The Answerer

What a great guy you are and a great question. Noah still gets talked about 4,000 years later.

After the creation in Genesis chapter one, and humans got to feel good and free…it was NOT good! People got to be so evil and selfish for their own pleasure that: “When the Lord saw the extent of human wickedness, and that the trend and direction of men’s lives were only towards evil, He was sorry He had made them. It broke His heart.”  That sounds awfully sad doesn’t it. (Genesis 6:7 TLB)

God was pleased with Noah and his family because they all lived right. He told Noah to build a large boat (the Ark) because ‘I am going to destroy all living creatures from the earth – and start again.’

The Ark was to be 150 metres long, 25 metres wide and 15 metres high.’ 

(I read once that marine architects considered the size and dimensions of Noah’s Ark were ‘perfect for a seaworthy vessel’.  ‘Make it three stories high with a roof and a 40 cm space between the roof and the sides, and a door in the side – a ramp too I guess, for the animals and not wheelchairs!!

Noah was told to get in food, and a pair of every bird and animal and he did. The rain came down for 40 days and 40 nights and the great fountains of the deep were opened up until every high hill was covered. All living things died and the water slowly went down till the earth became normal again. Took a bit over a year. Then Noah let the animals and birds out and they went out and multiplied as God had planned. God told Noah that He would put a rainbow in the sky as a sign that never again would He flood the earth.

Today (2020), many people are the same as in Noah’s day; selfish, greedy and uncaring of others. It must give God pain (that is all in Genesis Ch. 6 on to chapter 9).

Some people claim to have found the remains of the Ark on a high mountain in Turkey. Maybe they have but I guess it would not float today (it has not be verified (proven))!

 Picture courtesy of PNGfind

This is one I cannot tell you the details of and neither can anybody else. I guess God simply spoke and it happened.

It is just so unusual and, well, nobody has ever done it before and it did happen just as Jesus had said it would. That itself is mighty and unusual but accepted as fact. And, 2,000,000,000 (2b.) Christians agree.

Christmas to our ‘Western society’ is shrouded in mystery and gift giving customs.  Jesus himself was born at the convergence of a Jewish festival and on an order from Caesar Augustus. He wanted more taxes collected and as it was a Jewish festival he wanted a list of all those who must pay taxes to Caesar, who ruled the Roman Empire.

All Jews had to come to their traditional ‘tribal home’. Joseph was from the tribe/clan of David so it was to Bethlehem he had to go.

That itself fulfilled one prophecy.

The Romans under Caesar ruled almost all the known world – and demanded taxes from all of them.  (I read recently that the Romans put a bridge over the river Thames in London in 65 AD. Not bad eh? Maybe it saved them time in collecting taxes from the locals.)

Also, the Prophet Micah wrote 500 years before, that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem: “O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!” (see Micah 5:2 NLB).

There are over 300 prophecies concerning Jesus and only a few remain to be fulfilled. Main one is the great Judgement Day and the second coming of Christ.

Angels came from heaven to shepherds in the fields at night (Christmas Eve) to proclaim the birth of Jesus and three prophecies told of the wise men “...coming from the East to worship the newborn king.” Joseph was told by an angel to: “...flee to Egypt tonight.” King Herod wanted to kill his child Jesus…a future king? (Herod was one of the worst kings ever!!)

Joseph went to Egypt and Herod then killed all baby boys under two years old. King Herod was a truly horrible person.

Jesus rose to new life to fulfil (to complete) all the Bible prophecies about him.

Christmas to our ‘Western society’ is shrouded in mystery and gift giving customs. Jesus himself was born at the convergence of a Jewish festival and on an order from Caesar Augustus. He wanted more taxes collected and as it was a Jewish festival he wanted a list of all those who must pay taxes to Caesar, who ruled the Roman empire. 

All Jews had to come to their traditional ‘tribal home’. Joseph was from the tribe/clan of David so it was to Bethlehem he had to go. 

That fulfilled one prophecy. 

The Romans under Caesar ruled almost all the known world – and demanded taxes from all of them. (I read recently that the Romans put a bridge over the river Thames in London in 65 AD. Not bad eh? Maybe it saved them time collecting taxes from the locals.)

Also, the Prophet Micah wrote 500 years before that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem: ”O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!” (see Micah 5:2 NLB).

There are over 300 prophecies concerning Jesus and only a few remain to be fulfilled. Main one is the great Judgement Day and the second coming of Christ.

Angels came from heaven to shepherds in the fields at night (Christmas Eve) to proclaim the birth of Jesus and three prophecies told of the wise men ‘...coming from the East to worship the newborn king.” And Joseph was told by an angel to: “...flee to Egypt tonight.” King Herod wanted to kill his child Jesus...a future king? (Herod was one of the worst kings ever!!)

Joseph went...and Herod then killed all baby boys under two years old. King Herod was a truly horrible person.

Christmas is now a glorious ‘spend-up’ on gifts. Few people know, or care, about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is all spend, spend, spend!!

Funny story: Teacher in Yr 4  asked the kids to tell what they did on Christmas Eve. Several told of wrapping presents and preparations for tomorrow. Izzy  was a Jewish boy and Jews do not celebrate Christmas but the teacher asked him. He replied:“Oh, my dad has a retail toy shop and a warehouse to store stuff. When the shops shut we all go down to the warehouse in the Rolls Royce – look at all the empty shelves and sing ‘What a Friend we Have in Jesus’ – then we all go to Florida  for a holiday.”

{I told the story of Joseph to the children as a Bible story (A Bible ‘Soapie’) as a way of seeing that bad things can happen to good people (see Genesis Ch.37 to Chapter 50) but God was arranging things because He knew what was best.}

In listening to the story I think your feelings for Joseph got mixed up with the real story. Joseph is never reported as being angry with his brothers for selling him to slavery in Egypt (I would have been!).

Somehow Joseph, perhaps knew to trust God and not show anger because God was with him and, well, ‘arranging things’ so that one day Joseph would be standing before the Pharaoh. Joseph would explain the two dreams to him – dreams that nobody else could interpret (the 7 cows and 7 corn plants) and then for Pharaoh to appoint Joseph to be governor: “Second to me only in all Egypt.”  And the work of storing up all excess grain to sustain Egypt in the seven years of drought (famine) that was to come later. The Pharaoh was extremely glad to have Joseph there – he saved Egypt from starvation. I like the story because bad things do – yes, still today – happen to good people.

(See many other questions on this subject – and there are many!)

Well, Question 259 tells of one person, Joseph, and how God was there – all the time directing the lives of many. Why? To bring understanding to people (his brothers too) that God can seem to make trouble but is working out his long-term plans. This writer is one. I broke my back – an awful thing – but I now know God had plans for me in answering kids’ questions that you are reading now.

Also, I notice that people who never have any troubles in life are different! Yes different. They cannot feel, nor empathize, with other people feeling pain and many troubles, that are not brought on by their own stupidity. I have noticed that I am treated differently sometimes…because some cultures believe that God is punishing me for evil things I have done – so I am in a wheelchair. I have done much more to make this world a better place for my being in a wheelchair than if I was a normal upright person. This website is a part of it too, about which I am happy.

PS: Do not forget to notice, and be happy, for the good things you have- and that you live in the best country on the world, Australia.