The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/joshua/24.htm

I’m not a pastor, not ordained, I don’t even have a ministry. This page is strictly me sharing my faith with others, to tell people about Jesus.

You may not agree with me; that’s perfectly fine. We don’t have 14,000+ Christian denominations because we all agree with each other.

You will, not might, you will find my beliefs completely the opposite of the standard. What I say will pretty much go against the grain of everything you’ve heard pastor preach about before. But it is what I believe.

The reason I say this, is because once again, this chapter of Joshua talks about an angry God who, if you disobey, will be filled with wrath and will kill you. That’s what it says. That’s what a lot of the Old Testament says. But I ask this…If that is the type of God we serve, who in their right mind would want to spend eternity with Him?

I’ve began to think that the authors of the Old Testament missed their mark. They had good intentions, I don’t believe it was malicious, but I think at the time, thousands of years ago, they had a different mindset, different thought processed, and likely have mis-conceived God.

“If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. If you’ve read about Jesus, you’ve read about God. God is just like Jesus was here on earth; loving, caring, merciful, want to expose the truth. Wanting you to follow Him.

If God is angry and wrathful and vengeful, why wasn’t Jesus angry, and wrathful, and vengeful? The angriest we saw Jesus was when He overturned the tables in the Temple after finding out they had turned it into a flea market.

If God is angry and wrathful and vengeful, why didn’t Jesus kill the prostitute? She was a sinner, surely she invoked the anger and wrath of Jesus, right? Surely Jesus would have called down fire from heaven to consume her there in front of everyone.

And what about the Pharisees? They were eating camel, an unclean animal according to the Torah. Why didn’t Jesus kill them?

And Judas Escariot. He betrayed Jesus, turned Him into the authorities. Of all sins, rebelling against Jesus and sending Him to His death would surely be at the top of the list. Did Jesus become wrathful with Judas? No. Jesus knew what Judas was getting ready to do, and Jesus still supped with him.

We’ve all been told that the Old Testament, that everything in the Bible is God’s inspired word. Where does it say that in the Bible? Or is that something man has come up with to try to justify the Bibles existence. David knew God, David was faithful, David had so much faith in God that as a teen, he went up against a giant knowing that God was with him. Then David turned around, committed adultery, and ordered the murder of his mistresses husband. If Moses and Joshua were correct about “an angry and wrathful God”, why didn’t He kill David. No, instead He sent Nathan the Prophet to remind David of his sins so that David had a chance to repent.

And I’m beginning to believe that Jesus did not come to die for our sins. If He did, why do we still sin? No, I believe God sent Jesus to this earth to correct the misconceptions of the Old Testament, to show up what God was really like. Jesus didn’t die on the cross for our sins, He died on the cross to show us what God was willing to do. God loves us so much, He is loving, and merciful, and forgiving, just like Jesus, and God Himself is willing to be crucified for us. That is why Jesus came.

Yet, in this chapter, Joshua dies, but before his death, he calls everyone together, reminds everyone to be obedient to God, (or else). Joshua is one of my favorite Biblical characters, but I think he had the wrong impression of God. Moses did also. And what can we expect? God shows them supernatural powers, and today when we talk about “the supernatural”, we think of ghosts and haunted houses, and fear, so why wouldn’t they be fearful as well

19But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”

Sorry Joshua, I don’t agree.

And after this, Joshua died. He was 110 years old. And even though I disagree with his perception of God, I still love Joshua and appreciate all of his devotion and faithfulness. He was instrumental in the establishment of the land of Israel