Gods And Goddesses

[bluesaphires_n_diamonds]

I have a question the LDS church say's we should not have any other gods before us,If thats the case why are we told that in the next life we can be god's and goddesses???????

[a-train]

The Great Jehovah told Israel: 'I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Exodus 20:2-3)

He also said that 'the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible' (Deut. 10:17)

So who are the gods over which our LORD is God? The sectarians say He is the only god and all the others referred to in the scriptures are the worldly idols of stone and gold or imagination. Does it bare any reason that He is a God of dumb idols? Is He surrounded in heaven by wooden statues bowing before Him? Did the prophets teach us so?

Jesus taught saying: 'have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.' (Matt 22:31-32)

Jesus refering to the eighty second psalm inquired of them that accused Him of blasphemy: 'Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?' (John 10:34-36)

Many philosphers have strained at this idea and interpret the psalm differently than Jesus. But, how can He be a God of gods and say unto them to whom the word of God came 'ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High' (Psalm 82:6) if He have no offspring over which to reign?

The philosophers deny our holy and heavenly heritage attempting to wrest the psalmist's words, but Peter affirmed: 'your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.' (Acts 17:28-29)

Indeed the commandment saying 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' was seperate from and came before the second commandment which outlawed the worship of graven images (Exodus 20:4-5). If the two are to be joined as one commandment, then there are only nine.

Paul seemed to have learned the same doctrine saying to the converted: 'The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.' (Rom. 8:16-17)

Now as heirs of God what do we inherit? Of course our youth can quickly remember that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). Jesus also told John: 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.' (Rev. 3:21)

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the vision of those 'who overcome by faith' saying: 'Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God— Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things.' (D&C 76:53-60) They also saw that they 'who are sanctified before [God's] throne'...'worship him forever and ever.' (D&C 76:21)

John heard the LORD say: 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.' (Rev. 21:6-7)

And John said of the servants of God at the end of the world: 'they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.' (Rev 22:4-5)

Indeed LDS believe the scriptures which teach that we are gods and children of the Most High and we are to worship the God of gods with all of our soul, mind, and strength. And if we are true and faithful we will inherit all things and reign with Him in His throne, worshipping the Father and the Lamb forever and ever.

Man, that was longer than I intended, but the scriptures are just so full of information on this subject; there are more passages I won't mention. This should suffice for now. I hope this gives some verses to pray over on this subject.

Love your question. Thanks.

GOD BLESS

-a-train

[CrimsonKairos]

Hey bs_n_d, good question. A-train gave an excellent answer.

I'd add that the purpose of scriptures that say something to the effect of, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," is to say, "I am the only God you are to worship, and I am the only source of your blessings."

The Godhead is composed of three separate Gods (not equal in authority, the Father presides), so by definition we believe in three Gods specifically. However, we only pray to and worship in that sense God the Father.

[bluesaphires_n_diamonds]

The Great Jehovah told Israel: 'I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Exodus 20:2-3)

He also said that 'the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible' (Deut. 10:17)

So who are the gods over which our LORD is God? The sectarians say He is the only god and all the others referred to in the scriptures are the worldly idols of stone and gold or imagination. Does it bare any reason that He is a God of dumb idols? Is He surrounded in heaven by wooden statues bowing before Him? Did the prophets teach us so?

Jesus taught saying: 'have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.' (Matt 22:31-32)

Jesus refering to the eighty second psalm inquired of them that accused Him of blasphemy: 'Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?' (John 10:34-36)

Many philosphers have strained at this idea and interpret the psalm differently than Jesus. But, how can He be a God of gods and say unto them to whom the word of God came 'ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High' (Psalm 82:6) if He have no offspring over which to reign?

The philosophers deny our holy and heavenly heritage attempting to wrest the psalmist's words, but Peter affirmed: 'your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.' (Acts 17:28-29)

Indeed the commandment saying 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' was seperate from and came before the second commandment which outlawed the worship of graven images (Exodus 20:4-5). If the two are to be joined as one commandment, then there are only nine.

Paul seemed to have learned the same doctrine saying to the converted: 'The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.' (Rom. 8:16-17)

Now as heirs of God what do we inherit? Of course our youth can quickly remember that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). Jesus also told John: 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.' (Rev. 3:21)

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the vision of those 'who overcome by faith' saying: 'Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God— Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things.' (D&C 76:53-60) They also saw that they 'who are sanctified before [God's] throne'...'worship him forever and ever.' (D&C 76:21)

John heard the LORD say: 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.' (Rev. 21:6-7)

And John said of the servants of God at the end of the world: 'they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.' (Rev 22:4-5)

Indeed LDS believe the scriptures which teach that we are gods and children of the Most High and we are to worship the God of gods with all of our soul, mind, and strength. And if we are true and faithful we will inherit all things and reign with Him in His throne, worshipping the Father and the Lamb forever and ever.

Man, that was longer than I intended, but the scriptures are just so full of information on this subject; there are more passages I won't mention. This should suffice for now. I hope this gives some verses to pray over on this subject.

Love your question. Thanks.

GOD BLESS

-a-train

<div class='quotemain'>

The Great Jehovah told Israel: 'I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Exodus 20:2-3)

He also said that 'the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible' (Deut. 10:17)

So who are the gods over which our LORD is God? The sectarians say He is the only god and all the others referred to in the scriptures are the worldly idols of stone and gold or imagination. Does it bare any reason that He is a God of dumb idols? Is He surrounded in heaven by wooden statues bowing before Him? Did the prophets teach us so?

Jesus taught saying: 'have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.' (Matt 22:31-32)

Jesus refering to the eighty second psalm inquired of them that accused Him of blasphemy: 'Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?' (John 10:34-36)

Many philosphers have strained at this idea and interpret the psalm differently than Jesus. But, how can He be a God of gods and say unto them to whom the word of God came 'ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High' (Psalm 82:6) if He have no offspring over which to reign?

The philosophers deny our holy and heavenly heritage attempting to wrest the psalmist's words, but Peter affirmed: 'your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.' (Acts 17:28-29)

Indeed the commandment saying 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' was seperate from and came before the second commandment which outlawed the worship of graven images (Exodus 20:4-5). If the two are to be joined as one commandment, then there are only nine.

Paul seemed to have learned the same doctrine saying to the converted: 'The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.' (Rom. 8:16-17)

Now as heirs of God what do we inherit? Of course our youth can quickly remember that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). Jesus also told John: 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.' (Rev. 3:21)

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the vision of those 'who overcome by faith' saying: 'Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God— Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things.' (D&C 76:53-60) They also saw that they 'who are sanctified before [God's] throne'...'worship him forever and ever.' (D&C 76:21)

John heard the LORD say: 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.' (Rev. 21:6-7)

And John said of the servants of God at the end of the world: 'they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.' (Rev 22:4-5)

Indeed LDS believe the scriptures which teach that we are gods and children of the Most High and we are to worship the God of gods with all of our soul, mind, and strength. And if we are true and faithful we will inherit all things and reign with Him in His throne, worshipping the Father and the Lamb forever and ever.

Man, that was longer than I intended, but the scriptures are just so full of information on this subject; there are more passages I won't mention. This should suffice for now. I hope this gives some verses to pray over on this subject.

Love your question. Thanks.

GOD BLESS

-a-train

<div class='quotemain'>a-train.......All I wanted was a simple answer to a simple question.....I have looked up all the scripture's you posted on your answer to me but that was NOT what I was refering to...I know that WE(LDS) member's should not worship idles,that was NOT my question...My question again is "If we are to worship one god and have NO other god's before us how can we be god's and or godesses of our own planet in the next life?" pure and simple!!!!

The Great Jehovah told Israel: 'I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Exodus 20:2-3)

He also said that 'the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible' (Deut. 10:17)

So who are the gods over which our LORD is God? The sectarians say He is the only god and all the others referred to in the scriptures are the worldly idols of stone and gold or imagination. Does it bare any reason that He is a God of dumb idols? Is He surrounded in heaven by wooden statues bowing before Him? Did the prophets teach us so?

Jesus taught saying: 'have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.' (Matt 22:31-32)

Jesus refering to the eighty second psalm inquired of them that accused Him of blasphemy: 'Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?' (John 10:34-36)

Many philosphers have strained at this idea and interpret the psalm differently than Jesus. But, how can He be a God of gods and say unto them to whom the word of God came 'ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High' (Psalm 82:6) if He have no offspring over which to reign?

The philosophers deny our holy and heavenly heritage attempting to wrest the psalmist's words, but Peter affirmed: 'your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.' (Acts 17:28-29)

Indeed the commandment saying 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' was seperate from and came before the second commandment which outlawed the worship of graven images (Exodus 20:4-5). If the two are to be joined as one commandment, then there are only nine.

Paul seemed to have learned the same doctrine saying to the converted: 'The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.' (Rom. 8:16-17)

Now as heirs of God what do we inherit? Of course our youth can quickly remember that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). Jesus also told John: 'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.' (Rev. 3:21)

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the vision of those 'who overcome by faith' saying: 'Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God— Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things.' (D&C 76:53-60) They also saw that they 'who are sanctified before [God's] throne'...'worship him forever and ever.' (D&C 76:21)

John heard the LORD say: 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.' (Rev. 21:6-7)

And John said of the servants of God at the end of the world: 'they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.' (Rev 22:4-5)

Indeed LDS believe the scriptures which teach that we are gods and children of the Most High and we are to worship the God of gods with all of our soul, mind, and strength. And if we are true and faithful we will inherit all things and reign with Him in His throne, worshipping the Father and the Lamb forever and ever.

Man, that was longer than I intended, but the scriptures are just so full of information on this subject; there are more passages I won't mention. This should suffice for now. I hope this gives some verses to pray over on this subject.

Love your question. Thanks.

GOD BLESS

-a-train

[a-train]

Uhhh....

Perhaps I totally was unclear. My answer was that God is not a God of idols but of gods. Who are these gods He is God of? Us! But, do we worship ourselves? Do we worship each other? No! We have no other gods before Him. We are gods and children of the Most High God and as such we worship the Most High God and none else.

-a-train

[MaidservantX]

Yes, at least as stated in your question, diamond, the first of the Ten Commandments implies that there ARE other Gods/ gods. Even if we were gods in eternity -- assuming this is so -- we would never be violating the first of the Ten Commandments, because any individual, though he may have reached a condition of holiness and power to create, will still be worshipping the Heavenly Father we worship now, and no other. No other relationship will take the place of this one with our Heavenly Father (and what is the definition of worship, anyway, right? if you say there is only one to worship, then that implies there are others to choose from). Also, just a thought, don't mean to make it bigger than it should be, but it is always good to keep in mind that Moses and his Ten Commandments were the weakest law God and Moses could come up with so that the weak Israelites could still be obedient and not freak out, as they were wont to do, whenever God tried to explain a bit more and offer them greater laws. Now, of course, the Ten Commandments are basic, they are never going to be removed -- but they might be expanded upon a bit and become more clear. And, as a- train said, this was a commandment to a group of Israelites who were still steeped in the cosmology of the Egyptian religion (including Pharoah is God?) and God was just trying to get them to pry their fingers off of it. My final thought for this post is simply -- and I"m sure you've heard this one before -- if we are God's children, isn't God going to generate offspring that are gods? What other kind of offspring would he generate, if we go by the fact that horses give birth to horses and apple trees give fruit to apples.

[Dr T]

Who are these gods He is God of?

Just that - god (lower case) not Gods because there aren't any.

[Maureen]

Here's my take on "gods", with help from bible.org:

Many Gods

The teaching that there are many gods. In the Ancient Near East the nation of Israel was faced with the problem of the gods of other nations creeping into the theology of Judaism and corrupting the true revelation of God. Baal was the god of rain and exercised a powerful influence over the religion of many pagan cultures and even into the Jewish community. This is so because rain was essential to survival. Rain meant the crops would grow, the animals would have water, and the people would be able to eat. If there was no rain, death prevailed. Such visible realities often carried the spiritual character of the nation of Israel into spiritual adultery, that is, worshipping other gods. The Bible does recognize the existence of other gods, but only as false gods (1 Cor. 8:5; Gal. 4:8) and clearly teaches that there is only one true God (Is. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5, 18, 21, 22; 46:9). (See Monotheism.)

http://www.bible.org/illus.php?topic_id=1118

11tn Or “gods” (NCV, NRSV, TEV; also later in this verse). The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1, 2). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu has protected the son who will inherit” (HALOT 660 s.v. נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77-81. (textual note from Daniel 1, from the NET Bible)

http://www.bible.org/netbible/dan1_notes.htm

M.

[a-train]

Who are these gods He is God of?

Just that - god (lower case) not Gods because there aren't any.

Just a note, the verses noted concerning 'God of gods' were originally written in hebrew which HAS NO CAPITAL LETTERS.

-a-train

[Dr T]

I understand that A-train. I was using the English connotation of god vs. God. All other "gods" are false.

[Shade]

I understand that A-train. I was using the English connotation of god vs. God. All other "gods" are false.

...and is the "all" of which you write INclusive or EXclusive of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost? are they gods or Gods? and doesn't this circular line of reasoning or argument takes us back to the original question?

Xhenli, i love your reference to offspring. if i think of my own kids - while they may at times seem like little angels and at other times like little devils - they are in each and every way uniquely just like me, with the same potential, opportunities and gifts that i have. how could my own Heavenly Father produce anything unlike Himself?

in the many years i was away from the LDS faith (and with my own faith dwindling), i encountered many different ideas about how the universe is structured. some interesting, some unusual, some down-right strange to me. is it perhaps because i was raised being taught that the "LDS way" is the way the universe works? i dunno. any which way, the LDS teachings - along with my own "ideas" about how the whole grander scheme of things might actually "work" - have been the only ones which have seemed to make any real sense no matter how difficult they might be to swallow sometimes. it's not easy to be open-minded enough to be able to conceive of a universe that operates after the fashion in which we are taught it does.

perhaps it simply sounds too good to be true for some. or perhaps it merely sounds blasphemous or insane. to me it all makes perfect sense, no matter how incredible, that at some point our Heavenly Father would want to gather us all to His bosom and give us all He has.

[Dale]

I Cor. 8 refers to one God the Father, and one Lord Jesus. From looking as Isaiah passages you would only get a non-Trinitarian idea of the exclusive God. But Paul expands upon the one Lord concept to include the two persons as the one God. The only way that belief doesn't come close to tri-theism is if the persons (including the Holy Spirit) arn't persons but distinctions. The issue is whether Paul was affirming absolute mono-theism, or whether he abandoned absolute mono-theism by teaching the two persons.

[Dr T]

Hi Shade,

To answer your question, Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are one God. All other gods, as already stated, are false.

[Shade]

Hi Shade,

To answer your question, Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are one God. All other gods, as already stated, are false.

agreed. i somehow knew you would say that. haha. it's the obvious answer. but it doesn't really answer the question i asked. or maybe it does...

you are saying that Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and God the Father are one God. it's interesting how God often speaks of Himself in both plural and singular (such as in Genesis), which leaves no distinction between ONE and MANY, but rather clearly states that ONE IS MANY. ie: GODS

[Dr T]

I've shown on this site before why I believe all other instances in the bible that reference gods are not real.

[a-train]

So does this mean that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God, and that this One God is God of 'false gods'?

-a-train

[Shade]

yes, i read an entry of yours just recently in which you gave several biblical references to explain and support your understanding and belief about God and the trinity in answer to a question posed to you.

i don't understand what you mean by "reference gods", though. the 3 often refer to one another so i'm probably just misunderstanding your terminology???

[Dr T]

Yes sir. God is the God of ALL. Eternal, all encompassing, sovereign, not dependant on anything or anyone. Always has been and always will be-from eternity past to eternity future. That is my understanding of the God I worship. If he was never God, (any of teh above things) then he would be imperfect and therefore, not worthy of worship in my book.

[Dale]

Dr-T-Joseph Smith actually believed God was uncreated. But that he became God at some point.

What are your best scriptural proofs that God was always God? I have been pondering the Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith DVD that I got in the mail. I got a book by Floyd Mcelveen of the same title.

Psalm 90:2 was the proof they used. But the were everlasting comes from the word olam which is uncertain as to it's temporal duration. It has with it a long but hidden period of time. I am certain the verse meaning is so ambiguous that it's poor proof for God always being God. So I am trying to find better proofs for that idea. My Community of Christ/RLDS agrees with God always being God, but I am struggling to find a scripture that clearly say's that.

[CrimsonKairos]

Yes sir. God is the God of ALL.

Agreed. But if there are no other Gods or gods, it would seem stupid to say God is the God of false gods, as a-train pointed out in several of his excellent posts.

How do you square those two facts, Dr. T?

[Dr T]

Hi Dale and CK,

I see God as infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, love, and whatever other good trait or characteristic you would like to attribute to him.

Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. This verse, although I have not examined it closely, seems to be saying he is the cause of all things-not something that was caused. If he became a god, then something caused him to be. I don’t see it that way.

CK, I don’t see there being a problem with my belief that he is God of all and talking about him being over false gods. I see God as preeminent. As you know, there were (and still are) gods spoken about, Baal, Zeus, potentially a Canon video camera, a home, car, etc. We know these are fake gods and God being the ruler of all, is God of them. I see God as trumping all other beings and ideas of beings that have existed or yet to be (imagined or real).

[Dr T]

Some other ideas from Bible.org, the site M referenced:

His self-existence is seen in the special name by which He revealed Himself to Israel, Yahweh, which means, “I am that I am” (Ex. 6:3; 3:14). Though the following passages do not specifically declare the self-existence of God, it is implicit in all that is said about God as the only God and the incomparable creator of all that exists (cf. Isa. 40:12-17, 21-26; 44:24; 45:5-7).

Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:1-2; Isaiah 40:28; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 1:8.

Eternity means much more than is commonly thought. It includes three ideas: (a) It means that the nature of God is without beginning or end, (B) that God is free from all succession of time, and © that God contains within Himself the cause of time.

We should not consider time and space as antecedent to God. They are among the “all things” made by Him (Ps. 90:1-2; John 1:3; Heb. 1:3 [literally, “through whom He made the ages”]). Thus we see that eternity means far more than endless time. We may speak of eternity without end, and of an eternity past without beginning, but this is not yet the eternity of God. To Him there is no past, present, or future. He does not live in time, but beyond it in eternity and, as the eternal God, He is not subject to time (Deut. 33:27; Isa. 40:28; 57:15).

God sees all events from creation to the last judgment in one glimpse. God is the eternal “now”; He is the “I AM” (Ex. 3:14). This does not mean, however, that to God there is no objective reality of time. He recognizes that time exists and that we live in it. To Him, past, present, and future are one eternal now, not in the sense in which there is no distinction between them, but only in the sense that God sees that past and future as vividly as the present.

There are two ways to view a parade: one who stands at his door by the street as it passes, and sees first the those in the lead, then others, and finally the last. But one who is at the top of a high tower sees the whole parade with one glance. Nevertheless, that person sees that in the procession there is order and progress. Thus it is with God. This is evident from Isaiah 46:10 and Acts 15:18.

Isa. 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

Acts 15:18 Says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.

The eternity of God, as the Eternal I AM, is a part of His self-existence. He is uncaused and must therefore be without beginning. As such, He transcends the whole chain of causes and effects and, as He is without beginning, so He can never cease to be.

How does the eternity of God affect one’s life? For all of us as human beings, life is full of surprises. We never know exactly what lies around the corner, but while we do not know what the future holds, as believers in Christ, we do know Him who holds the future and for Whom nothing is a surprise. Since nothing ever surprises God, no problem I face slips up on the Lord who sees the future as clearly as the present.

Lamentations 5:19 Thou, O LORD, dost rule forever; Thy throne is from generation to generation.

Isaiah 26:3-4 The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.

This is the way I see God.

[Traveler]

I have a question the LDS church say's we should not have any other gods before us,If thats the case why are we told that in the next life we can be god's and goddesses???????

Hello friends: A quick response. The ancient Hebrew scripture in Exodus is often mistranslated and misinterpreted. The literal meaning is that that we are not to have any other g-d’s in our possession when we approach or come into the presents of G-d. In other words we are not to make covenants with any other g-d or G-d. This scripture in no way implies that the G-d in Exodus is or is not the only G-d in existence; it implies that G-d is the only G-d with who we can truly covenant.

The LDS stand is that Jesus Christ is the mediator G-d and as such is the only G-d that man can covenant with for salvation. Let me take that one step farther. Jesus Christ is the only name (authority or person or what ever you want to differentiate in the Trinity or anything else) for salvation. This is necessary and true because of the fall. Among Christians the LDS is the only faith that seems to understand the covenant spoken of in scripture. For example, if Jesus Christ is the single G-d King of heaven before and after the fall then the doctrine of Jesus being the savior and mediator is false because no mediator is needed to come unto Jesus Christ – thus man does not require a savior or mediator to covenant with G-d the Father to which Jesus is the son and mediator.

Take care friends

The Traveler

[Dr T]

Thanks for stopping by Traveler. I hope all is well with you and the new job.

[Traveler]

Thanks for stopping by Traveler. I hope all is well with you and the new job.

T'hanks - today was a very long hard day but it all worked our. Hope all is well with you. I'm about to turn in - take care

The Traveler