Question:
If God is so all powerful, can he reverse time?
kimbal
2011-03-01 17:18:39 UTC
"Come now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1;18)
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Religion teaches as does the Bible that God (some call Jehovah) is omnipotent ( all powerful), omniscient ( all knowing ) and omnipresent ( everywhere at the same time ). I am happy to accept that part,

Science also claims reversing time is 'impossible' or at best 'improbable'.

To be truly all-powerful and all-knowing - God would have to be able to reverse time; otherwise technically speaking God could not be classed as all-powerful and all-knowing.

If he cannot go against his own natural laws then he cannot be all-powerful. Being truly all-powerful means you can even lie and deny the truth indicating God also has free will. But God says in the Bible "It's impossible for him to lie", which means he can't use his free will to tell even an untruth; thereby making him powerless to do this - hence no longer omnipotent.

If he can reverse time then he has the power to correct the past and put things right again, as they should be; rather than let creation slide into further iniquity.

You can't have your cake and eat it too ! Either way you look at it, God is either not all-powerful which means he can't truly be God and therefore is a liar in saying he is - OR - he is all-powerful and is quite content to let creation screw up and fall into further and further decline, thereby making God evil and an accessory to creation's wickedness by idly standing by and doing nothing to intervene.

By God failing to reverse time or not even making an attempt to do so;- such would imply the ransom of Christ's shed blood was a band-aid fix for humanities imperfection and Satan's challenge.

Only an idiot would go through all the trouble God has had to deal with throughout millennia - having his angels rebel and man sin,etc; if he had the power to reverse time and blot it all out.

This would be one major paradox of being GOD and a great vindication for Satan !
21 answers:
Sick Puppy
2011-03-01 17:29:43 UTC
Since time has no meaning to God, He can not only reverse it He can speed it up if He desires. This, in my opinion is why it is so difficult to time date anything according to the scientists.
Bekah
2011-03-01 17:35:36 UTC
God IS all powerful and CAN reverse time, but yes, he chooses not too. This does not make God evil; God is the farthest thing from evil. The fact of the matter is that humans by no means deserve to go back in time and fix their mistakes, for God has made the ultimate sacrifice to us and if 99% of people can't honor that then why should he do anything for us (yet he does do much, regardless).

The great thing though is that God forgives the mistakes we make, so while he may not let us take them back he is always willing to forgive if we are willing to repent. And then there is also the fact that our time on Earth is only temporary. When you think about it, we only have to put up with the trials of this world for a short amount of time. Then once our time on this earth is up, we will either get to experience the most beautiful thing God has to offer (Heaven, if we have done his will) or we will face punishment for our sins (Hell).
2011-03-01 17:38:00 UTC
God cannot be unjust : and if you deeply think about actually reversing time, it cannot be done without causing much injustice-----e.g.,a man works 40 hours in a week and is about to get paid,but if God reversed time at this point,then that man never received the just pay that he was owed for working.

But,I still consider God all-powerful
Orion-U
2011-03-01 17:30:57 UTC
Something that does not exist cannot be reversed.

Time is a man-made concept not of God.

If you want to get technical we are going backwards thru time.

The Earth spins counter-clockwise, it orbits the sun counter-clockwise, yet our clocks go clockwise.

How Ironic.

See God already did what you asked for.

Bet you didn't know all that.

God can do anything.

He just knows what is silly and whats not.

Be careful what you ask for.
who goes there?
2011-03-01 17:36:06 UTC
Creation and all of time have a purpose and that purpose is to separate those who love God from those who hate Him - this is done through the free will of mankind.



But have you never read of Joshua and the 2 days as 1?

Or the sundial of Ahaz returning 10 degrees backward?





yeah - 'Superman-the movie', according to the editor of the 'Daily Planet', the 1st interview w/Superman would be the greatest interview since....'God spoke with Moses'.
2016-02-28 05:05:37 UTC
Well Christianity you have Jesus who died for peoples sins In Judaism G-d loves everyone so much they all go up to heaven, even the bad ones. But in Islam only you can stop you from sinning or doing evil.
Moi
2011-03-01 17:20:59 UTC
Nothing is impossible for God



He made time stand still once in history



Jos 10:12 ¶ Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.





Jos 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.





Jos 10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
ღBadBi.tch™ღ
2011-03-01 17:27:03 UTC
Yes he could if he really wanted to.



"But After that I saw another vision of a very bright shining clock. It was made of gold. The time shown was twelve o'clock. But I saw a hand make the clock go back to eleven o'clock. The Lord told me, "Look, My servant, I take the time back because My people are not prepared as I want them to be, I am taking the time back, because My people don't praise Me as I want, that is why, because of My great mercy I am giving a last chance, so that everyone that comes to My feet shall receive eternal life"
cork
2011-03-01 17:22:47 UTC
Answer with another question.



Could God create a rock so heavy He could not lift it?"



Answer: This question is frequently asked by skeptics of God, the Bible, Christianity, etc. If God can create a rock that He cannot lift, then God is not omnipotent. If God cannot create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it, then God is not omnipotent. According to this argument, omnipotence is self-contradictory. Therefore, God cannot be omnipotent. So, the question, could God create a rock so heavy He could not lift it? The quick answer is "No." But the explanation is far more important to understand than the answer...



This question is based on a popular misunderstanding about the definitions of words like "almighty" or "omnipotent." These terms do not mean that God can do anything. Rather, they describe the amount of God's power. Power is the ability to effect change - to make something happen. God (being unlimited) has unlimited power, and the Bible affirms this (Job 11:7-11, 37:23; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 4:8; etc.). Therefore, God can do whatever is possible to be done. God cannot, however, do that which is actually impossible. This is because true impossibility is not based on the amount of power one has, it is based on what is really possible. The truly impossible is not made possible by adding more power. Therefore, unless context indicates otherwise (e.g. Matthew 19:26 where man's ability is being shown in contrast to God's), impossibility means the same thing whether or not God is involved.



So, the first part of the question is based on a false idea - that God being almighty means that He can do anything. In fact, the Bible itself lists things God cannot do - like lie or deny Himself (Hebrews 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:13; Titus 1:2). The reason He cannot do these things is because of His nature and the nature of reality itself. God cannot do what is not actually possible to be done, like creating a two-sided triangle, or a married bachelor. Just because words can be strung together this way does not make the impossible possible - these things are contradictions, they are truly impossible in reality. Now, what about this rock? A rock would have to be infinitely large to defeat an infinite amount of lifting power. But an infinite rock is a contradiction since material objects cannot be infinite. Only God is infinite. There cannot be two infinites. So the question is actually asking if God can make a contradiction - which He cannot.



"Is there anything God cannot do?"



Answer: On a clear night, look up at the stars in the sky. Genesis 1 records that God made all of them! Imagine the power in just one star! But it is not just about raw power. There is intelligence and design packed in our universe down to the smallest DNA strand, down to the smallest subatomic particle. God’s power and wisdom are beyond our comprehension. That is why the LORD said to Abraham in Genesis 18:14, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” That is why the LORD said to Moses when Moses questioned how God could possibly supply meat to several million Israelites in the wilderness, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?” (Numbers 11:23). That is why Jonathan told his armor bearer that the LORD didn’t need a lot of soldiers to get a victory (1 Samuel 14:6).



Jeremiah 32:17 states, “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” Even in the spiritual realm, those that seem the farthest from salvation are not impossible for Him to reach (Mark 10:25-27). And as great as His power is, His love and mercy are just as great...even to the point of His willingness to send His own Son to die on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for a sinful mankind. He did this so that He, in complete justice, could forgive those who will turn away from self-reliance and sin to reliance upon Christ and His finished work. As parents, it would be far worse to see our children endure torment than go through it ourselves, and yet that is just what God the Father did. John 3:16, a familiar verse, states God’s great love: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This love was not just for the “good” people (there are none), but for us...a fallen, sinful, unlovely, rebellious people (Romans 3:10-23)...and yet He chose to shower us with His love (Romans 5:6-10) when we didn’t deserve it.



The only thing that God cannot do is act contrary to His own character and nature. For example, Titus 1:2 states that He cannot lie. Because He is holy (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:16), He cannot sin. Because He is just, He cannot merely overlook sin. Because Christ paid the penalty for sin, He is now able to forgive those who will turn to Christ (Isaiah 53:1-12; Romans 3:26).
2011-03-01 17:24:04 UTC
Why would God want to reverse time? Time moves forward. We cannot go backwards in time.
State Farm Man
2011-03-01 17:29:56 UTC
Romans 13:1-14

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. ...



Revelation 3:1-22 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. ...

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"and put things right again, as they should be..."

What we deem good and evil is not what God deems good and evil.

John 3:16, For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.



Ten Commandments:

- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

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No one has proved that everything is done in free will, God has a plan for each and everyone of us. He also is not a pacifist. His top "general" so to speak will be St. Michael. He will lead God's army in the battle against evil, DO NOT QUOTE ME WORD FROM WORD.
George
2011-03-01 17:26:39 UTC
Your God is not all powerful. For an entity to be all powerful he must be a collection of ALL aspects, including hate. THe bible says God is only love and i guess jealousy so right there proves he is not ALL powerful.
Zach J
2011-03-01 17:20:21 UTC
Only Superman can reverse time by flying around the world backwards REALLY fast!
2011-03-01 17:31:18 UTC
Yes he can

And just maybe one day we might too

(keywords being maybe and might)

Time is not linear as you seem to think



Be the change that you want to see in the world.



Peace
blaze67247
2011-03-01 17:25:22 UTC
I bet he can he has control over time he not under it like us he never dies the same God today tomorrow and yesterday will he I don't think so
2011-03-01 17:20:46 UTC
Of course not, there is no God. And science is right in saying that reversing time is not feasible nor do we have any mean of achieving such a feat.
imrod
2011-03-01 17:20:27 UTC
Unless God is ok with things. That freewill for his creatures is huge! That it is what love is really all about.
2011-03-01 17:35:48 UTC
God cannot be omni everything. There is evil in the world, and God won't, or he can't, get rid of it. If he won't, then he's not omnibenevolent (doesn't love everybody), and if he CAN'T, then he's not omnipotent. He's a heartless wimp.
?
2011-03-01 17:23:16 UTC
He is more powerful than that.



He does not NEED to.
2011-03-01 17:19:14 UTC
Supra-temporal eternity.

There are an eternity of eternities.

All things are numbered unto God.
?
2011-03-01 17:19:40 UTC
He lost the remote to the Universe.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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