IS GOD DEAD?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against
the LORD and against his anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and
cast away their cords from us.
Psalm 2:2-3

The answer to the title question for many people is a resounding, yes. They may say that they believe in some type of god but they are not clear as to what kind of god he is. Further, they live as though God does not exist. It is not that they believe that He does not exist; they have made Him in their own image and thus, their god approves of and likes everything that they do and say. In other words, their god requires nothing of them. As one lady I know put it, "My god is a perfect gentleman." Is this what our concept of God has come to?

Because someone says that they believe in God does not mean that they believe in the God of the Bible. It all depends upon definitions. Pharaoh was the most powerful man in the world in his time. Here was his response to Moses regarding the Lord in Exodus 5:1-2, "And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." He did not know the Lord and neither was he going to obey Him.

The response of Pharaoh was laughable. He demonstrated his ignorance, like many do today. He was soon to find out exactly who the Lord was. After the seventh plague which God brought upon Egypt, here is Pharaoh’s response in Exodus 9:27-28, "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28Entreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer." Promises, promises. This is spoken like many of our politicians who promise you everything and deliver nothing.

Whenever Pharaoh would get relief from the plagues, he would relent on all of his promises. This is evident in Exodus 9:34-35, "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses." Pharaoh was in a contest with God. No matter how much punishment was inflicted on him, he was not going to admit that there was a God above him. For all intents and purposes, he believed that God was dead.

In this contest of wills, Pharaoh’s was broken by the tenth plague. Exodus 12:29-33 reads, "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as y have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men." The heir to the Egyptian throne was dead. Pharaoh relented at this point.

Pharaoh had learned nothing from his encounter with the invisible God, as Exodus 14:28-30 reveals, "And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 29But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." These verses show the inglorious end of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They died, but the LORD continued on.

In more recent times, the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche is another example of someone who did not know the LORD. "Of major philosophers, Nietzsche has generated possibly the least consensus. One can readily identify some key concepts, but the meaning of each, let alone the relative significance of each, remains hotly contested. Nietzsche famously put forward the idea that "God is dead", and this death may result in radical perspectivism or may lead one to confront the fact that humans have always regarded truth perspectivally." (Wikipedia).

What did Nietzsche really mean by the statement "God is dead?" By this he meant that, in order to create the world in his own image, he had to first get rid of the Christian faith which also includes Christian morality. Nietzsche realized that a different value system would have to replace it and there was no one better than himself to come up with this new and improved moral system.

Something that must be thought of at this point is what is God and His essence comprised of? We know that God is invisible. Literal visibility of God is not possible. This is because it is true what is written in John 4:24 regarding God, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." God does not have a physical body. His essence is immaterial.

The Greek word for Spirit is pneuma whose primary meaning is "the wind." Vine’s Expository Dictionary says, "the spirit, which, like the wind, is invisible, immaterial and powerful." There are two ways of viewing God. One is through material eyes and the other through the eyes of faith. One is blind to the spiritual world and the other can see the unseen. We do not claim that God is visible to the physical eye. Clearly He is not, but like the wind, we can see His almighty power.

Then comes the next question, "how does a Spirit die literally? What weapon would you use? So far man has developed no weapon that can take out a spirit. All of our weapons are designed to take out flesh and blood. "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?"
(Wikipedia)—Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125, tr. Walter Kaufmann

What Nietzsche describes above is pure fantasy. He would like to think that he had the ability to literally slay God and set up himself as God. His father, the devil, also wanted to do the same thing and he failed as have all who would attempt to overthrow God. It is an impossibility but generation after generation will see those like Nietzsche try it one more time. Maybe this time we will be successful they are heard to say. Psalm 2:4 gives the LORD’S response to the likes of Nietzsche, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision."