5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

[This question is a follow-up to “There Can Be Only One”]

Why are all the other religions wrong?  Are 1.5 billion people going to heaven while 4.5 billion will burn in hell?  It almost doesn't seem like the fair and loving God I would worship.

Sincerely,
All-Inclusive

Dear All-Inclusive,

God is perfectly fair – we just aren’t very grateful for what He has offered us.  There is nothing unfair about God’s plan of salvation.  Everyone can be saved in Christ (Jhn 3:16).  Jesus opened a door to salvation that anyone can walk through.  Anyone that desires to have salvation through Christ can have it (Rev 3:20).  It isn’t His fault that many people spurn His invitation.  Which road we take is our choice (Matt 7:13).

I recently watched a television program that centered around the meaning of Genesis 6:4.  It was in regards to whether there were really "giants" at that time in history.  Later on in the program, it showed that the original Greek translation was not the same word as "giant" as we know it – but would be the same word as meaning ‘neanderthals’ or ‘homosapiens’.  I don't remember what the word was exactly, but since watching the program, I keep thinking about that verse and what it means.  I don't know if I'm understanding it right.  Does it mean that there were less "evolved" humans at the same time?  If so, how does that fit into what the Bible says about God's creation of the Earth?  Just a bit of clarification would be helpful!

Sincerely,
Average Height

Dear Average Height,

The word used in Gen 6:4 is ‘Nephilim’, and it is a Hebrew word – not a Greek one.  The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew because that is the Jewish language.  The word ‘Nephilim’ means ‘giant’, ‘fallen one’, or ‘wondrous one’.  The word was translated ‘giant’ by the Greeks when they wrote the Old Testament in Greek… the version of the Bible that Jesus quoted.  The Nephilim weren’t less-evolved or some sort of evolutionary missing link; they were simply very big people.  Men like Goliath were descendants of this giant group of people (Num 13:33).  Different races of people have distinct physical characteristics; this particular race’s distinction was their height.  They weren’t primitive, just big.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom