What Does the Bible Say About…/Part 19

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Students from Manheim Christian Day School (PA) ask Questions About the Bible

Answered by Dr. Thomas Figart

If Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life, could God do any­thing about them living forever?

LB asks: “If Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life, could God do any­thing about them living forever?”

Answer: First, this is an “if” question; it did not happen, so any specific answer is specula­tion, not fact.

Second, Adam and Eve had already eaten the forbidden fruit, and were already sinners. It was gracious of God in keeping them from the Tree of Life, because they would have lived forever in bodies with the sinful fallen nature, and would be in a constant stage of aging without the possibility of dying! How awful!

Third, God could have decided to take them to heaven, changing their sinful bodies into sinless glorified bodies, as He did with Elijah in 2 Kings 2:10-12, just as He will do with those believers who are alive when Jesus returns in the clouds to meet them in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

What does Exodus 22:20 mean? It doesn’t mean we should go around killing people who worship idols does it? How is that different than what the Arabs do in their Holy Wars?

GB writes: “What does Exodus 22:20 mean? It doesn’t mean we should go around killing people who worship idols does it? How is that different than what the Arabs do in their Holy Wars?”

Answer: First, the book of Exodus with its commandments and instructions was written to the Jews and for the Jews; therefore Exodus 22:20 refers to any Jew under the Law of Moses who offered sacrifices to false gods “should surely be put to death.”

Second, since “the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), thus, “whatever the Law saith, it saith to them who are under the Law” Romans 3:19), not to us today.

Third, this specific command was not a Holy War, but was given to keep the worship of the True God pure from idolatry. It is true, there were times when God commanded Lot to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah because God was going to destroy it and its people for their wickedness (Genesis 19:13-14). In Deuteronomy 7:1-6 God commanded Israel to destroy whole countries of their population because of idolatry. Back in Genesis 6:7-13, God told Noah He was ready to destroy the population of the whole world with a flood, because of their wickedness. But the Muslims Holy Wars are against any people who do not believe in their doctrines of Islam. Chris­tianity does not teach this at all. In contrast, we are to go into all the world and preach the Gos­pel to every creature (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).