Illstration of the Plural Unity of God
One God, One Day, & the Face / Phases of the Moon
In discussions with Muslims about the Trinity, I have found the following observation to be useful to them as an opening to understanding more about the way that God has used the Hebrew word "One" [e'had] in an expansive and dynamic way.
God is described as "One" [e'had] in Deut. 6:4. That is a primary source for the understanding that He is One. A Muslim friend says, "If you believe that one is three and that three are one, I really don't want you as my accountant!!" Of course he sees in the Qur'an that teaching that God is One.
I have pointed out to Muslims that the first place where God used the word "one" in the Torah is in Gen. 1:5, "the evening and the morning were "One" [e'had] day." The next place is where the man and wife are one flesh. But, so their minds don't wonder too long, I go back to the evening and morning. There is a conjunction "and" in there in order to properly define the "One" [e'had] day. Without that conjunction connecting the evening and morning, there would not be one day as God defined it. I prayed for an easy illustration of this. The face of the moon shows one day. This is especially useful when we can look up and see the darkness of the "evening" on one side of the face of the moon and along side it is the brightness of the "morning" light part of the moon. We are seeing "One" [e'had] day on the face of the moon!! It is also very dynamic, not at all static, but changing moment by moment, however is still perfect.
I have used this and told our friends that every time they look at the moon they can think of the unique Oneness of God and how He demonstrates oneness for us in the "One" [e'had] day which is visible right there. I have also mentioned that the crescent Moon shown in Islamic architecture and literature should remind them of the explanation of the oneness of God.
[If you wish to mention this to friends], I will list the dates of the first quarters of the moon for this year 2005. That is when the phase is most visible in the evening.
April 16, May 16, June 15, July 14, August 13, September 11, October 10, November 9, December 8.
Blessings by the One God,
David Depew
dpdepew@earthlink.net
In discussions with Muslims about the Trinity, I have found the following observation to be useful to them as an opening to understanding more about the way that God has used the Hebrew word "One" [e'had] in an expansive and dynamic way.
God is described as "One" [e'had] in Deut. 6:4. That is a primary source for the understanding that He is One. A Muslim friend says, "If you believe that one is three and that three are one, I really don't want you as my accountant!!" Of course he sees in the Qur'an that teaching that God is One.
I have pointed out to Muslims that the first place where God used the word "one" in the Torah is in Gen. 1:5, "the evening and the morning were "One" [e'had] day." The next place is where the man and wife are one flesh. But, so their minds don't wonder too long, I go back to the evening and morning. There is a conjunction "and" in there in order to properly define the "One" [e'had] day. Without that conjunction connecting the evening and morning, there would not be one day as God defined it. I prayed for an easy illustration of this. The face of the moon shows one day. This is especially useful when we can look up and see the darkness of the "evening" on one side of the face of the moon and along side it is the brightness of the "morning" light part of the moon. We are seeing "One" [e'had] day on the face of the moon!! It is also very dynamic, not at all static, but changing moment by moment, however is still perfect.
I have used this and told our friends that every time they look at the moon they can think of the unique Oneness of God and how He demonstrates oneness for us in the "One" [e'had] day which is visible right there. I have also mentioned that the crescent Moon shown in Islamic architecture and literature should remind them of the explanation of the oneness of God.
[If you wish to mention this to friends], I will list the dates of the first quarters of the moon for this year 2005. That is when the phase is most visible in the evening.
April 16, May 16, June 15, July 14, August 13, September 11, October 10, November 9, December 8.
Blessings by the One God,
David Depew
dpdepew@earthlink.net
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