The Nugget:
Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. (KJV)
Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (ESV)
My Comment:
The fourth attribute or characteristic of God is (4) His omnipotence. God is all-powerful, and is able to do anything that is in harmony with His character.
I’ve heard amateur atheists and agnostics ask the question, “Can God make a rock so big that He cannot lift it?” The idea is nonsense. You might just as well ask, “Can God make a square circle?”
My student friends in the Bible Discussion Club at Cass Technical High School were challenged to a debate by the editors of the school newspaper. Those editors claimed to be atheists, possibly agnostics. My students gave them more than a run for their money. The atheists raised a question something to the effect, “If God can do anything, why doesn’t He eliminate all suffering and pain.” My students gave a thoughtful answer. Then the editors raised the question, “Since God has predestined everything, how can I know He has not predestined me to hell, unfairly at that.” The Bible club students tore into the atheists on that one. The Bible club students told the editors that God wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, if the editors ended up in hell it would be their own fault. All they need to do is read the Bible, believe its message, and trust our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation just like the Bible club students had done. The student editors were very honest and honorable, and wrote an article in a subsequent issue of the school paper admitting they had lost the debate because the Bible Discussion Club students were far better prepared for the debate than they were. The atheists said they would be better prepared the next time, and would show they could win. The next debate was even announced in an article in the Michigan Chronicle in Detroit, but that debate was never held. By the way, the Bible Club students handled the debate very well on their own with no help or coaching from me.
The character of God and His attributes are knowable from two sources: (1) from God’s creation, Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19, 20; (2) from the Bible, Psalm 19:7, 8. Those are the only two sources of valid information about God.
You must not go outside the Bible to seek genuine information about God. Today, God does not reveal Himself through dreams. God has not concealed information about future events or predictive prophecy in ancient sources outside the Bible itself.
This week a new poster referred me to a resource about the Tribulation by an author I had not heard of before, Dr. Scott McQuate. I have not read his book, or his books, though I did visit his website. If I recall correctly, Dr. McQuate’s website makes reference to Daniel 12:4. That is a most interesting verse. I have learned in my studies of that verse that an alternate rendering based upon another way to read the Hebrew text gives a reading that connects very strikingly with what Paul has said in his New Testament writings. I placed a note about that in my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, at Daniel 12:4.
Unlike this website, his site is full of advertising and what to me are annoying pop-up ads for special offers, but his site is very short on content. It is his privilege to reserve the fruits of his extensive research for those who will pay for it; I also have spent much time in research, but here I offer it free. Here, too, you can always ask me a question, and you will get a personal answer from me!
I also searched for him using Google Search. I believe this author is mistaken because (1) he makes use of sources from outside the Bible to establish his position; (2) at least from what others have written about him, he appears to reject the writings of the Apostle Paul; (3) he believes he has through his extensive research discovered truth not found in the Bible that sheds light on aspects of Bible prophecy; (4) he believes all churches are very mistaken in their understanding of the Bible, but he has a set of books which if we should purchase and study them will bring us to a more correct view.
Now, it is very possible to research the Bible carefully enough that you discover new truth in the Bible that has not been recognized or well understood before, but that is not the same as discovering ancient, possibly occult, sources to refine the Bible’s message.
I noticed among the testimonials supporting his work the post by a pastor, if I recall correctly, who had attended Liberty University for four years, who has come to believe this author is correct, and among the best authors he has read on the subject of Bible prophecy.
Let me warn you: as soon as anyone is going to extra-Biblical sources, even ancient ones, to supplement what the Bible declares about future events, watch out! This is the wrong path to take. We must go by the Bible alone and in its entirety, studied by the usual methods advocated here at Real Bible Study (see the category to the right on “How to Study the Bible”) by carefully following the “Rules of Interpretation” I list in the October 2010 archives, also found to the right.
Ancient sources can well be used to confirm the truth the Bible already teaches. This is an interesting field of study in Apologetics. Ancient sources in languages related to the Bible language of Hebrew can shed light on the meaning of some Hebrew words and expressions. But this is not the same as going to ancient sources to supplement the Bible’s message with supposedly new truth the Bible itself does not contain.
On another note, God does not today reveal Himself or His plans through supposed supernatural visions. I’ve argued this at length against Roman Catholics, some of whom believe that Mary is revealing special messages today to which we all should give heed, something about The Warning. Such an idea is the practice of occultism forbidden in the Bible itself (Deuteronomy 13:1-3; 18:10, 11, 12, 13, 14; Jeremiah 23:16, 21, 22, 25, 28, 29). As far as this earth is concerned, Mary is as dead physically as the Apostle Paul. No doubt both these persons are alive and very conscious in heaven now with all true believers who have died physically. But Mary is not omniscient. In heaven, she knows no more about what is going on here on earth than Abraham does (Isaiah 63:16).
God is omnipotent. He is the Creator. He is our Creator. The only way to get to know Him personally is through the message of the Bible. Get to know God better by taking regular time to read the Bible for yourself.
Only an infinite Creator could create an infinite universe. God must therefore be omnipotent.
And speaking of God as Creator, some of our media personalities and perhaps political figures need to go back to school–probably home school at that–and learn a few things. I saw a young Mr. Cuomo on a short video yesterday debating Roy Moore, Supreme Court Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. Mr. Cuomo argued that we do not get our rights from God. Mr. Roy Moore argued we do get our rights from God. Our founding fathers wrote a document that declared this fact as the basis for our country, the United States of America. “All men have been created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…” is what I recall they wrote. These rights, enumerated in part in our Bill of Rights, are not granted by government. They are given by God. The government has as its chief job to protect those rights. This is the fundamental law of our land. Mr. Cuomo, and no doubt many more like him, are utterly lacking in their education, and by such a stance as Mr. Cuomo supported against Roy Moore, make themselves look rather foolish. I hope for his sake that Mr. Cuomo is better informed about the Bible than he seemed to be about the foundational organic law of our country.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 528 for Job 42:2.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 582 or in Logos 5 or 6 Bible software for Job 42:2.
(3) Consult the cross references given in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 362 for Job 42:2.
(3) Most people today do not have access to those three resources, so I have posted cross references for this passage as I have developed them even more completely for your study as given below:
Job 42:2. I know. Jb 19:25. 23:5. thou canst do every thing. Ge 17:1. *Ge 18:14. +Ps 115:3. 135:6. Is 40:12. 43:13. *Je 32:17, 27. Hab 3:6. Mt 15:27. *Mt 19:26. *Mk 10:27. *Mk 14:36. Lk 1:37. *Lk 18:27. Ac 26:8. %**Titus 1:2. *Re 19:6. no thought. *Ps 44:21. *Ps 139:2. Is 66:18. *Je 17:10. Ezk 38:10. Lk 6:8. +*Jn 2:24, +Jn 2:25. +Jn 21:17. **He 4:12, 13. can be withholden from thee. or, of thine can be hindered. *Jb 23:13. +*Pr 19:21. +*Pr 21:30. *Ec 3:14. Is 8:10. *Is 14:27. *Is 46:10. *Da 4:35. +*Ep 1:11.
It’s quite obvious (as you note) that you’ve never cracked open any of Dr. McQuate’s works. Had you read any of them (such as The Tribulation, Pyranosis, The Fig Tree Parable Revealed, The Red Dragon and the Sheep or any others), you would not have made the ridiculous statements you’ve made. He’s never claimed to have supernatural visions that I know of (OMG!) and the fact that he charges for his books does not detract from his work. (What author, Christian or otherwise, whose works are actually ‘worth’ anything, doesn’t charge for their work? I mean, c’mon, the Bible is the number one best-selling book in history!) Also, he does not use ‘extra-biblical sources’ to come up with anything new. That is another lie that you are simply repeating, like a myna bird, because you’ve heard someone else say it. (Pretty shoddy research pal.) I’ve been one of his Apprentices and can tell you first hand that what he does is prove that the stories in the Bible come from texts long pre-dating the Bible but more than that, he proves that the language used to write the Bible uses pieces of words from more ancient languages in order to hide the true meaning of the stories. And the result is truly amazing and even prophetic, as he has unraveled hundreds of mysteries that scholars and pastors have never been able to unravel. And the reason they have not been able to unravel them, is because they use the same methods of Bible study that you use. And it just doesn’t work. Dr. McQuate does not do any of the things you say he does. You’re simply scared of what you don’t understand. This entire article is a lie. So check your facts buddy and get a reality check. The ‘free’ information you offer on your site is so watered-down that you’re charging exactly what it’s worth – nothing. People love Dr. McQuate’s works and rave about them all over the world because they are extraordinary, prophetic, life-changing and draw people closer to the Creator. Dr. McQuate is simply doing what God has called him to do. FAR too many Christians like yourself spend WAY too much time criticizing other Christians and pointing your finger when you should be examining your own life. It’s why none of you can agree on doctrine and why none of you know the truth hidden in the Bible, just like Jesus said in Matthew 11:25. This is why Dr. McQuate does what he does. Try paying attention to what he teaches and you just might be surprised at just how little you know about the Bible.
Dear Jonathan,
Thank you for taking the time to express your opinion about Dr. McQuate. I have not read any of his works, and don’t see any valid reason to purchase his works in order to read them.
I would love for you to present in a further comment below some specific information that Dr. McQuate believes, and its basis, that would falsify anything I have stated here that I believe from my study of the Bible itself.
As far as I can discover, Dr. McQuate does not discuss any of his material or finding in a “blog,” such as I have done extensively here, in a manner that allows for open discussion and presentation of further evidence, or contrary evidence, or even the presentation of a question to be answered.
It has taken some time for me to be able to approve your comments because my son who hosts this site found it necessary to change servers, and make better provision against hackers and spam postings. There were multiple thousands of such spam postings to this site, and it was impossible for me to so much as scan them all manually to find the legitimate comments.
The “spam” was finally whittled down to about 192 messages, and I went through those by hand, deleting the spam, and found just four or so posts that were legitimate comments, one of which was yours.
Thank you for your patience in awaiting approval for your post to appear.
I would be interested in knowing from your point of view why what you believe Dr. McQuate has learned from his studies has any importance or relevance to me.
Please feel free to submit further comments. They should post automatically now without waiting for my approval first.