God's Interactions with People in Modern Times

[Umbrella Girl]

Why do you think God no longer interacts with humans as He did in Biblical days, in ways which included very obvious means, such as physical manifestations, audible voices, and angels speaking on His behalf?

 

[TheRedeemed]

Why do you think God no longer interacts with humans as He did in Biblical days, in ways which included very obvious means, such as physical manifestations, audible voices, and angels speaking on His behalf?

After the crucifixion, there is nothing more to say!

All the prophecies have been given and everyone through the Bible knows the story in full and how to obtain eternal salvation.

God has nothing to add to this.

He will use the 144,000 and the angels in the Tribulation to once again speak to humanity directly.

 

[greg64]

I think He still does when He wants to. There have been too many accounts about Jesus appearing to Muslims in Iran, for example, to easily dismiss.

But as for the Church... we already have the Holy Spirit, which is something they didn't have. So we're actually at an advantage when it comes to communication with God.

 

[Umbrella Girl]

After the crucifixion, there is nothing more to say!

All the prophecies have been given and everyone through the Bible knows the story in full and how to obtain eternal salvation.

God has nothing to add to this.

He will use the 144,000 and the angels in the Tribulation to once again speak to humanity directly.

Good point. But why does He not counsel us in that way regarding other personal issues in our lives (besides salvation) in which we need His direct guidance? Yes, of course, we are to go to His Word. But there are certain issues in life which are not specifically addressed in His Word.

 

[Umbrella Girl]

I think He still does when He wants to. There have been too many accounts about Jesus appearing to Muslims in Iran, for example, to easily dismiss.

But as for the Church... we already have the Holy Spirit, which is something they didn't have. So we're actually at an advantage when it comes to communication with God.

True!

 

[Walk Softly]

Good point. But why does He not counsel us in that way regarding other personal issues in our lives (besides salvation) in which we need His direct guidance? Yes, of course, we are to go to His Word. But there are certain issues in life which are not specifically addressed in His Word.

He does. I have had so many experiences when I needed guidance in issues large and small in deep need of His guidance and received exactly that. Often it is subtle, often I am not entirely certain it was Him until the whole situation plays out. We generally don't get audible voices or visible angels. Often it's just a nudge in the right direction, a sense of badly needed peace, or on the other hand, a check on our spirit -- a sense of don't do that.

 

[Umbrella Girl]

He does. I have had so many experiences when I needed guidance in issues large and small in deep need of His guidance and received exactly that. Often it is subtle, often I am not entirely certain it was Him until the whole situation plays out. We generally don't get audible voices or visible angels. Often it's just a nudge in the right direction, a sense of badly needed peace, or on the other hand, a check on our spirit -- a sense of don't do that.

That is wonderful! Perhaps I need to quiet myself more in order to hear that whisper...

 

[mattfivefour]

I believe He still does. But if it is of Him it will always, always, ALWAYS agree with Scripture. Once, in a critical point in my life as a baby Christian, I heard a voice --whether it was Him or an angel, I do not know-- that spoke a Bible verse to me. It was a verse I badly needed to know of. I was alone in a room at the time but the voice was so loud and clear that I turned around to see who it was! I saw no-one; but I heard the voice ... not just in my head, but with my ears.

My first wife (this sort of thing was typical in her life) had just looked an immigrant to the Lord, but because his English was not very good she wanted to give him a Bible in his own language. But the Bible shops did not have one. One day visiting another city for one of puts sons athletic events she felt led to turn up a strange street. Then she felt led to make another turn, and another, and another, until (to her utter surprise) she discovered herself in front of an old used book store. She parked, went inside and asked the owner is he had a religious section. He said he had a few books on spirituality and pointed to a shelf near the back of the store. When she went to the shelf, to her surprise the first thing she saw was a Bible ... in the language of the man she had just led to Christ!

I could give similar accounts from many people I know (and a few from my own experience), where God led very specifically and in some cases sent actual angels.

 

[Walk Softly]

Pray, Umbrella Girl, pour out your heart to Jesus Christ. He is deeply faithful, even in the most difficult of times, even when it seems that everything can can go wrong did. I have been through so much of that sort of thing, felt so lost, so desolate, and Jesus Christ has guided me through all of it. Most, if not all sincere Christians have been through struggles and losses of extreme difficulty and pain, confusion, doubt, fear. We make mistakes, feel lost and learn to pray in ways we never guessed we would need to, and in these things we discover profound provision and undeniable proof that Jesus Christ is alive, that He is involved and that He cares. I dearly wish it was easier than that, but over the years I have read several books written by and written about people whose faith and ministry were and are far greater than my own, and their experiences reflect things I too have experienced. It really helps me to know that all of this is what can be considered a normal part of the Christian experience

 

[antitox]

The way He did in the OT with blinding light from the tabernacle and a loud audible voice was to first physically show His divine presence. This was done outwardly because God was bringing His word to man externally, and in this case with a covenant of law. This was the first step before later bringing His word to us personally through the person of the Son, then internally by faith and the Holy Spirit. Everything was done in steps because God always does things the right way.

 

[GEOINTAnalyst]

Why do you think God no longer interacts with humans as He did in Biblical days, in ways which included very obvious means, such as physical manifestations, audible voices, and angels speaking on His behalf?

Let me ask you a question: Even if you heard a voice claiming to be God, how would you know it actually was Him? How would you know your mind wasn’t playing tricks, or that someone wasn’t simply fooling you with a hidden speaker? or that it was a demon pretending to be God?

God does speak to us today, not in an audible big booming voice, but in written words — the words of the Bible. The Bible gives us everything we need to know and are His final Words to man, given to us so we can know Him and discover how He wants us to live. He also gave it to us so we can have hope — hope of God’s forgiveness, and hope for His presence with us, both now and forever. The Bible’s words are true: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

 

[Spartan Sprinter 1]

Let me ask you a question: Even if you heard a voice claiming to be God, how would you know it actually was Him? How would you know your mind wasn’t playing tricks, or that someone wasn’t simply fooling you with a hidden speaker? or that it was a demon pretending to be God?

God does speak to us today, not in an audible big booming voice, but in written words — the words of the Bible. The Bible gives us everything we need to know and are His final Words to man, given to us so we can know Him and discover how He wants us to live. He also gave it to us so we can have hope — hope of God’s forgiveness, and hope for His presence with us, both now and forever. The Bible’s words are true: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

Good question, you would have to go to scripture straight away and see that the messages are consistent with each other that is being spoken, i guess in summary be a Berean and don't just accept the message at face value.

 

[antitox]

The more you know His word, the more you will be in tune to recognize His voice. That's what I've been learning. I would say that a very important thing is to be able to recognize when He is speaking since He has told us that his sheep know His voice. Even in the case of Josiah, he failed to recognize when God was speaking through Pharaoh Neco (2 Chr 35), and his life was cut short. And he was a good king! Learning also to manage our thoughts properly is significant with this. Learning when a thought is "at the door" as God told Cain in Gen 4. We learn to determine our thoughts at the door. It is at the door when the thought first surfaces in the mind. But once you either accept the thought or wait too long, it is then in the warehouse and you have to deal with it. There's only three origins for it: you, the devil, or God. If we simply learn His voice out of the three that will do. I found that it does take practice for a little while because it basically about learning to listen. Listening to God is not so much an effort but a state of living. Takes a long time for me to type this stuff cause I never took a keyboarding class.

 

[Taterfield]

Why do you think God no longer interacts with humans as He did in Biblical days, in ways which included very obvious means, such as physical manifestations, audible voices, and angels speaking on His behalf?

I love the old testament. I have often mused in my heart about some of the ways God spoke to people. My favorite is Balaam's donkey. LOL. I could imagine my reaction if I looked over one night and my pug Randy Taterifeld started speaking to me in a word from the Lord.

Would I blame it on bad spaghetti sauce? Yeah. I'm glad I have the Supremacy of His Son and written word in any instance.

There are plenty of spirits talking these days, thats fer sure. That's why I'm glad I have those 66 books, I'll look there and keep eating my spaghetti. In the moment that Tater the pug would speak to me, I'm not sure I could pick myself up off the floor long enough to discern anything. LOL> Although, I'm pretty sure his message to me would be to buy a different kibble with more fresh chicken ingredients.

For the little matters of life, like should I buy the one ply that's .54 cents at Walmart? Or go for the 5 ply that I can use on my belt sander, the Lord gave me a malfunctioning, although be it pretty cool, supercomputer made of meat that sit's between right and left ears. LOL>

Test the Spirits
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
1Jn 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.


The Supremacy of God's Son
Heb 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Good point. But why does He not counsel us in that way regarding other personal issues in our lives (besides salvation) in which we need His direct guidance? Yes, of course, we are to go to His Word. But there are certain issues in life which are not specifically addressed in His Word.

I've been astonished at how His Word, in those 66 books, seems to cover anything and everything we might face. It's really amazing... as long as we're willing to accept what He's telling us.

 

[Tall Timbers]

That is wonderful! Perhaps I need to quiet myself more in order to hear that whisper...

Be still and know that I am God.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Even if you heard a voice claiming to be God, how would you know it actually was Him?

From the Holy Spirit indwelt in us.

 

[antitox]

Be still and know that I am God.

That reminds me about Elijah in 1 Kings 19 where he goes to Horeb and God wasn't in the fire, the quake, or the wind, but afterward he heard a small voice. Then God questions him about his running for his life and why. Unique how God uses the plight to deal with issues we face. We just need to be aware of Him. Always loved that story.

 

[Taterfield]

I'm sure that if I lived anywhere near Israel during the times from Abraham to Jesus, my mouth would never have been large enough to contain all the dirt and gravel it would have picked up dragging the ground while walking through the Holy Land. You got talking burning bushes, talking donkeys, floating ax heads, angels that pop out nowhere to kick the teeth out of opposing armies, , chariots of fire, Moses getting his hair line shortened watching the backside of the Lord pass by, quaking mountains, pillars of fire, and all sorts of things that would blow your eyeballs out.

I'm extra thankful and glad for this dispensation honestly. Before I get to see any of that kind of doings in my flesh, I would like an upgrade on the old hardware and software units if you know what I mean.

 

[RonJohnSilver]

God could if He chose to, but I think that would be very rare.

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portion and in many ways,
(2)in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also
He made the world. Hebrews 1:1-2.

For most folks, the Bible and the Holy Spirit are more than adequate. There may and probably are, instances where
individual believers are given a specific message. I have no verse for that, but it seems likely from the testimony of
others. However, God's specific messages are not nearly as frequent as tele-evangelists would have us believe.