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Die Vloed en die Vraag of God Doodmaak – Deel 2

Die Vloed en die Vraag of God Doodmaak – Deel 2

In die tyd ná my onlangse aanlyn dagboek (“blog”), Die Vloed En Die Vraag Of God Doodmaak – Deel 1, het ek verskeie e-posse ontvang wat kommer, besware en meningsverskille uitspreek. En aan diegene wat gekies het om vir my e-pos te stuur om besware uit te spreek: Dankie!

Dit is hoe ons leer, en jy het my weer dinge laat deurdink en die Bybelse bewyse weer laat ondersoek, en hierdie proses het nuwe insigte laat ontstaan wat ek nie voorheen oorweeg het nie. Hierdie is dus ‘n opvolg-blog vir my eerste een. As jy nie daardie blog gelees het nie, doen dit asseblief; dit lê die grondslag vir wat volg.

ʼn Persoon het die volgende e-pos gestuur:

Ek het jou artikel drie keer volledig gelees in ons groep wat ons gebruik om jou materiaal en ander materiaal van ander voorstanders van God se Karakter-boodskap te deel.

Kom ons redeneer bietjie vir bietjie saam op grond van jou artikel oor die Vloed en kyk of ons tot ‘n gemeenskaplike begrip kan kom of nie.

Die eerste vraag oor die vloed en waarskynlik Sodom:

As God bloot mense laat slaap het, *hoekom het Hy dit so pynlik gemaak*, soos om ʼn vloed te gebruik om te verdrink, vuur om mense lewendig te braai, insluitend kinders? Kon Hy nie ‘n minder pynlike middel gebruik het nie? Het God nodig om geweld en die vreeslikste gebeure in die hele heelal te gebruik voordat Hy mense kan laat slaap?

Weereens, hoekom was die vloed wêreldwyd en nie beperk tot net die inwoners van die destydse wêreld nie? Waarom het die vloed groot verwoesting op ons planeet gelaat en ons ekosisteem gedestabiliseer as God bloot die mense moes laat slaap?

Die wêreldwye vloed het ‘n slegte uitwerking op ons ekosisteem veroorsaak wat sou lei tot die skroeiende son en baie lyding en dood sou veroorsaak. Die idee dat God se krag vernietigend is, het baie mense laat glo dat God die bron van die dood is. Is hulle nie reg om tot daardie gevolgtrekking te kom sonder die idee van die vloed en die daaropvolgende gevolge daarvan vir ons ekosisteem nie?

Sulke wonderlike vrae! Hierdie soort vrae gee ons die geleentheid om ons menings te herondersoek, na te dink, te herdink en te heroorweeg – en hopelik te groei in ons begrip van God en sy ontwerpwette vir die lewe.

Ek wil graag my antwoord begin deur te suggereer dat die vraesteller ‘n aanname, ‘n stelling oor die Bybelverslag van Sodom ter sprake gebring het wat nie akkuraat blyk te wees nie en wat dus tot ‘n verkeerde gevolgtrekking lei: dat God sy ingrypings pynlik gemaak het (deur mense te braai). Tog is dit eenvoudig nie hoe die storie beskryf word nie. In plaas daarvan word dit beskryf as ‘n vuur wat so intens is dat selfs die geboue uitgewis is – wat beteken dat dit ‘n oombliklike verdamping van alle materie was – en nie ʼn stadige “braai” van mense nie. Dit was dus pynloos. Hierdie mense het geen besef gehad dat hulle verdamp word nie. Dit sou wees soos die ervaring van ‘n persoon wat by die episentrum van ‘n kernontploffing staan – die persoon sou glad geen pyn voel nie. As ons dus hierdie verhaal lees as God wat stadige marteling of lyding toedien, stel ons ‘n valsheid voor en stel ons Hom verkeerd voor.

Wat van die vloed? Verdrinking in daardie waters was nie oombliklik nie; so, het dit nie lyding veroorsaak nie en het dit nie die hele planeet, sy ekosisteem en alle daaropvolgende geslagte beïnvloed nie? Ja.

Hoekom? Die rede waarom die vloed wêreldwyd was, was omdat, volgens Genesis 6, die probleem wêreldwyd was en die terapeutiese ingrypings dus wêreldwyd moes wees.

En wat was daardie terapeutiese ingrypings – behalwe om die weg vir die Messias oop te hou?

 

EERSTE TERAPEUTIESE REDE VIR DIE VLOED: VOORSIENING VAN ELKE GELEENTHEID VIR BEKERING

Het God nie deur Noag vir 120 jaar gewaarsku van ‘n komende vloed, van hulle sondigheid, van die nodigheid om hulle te bekeer, van die nodigheid dat hulle na Hom moes draai vir redding nie? Hoe het hulle op die boodskap van Noag gereageer? Bespotting en verwerping. Watter effek sou die plaasvind van die vloed (reën, fonteine van water wat deurbreek, ens.) oor ‘n tydperk hê? Sou dit sommige mense daartoe beweeg om na te dink en te heroorweeg? Sou die bewyse van wat besig was om te gebeur vir hulle bevestig dat Noag reg was? Sou dit die mense buite die ark die geleentheid gee om hulle te bekeer? Of hulle dit aanvaar of nie, is nie die vraag wat ek hier vra nie; ek vra eerder of ‘n God van liefde nie elke geleentheid tot bekering sou gee nie, selfs al was daardie geleentheid fisies pynlik?

Het die dief aan die kruis baie waarhede gehad wat deur sy lewe aan hom voorgehou is – maar God aanhoudend verwerp, ‘n sondige lewe nagejaag totdat hy in ‘n toestand van lyding beland het wat tot die dood lei? Het daardie situasie hom die geleentheid gegee om te besin en hom te bekeer, al was hy bestem om op daardie stadium te sterf?

Die vloed is dus nie net gebring om die weg vir die Messias oop te hou nie, maar dit het ook diegene wat geweier het om op die ark te klim een laaste geleentheid vir bekering en ewige verlossing toegelaat. Net soos die dief, sou hulle aardse lewe verby wees, maar hulle ewige lewe hoef nie te wees nie.

 

TWEEDE TERAPEUTIESE REDE VIR DIE VLOED: OM STRUIKELBLOKKE IN DIE PAD VAN TOEKOMSTIGE WÊRELDWYE AFVALLIGHEID TE PLAAS

Wat was die faktore, behalwe dat mense sondig was, wat daartoe bygedra het dat die hele wêreld so vinnig ná Eden teen God verhard het? Wat gebeur met sondige mense as alles vir hulle gegee word en hulle vir niks hoef te werk nie? Wat gebeur mettertyd met mense wat selfstandig is en genot-soekende lewens lei? Wat gebeur as sulke mense honderde jare leef? Watter invloed sou sulke mense op hul kinders, kleinkinders, agterkleinkinders en verskeie verdere geslagte hê?

Sou die verandering van die omgewing om dit moeiliker te maak om te oorleef ‘n straf vir sonde wees of eerder ‘n terapeutiese ingryping wat sou help om die verdorwenheid van menslike karakter te vertraag? Het jy al ooit gehoor dat “ledigheid is die duiwel se oorkussing”? – d.w.s. nuttige arbeid beskerm teen versoeking.

Die paradysagtige toestande op die aarde voor die vloed het meer toegewing aan die vleeslike natuur toegelaat en dus die verdorwenheid van die menslike karakter versnel. Die veranderinge aan die aarde deur die vloed het dit moeiliker gemaak om kos op die tafel te sit en het dus die behoefte aan nuttige arbeid verhoog, wat ook mense teen toegewing aan sonde beskerm het.

Verder het die veranderinge aan die aarde gelei tot die verkorting van mense se leeftyd van ongeveer 900 jaar tot 120 jaar, wat ook die tempo van verspreiding van die bose beperk het, aangesien diegene wat hulle harte teen God verhard het, nie soveel geslagte met hul invloed kon verderf nie. Dus, as ons al hierdie veranderlikes bymekaar sit, sien ons ‘n pragtige God van liefde wat barmhartig en terapeuties optree om die weg vir die Messias oop te hou en die vordering van die siekte van sonde te vertraag.

Die verhaal van die vloed dien as ‘n uitstekende voorbeeld van die verskil tussen feite – vloed, verandering in die ekosisteem, verkorting van lewens – en die vertolking van feite. Satan probeer ons beïnvloed om die feite verkeerd te vertolk om die karakter van God te verdraai. Wanneer ons terugkeer na ontwerpwet en verstaan hoe die werklikheid werk, besef ons dat God nie straf toegedien het nie, maar terapeuties opgetree het om te genees en te red.

As ons nie die konteks verstaan van wat eintlik in die groot stryd gebeur nie, die werklikheid van die mensdom wat aan ‘n terminale toestand sterf, van God wat werk om deur die Messias te red, en Satan wat werk om daardie plan te voorkom nie, sal ons verkeerd verstaan wat ons in die Bybel lees.

Sien in jou geestesoog ʼn antieke slagveld waarop jy sien hoe bose mense mekaar met swaarde doodmaak en vermink – soms arms of bene afsny. Maar op die slagveld is daar ook mediese personeel wat blykbaar dieselfde ding doen. Hulle hou mense vas, mense wat skree omdat geen narkose beskikbaar is nie, en sny hul arms en bene af (amputeer om die lewe te red) of sny hul maag oop (om die wonde te genees). Maar as waarnemer sien jy twee groepe mense wat skerp instrumente gebruik om ledemate af te sny en in mense te sny. Jy besef nie die twee groepe werk na twee verskillende doelwitte nie. Jy kan verkeerdelik aflei: “My dokter sal nooit sulke metodes gebruik nie; dit is boos.”

Dit is hoe ek die argument hoor van diegene wat ontken dat God ooit krag gebruik het om mense te laat slaap. Dit versuim om in te sluit wat die aksie bedoel is om tot gevolg te hê – dit wil sê die motief – wat is om die spesie te genees en te red.

God verplig nooit, dwing nooit af nie, en gebruik slegs die metodes van waarheid, liefde en vryheid. Maar liefde bedwing boosheid om te beskerm, en God het dit op baie plekke regdeur die menslike geskiedenis gedoen.

 

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