Were animals domesticated before the flood? After the flood, God told Noah and his family that they could eat the animals, and that the animals would fear them:

Genesis 9:2-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

² And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.

When Noah took the animals onto the ark, I’m assuming the animals came willingly. He was able to easily capture the animals and lead them onto the ark.

If all animals were domesticated, then, I wonder about Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep – I’m assuming the sheep were used for their wool and for their milk? If animals were not allowed to be eaten before the flood, then I doubt Abel (or anybody else) consumed any of his flock? Abel only killed his sheep as sacrifices to God?

Genesis 4:2 New King James Version (NKJV)

Photo courtesy of Romanticando

Do you believe that Satan is the serpent in the Garden of Eden? Do you know the meaning of the curse against the serpent in the Garden of Eden?

When I was involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, several decades ago, they gave an interpretation to Genesis 3:14-15. The interpretation was convoluted, didn’t make a whole lot of sense unless you put serious thought to it. Also, they referenced a series of other scriptures to interpret their meaning to the aforementioned scripture.

Were you ever taught anything in Bible school, Sunday school, church, etc. regarding the following scripture? If so, could you share what you were taught? I sense there are several interpretations out there, and I wonder what others believe regarding this scripture. This is what God said to the serpent after he’d tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil:

I believe Satan took over the form of the serpent and spoke to Eve – this was ‘somewhat’ referenced in Revelations.  However, I can’t find a scripture that CLEARLY states that the serpent was Satan. Other than the scripture in Revelations, is there any other scripture that CLEARLY states that Satan was the serpent in the Garden of Eden?

Here’s the scripture in Revelations:

Satan is called a serpent in Revelations. However, the Genesis scripture quoted above has always had me scratching my head. Is God cursing Satan – apart from the serpent creature? Is God stating that there will be hatred between man and Satan? What does bruise your head and bruise his heel mean? Was the serpent a non-crawling creature before he tempted Eve? God said that the serpent would go on his belly and eat dust the rest of his life – does that mean the serpent was an upright creature prior to the temptation?

Share your thoughts!!

What does perfection mean to you?

During my upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness, I was taught that spiritual gifts no longer existed. If a Jehovah’s Witness heard about some sort of miracle occurring, like a miraculous healing or a prophesy, then that “miracle” did not come from God, it was something Satan did to deceive people. I know that sounds ludicrous, but, it’s what I was taught when I was growing up.

The scripture that was used to defend the JW stance against miracles was this:

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

So, the underlined text of this scripture indicates that prophecies and tongues will cease when perfection comes.

What, exactly, is perfection? Is the Apostle Paul speaking of when Jesus returns, and eventually, all pain and suffering will be gone – is that perfection?

Please, share your thoughts.