but they cannot see and ears to hear but they can not hear. God Wants to to Open your Eyes. (He) will not force you against your will. It is your choice. Paul, in Romans, quoted Elijah who was promised safety from those who wanted him dead. Who is it that you want dead?
Lucifer, the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who would believe and yes God allowed it.
You left off quite a bit as well, including Romans 11:11-12
"Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!"
and Romans 11:28-32
"As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all."
Did you leave these parts out on purpose? Maybe you should go back and read it again. If God wanted you to go to Hell, you would be there NOW.
2007-09-20 21:35:36 · answer #1 · answered by TheNewCreationist 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps the New International Version (NIV) Bible might help you to undersatnd better.
Mark 4:10-12
10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'
Romans 11:8-10
8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day." 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."
Isaiah 6:9-10
9 He said, "Go and tell this people:
" 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes. [a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed."
I hope this helps! God bless your spirit!
2007-09-20 20:21:03 · answer #2 · answered by Titus M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is not literal blindness, but figurative blindness. Meaning even though they have eyes they don't perceive rightly, and even though they have ears, they don't hear the truth. (Matthew 13:15; Mark 8:18; Acts 28:27; Romans 11:8)
2007-09-20 20:44:47 · answer #3 · answered by Capri 1230 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Calvin was right, then. God really did predestine His own, and the rest are left in their sins, blinded under a federal representation of Adam, and only the ones God allows to see are the ones who will receive their sight. Not sure why that's so hard to figure out.
Not out of context at all, talondora, this was a very sensible question...
2007-09-20 20:48:26 · answer #4 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are taking these Scriptures out of context. Many of these are meant for those who choose to continue to live in rebellion and sin against God even after hearing the truth. Even He has a limit as to how much He will tolerate. After all. And he is not willing that ANY should perish, but we have a choice as to Whom we will follow.
How many times do we need to be told? Sounds to me like you are trying to pick a fight. The Bible also says to stay away from stupid arguments.
2007-09-20 20:18:16 · answer #5 · answered by talondora 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think the idea is that, given that knowledge induces culpability he blinds those who would not come to believe so that they will not be judged as harshly. Notice for example when he says, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you."
2007-09-20 20:27:04 · answer #6 · answered by Steve Amato 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello,, did you forget Lucifer is an angel too? The power of the evil is equal to, if not more nowadays, than good. God allows all people to choose their own path and welcomes back all who stray away. Satan allows you to do whatever you want and by these actions makes you feel welcome in evil ways. The path to God is very narrow and is filled with thorns, that is why so many people fall off the path and take the easy path to HELL. I would like to say too, the politicians of today have taken the easy street and the world is soon to see the wrath of satanic living.
2007-09-20 20:14:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
God doesn't want anyone to go to hell. These verses are speaking to those who have rejected Him and gone on their own way. You see,when we reject Christ there comes a time in our lives when He can no longer reach us because we have hardened our hearts.I also believe these verses were aimed at the pharisees who were boastful and Jesus was telling them that even though you think you have it all together you really don't.I would encourage you to read more in your Bible and study.
2007-09-20 20:16:26 · answer #8 · answered by *Country Girl* 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is not God who blinded them, but the god of this age.
"in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. "
II Corinthians 4:4
God blinds men only insofar as they have already chosen to disobey Him. He allows the effects of sin to have free reign in rebels, rather like leprosy deadens the sensibilities of lepers. That is because He will not reveal Himself to rebels, who would use the things of God for selfish gain.
2007-09-20 20:11:59 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let me answer this without reading all the scriptures that you have provided.... He was talking about the Jews... they were blind from seeing the truth back then so they wouldn't believe he was God so they would put him on the cross. If it weren't for them, the Gentiles (us) couldn't be saved.
2007-09-20 20:11:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋