Just some plain thoughts about the following verse (plain thoughts come easily to a Kansan).
Romans 1:23 "And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."
Thought #1 We were made to glorify our Creator.
Isaiah 43:7 "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him."
Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Thought #2 He will not share His glory with another.
Isaiah 42:8 "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."
Thought #3 When a man glorifies any other that the Lord of Glory, it always ends up with shame on sinful humanity.
Psalm 4:2 "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah."
Hosea 4:7 "As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame."
Philippians 3:19 "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"
As Christians, what should our prayer be for those who arrogantly rebel against God and His glorious Gospel and who seek instead after vanity and their own way (iniquity)?
Psalm 83:16 "Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD."
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creation. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Saturday, December 15, 2012
"The Problem of Evil"...No Problem at All!
Often
when a great tragedy occurs people ask, “How can God exist when there is so
much evil in the world?” They point to God
and claim that if He was really up there, He would not let evil people hurt others and wickedness remain.
What can the Christian give in
answer to such blame?
Christians too, and theologians for centuries have wrestled with the "Problem of Evil" and the goodness of God. If God is loving and all-powerful why doesn't He stop man's wicked acts? But when we consider what the Lord says in His word, it isn't too difficult to come to a clear understanding.
There are three
main points I would like to make on this subject from the Biblical worldview:
1. If there is evil in
the world, God must exist—for without Him there is no standard. How does man define evil if there is no
God? Who else decides what is bad or
good?
“…there is none good but one, that is, God” Mark 10:18
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7
“…I had not known sin, but by the law…” Romans 7:7
2. According to the
word of God, there is evil in creation because of man's sin. So it is man’s fault, not God's. Horrible massacres are the results of human
wickedness. Even fatal natural
catastrophes (such as tsunamis and tornadoes) are effects of the Curse from
Adam’s sin.
“…cursed is the
ground for thy sake…” Genesis 3:17
“…by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin…” Romans 5:12
“…the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain until
now.” Romans 8:22
3. Evil exists today because God is good. If He removed evil
immediately, every one of us would be consumed!
The Scriptures state that we are all evil—for we are all sinners. We
are liars, proud, selfish, covetous, disobedient, etc. We all deserve
damnation in everlasting hell. The very
fact that man still lives is testament to God’s goodness!
“There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” Ecclesiastes 7:20
“They are all gone out of the way, they are all together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good no, not one” Romans 3:12
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
Instead of destroying His creation
instantly, our Maker gives life, breath, and all things—the greatest gift of
all being the ONE WAY of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection
of His Son, Jesus Christ. God shows His goodness by giving man time to
repent, but the day will come for each person to stand before the Judge. This is the thrust of II Peter chapter three. “…The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance…” (II Peter 3:9). How shall we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation?
Rather than accuse God of
negligence or wrong, we must see ourselves for the vile rebels that we are,
repent of our sin, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved.
"Oh
that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful
works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:21)
Abortion must be abolished.
Abortion must be abolished.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Fatherhood, Creation, and Perversion
This Sunday is Father's Day, initiated to remind us all of the need to respect and appreciate the blessing of a father in the home. God as the Creator established marriage and the family. He laid out the pattern for these roles in the very beginning of Scripture, the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapters 1 and 2: one man for one woman for life. When an individual or a group of individuals choose to twist God's design, the result is perversion. God calls it sin.
We live in a society that has denied the truth of the Creator and His word. We have turned every one to His own way, and said "Do your own thing." Children are taught that they are just rearranged slime and there are no rules. One of the results of this is the rise of homosexuality and other like base practices. I believe this is a direct fruit of rejection of the Creator God (Romans 1:18-32).
Christians and churches as a whole across the country have not spoken the truth, nor have they taken a stand for the truth. The main cause of this silence is that most Christians are woefully ignorant of what God actually says. "My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6). Because of this "lack of knowledge", not only have the lost in this world simply sunk deeper in sin unwarned, but also many Christians have been deceived into thinking it is fine with God. I know of prominent "Christian" leaders who are treating homosexual relations as a non issue, and won't speak the truth about it. This is because they either have denied it to be true themselves or they are giving in to the fear of man. But are we not to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)? Is it loving to let someone continue in sin, without warning them of the danger and the judgment of such an abomination? Is it loving to tell them that their actions are permissible, when God says differently? Is it loving to NOT tell them of the way of escape? The Bible declares, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:6).
Are we not to be preserving salt in society? If we are not doing our job outside the saltshaker, or worse, are allowing our own salt to be polluted by the world's thinking, are we not worthy of being trodden under the foot of men? If we are silent is it not to our shame? (Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:34-35; Colossians 4:6; I Corinthians 15:34)
Are we not to shine the light in darkness, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, even though men love darkness because their deeds are evil? (Matthew 5:16; John 3:19; Philippians 2:15)
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I cannot but speak His word "...he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully..." (Jeremiah 23:28).
Anyway, I recently saw something alarming on the official Father's Day ad for JC Penny's. It shows the picture of a real life male homosexual couple and their children, and talks about how great it is to have two dads. It is depicting that lifestyle as a normal and healthy, which is a glaring lie. This large department store company is promoting the homosexual agenda. Here is an excerpt of my message to them:
We live in a society that has denied the truth of the Creator and His word. We have turned every one to His own way, and said "Do your own thing." Children are taught that they are just rearranged slime and there are no rules. One of the results of this is the rise of homosexuality and other like base practices. I believe this is a direct fruit of rejection of the Creator God (Romans 1:18-32).
Christians and churches as a whole across the country have not spoken the truth, nor have they taken a stand for the truth. The main cause of this silence is that most Christians are woefully ignorant of what God actually says. "My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6). Because of this "lack of knowledge", not only have the lost in this world simply sunk deeper in sin unwarned, but also many Christians have been deceived into thinking it is fine with God. I know of prominent "Christian" leaders who are treating homosexual relations as a non issue, and won't speak the truth about it. This is because they either have denied it to be true themselves or they are giving in to the fear of man. But are we not to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)? Is it loving to let someone continue in sin, without warning them of the danger and the judgment of such an abomination? Is it loving to tell them that their actions are permissible, when God says differently? Is it loving to NOT tell them of the way of escape? The Bible declares, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:6).
Are we not to be preserving salt in society? If we are not doing our job outside the saltshaker, or worse, are allowing our own salt to be polluted by the world's thinking, are we not worthy of being trodden under the foot of men? If we are silent is it not to our shame? (Matthew 5:13; Luke 14:34-35; Colossians 4:6; I Corinthians 15:34)
Are we not to shine the light in darkness, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, even though men love darkness because their deeds are evil? (Matthew 5:16; John 3:19; Philippians 2:15)
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I cannot but speak His word "...he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully..." (Jeremiah 23:28).
Anyway, I recently saw something alarming on the official Father's Day ad for JC Penny's. It shows the picture of a real life male homosexual couple and their children, and talks about how great it is to have two dads. It is depicting that lifestyle as a normal and healthy, which is a glaring lie. This large department store company is promoting the homosexual agenda. Here is an excerpt of my message to them:
~~~
Dear JC Penny's Associate,
I am contacting you in grief over your recent blatant ads (Mothers' Day and Father's Day). As a father, I take great umbrage that you would promote homosexuality in the name of a day that is dedicated to preserving honor to the family unit, which is the backbone of our society. Homosexuality brings great damage to those trapped in it and to their families. I have always thought of your company as having a good heritage in integrity and wholesome family values, but I am seeing a calamitous shift, endorsing wicked behavior, that threatens the fabric of the family.
There are a lot who throw the name "homophobe" around, but it does not apply to me, nor to many thousands that stand with me. I am not "afraid" of homosexuals. I care about them enough to tell them the truth. I have spent time and spoken with many of them, and have heard them confess that they know it is wrong and that they are trapped in the sin. They know it is sin. I have had the joy of sharing how they can be made free through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and encourage them to return to the Creator's design for the sexual relationship: within marriage, between one man and one woman for life. JC Penny's promoting such a destructive behavior is only furthering the bondage of those ensnared. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 16:25). I cannot put money into what is destroying so many men, women, and families. Because of JC Penny's brazen determination both in the face of the truth, and in spite of the concerns of multitudes of customers, my family and I will not be shopping at JC Penny's stores, outlets, sites, etc., until there is evidence that JC Penny's has changed their policies. I pray that your company will reconsider what it promotes.
~~~
By the way, some have claimed that the Bible has no problem with homosexuality. That is only a claim from those who either do not know the Scriptures, or those who have an ulterior motive to believe so. Here are some articles that will explain the Biblical worldview on homosexuality, the Christian, and society.
I am well aware that it is likely that homosexuals whom I am acquainted may read this. Whether I know you or not, I am praying for you to "Consider your ways" as the LORD said (Haggai 1:7), and repent, turning to Jesus Christ for freedom of this evil sin (I Corinthians 6:9-11).
There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
The Nile Turning to Blood
Question asked: "Is there any evidence that remains from the Nile turning to blood during Moses time? Someone was asking me this just the other day and I really have no answer. It does seem odd though, if it were blood that there would still be evidence somewhere in the Mediterranean…"
Good question! I do not know of any discoveries of blood found today in the Mediterranean Sea that remains from when the Nile turned to blood. There may be evidences of this that have not yet come to the surface.
Good question! I do not know of any discoveries of blood found today in the Mediterranean Sea that remains from when the Nile turned to blood. There may be evidences of this that have not yet come to the surface.
However it must be realized that the waters of the Mediterranean (and oceans too) are fantastic recyclers, which is an amazing evidence of the earth's design. Without that feature, the planet would soon be corrupted with blood and multitudes of rotting bodies, and life as we know it would cease to exist. Of course we know that, whether or not evidence is found, the Bible is true, for God cannot lie.
I think that the answer to this query can be found in the Bible in both Exodus 4 and Exodus 7.
In Exodus chapter 4, God has told Moses to go to Egypt, and Moses says the people would not believe him. God gives three signs that would establish that Moses was from God:
"And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee."
First sign:
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee."
We find that God turns Moses' rod to a serpent, and then changes it back with no evidence of what it had just been.
Second sign:
And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign."
We find that God turns Moses' hand to leprosy, and then changes it back with no evidence of the former disease.
Third sign:
"And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land" (Exodus 4:1-9).
God does not do this with Moses in the wilderness, because the Nile wasn't present to draw from. However, it is entirely possible that after it was used to give witness of God's appointment of Moses to bring the people out, that the blood would turn back to water, with no evidence of ever being blood. In Exodus 4:29-31, Moses and Aaron delivered God's message to the enslaved Hebrews and "...did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed..."
Now let's go to the plague of blood, the first of ten plagues that God did unto Egypt. Each plague showed God's power and exposing the various Egyptian gods as fake and powerless (Numbers 33:4; Psalm 78:12,43-44, etc.). The plague of blood was against the fraudulent god of the Nile. Let's read the passage: "And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river." (Exodus 7: 20-25).
I think that the answer to this query can be found in the Bible in both Exodus 4 and Exodus 7.
In Exodus chapter 4, God has told Moses to go to Egypt, and Moses says the people would not believe him. God gives three signs that would establish that Moses was from God:
"And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee."
First sign:
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee."
We find that God turns Moses' rod to a serpent, and then changes it back with no evidence of what it had just been.
Second sign:
And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign."
We find that God turns Moses' hand to leprosy, and then changes it back with no evidence of the former disease.
Third sign:
"And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land" (Exodus 4:1-9).
God does not do this with Moses in the wilderness, because the Nile wasn't present to draw from. However, it is entirely possible that after it was used to give witness of God's appointment of Moses to bring the people out, that the blood would turn back to water, with no evidence of ever being blood. In Exodus 4:29-31, Moses and Aaron delivered God's message to the enslaved Hebrews and "...did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed..."
Now let's go to the plague of blood, the first of ten plagues that God did unto Egypt. Each plague showed God's power and exposing the various Egyptian gods as fake and powerless (Numbers 33:4; Psalm 78:12,43-44, etc.). The plague of blood was against the fraudulent god of the Nile. Let's read the passage: "And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river." (Exodus 7: 20-25).
During this plague, the Nile waters turned to blood. The fish died. The river stank. The Egyptians could not drink of the river. And it lasted for 7 days. By the time of the next plague (chapter 8), the river had returned to water. Looking at it from the Bible, I see no need of evidence of blood from the river being found in the Mediterranean, for it had done its purpose, and was changed back to water.
There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.
Friday, February 3, 2012
God's Fourfold Witness
I have been asked, "Why hasn't God left a witness of Himself so that people around the world will know of Him and will be drawn to Him for salvation? What about those who have never heard of Him? Is it fair that they go to Hell?"
The Bible tells us that all those who die without knowing Jesus Christ as their Saviour will be lost for ever in Hell. Sadly many will go that way that leadeth to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Some ask if that is fair. God is completely just. I would not call Him "fair." I do not want Him to be fair. If He was fair, He would give everyone what they deserve, and we all deserve eternity in HELL! Let me reiterate--I don't want Him to be fair, and neither should anyone one else who understands their sinful condition. "There is NONE that doeth good, no not one" (Romans 3:10-20,23). But God has made a way so that anyone who believes on Him can be saved (John 3:16), for He is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
"The Lord is not slack in His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). He desires for all people to come to salvation through faith in Jesus. Jesus told his disciples to "Go ye therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS..." (Matthew 28:19), "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to EVERY CREATURE" (Mark 15:16), "...Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH" (Acts 1:8). They were to preach the gospel to every nation, every tribe, every person. In Heaven, there will be people from every people group, every tribe, every language. This is a part of the song of praise those people will sing to the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son: "...for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Revelation 5:9).
God has made Himself known in many ways "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets..." (Hebrews 1:1). So each generation has had a testimony from the Lord.
Did you know that God has NOT left Himself without witness? He has given a fourfold testimony to people.
The Creation: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world..." (Psalm 19:1-4). The creation, the heaven and the earth, declare God's existence and character, so that all are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
The Care: "...Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:15-17). He gives rains and sunshine to the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). God has provided so much for our care, things that we need. He did this that we might seek him, as Paul preached on Mars Hill (Acts 17:27).
The Conscience: "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Romans 2:14-16). The conscience bears witness of right and wrong.
The Canon: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) This is most very evident (Psalm 19:7-11), (II Timothy 3:14-17). He has given unto us the holy, infallible, perfect word of the living God, the canon of Scripture, the Bible. From creation to Christ, from beginning to end, it is the greatest testimony and and specific witness of the Lord, and we are to go and use it to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15, II Peter 1:19-21).
There are some books that tell of some of the redemptive analogies that God has put in cultures to give them opening to the Gospel. A couple of them are Eternity in Their Hearts and Peace Child by missionary Don Richardson.
I hope this is helpful in sharing how God has extended love and longsuffering (similar to patience) to all humanity, and has provided the "...Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11) to save us from all our sins. If we reject the witnesses He has given, and the way of salvation He has provided, then it is OUR fault, not God's.
The Bible tells us that all those who die without knowing Jesus Christ as their Saviour will be lost for ever in Hell. Sadly many will go that way that leadeth to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Some ask if that is fair. God is completely just. I would not call Him "fair." I do not want Him to be fair. If He was fair, He would give everyone what they deserve, and we all deserve eternity in HELL! Let me reiterate--I don't want Him to be fair, and neither should anyone one else who understands their sinful condition. "There is NONE that doeth good, no not one" (Romans 3:10-20,23). But God has made a way so that anyone who believes on Him can be saved (John 3:16), for He is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
"The Lord is not slack in His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). He desires for all people to come to salvation through faith in Jesus. Jesus told his disciples to "Go ye therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS..." (Matthew 28:19), "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to EVERY CREATURE" (Mark 15:16), "...Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the UTTERMOST PART OF THE EARTH" (Acts 1:8). They were to preach the gospel to every nation, every tribe, every person. In Heaven, there will be people from every people group, every tribe, every language. This is a part of the song of praise those people will sing to the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son: "...for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Revelation 5:9).
God has made Himself known in many ways "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets..." (Hebrews 1:1). So each generation has had a testimony from the Lord.
Did you know that God has NOT left Himself without witness? He has given a fourfold testimony to people.
The Creation: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world..." (Psalm 19:1-4). The creation, the heaven and the earth, declare God's existence and character, so that all are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
The Care: "...Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:15-17). He gives rains and sunshine to the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). God has provided so much for our care, things that we need. He did this that we might seek him, as Paul preached on Mars Hill (Acts 17:27).
The Conscience: "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Romans 2:14-16). The conscience bears witness of right and wrong.
The Canon: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17) This is most very evident (Psalm 19:7-11), (II Timothy 3:14-17). He has given unto us the holy, infallible, perfect word of the living God, the canon of Scripture, the Bible. From creation to Christ, from beginning to end, it is the greatest testimony and and specific witness of the Lord, and we are to go and use it to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15, II Peter 1:19-21).
There are some books that tell of some of the redemptive analogies that God has put in cultures to give them opening to the Gospel. A couple of them are Eternity in Their Hearts and Peace Child by missionary Don Richardson.
I hope this is helpful in sharing how God has extended love and longsuffering (similar to patience) to all humanity, and has provided the "...Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11) to save us from all our sins. If we reject the witnesses He has given, and the way of salvation He has provided, then it is OUR fault, not God's.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Three Reasons Why Evolutionists Believe in Evolution...
Why do so many people, including scientists, believe in the religion of Evolutionism? I believe there are at least three reasons why this is so:
1. They are taught it from childhood and then indoctrinated to look at all evidence from the perspective of evolution. They trusted their teachers (many of whom trusted their teachers) and were brought up to see the evidence through those lens. They are only given one interpretation and the opposing view is not provided—by and large it is kept from them.
Here is an honest admission by a physicist who indicates the passionate commitment of established scientists to naturalism. Speaking of the trust students naturally place in their highly educated college professors, he says:
1. They are taught it from childhood and then indoctrinated to look at all evidence from the perspective of evolution. They trusted their teachers (many of whom trusted their teachers) and were brought up to see the evidence through those lens. They are only given one interpretation and the opposing view is not provided—by and large it is kept from them.
Here is an honest admission by a physicist who indicates the passionate commitment of established scientists to naturalism. Speaking of the trust students naturally place in their highly educated college professors, he says:
"And I use that trust to effectively brainwash them...Our teaching methods are primarily those of propaganda. We appeal--without demonstration--to evidence that supports our position. We only introduce arguments and evidence that supports the currently accepted theories and omit or gloss over any evidence to the contrary."
2. They want to keep their job and so there is a lot of pressure to "keep the faith." If a scientist comes to even doubt evolutionism,and makes it known, he is in danger of losing his jobs, tenure, grant funding, etc., and being laughed to scorn by colleagues and the media. Not an enviable position.
"http://creation.com/bird-breathing-anatomy-breaks-dino-to-bird-dogma:"
"But goo-to-you evolution in general, not just the dino-to-bird theory, has become a dogma. Most scientists believe in evolution not because of the evidence, but because most scientists believe it. I.e. the oft-touted consensus on evolution was reached by counting heads that themselves came to this consensus by counting heads. And when asked to provide evidence, many cannot make a good case—e.g. Feduccia’s best “proof” of evolution was not in his field of ornithology, but corn turning into corn!"
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2007/05/17/scare-tactics
http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2007/05/20/name-calling-against-creation-museum/
http://creation.com/countering-the-critics-questions-and-answers
3. They believe the theory because they choose to do so. If evolution is true then there is no God to answer to—and you can live how you want. Alduous Huxley, said that the reason why so many lept at the thought of evolution was because it made them feel free to engage in sexual immorality and perversion of his design, without the fear of God. (God told us there would be such people—Psalm 14:1-3; John 3:19-29; Romans 1:19-32; II Peter 3:37; Jude 14-19).
These people cannot find God for the same reason that a criminal cannot find a policeman! They do not want to find Him. But God is true, even if the whole world chooses to not believe in Him. And He will judge sin. All will stand before their Creator.
If someone desires to live without accountability and not have to worry about the coming judgment they can always adopt a "rescue device" in order to keep their worldview. If I wanted to believe you came from Mars, then it doesn't matter what evidence you provide, I can always interpret it and make excuses to keep my belief, no matter how silly it is.
But there are actually a lot of practicing scientists dissenting from Darwinism and Evolutionism, and there are many who believe in Creation and the Bible.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/bios/default.asp
I highly recommend the book "The Ultimate Proof of Creation." It logically and reasonably shows the worldviews of both sides and then demonstrates how the biblical worldview is the only correct and consistent worldview.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Bible and the sons of God
Many people ask about the reason that God sent the Flood. They ask if it was because the fallen angels were intermarrying with human women, who gave birth to devil/man children who were giants. I find myself happy to speak to you on this subject.
First of all, this can be a controversial subject, as any one who starts asking questions about it will find. People's emotions are strangely stirred up about it. Godly Christian leaders that I know and greatly respect teach, some on one side, some on another.
First of all, this can be a controversial subject, as any one who starts asking questions about it will find. People's emotions are strangely stirred up about it. Godly Christian leaders that I know and greatly respect teach, some on one side, some on another.
In my own searching of the Scriptures, I must go with what the Bible says, whatever others may say. The Scriptures are my authority, not men, no matter how learned or respected they may be.
Many want to know what the Nephilim were. Were they supermen? Half devil-half man? Giants? What is Nephilim? Well, when we read the King James Bible, which is God's preserved word in the English language, there is no trouble understanding. The translators of the King James translated the word "Nephilim" as "giants" because that is what it means.
Many want to know what the Nephilim were. Were they supermen? Half devil-half man? Giants? What is Nephilim? Well, when we read the King James Bible, which is God's preserved word in the English language, there is no trouble understanding. The translators of the King James translated the word "Nephilim" as "giants" because that is what it means.
Some modern versions (which claim to be easier to understand) have used the word "Nephilim," which actually confuses people more. Moreover we find the same word (Nephilim) twice in Numbers 13:33. The King James Bible translates these "giants" as well, for that is what they were. "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants" ( Numbers 13:33). If this is just a word meaning giant (which I believe), then there is no problem.
However, if the Nephilim were part devil/part man and God sent the Flood to destroy them, then finding them again in Canaan means that either they survived the Flood (which means that the Bible is wrong and God wasn't able to wipe them out - Genesis 7:21), or that spirit beings continued to engage sexually with people after the Flood (which means that the Flood didn't accomplish its alleged purpose).
According to just what the Bible says, these were GIANTS. There is no reason from the Bible to think they were anything else.
Let's consider 3 questions and their answers from the Bible:
Question #1 "Did the giants come from the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men?"
Answer: The Bible simply states that "There were giants in the earth after those days" (Genesis 6:4a). It does not say that the giants were result of the marriages of the sons and daughters in question. In fact, when we look closely, it is placed by itself, before the daughters of men bare children
Let's consider 3 questions and their answers from the Bible:
Question #1 "Did the giants come from the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men?"
Answer: The Bible simply states that "There were giants in the earth after those days" (Genesis 6:4a). It does not say that the giants were result of the marriages of the sons and daughters in question. In fact, when we look closely, it is placed by itself, before the daughters of men bare children
“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also, after that...” (Genesis 6:4b). Someone asked me once, "What do you think God was saying when He put that in the Bible?" I answered, "I think that God wanted us to know that there were giants in the earth in those days. Giants are big people. There were giants before the Flood and after the Flood. Some of Adam's descendants were giants. Some of Noah's descendants were giants. The Bible talks a good bit about them. You have heard of Goliath (I Samuel 17) and his four brothers (II Samuel 21), Og, Arbah, Anak, Sheshai, Talmai, and Ahiman; also the Emims, the Horims, the Avims, the Zamzummims (lots of m's...not M&M's, but giants!).
So, no matter who the giants were, there is no hard concrete proof from the Bible making a connection between these giants and those sons of God and daughters of men.
Question #2 "Were 'the sons of God' in Genesis 6? Angels or human or what?"
Answer: The Bible simply calls them "sons of God." The word "son" in the Bible can mean an immediate relationship, such as David was "the son of Jesse" (I Samuel 17:58). It can mean a remote relationship, such as Jesus is called "the son of David" and "the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1), showing He was of their lineage. It can also be used of a son-in-law, such as when David is called "son" by his father-in-law King Saul (I Samuel 26:17). Jesus is God the Son, the only begotten Son of the Father. Unlike humans or angels (or any created thing), Jesus did not ever start to exist. He did not begin at Bethlehem when He came into the world, conceived and born as a baby. He had been from everlasting (Micah 5:2). He is eternally the Son (Hebrews 1:1-14). The word "son" or "child" can also be figurative, as in "having the characteristics of." We find examples of this in that the sons of Eli were called "sons of Belial" (I Samuel 2:12), James and John were called "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). Christians are called "children of Abraham," even if they are Gentiles, because they have come to have faith in the Saviour, like he did (Galatians 3:7). This is how the term is sometimes (thrice) used of angels as well (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Finally it is used to describe those who are followers of God by faith in the promised Saviour. Thus, they are "born again" into God's family by grace through faith (John 3:3):
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19).
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15).
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not" (I John 3:1).
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (I John 3:2).
I am well-acquainted with the theory that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 were angelic beings, but there are at least three reasons from the Bible why I do not believe that they were angels at all (Even one reason from the Bible should be enough, but I like to have three reasons for what I believe and how I live based on the Scriptures [Here are three verses from the Bible that establish that "at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established"--Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; II Corinthians 13:1.]):
#1 Because it contradicts what GOD TELLS us about "kinds."
God tells us that He created things to bring forth after their own kind. Angels and humans are not the same kind. The idea of angels mingling with people sexually and begatting children violates the Scriptural principle of bringing forth "after their kind." You can find examples of this spoken of in Genesis 1:11-12,21,24-25; 6:19-20; 7:14-15; 8:19; and in I Corinthians 15:39. This is integral to the worldview of biblical creation science. I do not believe that angels are ABLE to begat children with people.
#2 Because of what JESUS SAID about the angels.
Our Saviour, Who made all things, including angels (John 1:1-3), made it very clear that in the resurrection, we shall be "...as the angels in heaven" (Matthew 22:29-30), which "neither marry, nor are given in marriage." God made the angels. He never tells us that new angels are being born. Therefore they could not be the sons of God in Genesis 6, who "...took them wives of all which they chose..." (Genesis 6:2,4). These sons of God were marrying them. They were their "wives." And anyway, angels of God would not violate His will.
#3 Because of the VOLUME OF THE BOOK.
Oh, yes, some will assent that this is true, but then they assert that the sons of God in Genesis 6 were fallen angels, saying, "These were the angels that rebelled with Satan soon after the creation week. They would have violated God's will." Nearly everyone I have spoken with goes to this point, saying the sons of God were fallen angels, devils, by some called "demons." But there we have a problem. How does simply falling from perfection make a spirit (Hebrews 1:7) into a being that can reproduce? It does not make sense that by rebelling, angels became sexual. That is ridiculous. Also, I think there is even a stronger objection, to wit, where in the Bible does God call devils "the sons of God"? No where. There are definite places where angels are called "sons of God" (I referenced them earlier, such as Job 1:6), where Jesus Christ is called the Son of God in a way very different than anyone else (Luke 1:35), and where people who trust in Him are called "sons of God" (John 1:12), but NEVER devils.
"Wait!" someone may interrupt here. "In the book of Job, Satan is called a son of God!" Well, take a close look at it. Job 1:6 says, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also AMONG THEM." It does NOT say that Satan was one of them (Job 2:1 also agrees). Some will say that no Old Testament person is called a "son of God." But Adam was. See in Luke the following: "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God" (Luke 3:38). So here we have a mention of an Old Testament person who was called a "son of God." We also find that God calls the nation of Israel His son, because they belonged to Him, by virtue of the faith of their father Abraham, and God's promise to Abraham: "...Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn..."(Exodus 4:22-23). He had chosen them and the nation was His "son". The fact is that the Old Testament saints were saved by faith in the coming Saviour the same way that you and I are saved by faith in the Saviour Who has already come. So God's people (those who were following the LORD by faith) in the Old Testament could be called the sons of God the same way that I am a son of God.
So who were the sons of God in the passage in question (Genesis 6)? I believe that these sons of God were mostly those of the Godly line of Seth, who called on the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26). These men are listed in Genesis 5, the chapter preceding. They were the sons of Adam, "the son of God." Interestingly, none of these men perished in the Flood. Adam through Jared all died before the Flood. Enoch walked with God and was translated that he should not see death (Hebrews 11:5). If you look at our longevity chart, or work the math out from the Bible, you'll find that Methuselah died the year of the Flood. His name means, "his death will bring" or "When he dies--judgment." Lamech (Methuselah's son and Noah's father), died a few years before the Flood at age 777. I think that those of that line and their families were the "sons of God." The Flood did not destroy the lives of these named men. They probably were trusting in God and were definitely were all gone when the Flood came. But what of their children (who also could be called sons of God)? What about Noah's brothers and sisters and cousins, and distant kin from the family of Shem that are referred to in Genesis 5:4,7,10,13,16,19,22,26, & 30? I believe that they "saw the daughters of men, that they were fair." These daughters were of the line of Cain and other children of Adam and Eve who were not followers of the true God. They turned and married, and were drawn away from the true God, and their children grew up to be mighty, people of renown, but not people of God. So I do not believe that the children of the sons of God and daughters of men were part devil, though I do not doubt that the devils were working behind the scenes to distract and derail the courses of their lives. It is entirely possible that the women, and thereby some of the resulting children could have been devil-possessed, BUT they were NOT part devil/part man.
Question #3 Why do you think God sent the Flood? Was it the angel/man relations? The lifestyles of the pre-Flood people? Something else?
Answer: The Bible simply tells us the cause for the Flood. I will cover those things, but first, let's deal with what was NOT the reason for the Flood.
Some may claim that God sent the Flood because the sons of God (whom they claim as angelic beings) were marrying in with the daughters of men. For instance, some have proposed that both the giants (Nephilim) of Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33 were the product of angel/human mingling. The fallen angels mingled before the Flood and God destroyed their children in the Flood and then after the Flood, the fallen angels returned and started repopulating again with some of the Canaanites, so God told the Israelites to destroy all the people of the promised land to wipe out the seed of the angels. That is their idea. Nevertheless, it must be confessed that from the Bible, you can show no evidence that judgment came from angel-human relations.
-God never said He was sending the Flood because of the fallen angels intermingling with people. He said He was sending the Flood because of the wickedness of man, which was great (Genesis 6:5,13).
-God never said for Israel to destroy the Canaanites because they were polluted by the seed of the fallen angels. He said He was sending them to destroy them because the cup of their iniquity was now full, unlike in the time of Abraham (Genesis 15:16). Also he commanded it so that the Canaanites would not get the children of Israel to fall into sin (Deuteronomy 7:1-4).
So what kind of wickedness brought on God's judgment of the Flood? Let's take a look at Genesis 6, and then amplify it with the volume of the Book.
1. God's people compromised with wicked people--- "The sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives, of all which they chose..." (Genesis 6:2,4).
This is a serious thing. God says that He instituted marriage that He might "seek a godly seed" (Malachi 2:15). Those who fear the true God are like salt and preserve the society about them inhibiting corruption. If there had only been 10 men "worth their salt" in Sodom, that city would have been spared (Genesis 18:32). However, when the righteous compromise and marry those who do not know God, the children often are not trained in the ways of the LORD, and the family - the fabric of society - crumbles.
-God never said He was sending the Flood because of the fallen angels intermingling with people. He said He was sending the Flood because of the wickedness of man, which was great (Genesis 6:5,13).
-God never said for Israel to destroy the Canaanites because they were polluted by the seed of the fallen angels. He said He was sending them to destroy them because the cup of their iniquity was now full, unlike in the time of Abraham (Genesis 15:16). Also he commanded it so that the Canaanites would not get the children of Israel to fall into sin (Deuteronomy 7:1-4).
So what kind of wickedness brought on God's judgment of the Flood? Let's take a look at Genesis 6, and then amplify it with the volume of the Book.
1. God's people compromised with wicked people--- "The sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives, of all which they chose..." (Genesis 6:2,4).
This is a serious thing. God says that He instituted marriage that He might "seek a godly seed" (Malachi 2:15). Those who fear the true God are like salt and preserve the society about them inhibiting corruption. If there had only been 10 men "worth their salt" in Sodom, that city would have been spared (Genesis 18:32). However, when the righteous compromise and marry those who do not know God, the children often are not trained in the ways of the LORD, and the family - the fabric of society - crumbles.
We see other examples of this throughout Scripture. I will give you a few examples:
A. The Israelites were coming to the promised land. King Balak of Moab, and other heathen rulers, being afraid of Israel, wanted to defeat them. They tried to get Baalam the son of Beor to curse them, but the LORD wouldn't let him. They were God's people and He was protecting them. This is told about Numbers chapters 22-24. But Baalam gave them counsel of how to cause God to take away His hand of blessing from Israel. For his sin, later Baalam was slain, as well as many of those who followed his wicked advice (Numbers chapter 31). What was Baalam's advice? To use their daughters to draw away the hearts of the men of Israel from God into idolatry (Numbers 31:16). How did it happen? Read Numbers 25. "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel" (Numbers 25:1-3). So first the men were drawn into immorality with the beautiful women of Moab, then they were led into worshiping false gods. And God judged sinful Israel with a plague that slew twenty-four thousand (Numbers 25:9). If it hadn't been for the repentance of the people and the zealous action of Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron, many more would have perished.
B. Samson was an Israelite judge, a mighty man, a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32). If anyone was given "super-human" strength, he was. And yet he was drawn away by the daughters of the pagan Philistines and this eventually caused his defeat (Judges 14:1; 16:1,4-21). Samson wanted the heathen girl of Timnath, for example, because she "pleased Samson well" (Judges 14:7). He should have been choosing a wife who pleased God as well.
C. Solomon was the son of David, the man after God's own heart. God called Solomon "Jedidiah" and said that he was loved of the LORD (12:24-25). King Solomon started well and was blessed by God, so that he became the wisest man who ever lived (I Kings 5:5-13). However, in his later years, Solomon married a lot of strange (foreign and heathen) women, which the law of God forbade (Exodus 34:11-16) and "...his wives turned away his heart after other gods..." (I Kings 11:1-4). So this great king fell into gross idolatry as we read in I Kings 11:5-8. What was God's response? "And the LORD was angry with Solomon..." (I Kings 11:9-13). God brought adversaries to harass Solomon at the end of his reign (I Kings 11:14-40), the nation would split and his son would lose control ten tribes of Israel to another (I Kings 11:11-13). And sadly, His son Rehoboam would not just lose ten out of twelve tribes, but also would have problems with multiple wives and fall into the same idolatry as his dad did (I Kings 14:21-24; II Chronicles 12:1-2).
These three examples from diverse parts of the Bible establish the importance of understanding this principle, but let's consider a couple more:
D. Ahab was the son of a wicked king of Israel, but he outdid his dad for badness, and you can see one of the reasons why. It was because he chose a wicked woman of Zidon and was influenced by her to increase the idolatry of the northern kingdom: "...Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him..." (I Kings 16:30-33).
E. Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah, the southern kingdom at the same time as Ahab. He followed the LORD and God blessed him. However, he joined in alliance and friendship with the wicked Ahab (II Chronicles 18:1). This led to bad choices, including that he took the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel to be the wife of his son, the crown prince Jehoram. This woman was named Athaliah and she was a wicked influence in his life (II Chronicles 21:6-11). God judged Jehoram (II Chronicles 21:12-18) and he died a horrible death (II Chronicles 21:19), and the widow Athaliah went on to be an evil counsellor to their son Ahaziah (II Chronicles 21:6). After Ahaziah died, Athaliah attempted to slay all of the king's sons and all the males of the house, so she could rule alone (II Chronicles 22:10), but God preserved the line by having baby Joash secretly rescued and hidden until he could take back the throne. Reading the history of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, we find how great an effect a king could make on himself, his family, and his kingdom's present and future for good or ill, just by whom he married.
F. After the Babylonian captivity, the people returned to Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra was grieved to hear that they had taken pagan wives of foreign lands (Ezra 9:1-2). Read Ezra's prayer of desperation to the LORD about this sin in Ezra 9:3-15 that includes the reason why Israel was not to join in marriage with the heathen: "...Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, the land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons..." (Ezra 9:10-12). The Jews were not to marry the heathen, because it would turn their hearts from following the true God.
G. Nehemiah, the governor of Jerusalem, who lived at the same time also confronted this sin of marrying those who knew not the LORD. He was very straight forward in his dealing with it. Consider his testimony: "In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jew's language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?" (Nehemiah 13:23-27). Plainly, Nehemiah didn't mince words in his eloquent denouncement of the practice. Notice specifically that the children were affected by the loss of training in the Lord.
Let's stop right now and realize that this did not and does not mean that God was forbidding marriages between a man and a woman of different nations exactly. We find a good number of instances in Scripture when an Israelite and a foreigner married and were blessed by God in their union.
A. The Israelites were coming to the promised land. King Balak of Moab, and other heathen rulers, being afraid of Israel, wanted to defeat them. They tried to get Baalam the son of Beor to curse them, but the LORD wouldn't let him. They were God's people and He was protecting them. This is told about Numbers chapters 22-24. But Baalam gave them counsel of how to cause God to take away His hand of blessing from Israel. For his sin, later Baalam was slain, as well as many of those who followed his wicked advice (Numbers chapter 31). What was Baalam's advice? To use their daughters to draw away the hearts of the men of Israel from God into idolatry (Numbers 31:16). How did it happen? Read Numbers 25. "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel" (Numbers 25:1-3). So first the men were drawn into immorality with the beautiful women of Moab, then they were led into worshiping false gods. And God judged sinful Israel with a plague that slew twenty-four thousand (Numbers 25:9). If it hadn't been for the repentance of the people and the zealous action of Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron, many more would have perished.
B. Samson was an Israelite judge, a mighty man, a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32). If anyone was given "super-human" strength, he was. And yet he was drawn away by the daughters of the pagan Philistines and this eventually caused his defeat (Judges 14:1; 16:1,4-21). Samson wanted the heathen girl of Timnath, for example, because she "pleased Samson well" (Judges 14:7). He should have been choosing a wife who pleased God as well.
C. Solomon was the son of David, the man after God's own heart. God called Solomon "Jedidiah" and said that he was loved of the LORD (12:24-25). King Solomon started well and was blessed by God, so that he became the wisest man who ever lived (I Kings 5:5-13). However, in his later years, Solomon married a lot of strange (foreign and heathen) women, which the law of God forbade (Exodus 34:11-16) and "...his wives turned away his heart after other gods..." (I Kings 11:1-4). So this great king fell into gross idolatry as we read in I Kings 11:5-8. What was God's response? "And the LORD was angry with Solomon..." (I Kings 11:9-13). God brought adversaries to harass Solomon at the end of his reign (I Kings 11:14-40), the nation would split and his son would lose control ten tribes of Israel to another (I Kings 11:11-13). And sadly, His son Rehoboam would not just lose ten out of twelve tribes, but also would have problems with multiple wives and fall into the same idolatry as his dad did (I Kings 14:21-24; II Chronicles 12:1-2).
These three examples from diverse parts of the Bible establish the importance of understanding this principle, but let's consider a couple more:
D. Ahab was the son of a wicked king of Israel, but he outdid his dad for badness, and you can see one of the reasons why. It was because he chose a wicked woman of Zidon and was influenced by her to increase the idolatry of the northern kingdom: "...Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him..." (I Kings 16:30-33).
E. Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah, the southern kingdom at the same time as Ahab. He followed the LORD and God blessed him. However, he joined in alliance and friendship with the wicked Ahab (II Chronicles 18:1). This led to bad choices, including that he took the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel to be the wife of his son, the crown prince Jehoram. This woman was named Athaliah and she was a wicked influence in his life (II Chronicles 21:6-11). God judged Jehoram (II Chronicles 21:12-18) and he died a horrible death (II Chronicles 21:19), and the widow Athaliah went on to be an evil counsellor to their son Ahaziah (II Chronicles 21:6). After Ahaziah died, Athaliah attempted to slay all of the king's sons and all the males of the house, so she could rule alone (II Chronicles 22:10), but God preserved the line by having baby Joash secretly rescued and hidden until he could take back the throne. Reading the history of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, we find how great an effect a king could make on himself, his family, and his kingdom's present and future for good or ill, just by whom he married.
F. After the Babylonian captivity, the people returned to Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra was grieved to hear that they had taken pagan wives of foreign lands (Ezra 9:1-2). Read Ezra's prayer of desperation to the LORD about this sin in Ezra 9:3-15 that includes the reason why Israel was not to join in marriage with the heathen: "...Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, the land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons..." (Ezra 9:10-12). The Jews were not to marry the heathen, because it would turn their hearts from following the true God.
G. Nehemiah, the governor of Jerusalem, who lived at the same time also confronted this sin of marrying those who knew not the LORD. He was very straight forward in his dealing with it. Consider his testimony: "In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jew's language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?" (Nehemiah 13:23-27). Plainly, Nehemiah didn't mince words in his eloquent denouncement of the practice. Notice specifically that the children were affected by the loss of training in the Lord.
Let's stop right now and realize that this did not and does not mean that God was forbidding marriages between a man and a woman of different nations exactly. We find a good number of instances in Scripture when an Israelite and a foreigner married and were blessed by God in their union.
Rahab was a Caananite harlot from Jericho who not only was spared death, but got to marry Salmon the son of Naashon, an eminent prince of Judah. Their son Boaz married the Moabitess woman Ruth, and God blessed them too. Both of these women can be found in the ancestral line of the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). Why was it okay for them to marry men of Israel? Because they had turned to the true God of the Bible and were no longer "pagan." We are given examples of people from heathen lands who came to trust in the LORD and were accepted in Israel. Ittai the Gittite (a Philistine) became a leader of a third of David's army (II Samuel 15:19-22; 18:2). Zelek the Ammonite and faithful Uriah the Hittite were both numbered among David's elite "mighty men of valour" (II Samuel 23:37,39). Naaman, the captain of the Syrian host, was cleansed of his leprosy and also came to trust in the living God of Israel (II Kings 5:1-19).
Physically, we are all from the same family, Adam's family. In his sermon on Mar's Hill, Paul proclaimed, "God...hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth..." (Acts 17:24-26). We all came from Adam and Eve, and more recently, from Noah and his family. There is only one human race - Adam's race. God created mankind with a great variety of genetic variation, but always within the human "kind." So from the Scriptures, we find that there is no wrong in marrying someone from another people group.
Spiritually, however, you could say that there are two families in the world who should not intermarry. They are the children of God (John 1:12) and the children who are still in rebellion against God. In Scripture they have different names, like "children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3), and "children of disobedience" (Colossians 3:6), and "the daughters of men" (Genesis 6:2). The Jews who rejected Jesus thought that they were the children of God, simply because they came from Abraham. However, Jesus denounced that thinking, and let them know that their father was the devil (John 8:39-47). This does not mean that Satan was their biological father, any more than Adam was the biological son of God. It was showing in whose path they were following. Because of Adam's sin, by which he yielded to the devil's way, we all are born sinners, by nature the children of wrath, who deserve hellfire for our rebellion. But when we turn from our sin to the Saviour, He makes us "born again" as children of God (John 3:3; Romans 8:14-17).
Physically, we are all from the same family, Adam's family. In his sermon on Mar's Hill, Paul proclaimed, "God...hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth..." (Acts 17:24-26). We all came from Adam and Eve, and more recently, from Noah and his family. There is only one human race - Adam's race. God created mankind with a great variety of genetic variation, but always within the human "kind." So from the Scriptures, we find that there is no wrong in marrying someone from another people group.
Spiritually, however, you could say that there are two families in the world who should not intermarry. They are the children of God (John 1:12) and the children who are still in rebellion against God. In Scripture they have different names, like "children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3), and "children of disobedience" (Colossians 3:6), and "the daughters of men" (Genesis 6:2). The Jews who rejected Jesus thought that they were the children of God, simply because they came from Abraham. However, Jesus denounced that thinking, and let them know that their father was the devil (John 8:39-47). This does not mean that Satan was their biological father, any more than Adam was the biological son of God. It was showing in whose path they were following. Because of Adam's sin, by which he yielded to the devil's way, we all are born sinners, by nature the children of wrath, who deserve hellfire for our rebellion. But when we turn from our sin to the Saviour, He makes us "born again" as children of God (John 3:3; Romans 8:14-17).
Remember from John 1:12 that the deciding factor between the two families is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Bible tells us that it is wrong for believers and unbelievers to be unequally yoked together in a relationship. If one is following the Lord Jesus and the other isn't, then they are going in opposite directions. Therefore, if the people of two different faiths marry, there will friction in the home and a lack of unity. Many times it causes the Christian to be drawn away from being fully dedicated to Jesus Christ. Often it is the children who suffer most from the disunity and end up confused and deeper in rebellion themselves. This is why God warns against such a practice. A godly single Christian man should not allow himself to become romantically, emotionally, or physically attached to a woman who is not saved. Instead he should save himself for and seek to marry a woman who is also saved and following the Lord with all her heart, so they will have union and run the race together throughout life, raising their children to know and serve the Lord Jesus.
2. There was great wickedness in the earth--- "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth..." (Genesis 6:5).
It is very likely that people began to worship false gods and devils (I Corinthians 10:20), and did horrible abominations that brought God's wrath. See what caused Him to bring judgment upon Israel in the days of the judges (Judges 2:11-15) and the judgment God prophesied against Judah because of the sins of King Manasseh (II Kings 21:1-18).
2. There was great wickedness in the earth--- "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth..." (Genesis 6:5).
It is very likely that people began to worship false gods and devils (I Corinthians 10:20), and did horrible abominations that brought God's wrath. See what caused Him to bring judgment upon Israel in the days of the judges (Judges 2:11-15) and the judgment God prophesied against Judah because of the sins of King Manasseh (II Kings 21:1-18).
The book of Proverbs lists seven things that God hates, that are abomination to Him: "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19). These abominations and many others were likely very rampant in Noah's day. Included in this cause of judgment are three parts, which I marked A,B, and C:
A. The evil imaginations of their hearts- "...and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5).
The imaginations of their thoughts were evil all the time. Remember that this is a sin and hated by God; look up Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:19 (we have already seen Proverbs 16:18). The world was full of people who did not like to retain God in all their thoughts. They did not seek God, but rather went their own way. "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4). This can lead to many evil ideas and doings, which we find in Romans, where it speaks of those who reject the Creator: "...And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient..." (Romans 1:28). We think it is evil in our present day (and it is), but consider that when a person could live up to nine hundred years, he had even more time to think of many wicked things. We need to be careful what we allow to remain in our thoughts too, for it will come out in our attitudes, words, and deeds (Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 12:34).
B. The violence that filled the earth- "...and the earth was filled with violence..." (Genesis 6:11,13).
Violent crime was rampant and rife in Noah's day. It was filled with violence! Remember that one of the things God hates and will judge are hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). This would include assault and battery, murders, abortions, beatings, thefts, rape, kidnapping, human sacrifice, execution of the godly and the innocent, slavery, with much else. God will not let this sin go unpunished. Don't forget that He judged Israel for the violence of wicked Manasseh (II Kings 21:16; 24:3-4).
C. The corruption of God's creation- "...And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Genesis 6:11-12).
The earth was corrupt. All flesh had corrupted his way. When we rejected the Creator and His ways, it begins us on a slippery slope into vile perversions and rebellion against all that is righteous. You can see a list of the corruption one can be lowered to when he rejects the Creator in Romans 1:18-32. This would include sodomy (homosexuality) and all manner of sexual perversion of God's design of one man for one woman for life. Notice that one of the practices was to have multiple wives "...they took them wives of all which they chose" (Genesis 6:2). This diverges from God's design for marriage, shown in Adam having one wife for life. When speaking of marriage, Jesus Himself referred back to the first marriage as God's pattern and said, "They twain [not they three or four or more] shall be one flesh" (Matthew 19:4-6).
3. Their cup of iniquity was full--- "...yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" (Genesis 6:3).
God gave the people time before judgment. He is patient, but there comes a time when the cup of iniquity is full, and judgment comes. We see this when God spoke to the Israelites concerning the conquest of Canaan. The wicked Canaanites were to be destroyed utterly because they had been given 400 years to repent while Israel was in Egypt (Genesis 15:13-16), had not repented, and their cup was now full. If they were allowed to remain, they would draw the children of Israel to fall into their sin (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). We are told in II Peter 3 and other passages that God is longsuffering, but will judge when the time is full.
A. The evil imaginations of their hearts- "...and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5).
The imaginations of their thoughts were evil all the time. Remember that this is a sin and hated by God; look up Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 15:19 (we have already seen Proverbs 16:18). The world was full of people who did not like to retain God in all their thoughts. They did not seek God, but rather went their own way. "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." (Psalms 10:4). This can lead to many evil ideas and doings, which we find in Romans, where it speaks of those who reject the Creator: "...And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient..." (Romans 1:28). We think it is evil in our present day (and it is), but consider that when a person could live up to nine hundred years, he had even more time to think of many wicked things. We need to be careful what we allow to remain in our thoughts too, for it will come out in our attitudes, words, and deeds (Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 12:34).
B. The violence that filled the earth- "...and the earth was filled with violence..." (Genesis 6:11,13).
Violent crime was rampant and rife in Noah's day. It was filled with violence! Remember that one of the things God hates and will judge are hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). This would include assault and battery, murders, abortions, beatings, thefts, rape, kidnapping, human sacrifice, execution of the godly and the innocent, slavery, with much else. God will not let this sin go unpunished. Don't forget that He judged Israel for the violence of wicked Manasseh (II Kings 21:16; 24:3-4).
C. The corruption of God's creation- "...And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Genesis 6:11-12).
The earth was corrupt. All flesh had corrupted his way. When we rejected the Creator and His ways, it begins us on a slippery slope into vile perversions and rebellion against all that is righteous. You can see a list of the corruption one can be lowered to when he rejects the Creator in Romans 1:18-32. This would include sodomy (homosexuality) and all manner of sexual perversion of God's design of one man for one woman for life. Notice that one of the practices was to have multiple wives "...they took them wives of all which they chose" (Genesis 6:2). This diverges from God's design for marriage, shown in Adam having one wife for life. When speaking of marriage, Jesus Himself referred back to the first marriage as God's pattern and said, "They twain [not they three or four or more] shall be one flesh" (Matthew 19:4-6).
3. Their cup of iniquity was full--- "...yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" (Genesis 6:3).
God gave the people time before judgment. He is patient, but there comes a time when the cup of iniquity is full, and judgment comes. We see this when God spoke to the Israelites concerning the conquest of Canaan. The wicked Canaanites were to be destroyed utterly because they had been given 400 years to repent while Israel was in Egypt (Genesis 15:13-16), had not repented, and their cup was now full. If they were allowed to remain, they would draw the children of Israel to fall into their sin (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). We are told in II Peter 3 and other passages that God is longsuffering, but will judge when the time is full.
When we see these things, it should be quite manifest and self-evident why God judged the world with a Flood.
Yes, some Bible teachers look at it differently. I respect their opinions. Many of them are great and godly men and friends of mine. But they are NOT the Bible. Their teachings, like that of anyone else in every area, should be tested by the plain word of the Bible.
Yes, some Bible teachers look at it differently. I respect their opinions. Many of them are great and godly men and friends of mine. But they are NOT the Bible. Their teachings, like that of anyone else in every area, should be tested by the plain word of the Bible.
Evaluating the angel/men relations interpretation of Genesis 6 in the light of the volume of the Book, I must confess that it is in error and I stay with the Book. It is true that different people will have different ideas on things. I do not rest in any man's assertions, but wholly stand on the word of God. I recommend that you study the Bible and go on with what the Bible clearly says.
Is there any problem with believing this interpretation? For one thing is in in violation of the testimony of the Bible, and thus is wrong. That should be enough problem for any Christian. Another danger I see of this false teaching is that it actually takes away responsibility from people. If the Flood happened because of the sin of the "angels," then where does practical application for us come in? Why does Jesus (Matthew 24:37-39), Paul (Hebrews 11:7), and Peter (II Peter 2:5) link the judgment of the Flood as a result of man's sin and an illustration of what the next judgment will be like. You see, if it was the angels who were being punished, the people had no choice. How is a woman going to say no to such a powerful being? They "took them wives." How is anyone going to apply this to their lives for personal growth and holiness? When we try to read such a bizarre interpretation into the Scriptures, it prevents us from remembering the principles of personal holiness, holding to the conviction of waiting for a godly spouse and standing for righteousness in our present day. In this way, the teaching of the sons of God being angels seems to me to be earthly, sensual, and devilish (James 3:15).
You may be thinking, "Why, those things that brought judgment to Noah's world are getting prevalent in our day too!" Basically, "...there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). God tells us He is going to judge the world again in righteousness (Acts 17:31), this time by fire (II Peter 3:10-12). There was only one way to be saved from the Flood (going into the door of the ark), and there is only one way to be saved from the next judgment, and that is through turning in faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Make sure you are ready, and then share the Gospel with others, so that they also may be saved. Let us repent as Christians of our sin and apathy, get into the Bible, be salt, and take a stand for truth to preserve whatever society the Lord has us in (II Chronicles 7:14). Let us win souls (Proverbs 11:30) When God was going to judge Jerusalem for her abominations, He sought for a man among them who would intercede and stand in the gap, but He found none (Ezekiel 22:1-31). Will you be found as a man "in the gap" for your sphere of influence in your household, town, nation? Perhaps God will be merciful and give more time in another "Great Awakening" as it were, a space of repentance and reformation as He did for King Josiah (II Chronicles 34:18-33), the Ninevites (book of Jonah) and others through history.
I hope this will be helpful in sharing about the Bible and the sons of God.
There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.
Abortion must be abolished.
You may be thinking, "Why, those things that brought judgment to Noah's world are getting prevalent in our day too!" Basically, "...there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). God tells us He is going to judge the world again in righteousness (Acts 17:31), this time by fire (II Peter 3:10-12). There was only one way to be saved from the Flood (going into the door of the ark), and there is only one way to be saved from the next judgment, and that is through turning in faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31). Make sure you are ready, and then share the Gospel with others, so that they also may be saved. Let us repent as Christians of our sin and apathy, get into the Bible, be salt, and take a stand for truth to preserve whatever society the Lord has us in (II Chronicles 7:14). Let us win souls (Proverbs 11:30) When God was going to judge Jerusalem for her abominations, He sought for a man among them who would intercede and stand in the gap, but He found none (Ezekiel 22:1-31). Will you be found as a man "in the gap" for your sphere of influence in your household, town, nation? Perhaps God will be merciful and give more time in another "Great Awakening" as it were, a space of repentance and reformation as He did for King Josiah (II Chronicles 34:18-33), the Ninevites (book of Jonah) and others through history.
I hope this will be helpful in sharing about the Bible and the sons of God.
There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.
Abortion must be abolished.
Friday, March 25, 2011
"Modern" Animal Fossils Found with Dinosaurs
I recently read an article published by Creation Ministries International. In it, Don Batten interviewed Dr. Werner about living fossils. It was fascinating and I recommend anyone interested to go and read it in full:
What is really amazing is the list of modern animals that have been discovered in “dinosaur age” rock layers. It indicates that just about all the major phyla were living at the same time, thus supporting the Bible's record and causing embarrassment to the worldview of Evolutionism.
"If evolution did not occur, and if all the animals and plants were created at one time and lived together, then one should be able to find fossils of at least some modern animals and modern plants alongside dinosaurs in the rock layers. I set out to test this idea without any foreknowledge of any modern organisms in the rock layers. My results showed that many modern animals and plants are found with dinosaurs—far more than I ever expected to find.” (Dr. Werner)
Dr. Werner and his wife Debbie traveled over 100,000 miles and took 60,000 photographs. They looked only at fossils that were found in dinosaurs dig sites so that no evolutionist could claim that the fossils were not old. The fossils they studied were from “dinosaur” layers (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous).
Below is a list of some of the animals that were found. It is my hope that the reader will go to the article above and find out more.
Modern Types of Animals:
Invertebrates-
Arthropods (insects, crustaceans)
Shelfish,
Echinoderms (starfish, crinoids, brittle stars, etc.)
Corals
Sponges
Segmented worms (earthworms, marine worms)
Vertebrates-
Fish
Cartilaginous fish (sharks, stingrays)
Boney fish (such as sturgeon, paddlefish, salmon, herring, founder, bowfin)
Amphibians
Frogs
Salamanders
Salamanders
Reptiles
Snakes (boa constrictor)
Lizards (ground lizards, gliding lizards)
Turtles (box turtles, soft-shelled turtles)
Crocodilians (alligators, crocodiles, and gavials)
Birds
Parrots
Owls
Penguins
Ducks
Loons
Albatross
Cormorants
Sandpipers
Avocets, etc.
"Contrary to popular belief, modern types of bird have been found...When scientists who support evolution disclosed this information...it appears that they could hardly believe what they were saying on camera.”
Mammals
Squirrels
Possums
Tasmanian devils,
Hedgehogs,
Shrews
Beavers
Primates
Duck-billed platypus
“Few are aware of the great number of mammal species found with dinosaurs. Paleontologists have found 432 mammal species with dinosaurs, almost as many as the number of estimated dinosaur species. These include nearly 100 complete mammal skeletons...We visited 60 museums, but did not see a single complete mammal skeleton from the dinosaur layers displayed at any of these museums. Why don't the museums display these mammal fossils and also the bird fossils?”
Modern types of Plants:
Every major plant division living today was represented in the “dinosaur” strata, including...
Flowering plants
Ginkoes
Cone trees
Moss
Vascular mosses
Cycads
Ferns
Sequoias
Magnolias
Dogwoods
Poplars
Redwoods
Lily Pads
Horsetails
Very interesting. If you'd like to read more on this topic, here are links to other resources...
Dr. Werner has written a book about this: Evolution: The Grand Experiment, Vol. 2. You can find it here: http://usstore.creation.com/catalog/living-fossils-grand-p-122.html?osCsid=9t4uuuk3ut7e9so3s6jvub97j5
His first book of Evolution: The Grand Experiment (also excellent) can be found here: http://shopping.drdino.com/product-exec/product_id/920/nm/Evolution_The_Grand_Experiment_Package/category_id/21
There is still time to win a battle before the sun goes down.
Abortion must be abolished.
Abortion must be abolished.
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