Elrond: I just don't understand why God would want to kill his son, Jesus.... Or why the lions didn't eat all of the Zebras, etc. on Moses's Ark.
Explain please?

Mindstormer: It's a little more complicated than that.

We know from Scripture that technically, God consists of three parts. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The terms "Father" and "Son" aren't so much a reference to an idea that God created the Son, but simply a way for us to comprehend the fact that a being can consists of three parts that play separate roles.
The concept of the Trinity is that God is composed of three beings that are united as one.
The term trinity comes from Triune, which means "Being three in one". (This could be expanded on more clearly; but as not to post too long a wall of text, feel free to pm or reply asking for it if you're actually interested in better understanding it).

Supporting texts (and there are dozens, these are just a few that I could think of and find right now):
• John 10:30 Jesus said: "I and my Father are one."

• Matthew 4:7 Satan tempts Jesus, to which He replies and refers to Himself by the following: "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

• Philippians 2:5-6 Jesus is equal with God (because He IS God): "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:"

• Jesus is God, the creator:
Exodus 20:10: "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God..."
Matthew 12:8 8. "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."
John 1:1-3, 14 (see all the verses in-between for clarity which makes it undeniably clear that this is a reference to Jesus)
"1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. The same was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

• Colossians 2:9 - "For in him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

• Colossians 1:15-17, referring to Jesus:
"15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Clearly, Jesus and God are the same ultimate being. But why did God have to die?

The following should briefly summarize why. The reason is ultimately because of sin; transgression of God's law:
Sin Defined - Sin is rejecting Gods love and going against His law. - 1 John 3:4
No one Exempt - Everyone is under the death sentence because all have sinned. - Romans 3:23
Death - Sin results in death. - Romans 6:23
Attraction to God - God doesn’t want us to die (eternally). So she sent us His Son as a substitute for us and the punishment WE deserve. - Romans 5:8
Unquestionable Evidence - Jesus was the only one who could take care of the sin problem as God, because only a being that is immortal can pay the price of an eternal death.
The Solution - When we confess our sins, Jesus promises to forgive us and to give us power to overcome sin because He has already paid for it in full. - 1 John 1:9

Simply put: God could not overlook His law and just forgive us because His law and justice are what makes Him who He is by nature. If it were at all possible for Him to have simply disregarded His law and its natural consequences if people disobey it, then certainly He would simply have done so, rather than die FOR us. The message of the gospel simply put is this: God valued us so greatly, that He was willing to go to hell FOR us, pay the price of OUR sins, so that if we so choose, we can live with Him forever, rather than being lost. Willing to go to hell for us, than live without us.
God didn't have to die, but He chose to because He loved us too much to let us die permanently and never be able to live with Him in heaven.

This is the single thing that makes a Biblically based belief unique. The fact that we can do nothing to save ourselves except believe in and just accept what God has already done for us. The single scarlet thread that ties all other religions or belief systems together is the concept that people have to DO something to justify or save themselves, a concept that is clearly displayed in all man-made religion.
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In reply to the second question:
Firstly, There is no such thing as Moses' Ark. It was Noah who built the ark.
Keep in mind that God ultimately guided all the animals to board it prior to the flood, He also therefore maintained peace among the animals, and presumably would have kept them from eating each other. There would have been sufficient provision so that the animals would not starve.

tiganior1: You must either have a billion scraps, or you type like a machine.

Mindstormer: Hehe. I have Bible software which I can use to get verses fairly quickly.
That said, I probably spent over 30min on that post.

Mindstormer: Hehe. I have Bible software which I can use to get verses fairly quickly.
That said, I probably spent over 30min on that post.

I should save it to my scraps since the question is asked from time to time. Thanks for the suggestion.

Humanmango: This thread will run into no problems at all.