BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS

If you have spent any time at all studying the Bible, you will have come across, what appear to be, contradictions.  For instance, there is only one God (Deut. 6:4; Mk. 12:32), but the Father is God (Isa. 63:16; Rom. 1:7), the Son is God (Ps. 45:6; Heb. 1:8), and the Holy Spirit is God (Gen. 1:2; 1 Cor. 5:3-4).  Some, like the Trinity, may be beyond our human understanding, and we simply need to trust God's Word until we are present with Him.

There are also examples where ignorance on the part of the reader has resulted in an apparent contradiction.  A good example is the feeding of the 5000 (Mt. 16:9; Mk. 8:19 - Lk. and Jn. say "about 5000") and the feeding of the 4000 (Mt. 15:38; Mk. 8:20 - Lk. and Jn. did not record this occasion).  The very fact that both Matthew and Mark record both occurrences, indicates they were two separate instances in the life of Christ.

Then, there are some apparent contradictions where a text may be addressing truth which has more than one meaning.  An example of this is found when comparing the following: 

*  "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" ( Joel 2:31).  Here, "before the great and the terrible day of the LORD" is referring to prior to the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24:3-29; Rev. 6 - 18). 
*  "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come" (Acts 2:20).  Compare this with what occurred at Christ's Crucifixion (Mt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk. 23:44 - which is also before the Tribulation).
*  "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" (Rev. 6:12).  John is describing the actual event he sees in his prophetic vision. 

So you see, Joel said what would happen, Luke (Acts) referred to a partial fulfillment of what is a dual prophecy, and John (Revelation) gives us a glimpse of the completion of the prophecy, yet to come.  The nation of Israel, as God's ambassador to the nations, ended with the rejection of the King they were to represent.  From the Crucifixion until the time of the Tribulation, God has set aside His chosen people (Rom. 9 - 11), and He has focused upon the Church (His other sheep - Jn. 10:16).  It will be following the Tribulation, at Christ's Second Coming, that Israel's eyes will be opened, and Israel will be restored (Rom. 11:24-26).

God's Word is without error; all perceived error is due to ignorance!