Refrain: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.
Refrain
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, But is blessed if we trust and obey.
Refrain
But we never can prove the delights of His love Until all on the altar we lay; For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey.
Refrain
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet. Or we’ll walk by His side in the way. What He says we will do, where He sends we will go; Never fear, only trust and obey.
John H. Sammis (1846-1919), gave up his life as a businessman and part-time YMCA worker to study for the ministry. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1880 and then served at several pastorates. In his later years, Sammis taught at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles.
Daniel B. Towner (1850-1919) was music director for several well-known churches and schools, including the Moody Bible Institute. He published several music books and wrote the music for many well-loved hymns, including At Calvary and Only A Sinner Saved By Grace.
In 1887, just following an evangelistic meeting held by Dwight L. Moody, a young man stood to share his story in an after-service testimony meeting. As he was speaking, it became clear to many that he knew little about the Bible or acceptable Christian doctrine. His closing lines, however, spoke volumes to seasoned and new believers alike: I’m not quite sure. But I’m going to trust, and I’m going to obey.
Daniel Towner was so struck by the power of those simple words that he quickly jotted them down, then delivered them to John Sammis, who developed the lyrics to Trust and Obey. Towner composed the music and the song quickly became a favorite. It remains popular with hymn singers today.
The Lord redeemeth the soul of of His servants; and none of them that trusteth in Him shall be desolate.
“Man of Sorrows!” what a name For the Son of God, who came Ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; “Full atonement!” can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die; “It is finished!” was His cry; Now in Heav’n exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring, Then anew His song we’ll sing: Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Philip Paul Bliss
1838-1876
Born: July 9, 1838, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. His most popular song was Hold the Fort! (1870) which was based on the events of a Civil War battle in October 1864 near Atlanta, GA. He is especially noted for his hymns and character songs. Among his most popular hymns were I Am So Glad, Daniel’s Band, More to Follow, Free From the Law, Whosoever Will, Man of Sorrows, Almost Persuaded, I Know Not the Hour, and Meet Me at the Fountain.
Died: December 29, 1876, Ashtabula, Ohio. Bliss and his wife died in a tragic train wreck caused by a bridge collapse. He survived the initial impact, but went back into the flames in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue his wife.
The night before that terrible railroad accident at Ashtabula…he said to his audience, I may not pass this way again; then he sang a solo, I’m Going Home Tomorrow. This indeed proved prophetic of his own home going.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken.
9 And He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.
Think of a new-born baby, umbilical cord still attached – abandoned in the center of a forest full of wild animals. Exposed to the elements, and unable to fend for or care for itself. Well – that’s exactly what happens when you lead someone to Christ, and then drop them! As the baby Christian’s spiritual “foster parent,” you have great responsibility to nurture the new born Christian to ensure he/she is established and on the best food and water, has shelter, and is protected from the elements.
Acts 2:41-42
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Hmmm. Did you get that part? Any question about what happened to the three thousand after they were saved? Nothing vague about that. When you, personally lead a person to Christ, then you, personally, are responsible. Yes, you will receive the soul winners crown at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but the responsibility does not end with your joy at the birth! Abandonment of spiritual babies, is one of the reasons for stunted growth, and future backsliding. It also stunts the growth of the church, because spiritual babies, are not ever matured enough to reproduce themselves.
THERE ARE SEVEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE BABY CHRISTIAN TO GROW SPIRITUALLY. THIS ALSO APPLIES IF YOU, GRACIOUS ONE, HAVE ADOPTED THE BABY OF ANOTHER BELIEVER.
1. Put a King James Bible directly into their hands. Remember – new born babies cannot even bring food to their own mouths. Write something personal on the dedication page, open the Bible and demonstrate its features.
2. Make sure the Bible has a good concordance and index, and it might also be a good idea to show the baby how to use the computer to search Bible verses. This is subjective, because the internet is overflowing with corruption and can potentially confuse, or even seduce the baby Christian.
4. Start him out right – not on junk food. Not force feeding, but make sure it is plentiful enough to sustain the baby until the next “feeding.” It’s important to make clear, that we are to be obedient to the Lord in all things.
5. Lead him to a New Testament church. Invite him to be your guest at your church! Take him with you, and sit with him. When the invitation is given, encourage him to go forward with you, and make public profession of his faith in Jesus Christ. Remember – babies can’t walk without help!
6. Encourage him to tell others about his new birth. Psalm 107:2 – “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”
7. Either teach him the basics of Bible doctrine, or get him enrolled in a “new believers class.” He will not be able to reproduce (witness) effectively, until he has a solid foundation. Some of the essentials include the Trinity of the Godhead, the deity of Christ, and the inerrancy and divine inspiration of the Bible. If you do not have a class for new believers near you, the studies on our Apologetics and Doctrines page are thorough, doctrinally sound, and may be used to give the new believer a solid foundation. You are free to print off and use any of those articles.
ONCE THE NEW CHRISTIAN HAS BEEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN THE SOLID BIBLE DOCTRINES – THEY WILL BE READY TO:
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
SUGGESTIONS FOR GIVING THE INVITATION:
After sharing God’s Plan of Salvation, invite the person to whom you are witnessing, to accept, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ as his/her personal Savior. You can ask them to kneel with you, but no pressure! If you just get down on your knees, it is likely that they will follow – but it is not necessary. If you are on an airplane, or in a foxhole, kneeling is not going to happen. You lead the way!
While you are kneeling, or other posture of reverence, out loud, pray that the Lord will convict him of his sinfulness, and bring him to a state of repentance. If he does not follow you, then arise and make another appointment to meet with him again. If he does follow you to his knees, ask the Lord to save him now. You will need to lead him – like a baby. Yes – even coach- if need be. Just be sure, that however you do it, that he/she acknowledges the complete Gospel. Be sure he:
Admits God loves him
Admits Christ died bearing his sins
Thanks the Lord for convicting him
Admits that he is a sinner
Admits that he is dead in sins
Admits that he cannot save himself
Cries out to the Lord to save him
Please don’t be preoccupied with the “sinner’s prayer.” Let the Holy Spirit lead you, as you lead the lost one to his Savior. The prayer should flow from the heart – not a prescribed formula from an “expert.”
When you finish leading him through prayer, stand up, and ask him – “Did you by faith accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” If he says yes, confirm it – “Upon the authority of God’s Word you are now a child of God.” Give thanks and praise to God!
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
WHEN YOU ARE WITNESSING TO SOMEONE, THERE ARE SEVEN PROVEN STEPS TO TAKE WHEN SHARING GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION.
1. The best place to start – is with your own, personal testimony. Not your life story! It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to tell how the LORD saved you. As you come to the close of giving your testimony – that would be a good time to bring out your Bible – or a tract or booklet containing God’s Plan of Salvation. Try saying – “May I share with you God’s Plan of Salvation that changed my life?”
2. The first thing to cover, would be fact #1 – GOD LOVES YOU. Read John 3:16, and talk more about how much someone must love to sacrifice themselves for another. Be frank, and ask the person if they will admit that God loves them. Lead them to admit it if you need to. This admission enacts their participation in God’s Plan of Salvation.
3. The next step, will be to cover Fact#2 – IT IS A FACT THAT YOU ARE A SINNER. Read directly from Romans 3:23, and make sure that the person understands that you, along with everyone else, has fallen short of the glory of God. It is not a matter of comparing ourselves with the sinfulness of others – it is how we compare to God’s standards. After the person has taken this in, ask them if they will now admit they are a sinner. It may require some prompting from you – which is normal. But the person needs to know, that God’s loves them, even though they are sinful.
4. After the two admissions, the next step will be to share Fact #3 – YOU ARE NOW DEAD IN SINS. Read directly from Romans 6:23, making sure he/she fully understands what death is according to Scripture. When you are sure they understand what death is, ask them to admit that they are dead in sins. Stress, that even though they are dead in sins, that God still loves them.
5. At this point, share Fact #4 – CHRIST DIED FOR YOU. Read Romans 5:6, emphasizing that Jesus Christ, judged completely innocent, took upon Himself the sins of the world. Ask him/her to admit that Christ died for them, personally. The person needs to know, that Christ loves them so much, that He died on Calvary bearing their sins. He did not die for the righteous – He died for sinners.
6. Now share with them Fact #5 – YOU CAN BE SAVED BY FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Read Acts 16:30, stressing that they must believe in their heart, their innermost being, that –
Christ died for our sins
He was buried
He rose again the third day
Ask the person to acknowledge the Gospel, and be ready to ask him/her to accept Christ as their personal Savior.
7. If they have actually done all of the above, now would be the time to lead them to call upon the name of the Lord in prayer. There is no formulaic prayer!
Please make full use of God’s Plan of Salvation, which may be printed off from this site – free of charge. It will greatly fortify your soul winning endeavors. The next segment covers How to Give the Invitation!.
Never fear beloveds! This is easier than you think. Often we are afraid of giving witness, because we just don’t know how to approach the “target.” Sometimes, it seems, the Lord places someone right in our paths. Other times, it may seem as though it’s been a long time between witnessing opportunities.
THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO APPROACH THE PERSON YOU ARE WITNESSING TO:
1. The direct approach. This approach can be used when witnessing to:
A relative. Andrew used the direct approach with his brother Simon Peter, bringing him to Christ. John 1:40-42
A friend. Philip the apostle used the direct approach to bring Nathaniel to Christ. John 1: 45-46
The concerned. Jesus Christ used the direct approach to win the heart of Nicodemus. John 3: 1-21
The seeker. Paul and Silas used the direct approach to lead the Philippian jailer to Christ. Acts 16: 19-34
2. The second, is the indirect approach. This approach can be used when witnessing to:
A stranger. Jesus used the indirect approach to win the heart of the Samaritan women. John 4: 7-26
The religious. Philip the evangelist used the indirect approach to lead the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ. Acts 8: 26-39
Never be afraid to share your faith! The method used, will vary according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Either way – direct or indirect – be sure to follow through (the subject of the next article on How to Witness) until you have presented God’s Plan of Salvation and invited them to accept Christ as their personal Savior. Remember that you have the witness of your faith to add strength to your work – and that witnessing for Him – is the true work of every child of God.
Isaiah 43:10-12
10 Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no saviour.
12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:
7 Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
A QUALIFIED WITNESS IS ONE WHO IS:
1. Established in the faith.
This does not exclude young believers! Even the young can be mature – spiritually. To be established in the faith is to be rooted and grounded in God’s Word. Peter said, “Be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15 The doctrinal studies on this blog, in your Sunday school class, and other sources are there to help you get firmly anchored in His Holy Word. Study them, and carry your Bible with you to ponder any portion of one of the great doctrines. They will give you a rock solid foundation to build your faith on. And in this day and age – it is easier than ever to carry the Word with you via technology.
2. Saved and know it!
I know that I am saved, because God tells me so in His Word and God cannot lie! You and I have the same witness! We have the:
Witness of the Spirit. Rom. 8:16 – The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Witness of the Word. 1 John 5:13 – These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Witness of saving faith. 1 John 5: 9,10 – 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of His Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.
There is nothing more important than reaching the lost for Christ. Nothing. If it is important to you ( and as a child of God it should be ) make an effort to be rooted firmly in the Bible, and then you will be able to speak volumes with very few words! In a courtroom setting, the witnesses are chosen based on their credibility. Our firm conviction that we are saved, and our absolute faith and dependance in the Word of God is our credibility to witness for Him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It is of vital importance NOT to lift the above verse out of context. Many, many false shepherds stop with verse thirteen – leading to many, many false conversions. Progressing to the next verse – the Lord gives us three essential questions, that must be considered along with verse thirteen.
Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
1. The first question, “How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed?”
The answer? The lost CANNOT call on the Lord to be saved until they believe –
That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
That Christ was buried.
That Christ rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
2. The second question – “How shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard?”
The answer? The lost CANNOT believe in Him until they hear the good news of salvation.
3. The third question, “How shall they hear without a preacher (witness)?”
The answer? They CANNOT hear the good news of salvation without a witness.
Three thousand were saved at Pentecost because of the witnessing of the 120.
The eunuch was saved because Philip witnessed.
Paul was saved because Stephen witnessed. (Acts 7: 54-60), and Jesus the God-man witnessed, and Annanias witnessed. (Acts 9:1-18)
Cornelius and his house were saved because Peter witnessed.
The Philippian jailer and his house were saved because Paul and Silas witnessed.
You were saved because someone witnessed to you.
According to the inspired Word of God, the lost CANNOT be saved without a witness. They must have a witness to hear, they must hear to believe, they must believe to call on Him, and they must call on Him in order to be saved. But – they CANNOT call until they believe, and they CANNOT believe until they hear, and the CANNOT hear without a witness!
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
we are not born with saving faith. it only comes when we hear the gospel. it is of utmost importance that every single born again child of god is obedient to the word of god.
Even children learn that plants and animals depend on one another. Plants release oxygen for animals to breathe, and plants make food—mostly sugar—for animals to eat. In turn, animals produce carbon dioxide so plants can grow using sunlight. This ecological interdependence shows enough divine design to inspire any honest thinker to consider a Creator, but a recently discovered interaction between pitcher plants and bats shows even more.1
Pitcher plants in tropical Borneo, the largest island in Asia, attract a particular species of bat to roost right inside their pitchers. The plants absorb nitrogen from the bat waste that drops to the bottom of the pitchers, and the bats enjoy comfy digs. Researchers already knew that pitcher plants in South American jungles grow flowers that attract bats for pollination, but the Asian version is unique. They give bats a safe place to roost during daylight hours. How do bats discern these preferred pitcher plants from the surrounding dense jungle foliage, and does the answer to that question help explain how this all might have evolved?
German specialists worked with biologists from Brunei, Borneo to track down the specifics on how pitcher plants attract bats. They published their results in Current Biology.2 The pitcher plants present concave reflectors that attract their bat buddies. Bats’ high-pitched sound waves bounce off the reflector, so it stands out against the drab-sounding jungle background. The pitcher’s sonic reflector has three other precise design features.
1. The plant’s reflector is situated just above the pitcher’s opening. To the bat, the reflector sounds very loud, but the opening below absorbs sound. The bats easily pick out this distinct contrast.
2. The area containing the reflector is larger than related pitcher plants that attract insects, increasing its sonic signal.
3. It reflects distinct sonic patterns on either side so that the bats can detect it from many angles.
The plant reflector’s size and side-reflecting patterns only work when a certain range of sound frequencies strike it. Of course, these exactly match the vocal range of these local bats, which happen to hold the record for highest frequencies of all bats so far measured. For more about animal sonar, watch our short video here.
How did all this interdependent fine-tuning happen? For a pitcher plant to construct the right size and shape reflector in the right place, it needs just the right building instructions in its DNA. And no number of high-pitched bat calls can somehow reach into plant-seed DNA and write new reflector construction code.
The Current Biology study authors wrote, “In the Neotropics, a few bat-pollinated plants found an efficient solution to attract bats by developing floral ultrasound reflectors, which enabled them to exploit the bats’ echolocation system.”2 But when is the last time a plant, animal, or any non-person willfully changed its DNA to solve an environmental challenge? Plus, how would these plants ever “know” about the benefits of bat guano’s nitrogen until after they already had fully formed bat homes to attract it?
The plants found no solution, developed no reflectors, and exploited no echolocation. People alone can perform these kinds of creative tasks, and the best example is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible.”3
Pitcher plant reflectors reflect creation—His creation—and this interdependent pitcher plant-bat system showcases the ingenious design within that creation.
References
Also, all animals either directly or indirectly get their necessary sugar energy from plants. See Demick, D. 2000. The Unselfish Green Gene. Acts & Facts. 29 (7): i-iv.
Schoner, M. G. et al. 2015. Bats Are Acoustically Attracted to Mutualistic Carnivorous Plants. Current Biology. 25 (14): 1911-1916.
Colossians 1:16a.
*Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
In the Bible, bats are considered “night birds.” They are mentioned as being unclean to eat, and are also mentioned as part of the end-times judgment. Bats are fascinating creatures in God’s creation. They testify of His wonders, and may we never tire of learning about Him.
Leviticus 11: 13And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; 15Every raven after his kind; 16And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, 17And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, 18And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, 19And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
Isaiah 2: 17And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 18And the idols he shall utterly abolish. 19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. 20In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; 21To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
The Scriptural use of bats relates to the spiritual darkness of man in the world. They fly only at night, which is the same domain of the spiritually lost. The light of the world is Jesus Christ, the god of this world is Satan, and there is no light in him. Lucifer is the false light. The light that the evil one emits, can be likened to the light given off by electric bug zappers. The insects fly towards the light, which deceives them into thinking it is the moon. But, the false light of the bug zapper, only leads to their destruction, just as the false light of Lucifer leads to man’s destruction.
Jesus is the Light of the World. As believers, we reflect His glorious light to a lost and dying world.
2 Corinthians 4:3-5
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.
A rainbow is a multi-colored arc that forms in the sky.
Rainbows are created by both reflection and refraction (bending) of light in water(Jesus is the Water of Life) droplets in the atmosphere, which results in a spectrum of light appearing.
A rainbow is in fact a full circle of light.(Jesus is the Light of the World)However, due to most people viewing a rainbow on the ground we only see a semi-circle or arc of the rainbow.
A rainbow is not situated at a specified distance, instead it will always be visible to a person at the precise angle freshwater droplets reflect the light which is 42 (6×7) degrees in the opposite direction of the sun.
A rainbow is not an object, it cannot be approached or physically touched.
No two people see the same rainbow, in fact even our individual eyes see slightly different rainbows. If someone appears to be standing under a rainbow you can see, they will see a different rainbow at the same angle but further away.
Rainbows can be seen not just in rain but also mist, spray, fog, and dew, whenever there are water drops in the air and light shining from behind at the right angle.
Sir Isaac Newton identified the 7 colors of the visible spectrum that together make up white light. All of which are present in a rainbow in the order red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (the acronym or name ROY G BIV is a good way to remember these colors and their order).
Most rainbows we see will be a “primary rainbow” whereby the color red can be seen on the outer edge through to violet on the inner edge.
The sky within a primary rainbow is brighter than the sky outside of the arc. This is due to the fact that the millions of droplets needed to make a rainbow are spherical and overlap to create white light. At the edge however, these colored discs don’t overlap so display their individual colors producing the rainbow arc.
A “double rainbow” is where a second, much fainter arc can be seen outside of the primary arc. This is caused by the light reflecting twice inside the water droplets. As a result of this double reflection the colors of the second arc are inverted with violet on the outer edge and red on the inner edge.
The dark, unlit sky between the primary arc and secondary arc is called Alexander’s band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it in 200 AD.
Very rarely, light can be reflected 3 or 4 times within a water droplet which produces even fainter tertiary (third) and quaternary (fourth) rainbows in the direction of the sun.
A “moonbow” is a rare lunar rainbow or night time rainbow produced by light from the moon. Our eyes see it as white even though all colors are faintly present.
A “fogbow” is formed by cloud and fog droplets, they are almost white with very faint colors visible. Fogbows are quite large and much broader than a rainbow.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
The light of the sun is made up of seven distinct colors as shown in the rainbow. In music, there are seven distinct notes. Seven is often referred to as God’s seal. It is the perfect number. The number of completion. The number seven speaks of Perfection, Completion, and Eternal.
There are “literally” thousands of “patterns of sevens” in the 66 Books of the Bible.
When we see or think of rainbows, let us be awestruck at His Holiness and Majesty. How insignificant we are in face of all creation. Truly, His ways are so far above ours, that it should bring us to a point of rapture just thinking about it all. How He reveals Himself to us through His creation, is thrilling beyond anything.
Psalm 8:2-4
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?
Psalm 139:5-7
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?
It has long been believed that hummingbirds existed only in the New World. But, recently, fossils of hummingbirds were found in a clay pit in Germany.
Scientists have now discovered two hummingbird fossils in a clay pit in southwestern Germany. These tiny fossils are remarkable in many ways. Until now, evolutionists claimed the earliest hummingbird fossils to be one million years old. The new fossils are said to be 30 to 34 million years old. While we would not agree with the evolutionary dating, we would expect the hummingbird fossils in Europe or Asia to predate those in the New World. Even more interesting is that the fossils suggest that these older birds are fully functional hummingbirds. Their wing bones are like those of modern hummingbirds, which suggest that they could hover and fly backward just like the hummingbirds we know today. Their beaks were twice as long as their skulls, suggesting that they drank nectar just like modern hummingbirds. In other words, there is no sign of any evolutionary development, another fact we would expect.
While the evidence for the history of hummingbirds is what we would expect, we do not need scientific evidence to uphold scriptural truth. We have God’s Word on it.
Creation Moments
PO Box 839
Foley, MN 56329
All things were made by Him;
and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
It was as recent as 120 years ago, that the ill and dying, were “bled,” to effect a cure. George Washington, regarded by many, as the greatest president the United States ever had, was bled to death.
There can be scarcely a doubt that the treatment of his last illness by the doctors was little short of murder. Although he had been bled once already, after they took charge of the case they prescribed “two pretty copious bleedings,” and finally a third, “when about 32 ounces of blood were drawn,” or the equivalent of a quart. Of the three doctors, one disapproved of this treatment, and a second wrote, only a few days after Washington’s death, to the third, “you must remember” Dr. Dick “was averse to bleeding the General, and I have often thought that if we had acted according to his suggestion when he said, ‘he needs all his strength— bleeding will diminish it,’ and taken no more blood from him, our good friend might have been alive now. But we were governed by the best light we had; we thought we were right, and so we are justified.”
We now know, that blood is the source of life, and that healthy blood is an absolute necessity to transport nutrients, and oxygen to every cell in the body. The Bible made the scientific statement 3,500 years ago – in Leviticus 17: 11, while scientists have really only begun to understand the significance of blood in the past 100 years. Only very recently, scientists have discovered two new blood types! See here.
The blood . . .
– carries on all the different body processees
– absorbs oxygen from the air, and carries it throughout the body
– collects Co2 and waste
– collects digested food from cilia in the intestines and distributes it
– grows new cells, bones, flesh, hair and nails
– sustains all organs
– repairs wounds, grows new flesh
– fights disease
If blood flow is cut off from the brain for only a few minutes, the brain is harmed to such an extent, that should the victim survive, there is permanent brain damage.
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called. . .1 Timothy 6:20
Men should stop treating feminists like ladies, and instead treat them like the men they say they want to be. [Phyllis Schlafly]
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.
Titus 2: 3-5
Let’s examine the phrase “keeper at home.” Some of what could be termed – New Age Bible Versions – have corrupted this passage to say something entirely different. Merely keeping a clean house – is not being a keeper at home. The keeper at home is something far greater than is commonly understood.
FROM THE GREEK, “KEEPER” IN TITUS 2 IS TRANSLATED FROM THIS WORD –
The same directive was given to Adam in the Garden of Eden – he was to“keep” the garden. It means something a great deal more than pruning! The Cheribum was to “keep” the way of the Tree of Life. With a flaming sword, no less! The same charge is given to women for their homes. It has ever been the desire of Satan to destroy the family – and one of the ways he does this is by changing God’s Words. The NIV version changes “keepers at home” to
to be busy at home
Think I am making too big of an issue over a few words? The change in context here is of gigantic proportion! That simple change, in the NIV, as well as others, has influenced Christians for the past generation, to abandon their children to the pagan shrines masquerading as schools, and thrust women into the unnatural role of competing with men. Even our seniors are being shuffled off to assisted living, because the “keeper at home” is not there to care for the elderly members of the family.
As the keeper at home – you are the guardian of your family. You are to be ever watchful for the welfare of your home, and its occupants. There simply is no more important job in the entire world. No where, and I mean no where, in the Holy Bible, the inspired Word of God, is this incredible responsibility given to men. Not in thousands of years of recorded history.
When you begin each day, have this thought in mind. You are the watcher, warder, guardian of your home. Not a mere housewife! You are the chatelaine of your castle, with all the commensurate responsibilities. Don’t let the media, politicians, or someone close to you diminish you and your desire to be obedient to the Lord. Your home is a fortress against the outside world, and you are its keeper! And the world, under the influence of the evil one, will attack with as much vengeance as an invading army. He will try to break down your door, infiltrate through a weak spot, smoke you out, and catapult destruction over the wall. The war machines you see in the above illustration are nothing compared to what he has in his arsenal.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6: 11
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Ultimate Banana Bread!
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (usually three)
2 eggs
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Spray 12 cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Stir just until blended. Pour into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes! (very important) Turn out onto rack to finish cooling.
As we enter into this all-important focus of Bible Doctrine, please take note of these three important imperatives:
There are seven irrefutable facts revealed in God’s plan of salvation.
It is God’s plan – not man’s.
There is no other plan that can save your lost soul and make you a child of God.
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Revisionist history states that the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, but that is not entirely true. It still exists, and is regrouping for the final phase of the story of the world. At one point, during its zenith – all roads led to Rome. And in a very real sense – all organized religions also lead to Rome – not to God and His salvation. There is only one way – God’s way. And, God’s Way is a Person; and the Person is His Son – Jesus Christ.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
GOD’S THREEFOLD PLAN OF SALVATION
I. Christ appeared here, on this earth, to save each and every one of us, from the penalty of sin. He accomplished this, by putting away our sins, through sacrificing Himself on the cross. Heb. 9:26 – For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
II. He then appeared in heaven, in the presence of God, after His resurrection, to save us from the power of sin. Heb. 9:24 – For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
III. Christ will appear again on this earth, for the second time, as “Lord of Lords and King of Kings,” to save us from the very presence of sin. Heb. 9:28 – So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Please come back, for an in depth, seven part study of – God’s Plan of Salvation.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
Esau’s pleading and tears could not undo what had happened. When he so casually sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage, he demonstrated to the Lord just how much he did not care for Spiritual things. His heart and head were filled with fleshly desires. Because of this, a seed of bitterness took root in his soul –
Hebrews 12:15-17
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Esau’s repentance was not genuine. He was grieving over what he had lost – not expressing Godly sorrow for what he had done. Children often think they are only wrong when they are caught. Esau was the same as a naughty child, only longing for the blessing, not desiring to be right with the Lord. We can be reminded of the many Replacement Theologists – who attempt to take for themselves all of the blessings promised to Israel – without desiring the conditional basis for the blessings. Many, many people only express sorrow for sin – when they are caught.
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Isaac predicts that Esau will continue in his warlike mindset – “by the sword thou shalt live.” Certainly, an ominous and accurate statement of where the descendants of Esau are to this very day. Esau ultimately allows his bitterness to turn to anger. Anger, when allowed to proceed unchecked, gives birth to hatred and fighting, and can even lead to murder. Today – the descendants of Esau – are still harboring enmity towards Jacob. Today – they call themselves Palestinians.
TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT! FOUR WRONGS ARE EVEN WORSE!!
Isaac was fully aware that God had told Rebekah even before the twins were born that “the elder shall serve the younger.” Isaac also knew that Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob. Despite that, Isaac chose to ignore these rather remarkable facts.
Rebekah attempted to anticipate God, whereby she instigated a terrible deception rather than waiting on the Lord to do His perfect work.
Esau could not have forgotten that he had sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. It would have been proper for him to remind his father of the event, and refuse the blessing outright.
Jacob deceived his father by lying, and acting out the lie that he was his brother Esau.
For a family with so much promise and blessing, they ended in a terrible mess. Esau’s future is described in Obadiah, some refer to this as “The Obadiah War.”
Obadiah 17-21
17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.
19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord‘s.
The unnamed servant has asked the Lord to reveal who the Bride will be – by volunteering to give water to the ten camels.
Genesis 24:15-27
15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.
19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.
20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
Camels have a series of physiological adaptations that allow them to withstand long periods of time without any external source of water.[17] Unlike other mammals, their red blood cells are oval rather than circular in shape. This facilitates the flow of red blood cells during dehydration[21] and makes them better at withstanding high osmotic variation without rupturing when drinking large amounts of water: a 600 kg (1,300 lb) camel can drink 200 L (53 US gal) of water in three minutes.[22][23] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel
That’s right ! 53 gallons of water for 1 camel!
53 gallons x 10 camels = 530 gallons of water!!!
Rebekah was not a sluggard! as the bride of the son of promise – she portrays the bride of jesus Christ – the church.
22 And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;
The unnamed servant gives precious gifts to Rebekah, gold bracelets and earrings, tokens of his master’s wealth. The Servant (Holy Spirit) gives tokens of the Father’s riches – endless joy, and boundless peace.
23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?
24 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
25 She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.
26 And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.
27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and His truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.
What an example the unnamed servant is to us! He was a faithful steward in every way. He looked after his master’s affairs as if they were his own. Unfaithful stewards will cheat and steal from their masters. In our own service to Christ, as faithful stewards, we must handle our talents, abilities, money, time, and opportunities as faithful stewards of God. In so doing, we will be rewarded for our faithful stewardship at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The unnamed servant also trusted God implicitly to help him meet his responsibility.
Luke 16:10
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Abraham has buried his beloved wife, Sarah, in the cave of Macpelah – which later became the family burial place for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not Ishmael and Esau!!!
Genesis 24 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Here the very aged Abraham, is adjuring his most trusted servant, to journey to the land of his birth, to find a bride for the son of promise. His instruction to place the hand under his thigh, is deep in covenant meaning. The thigh area is generalized in the Old Testament to mean the area of sexual reproduction, also playing significantly into the symbol of circumcision. It refers to the importance of the son of promise and his progeny – from which the Messiah would come.
Abraham also, in choosing the Gentile bride for Isaac portrays our heavenly Father choosing a Gentile Bride – the church – for His Son – the Christ. If Abraham had chosen a Canaanite bride for Isaac, imagine how differently things would have happened!
4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.
5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?
6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again.
This is a strong caution to the unnamed servant!
7 The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.
The son of promise, Isaac, is not to be brought to that land under any circumstances!
9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
Remember – the hand under the thigh refers to the blessed progeny of Abraham, through his covenant with God!
THE UNNAMED SERVANT IS THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTER OF GENESIS 24 –
Luke 16:10
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Why is the servant nameless? Because God chose for him to be nameless. A faithful servant never cares about promoting himself, his interest is solely in serving his master. The Holy Spirit never promotes Himself, but always exalts the Son of God.
10 And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.
12 And he said O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
This is very significant. The unnamed servant does not rely on his own perspicacity to find a bride for his master’s son. He relies on the God of heaven to do it all!
13 Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that Thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.
The unnamed servant states right here that if God is providing the bride, that God is showing kindness to Abraham – not the servant himself!
THE SERVANT (THE HOLY SPIRIT) SEEKS THOSE WILLING TO BELIEVE HIS MESSAGE (THE GOSPEL) EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THE BRIDEGROOM (CHRIST).
We will now see the fruit of Abram’s Sojourn in Egypt. Recall that it was a crisis in Abram’s faith that lead him to run to Egypt during a period of famine. Rather than fully trusting God’s promise – he went to Egypt, which represents the flesh. Even so, he came out of Egypt more full than when he arrived, which is testimony to God’s faithfulness, even in our time of weakness. But, Abram came out of Egypt with more than goods, he also brought home a slave girl named Hagar.
1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
Abram is now 85 years old, and he had arrived in Canaan 10 years previously. In our last devotional, Abram had suggested to God that perhaps he could obtain an heir though his servant – Eliezer. God said no. So what just happened in verse two? Abram did not consult the Lord – Abram heeded his wife. Many wives give very wise counsel; but in this case, Sarai’s manipulation was in direct opposition to God’s promise.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
Hagar conceives easily, and consequently feels superior to her mistress, Sarai. Now feeling the pain of her foolish and impulsive decision, Sarai complains to her husband, who then gives her permission to do whatever she wants to her maidservant. After harsh treatment – pregnant Hagar runs away.
7 And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
The Lord does not want us to run away from our problems.
10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
Here, Hagar is given the prophecy of the descendants of Ishmael her son, who will become some of the very same people in conflict with Israel today.
13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
Thou God seest me – for the first time, God is called “El Roi,” the God who sees.
14 Wherefore the well was called Beer–lahai–roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Genesis 16: 1-16
Again and again, the failure to trust in God’s solemn promises reap terrible consequences.
Ishmael is foreseen to be a “wild man,” and his hand is against everyone, meaning innate violence
Sarai tries to anticipate God – as if He needs help!
Abram gives his wife’s desires precedence over his covenant with God.
To this very day – almost 4,000 years later, the entire world is reaping the repercussions of this tragic episode.
And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. Genesis 12:10-13
Several things did not happen here, which should have. As we have observed faithful Abram over the past few weeks, his faith was in evidence. Where is it now? Where is the sacrifice?
He decides to go to well watered Egypt (river culture similar to Ur) to wait out the famine.
Rather than relying on God’s promises, he fears for his life based on the desirableness of his wife.
He predetermines to deceive the people he is sojourning with.
At this point, Abram and his caravan would be traveling from Beersheba to Egypt. In Scripture, Egypt represents the world (flesh). Seeking after it indicates broken fellowship with God. Rather than turning wholly unto YHWH in the test of the famine – his fear overcame him, and he attempted to anticipate the future, despite the fact that God had clearly stated that he would be blessed – in the promised land.
We will pause here, and examine Hurrian culture for a moment. It would not be unusual – for a man to be killed in order to seize his wife. Abram, passing Sarah off as his sister, would be able to stall for time to escape (during a long betrothal period) while the negotiations were taking place. During this time, Sarah would dwell safely with her “brother.” Aside from that – Sarah was without doubt – an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
These paintings are from the rock cut tomb of Khnumhotep II located between Upper and Lower Egypt at Beni Hasan, and made during the reign of Senusret II of the 12th dynasty (around 1880-1874 BC). The hair, beards, and clothing portray Semites from the area of Palestine. More than just a trading party, entire families with wives and children appear to be relocating to Egypt. They are well groomed and dressed in the colorful clothing of their heritage.
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
Genesis 12: 14-20
The consequences of Abram’s backsliding are so far reaching, it is breathtaking in scope.
Backsliding always begins by failing to trust God in some area of life
Backsliding then progresses to “departing” from the will of God.
Backsliding always reaps unpleasant results.
Today – the world still reaps the “crop” sown by Abram’s backsliding. While in Egypt, he bought a young slave girl named Hagar to be Sarah’s handmaid – who became the mother of the Arabs.
The seeds of unrighteousness always reap a bitter harvest of sorrow and grief for generations to come. Seeds of righteousness reap a bountiful harvest of blessings – for generations to come.
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1
And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
Modern biochemical analysis supports verse 19, in that through these three sons of Noah was the whole earth populated.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) indicates that all women have descended from a single woman, called mitochondrial Eve. This does not prove that she was the only woman alive at the time, but is consistent with it. High mutation rates indicate that this ancestor lived at about the time of the Biblical Eve as well.
[Carl Wieland, “Mitochondrial Eve and Biblical Eve are looking good: criticism of young age is premature” TJ 19(1) 2005, p. 57
This video is of Professor of mathematics, John Heffner, on the statistical evidence for the current world population.
And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
This is the first alcohol that was ever made. Before the flood – fermentation was impossible.
John Chrysostom, a church father, writes that Noah’s behavior is defensible: as the first human to taste wine, he would not know its aftereffects: “Through ignorance and inexperience of the proper amount to drink, fell into a drunken stupor”. Wikipedia
Which brings us to verse 22. Ham seeing “the nakedness of his father.” A great deal has been written on just what that means. My preferred method is to take the Scripture literally, and not put things in that aren’t there. Also – the best way is to use Scripture, to interpret Scripture.
We will take a short excursion into Leviticus, and see the Law.
7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness. Leviticus 18:7-8
Leviticus 18:8, specifically states that uncovering the father’s wife’s nakedness – is equivalent to uncovering the father’s nakedness. Back to Genesis:
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said,
Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Why was the curse on Ham’s youngest son?
The prevailing theory is that Ham simply saw his father’s nakedness. But that does not explain why the curse was on the youngest son, Canaan.
Some like to postulate that Ham committed great immorality, by the act of sodomy on his father. Scripture does not support this.
Here goes my take on this – supported by Leviticus 18.
Ham committed incest with his mother – and produced the cursed son – Canaan. I’m sure many will object to that idea, but Holy Scripture completely supports it. Please fire your best shots!!
8 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
Genesis 9: 18-29
Many evil people have misappropriated Genesis 9: 26-27, to justify the enslavement of black people throughout the centuries. It is still going on today in Africa, the Middle East, and in some cases – even here.
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: Acts 17: 24-27
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Replenish means to completely fill; to make replete.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Since creation, man’s diet has been the fruit of the ground, but now he is told to eat meat – with one exception – man was not to eat blood.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
The command to abstain from ingesting blood is again given in the New Testament, when the early Christians (Jews) were attempting to put Gentile Christians under the Law, but Paul replied that the Law was death – since no man could keep it. He gave these instructions for Christian dietary Law:
29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Acts 15: 29
The creation has become so altered and corrupted now, that some animals also begin to eat meat. God’s creation has now turned cruel, with an endless cycle of hunting and being hunted.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein. [Animals could not kill man; or man kill man -this is great emphasis on the fact that human life is sacred]
8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
For the first time since the dawn of time – man sees the rainbow. There were no rainbows before the flood, because it never rained before the flood. The symbol of the rainbow and the covenant it represents is so important – the father of lies has attempted to co-opt it with the New Age Religion.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember My covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth. Genesis 9: 1-17
This is God’s eternal promise to every living creature – man and beast – that the world would never be destroyed by flood again. While there is still regional and local flooding, but never again a worldwide flood.
When the heavens were opened to Ezekiel the prophet, 593 B.C., he saw the Glory of the Lord – 26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. Ezekiel 1: 26-28
John the beloved is taken in the spirit up to heaven – : 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
The beginning of Genesis 5, is a summary of what has gone before.
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him; 2 Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
Adam = of man- kind [Strong’s 120]
***Note to anyone witnessing to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. They often rely on the following verse to de-deify Jesus Christ and make Him a “created being.” It is a good idea to memorize the definition of the word – Adam. It means “of man-kind,” with kind being the operative portion of the definition. As Christ is the last Adam – those who are born- again, under His precious Blood are of His – kind – no longer of “man-kind.” The word Christian quite literally means – “of Christ.” Think back to the kinds that were established at the very beginning of Creation. This is very important doctrine! The truly saved of Christ are a different kind than the unsaved. Kinds can only bring forth after their own kind!
1 CORINTHIANS 15:45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. Genesis 5: 1-5
This chart demonstrates the family tree that is detailed in verses 6-22.
(Chart from Dark Mirrors of Heaven)
Worth picking out of the family tree – is Seth’s descendant – Enoch.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5: 21-24
And “he was not;” – What does that mean?
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11: 5
Only Enoch and one other man – Elijah – did not experience death. This is the same experience that believers still living at the time before the Tribulation will have.
16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52
If you are entranced by the esoteric “Book of Enoch,” I will state that I do not believe it to be the inspired Word of God. Anyone with good understanding of the King James Bible, upon reading the Book of Enoch would likely agree with me. For a good study on some of the obscurities I recommend this article by David J. Stewart. (though I disagree with Mr. Stewart strongly on origins!)
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life; Genesis 3: 14
Later Scripture reveals, that Satan was speaking through the serpent. Throughout history, it has been maintained that the serpent was very beautiful, and likely stood upright.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. II Corinthians 11:3
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. II Corinthians 11:14
This is the pivotal verse of the entire Book of Genesis:
and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shalt bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel, Genesis 3: 15
THERE HAS BEEN ONLY ONE DESCENDANT OF EVE, (SEED OF A WOMAN) NOT BEGOTTEN OF A MAN. JESUS CHRIST COULD BE BORN SINLESS, BECAUSE HE DID NOT INHERIT THE SIN- NATURE THROUGH A HUMAN FATHER.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5: 12
SIN IS PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE FATHER – NOT THE MOTHER – BECAUSE EVE WAS DECEIVED – ADAM WAS NOT
Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3: 16-20
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Genesis 3: 21
This image from the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, shows a horribly grief-stricken Adam and Eve. One can only imagine how they must have loved all of the animals. Their attempt to cover their sin with fig leaves was not accepted by God.
The covering for sin can not be woven with human hands [Gen. 3:7]. Before Adam and Eve’s very eyes, God took one of the innocent animals they loved (probably a lamb) and slew the animal as the ground soaked up its blood.
God, by His own hand, began what is know as “The Scarlet Thread of Redemption.” The story of atonement and sacrifice continues to unfold throughout the Word of God until Jesus, the Lamb of God makes the Atonement.
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also the tree of life, and eat, and live forever; Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the end of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 3: 22-24
[See Ezekiel 1, here, for a detailed description of “cherubim.” Not chubby, cute little cupids!!! ]
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good from evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3: 1-7
Do not think of the serpent as a repellent snake. The serpent could very well have been Adam and Eve’s favorite animal. Which is why Satan took the serpent as his disguise – and was there in the garden from the beginning. His whole plan was to sow seeds of doubt. This is also the reason he approached Eve, rather than Adam. The Bible states that women are the “weaker vessel.” – 1 Peter 3:7.
Satan used a three-pronged attack on Eve’s will:
lust of the flesh – “the tree was good for food.“
lust of the eyes – “it was pleasant to the eyes.”
pride of life – “ye shall be as gods“; “and a tree desired to make one wise.”
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2: 16
EVE IS DECEIVED – ADAM IS NOT. . .BUT THEY BOTH SINNED.
“Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:14
What happened when Adam and Eve took the fruit?
THEY BECAME SELF-CONSCIOUS, RATHER THAN GOD-CONSCIOUS.
“What the man and woman immediately acquired was the now predominant trait of self-consciousness. God-consciousness has been lost, and henceforth self-contemplation is to be the characteristic and bane of mankind, laying the foundation for those inner feelings for mental states comprehended under the term unhappiness, and for all the external strivings whereby effort is made to attain a better condition. “ John M. Gray, Christian Worker’s Commentary on the Bible
“Instead of seeking God and openly confessing their guilt, they attempted to conceal it both from Him and from themselves. Such has ever been the way of natural man.” Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis
It is still the plan of Satan to cast doubt on God’s Word. In seminaries, Sunday school classes, and Christian Colleges – the Word of God is questioned, critiqued, twisted, and even mocked. From the very beginning – it has been Satan’s method to lie, contradict, or cast doubt on the infallible, inspired, Word of God.
The narrative is continued – giving more detail. . .
GENESIS 2:4-7
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Many “higher critics,” have critiqued this passage, claiming that it is another story entirely. Some cultists go so far as to insert a different creation, and that God made it “over again.” Some have managed to discover that Adam even had a “first wife,” known in the occult world (Talmudic Judaism) as – LILITH. Rabbis think there are two conflicting creation accounts.
The fact is, that in many reference books, there is an introduction, or outline, and then the story is expanded on. The details given in the second chapter, are just that – details. This style of writing is especially prevalent in Oriental literature.
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom He formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2: 8-9
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
The name of the first is Pison; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havileh, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; and there is bdellium and onyx stone. And the name of the second river as Gihon; the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel; that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. Genesis 2: 10-14
Can it be determined where the original Garden of Eden was located? Not exactly. If it is understood that the original Creation was one giant land mass – we must keep in mind that things were greatly shifted about during the years following the flood. But – there must have been good reason for the Lord to give Moses such specifics as to its location. Detailed geographic descriptions like this are not given anywhere else in the Bible. Here is a map showing one possible location using the exact rivers named in Genesis, and taking into account land mass changes that have been recorded in ancient literature.
This is only one possible location – but it is interesting that geologists have determined that the Persian Gulf was once a dry river bed. Try to visualize the Middle East and Africa being even closer than they are – and you can understand how the second river – Gihon could compass Ethiopia. One scholar suggests that Gihon is the Nile, and that Gihon is a linguistic derivation of Giza. All of this makes Eden a much larger area than people usually conceive of in their minds.
One thing from the Garden of Eden will be found in the future –
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him:
4 And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29: 11
Does this look familiar? It is still being presented in children’s textbooks – despite the fact that ALL of the ancestral forms have been proven fraudulent. All of them.
Piltdown Man was “discovered” in 1912, and kept in textbooks until as late as 1967, even though it was proven to be a hoax in 1953. It consisted of the lower jaw bone of an ape, combined with a fully formed human skull, having teeth filed down, and stained to give the appearance of age. This was the “hopeful monster” presented to school children for 70 years.
Nebraska Man was formed from a single tooth in 1922. Henry Fairfield Osborn, of the American Museum of Natural History .
Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon Man was not primitive, had larger skull capacity than modern man has, made and played musical instruments, and buried their dead.
Peking Man apparently disappeared in China, with not a single bone preserved. Interestingly, one of the Peking Man “discoverers” was Teilhard De Chardin, implicated in the Piltdown hoax. Hmmm.
Java Man consists of a skull-cap and femur, which the discoverer, Dr. Eugene Dubois, later recanted and assigned the skull cap to a giant ape.
Heidelberg Man entire fossil consists of a lower jaw with teeth, plus a great deal of imagination.
Lucy has all the fossil bones of an extinct pygmy chimp, with the exception of the knee joint – which discoverer Donald Johanson admits was found over a mile away from the rest of the bones. ???
H.P. Yockey stated, “The current accepted … (evolutionist origin of life) … scenarios are untenable and the solution to the problem will not be found by continuing to flagellate these conclusions” (H. Yockey, 1992, Information theory and molecular biology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, GB. P. 289).
Nancy Touchette sums the current status of abiogenesis saying, “So far, none of the current theories have been substantiated or proven by experiment, and no consensus exists about which, if any, of these theories is correct. Solving the mystery may indeed take longer than the origin of life itself” (Nancy Touchette. 1993. Evolutions: Origin of Life. J of NIH Research 5:95).
A Reader’s Digest book – The Last Two Million Years , p. 12, is the typical story being presented to the public:
In Darwin’s time, there was little evidence to support his theory; but since then a whole chain of ‘missing links’ has been established by study of fossil bones at prehistoric sites.
Where is the “whole chain of missing links”? Where? Dates of 40 million years are tossed about without the least concern for proving anything scientifically.
“The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that ‘a tornado sweeping through a junk yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein’.”
Sir Fred Hoyle (English astronomer, Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University), as quoted in “Hoyle on Evolution”. Nature, vol. 294, 12 Nov. 1981, p. 105
The purveyors of human evolution have this goal in mind – to disprove the God of the Bible, and the Genesis account of creation. It is the work of Satan. . .
26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1: 26-28
Who is the “Our” in the above Scripture? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Just a few quick facts relating to six, the number of man:
There are approximately six quarts of blood in the human body.
That blood travels approximately 12,000 miles ( 2,000 x 6) in one day.
The average lung weighs about six hundred grams, and has capacity of six liters.
There are six hundred muscles in the human body.
There are six senses – seeing, hearing, smelling. tasting, touching, and equilibrium.
There are six primary systems in the body – skeletal, circulatory, muscular, nervous, digestive, and reproductive.
There are six major members – head, torso, arms, and legs. (The Quest for Truth, Michael Dedivionai, p. 88)
Man is the crown jewel of God’s creation. Out of all creation, only man has language, reasoning, and logic. Only man can appreciate beauty, and only man was created to have a relationship with his Creator. Man is not just a little above the apes – man was made in the image of God.
I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
“The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the unabridged dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing shop.” (Dr. Edwin Conkin, biologist, Princeton University)
“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23
Let’s examine a few of the incredible creatures created on the fifth day. This is a nudibranch, an animal with an unusual diet. Its primary food is sea anemones – which are covered with stinging cells, that usually explode at the slightest touch.
The nudibranch tears the anemones apart and swallows the stingers without exploding a single cell – but- they are not digested!! There are tiny tubes linking the nudibranch’s stomach to the waving spurs on its back. The stinging cells move from the stomach, through the tubes to the tips of the spurs. It can shoot them at anything that attacks. Logic question – How could this ability have been acquired gradually? All the animals would have been killed before “passing down” the mechanisms to make this stolen defense possible.
Truly a miracle of design, the hummingbird surpasses almost everything in the sky. The hummer is the only bird that can fly backwards, sideways, and hover. Their wings beat 80 strokes per second, their heart beats 1,000 times a minute. Here is the evolutionary conundrum – the hummer has no rods in its retina for night vision. What to do? Sleep, of course. But the hummer doesn’t sleep at night. It hibernates every single night, except when the female is nesting. It is true hibernation – with the body temperature dropping to conserve energy.
Even the most advanced military helicopters cannot match the hummingbird’s complex flight formation – which originates from the hummer’s shoulder. Question – how did the hummer’s beak, tongue, and wings develop simultaneously, without the birds starving to death first? In over 300 different species of hummer – at the same time?
THE VERY SIZE OF HUMMINGBIRDS MAKES THEIR SURVIVAL AN EVEN BIGGER ADVENTURE. HUMMINGBIRDS MUST EAT MORE THAN THEIR WEIGHT IN FOOD EACH DAY, AND THEY FULFILL THIS NEED BY EATING OFTEN. BECAUSE THEIR SURVIVAL DEPENDS CRITICALLY ON EATING FREQUENTLY MORE THAN ANY OTHER ANIMAL – THEY CONTINUALLY FACE THE DANGER OF STARVING. (HUMMINGBIRDS.NET)
Impossible. How could the hummer evolve its wings, tongue, and bill, (all at the same time) which are necessary to eat – while taking millions of years to form – if it has to eat its weight every day?
We have all been victims of science classes, where artist’s conceptions have been presented in the form of : 1. the geologic column (which exists nowhere in the world) 2. Haeckel’s Embryos (proven fraudulent) and 3. whatever hopeful monster your particular generation is presented with. Likely you were also taught that coral reefs took millions of years to develop.
“Little has been discovered of the growth rate of reefs by direct measurement. Shuiter found that a new reef established in Krakatoa after the eruption of 1883 had grown to a thickness of 20cm, in five years, or 4cm per year. Other investigators have estimated reef growth at 0.1 to 5 cm per year.” (Juenen,P.H. Marine Geology, p. 421)
As evolutionary theory slides further and further down the slippery slope – a new crop of “thinkers,” has cropped up. Those, like Richard Dawkins, who believe that the earth was “seeded” by intelligent life from somewhere else in the universe. Knowing now, that even a leaf is too complicated to have evolved , they find that hopeless idea more palatable than the truth.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:11
For centuries the understanding of the first day of creation has caused mass confusion. In my first post in this series, I demonstrated that the “light,” created by God that first day was the electromagnetic field – not the sun. As we follow along chronologically, the second day the waters were divided and the firmament installed, the third day the seas and land were separated and vegetation appeared. And here is where day-age theorists run into trouble.
If the plants were created on the third day – how did they photosynthesize for 1,000 years or more until the sun was created on the fourth “day?”
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years; And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; He made the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; And God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:13-19
Just some quick facts for evolutionists to ponder. If the planets and their 72 known moons evolved from the same materials – should they not share similar characteristics?
All planets should spin in the same direction, but Venus, Uranus, and Pluto spin backwards.
All 72 moons in our solar system should orbit their planets in the same fashion, but 8 are known to orbit backwards.
The orbits of these 72 moons should lie in the equatorial plane of the planet they are orbiting, but there are many that have inclined orbits, including our own moon.
Our sun is about 98% hydrogen or helium. If Big Bang and planetary evolution are true – the closest planets to the Sun, Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury should share the same composition, but they don’t. The four closest planets to the Sun are less than 1% helium or hydrogen.
More from the Bible – “As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David My servant, and the Levites that minister unto Me.” Jeremiah 33:22 This was written at a time when only 5,000 stars were visible to the human eye. Since the invention of the telescope in the 17th century, today astronomers estimate there are at least ten thousand billion trillion stars.
God knows how many stars there are – “He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names.” Psalm 147:4
Until the 16th century, geocentricity was the widely held belief, but 3,000 years ago it was written in the Word that. . .
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His (the sun’s) going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit ( the sun’s) unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. Psalm 19:4-6
Each star is unique –
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. 1 Corinthians 15:41
“Let the waters under the heaven be gathered unto one place. God called the dry land Earth and the gathering together of the waters called He seas.” Genesis 1: 9-10
For 50 years, scientist Alfred Wegener was ridiculed for proposing the idea of continental drift. Today, due to great advances in submersible technology – the ocean floor proves that the landmasses have been ripped apart. It is now generally acknowledged by evolutionists – that at some point – (in their view 200,000,000 years ago) the continents were in one huge land massknown as Pangaea.
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.” Genesis 1: 11-13
Here is a black walnut leaf under electron microscope – a structure so complex, that if just one leaf appeared through evolution, it would be a mind boggling, impossible statistic.
There are over 20 different kinds of amino acids that are the foundation of all proteins – the building blocks of life – plant, animal, and man.
These amino acids are linked, end to end to form a single structure called a macromolecule. Just one living cell holds over 30,000 proteins in different configurations. The 500 amino acids that are in an average protein can be arranged in 1 x 10 to the 600th power.
The simplest form of life, bacteria, consists of over 600 varying protein molecules. The probability that just one, of the 600 molecules could form by chance is – 10 to the 527th power.
And the author of the phrase “big bang,” Professor Sir Fred Hoyle stated –
“Precious little in the way of biochemical evolution could have happened on the earth. If one counts the number of trial assemblies of amino acids that are needed to give rise to the enzymes, the probability of their discovery by random shufflings turn out be ‘less’ than 1 in 10 to the 40,000th power.”
[that’s the number 1 followed by forty thousand zeros]
( The Quest for Truth, Michael Dedivonai, p. 6)
“The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.” Psalm 95: 4
The Vine Vigil 
