So we know before Christ ascended to Heaven, he appeared to 500 people. My question, which may be impossible to answer is, why didn't he appear to more? Seems like it would have set the world on a whole different path. Just a thought I had as I've gone through my Bible readings.

Quote:

---

Seems like it would have set the world on a whole different path.

---

Besides the gospel being spread to the ends of the earth?
500 is probably a low number.
Also, remember that He wanted the disciples and those He preached to to be the vehicles to carry out His message. I'd say it worked.

Acts. 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said,

There were 120 disciples who were in Jerusalem alone after his ascension (~40 days after the Passover). Plus women. Plus those who had returned home immediately after the Passover feast. So my guess is 500 was the total number of disciples plus any women associated with them. They weren't just random people on the street.

Blanco Jimenez said:

---

So we know before Christ ascended to Heaven, he appeared to 500 people. My question, which may be impossible to answer is, why didn't he appear to more? Seems like it would have set the world on a whole different path. Just a thought I had as I've gone through my Bible readings.

---

I think its part of God's plan and we won't know until a later time. We could presume the reasons behind it but we'd just be guessing. I think its easy to go down the 'Why didn't Jesus/God do it this way?" rabbit hole. Scripture holds some clues but we should also just trust in the Lord and His plan.

Furthermore, see Job 38:1-7
I'd be very cautious to question the LORD.

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurementssurely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Does the passage say that he appeared only to 500?

10andBOUNCE said:

---

Furthermore, see Job 38:1-7
I'd be very cautious to question the LORD.

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurementssurely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

---

From my readings of Scripture, the Lord is okay if we question Him.

10andBOUNCE said:

---

Furthermore, see Job 38:1-7
I'd be very cautious to question the LORD.

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurementssurely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

---

I recommend you read Job in its entirety. You can't pick out sections of it and find application. Maybe you could take this section and take from it that you should trust God's greate plan because it is much larger than just me, but not that you can't question God.

Half the book is Job demanding that God appears to him and answer his questions. Then God does, but doesn't answer Job's questions. Yet at the end, God tells Job's friends that Job did not sin. Job questions God and God honors it.

Blanco Jimenez said:

---

So we know before Christ ascended to Heaven, he appeared to 500 people. My question, which may be impossible to answer is, why didn't he appear to more? Seems like it would have set the world on a whole different path. Just a thought I had as I've gone through my Bible readings.

---

70,000 witnessed the miracle at Fatima.

10andBOUNCE said:

---

Furthermore, see Job 38:1-7
I'd be very cautious to question the LORD.

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action[a] like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurementssurely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

---

Exactly. We don't remotely have the ability to see all that He sees/knows. I find this is helpful when we go through trials in this life and we try so hard to see how those experiences could possibly be part of God's plan. And in my experience, we sometimes do find out years down the road.