ADAM, EVE AND NOAH VS MODERN GENETICS

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This is an important, in fact, critical topic for the creation model. The world does not look at the Bible in a favorable light. In fact, it disparages it, sometimes with open hostility. Attacks are often centered on the claim that the Bible is not reliable on historical grounds, and if the history of the Bible is inaccurate, what about the theology? Think about what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:12, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” Many people today see no history in the Bible; therefore, the spiritual implications are meaningless to them. What would happen to evangelism if the history of the Bible turns out to be true after all?

It comes as a surprise to most people to hear that there is abundant evidence that the entire human race came from two people just a few thousand years ago (Adam and Eve), that there was a serious population crash (bottleneck) in the recent past (at the time of Noah’s Flood), and that there was a single dispersal of people across the world after that (the Tower of Babel). It surprises them, even more, to learn that much of this evidence comes from evolutionary scientists. In fact, an abundant testimony to biblical history has been uncovered by modern geneticists. It is there for anyone to see if they know where to look!

For our purposes, the most important places to look are in the Y chromosome (which is only found in males and which is passed on directly from father to son) and in the mitochondrial DNA (a small loop of DNA that we nearly always inherit from our mothers only; males do not pass it on to their children). These two pieces of DNA record some startling facts about our past.

The evolutionary map of world migrations is startlingly close to the biblical account of a single dispersal of people from Babel. The evolutionary “Out of Africa” theory tells us there was a single dispersal of people, centered near and travelling through the Middle East, with three main mitochondrial lineages, with people traveling in small groups into previously uninhabited territory, and that all of this occurred in the recent past. Every item in that list is something directly predicted by the Tower of Babel account in the Bible. (Image http://www.mitomap.org).

Over the last decade, a vast amount of information has been collected that allows us to answer questions that we could not even consider earlier. The tools of modern genetics allow us to specifically ask questions about history, for our genes carry a record that reflects where we came from and how we got to where we are. The tools at our disposal are powerful.

Creation and genetics

There are two brief passages in the Creation account we can use to draw some conclusions about human genetic history. Please note that we cannot use these verses for land animals (because we do not know how many of each kind were initially created) or any of the swimming critters (“with which the waters abounded”—Genesis 1:21). These statements apply to people only:

“And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.” Genesis 2:21–22

These simple statements have profound implications. They put a limit on the amount of diversity we should find in people living today. The Bible clearly says the human race started out with two people only. But how different were these two people? There is an intriguing possibility that Eve was a clone of Adam. The science of cloning involves taking DNA from an organism and using it to manufacture an almost perfect copy of the original. Here, God is taking a piece of flesh, with cells, organelles, and, importantly, Adam’s DNA, and using it to manufacture a woman. Of course, she could not be a perfect clone, because she was a girl! But what if God had taken Adam’s genome and used it to manufacture Eve? All he would have had to do was to leave out Adam’s Y chromosome and double his X chromosome and, voilá, instant woman!

I do not know if Eve was genetically identical to Adam. The only reason I bring this up is because we have two possibilities in our biblical model of human genetic history: one original genome or two. Either result is still vastly different from the most popular evolutionary models,2 but we need to discuss the range of possibilities that the Bible allows.

Your genome is like an encyclopedia (almost literally). And, like an encyclopedia, the genome is broken down into volumes, called chromosomes, but you have two copies of each volume (with the exception of the X and Y chromosomes; women have two Xs but men have one X and one Y). Imagine comparing two duplicate volumes side by side and finding that one word in a particular sentence is spelled differently in each volume (perhaps “color” vs “colour”). Can you see that if Eve was a clone of Adam, there would have been, at most, two possible variants at any point in the genome? If Eve was not a clone, however, there would have been, at most, four possible variants at any point in the genome (because each of the original chromosomes came in four copies). This still allows for a lot of diversity overall, but it restricts the variation at any one spot to 2, 3, or 4 original readings.

Does this fit the evidence? Absolutely! Most variable places in the genome come in two versions and these versions are spread out across the world. There are some highly variable places that seem to contradict this, but most of these are due to mutations that occurred in the different subpopulations after Babel.

There are indications, however, that Eve may not have been a clone. The ABO blood group is a textbook example of a gene with more than two versions.3 There are three main versions of the blood type gene (A, B, and O). However, many, but not all, people with type O blood carry something that looks very much like a mutant A (the mutation prevents the manufacturing of the type A trait on the outside of cells). So here is a gene with more than two versions, but one of the main versions is clearly a mutation. This is true for many other genes, although, as usual, there are exceptions. The important take home point is that essentially all of the genetic variation among people today could have been carried within two people, if you discount mutations that occurred after our dispersion across the globe. This is a surprise to many.

The Flood and genetics

Like in the Creation story, there are only a few verses in the Flood account that help us with our model. But as seen before, these verses are profound. About 10 generations after Creation, a severe, short bottleneck occurred in the human population. From untold numbers of people, the entire world population was reduced to eight souls with only three reproducing couples.

“So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.” Genesis 7:7

“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth… These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.” Genesis 9:18–19

We can draw many important deductions from these statements. For instance, based on Genesis 7 and 9, how many Y chromosomes were on the Ark? The answer: one. Yes, there were four men, but Noah gave his Y chromosome to each of his sons. Unless there was a mutation (entirely possible), each of the sons carried the exact same Y chromosome. We do not know how much mutation occurred prior to the flood. With the long life spans of the antediluvian patriarchs, it may be reasonable to assume little mutation had taken place, but all of Creation, including the human genome, had been cursed, so it may not be wise to conclude that there was no mutation prior to the Flood. The amount of mutation may be a moot point, however, for, if it occurred, the Flood should have wiped out most traces of it (all of it in the case of the Y chromosome).

How many mitochondrial DNA lineages were on the Ark? The answer: three. Yes, there were four women, but the Bible does not record Noah’s wife as having any children after the Flood (in this case, girl children). And notice the claim in Gen 9:19, “These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.” This is a strong indication that Noah’s wife did not contribute anything else to the world’s population. With no prohibition against sibling marriage, yet,4 one or more of the daughters-in-law may have been her daughter, but this does not change the fact that, at first glance, we expect a maximum of three mitochondrial lineages in the current world population. There is a chance that there will be less, if there was very little mutation before the Flood or if several of the daughters-in-law were closely related. At most, we do not expect more than four.

How many X chromosome lineages were on the Ark? That depends. If you count it all up, you get eight. If, by chance, Noah’s wife passed on the same X chromosome to each of her three sons (25% probability), then there were seven. If Noah had a daughter after the Flood (not expected, but possible), there could be as many as nine X chromosome lineages. Either way, this is a considerable amount of genetic material. And since X chromosomes recombine (in females), we are potentially looking at a huge amount of genetic diversity within the X chromosomes of the world.

Does this fit the evidence? Absolutely! It turns out that Y chromosomes are similar worldwide. According to the evolutionists, no “ancient” (i.e., highly mutated or highly divergent) Y chromosomes have been found.5 This serves as a bit of a puzzle to the evolutionist, and they have had to resort to calling for a higher “reproductive variance” among men than women, high rates of “gene conversion” in the Y chromosome, or perhaps a “selective sweep” that wiped out the other male lines.6 For the biblical model, it is a beautiful correlation and we can take it as is.

The evidence from mitochondrial DNA fits our model just as neatly as the Y chromosome data. As it turns out, there are three main mitochondrial DNA lineages found across the world. The evolutionists have labeled these lines “M”, “N”, and “R”, so we’ll refer to them by the same names. They would not say these came off the Ark. They claim they were derived from older lines found in Africa, but this is based on a suite of assumptions (I discussed these in detail in a recent article in the Journal of Creation7). It also turns out that M, N, and R differ by only a few mutations. This gives us some indication of the amount of mutation that occurred in the generations prior to the Flood.

Let’s assume ten female generations from Eve to the ladies on the Ark. M and N are separated by about 8 mutations (a small fraction of the 16,500 letters in the mitochondrial genome). R is only 1 mutation away from N. This is an indication of the mutational load that occurred before the Flood. Given the assumption that mutations occur at equal rates in all lines, about four mutations separate M and N each from Eve (maybe four mutations in each line in ten generations). But what about R? It is very similar to N. Were N and R sisters, or perhaps more closely related to each other than they were to M? We’ll never know, but it sure is fascinating to think about.

One more line of evidence crops up in the amount of genetic diversity that has been found within people worldwide. Essentially, much less has been found than most (i.e., evolutionists!) predicted. The general lack of diversity among people is the reason the Out of Africa model has humanity going through a disastrous, near-extinction bottleneck with only about 10,000 (and perhaps as few as 1,000)8 people surviving. However, the reason for this lack of diversity is twofold. First, the human race started out with only two people. Second, the human race is not that old and has not accumulated a lot of mutations, despite the high mutation rate. Third, there actually was a bottleneck event, Noah’s Flood!

The Tower of Babel and genetics

Could it be possible that there is evidence to back up this tale of rebellion and judgment? Like the Creation and Flood accounts, there are only a couple of verses that apply to our model of genetics. But, like the others, these verses are as profound as they are simple.

“Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” Genesis 11:1

“And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’” Genesis 11:4

It sounds like they were in a homogenous culture, but what do people in that situation do? Would you expect them to mix freely? Were language or cultural barriers present that would have prevented the sons of Shem from marrying the daughters of Japheth? Would the daughters of Ham be expected to marry freely with the sons of any of the three men? Note in Gen 11:4 that they knew about the potential for spreading out and getting separated from one another and intentionally did the opposite! However, this was against the express command of God, who had ordered them to spread out (to populate the earth). So, He took matters into His own hands.

“’Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.” Genesis 11:7–8

There are tremendous implications that come from the Babel account. First it explains the amazing cultural connectivity of ancient peoples—like pyramid building, common flood legends, and ancient, non-Christian genealogies that link people back to biblical figures (e.g., many of the royal houses of pagan northern Europe go back to Japheth, the son of Noah).

The dramatic rise in world population over the past several decades is a well known fact. From a biblical perspective, the current human population easily fits into the standard model of population growth using very conservative parameters.10 In fact, starting with 6 people and doubling the population every 150 years more than accounts for the current human population (a growth rate of less than 0.5% per year!). Population size would have increased quickly given the rate at which the post-Flood population reestablished agriculture, animal husbandry, industry and civilization. So we must ask the question, “Why are there so few people in the world today?” The answer is that the world is young and we have not been here many thousands of years.

When did the dispersion occur? Our best clue about the timing of the event comes from Genesis 10:25. In referencing the 5th generation descendent of Shem, a man named Peleg, it says, “in his days the earth was divided.” To what is this referring? Many people believe this is referring to a division of the landmasses (plate tectonics). This may be true, but it would require a huge amount of geologic activity after the Flood, and this would have occurred in historical times with no record of the events. The interpretation I favor is that this passage is referring to the division of people at Babel. Just a few verses after the Peleg reference, the section is summed up with another reference to the division at Babel. This fits both the context and the science. In context, Peleg was closely associated with Babel.

How large was the population at the time? We would expect rapid population growth, but we cannot know exactly. There are 16 named sons born to the three brothers, Shem, Ham and Japheth. If we assume about the same number of daughters, Noah had on the order of 30 grandchildren. At that rate of growth, there would have been about 150 children in Salah’s generation, about 750 in Eber’s generation, and about 3,750 in Peleg’s generation. Of course, these generations overlap, etc., so let’s say there were between 1,000 and 10,000 people alive at the time of Babel. This fits nicely with the available data. It is a high rate of growth, but wars and disease had yet to start taking their toll.

There is one more verse in this section that we need to discuss:

“These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.” Genesis 10:32

At Babel, God did not separate the nations according to language. He used language to separate them according to paternal (male) ancestry! This has monumental significance and is the key to understanding human genetic history.

Do you see the implication in this simple verse? At Babel, God did not separate the nations according to language. He used language to separate them according to paternal (male) ancestry! This has monumental significance and is the key to understanding human genetic history. Paternal sorting would lead to specific Y chromosome lineages in different geographical locations. Since males and females from the three main families should have been freely intermixing prior to this, it also leads to a mixing of the mitochondrial lines. It is as if God put all the people into a giant spreadsheet and hit a button called “Sort According to Father.” He then took that list and used it to divide up and separate the nations.

We already saw that Y chromosomes have little variation among them. We now add the fact that this little bit of variation is almost always geographically specific. That is, after the nations were separated according to Y chromosome, mutations occurred in the various lines. Since the lines were sent to specific geographical areas, the mutations are geographically specific. The current distribution of Y chromosome lines is a tremendous confirmation of the biblical model.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) adds another confirmation. We have already learned that there are three main lineages of mtDNA. We now add the fact that these three lineages are more or less randomly distributed across the world. Also, the various mutations within each of the three main families of mtDNA are geographically specific as well.11 In other words, as the three mixed mitochondrial lines were carried along with the Y chromosome dispersal, each line in each area began to pick up new mutations, just like we would predict.

After the Flood

The last remaining significant reference in the Bible that will help us build our model of human genetic history is called The Table of Nations. It is found in Genesis chapters 9 and 10. The Table of Nations is a record of the post-Babel tribes, who they descended from, and where they went. If the Bible is an accurate source of history, one might expect to be able to find a significant amount of evidence for the Table of Nations in genetic data. The truth is not that simple, however, and it is important to keep several things in mind. First, the account was written by a person in the Middle East and from a Middle Eastern perspective. It is incomplete in that there are huge sections of the world that are not discussed (sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Europe, Most of Asia, Australia, the Americas, and Oceania). It also reflects a snapshot in time. It was written after the dispersion began, but not necessarily before the dispersion was complete. Indeed, much has changed in the intervening years. People groups have migrated, cultures have gone extinct, languages have changed, separate cultures have merged, etc. The history of man has been full of ebb and flow as people mixed or fought, resisted invasion or were conquered. The history of man since Babel is very complicated. Modern genetics can answer some of the big questions, but answers to many of the smaller details may elude us forever.

From an article Adam, Eve and Noah vs Modern Genetics by Dr Robert W. Carter http://www.creation.com/noah-and-genetics

ACCOMPLISHED PSYCHIATRIST SAYS DEMONS AND DEMONIC POSSESSION ARE REAL

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In a book he says is aimed at the well-educated with an interest in the subject, accomplished psychiatrist and professor, Dr. Richard Gallagher, delivers compelling findings from his decadeslong career to make a compelling case that demons and demonic possession are real phenomena.

For many Christians, Gallagher’s findings presented in his 272-page book, Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal, first published in the fall of 2020, could simply be treated as an acknowledgment of what the Bible has been telling them for centuries.

“In my experience, the idea of demonic possession is so controversial and so often misunderstood that I want at the outset to establish some scholarly plausibility to the notion along with my bona fides,” the board-certified psychiatrist, who serves as professor of psychiatry at New York Medical and a psychoanalyst on the faculty of Columbia University, begins in the introduction of his book.

“Typical reactions to the topic reflect our nation’s polarization. Despite widespread belief in evil spirits in the United States and around the world, some people find the subject farfetched, even moronic. Yet others spot the devil everywhere. And so, here I detail my personal story and highlight the credibility of possessions while simultaneously offering some sober reflections on various exaggerations and abuses.”

Gallagher, who is Catholic, is the longest-standing American member of the International Association of Exorcists which meet every two years in Italy.

He begins his narrative with the story of a troubled devil-worshiper named Julia who he concluded was possessed after an exorcist in the Catholic Church brought her to him for evaluation before attempting an exorcism.

“Before I encountered Julia, I had already seen about eight or nine cases of what I regarded as full possessions. I define those as cases where the evil spirit completely takes control of someone, such that the victim has periods when he or she has no remembrance of such episodes,” Gallagher writes. “I have since seen scores more such possessions and a much higher number of cases of oppression, which are far more common than possessions. Because of my involvement with the International Association of Exorcists, I have heard reports of hundreds more of each type, but that hardly implies they are anything but rare conditions, as I still know them to be.”

Gallagher highlights stories about the manifestation of demonic powers like levitation and remote viewing where possessed individuals like Julia can, for example, communicate what someone is doing and where they are doing it despite being a hundred miles away.

“Julia demonstrated to me very clearly that she could see, for instance, the chief exorcist at a distance [even though] he was 100 miles away,” Gallagher explained in an interview with The Christian Post at his home last Thursday.

“She could describe him to a tee and what he was doing which was unusual for his normal routine. There’s no way she could have guessed that. If one is familiar with occult literature, one realizes that there are occultists, people [who] have turned to dark arts who claim they have a third eye, and that they can see things from a distance, this is an analogous phenomenon,” he continued. “She had this paranormal ability to do that. And she was very clear as to where she got that ability.

“People have tried to study these things for years without reaching much in the way of a conclusion. Human beings don’t have those abilities on their own. They either get it from below or from above,” Gallagher added. “Julia recognized that and she recognized that she got these paranormal abilities from Satan himself.”

Gallagher explained that while he remains committed to science, he has found that all knowledge cannot be explained by science.

“I do want to emphasize in all that I write and say, that I am committed to science, that scientific methodology has immensely helped the human race,” he said. “But not all knowledge can be verified by lab experiments and that sort of thing. Most of what we’re talking about when we talk about religious truths, and certainly this field of the demonic, is essentially historical knowledge. It’s observations and observations about historical facts can be true or false, depending on the credibility of the witness, depending on how sensible seems the reports of these phenomena,” he noted.

“But that doesn’t make it unscientific because it’s historical. We talk about Washington crossing the Delaware …, most people would say that’s knowledge. And, in a similar way, these reports, of demonic phenomena and exorcisms and that sort of thing, it is a type of genuine knowledge, which is what the word science originally meant. It meant knowledge, it didn’t mean only the scientific method,” he explained.

“There are certain personality disorders which are consumed with feelings and thoughts of destructiveness for instance, borderline personality, but there are even people who are sociopaths, what we would normally call criminals, who deal with very evil and sinful tendencies all the time. I do not regard those people as possessed. Those people may be influenced as all human beings are, by temptation from evil spirits, but I don’t think we should go around acting like we can cure them with deliverance or that they have some serious possession.”

Despite all the mental health disorders with a brain-based foundation, says Gallagher, he still wants people to understand that the findings he records in his book bear witness to the existence of the demonic.

“I tell people, you don’t have to believe what Dr. Gallagher writes, you know, there are people who write these books and makeup stuff. My book was 100 percent accurate. All I did was change the names of people,” he said.

“Paul, when he went to Corinth, which is, I suppose, a little bit like a preacher from Kansas, going to San Francisco or something. He said, ‘Look, I saw the resurrected Christ. But you don’t have to believe me, there are 500 other people, most of whom are still alive, you can get their witness too.’

“And of course, many of those people suffered and died for their beliefs, including the resurrected Jesus. So, there are other psychiatrists who believe exactly the way I do, they’re just a little maybe more reluctant to speak out, or they just haven’t seen as many cases as I have. Nobody just has to believe my book,” he added. “Go out and learn about it from many other faithful people who have recorded their own experiences.”

LESBIAN WOMEN’S STUDIES PROFESSOR COMES TO CHRIST

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This video is about former lesbian women’s studies professor Rosaria Butterfield story of coming to Christ, In this video interview Beckett and Rosaria cover sexual orientation as a modern construct, Christian hospitality, and much more. It takes a look at three of her books, “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert,” “Openness Unhindered,” and “The Gospel Comes with a House Key.” This conversation will pull you in, encourage and enlighten you. Rosaria brings so much wisdom to the topic of homosexuality. This important episode is a MUST WATCH.

Only God could change a person so radically as happened with Rosaria Butterfield. Testimonies of changed lives are powerful.

DEFENDING BIBLICAL FAITH

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Only churches that can defend Biblical faith will survive. The Bible clearly presents the following as historical events that we need to defend as miraculous events of God’s making:

  1. God created the universe in six twenty-four-hour days simply as a pattern for how man is to live. Six days we are to work and the seventh day is a day of rest and a day to worship our Creator God.
  2. Adam and Eve were created in God’s image to be in a relationship with Him. Death and separation from God were God’s judgment as a result of Adam and Eve’s SIN (rebellion against God’s command).
  3. Just 1600 plus years after creation sin had become such a problem that God judged humankind’s SIN again this time with a worldwide flood destroying all humankind and animal kind except those on Noah’s Ark.
  4. God established the nations when He confused the languages at the Tower of Babel.
  5. God established His nation; Israel was established for God’s purposes and it is yet to fully achieve those purposes. The fact that it was rebirthed as a nation in 1948 is a sign God is in control of His Story.
  6. JESUS enters history (B.C. and A.D. ) to provide humankind with a way back into a right relationship with God. He paid the price for our rebellion against God. The penalty for rebellion was death and Jesus died on our behalf so that all those that accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are born again with the Holy Spirit to enable them to live a Christian life and be assured of resurrection to eternal life. First, the resurrected Saints will serve with Jesus for 1000 years (Millennial Kingdom) on this earth. Then the White Throne judgment, after which, there will be a new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell.
  7. God has given us His Word by inspiring His prophets and apostles to write the Bible. Its authenticity is proved by the fact that much of it is now fulfilled prophecies and we are now seeing many end times prophecies being fulfilled in our time.

Fortunately, God has established the following ministries to equip us to defend all of these seven historical truths:

  1. Creation Ministries International (CMI) http://www.creation.com
  2. Answers in Genesis http://www.answersingenesis.com
  3. Creation Research http://www.creationresearch.net

In particular, I personally recommend and use the Creation Magazine when I talk to a non-believer who raises evolution as an objection to accepting Biblical truth. Become a subscriber; go to http://www.creation.com

Can I suggest you watch out for a post I intend to do entitled Answering the Skeptics: No Evidence for God.

TRUTH EXISTS WHETHER OR NOT ANYONE BELIEVES IT

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“If there is no absolute beyond man’s ideas, then there is no final appeal to judge between individuals and groups whose moral judgments conflict. We are merely left with conflicting opinions.” —Francis Schaeffer

What did Jesus say when Pontius Pilate asked if he was a king? “ ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate.

“Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” John 18:37

Of all truths in the universe, the most important is the truth of who Jesus is. After all, Truth is not merely an impersonal moral standard. It is a living Person who loved us so much He bears on His hands eternal scars because He rescued us.

“Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life” John 6:47

The phrase “Truly I tell you” appears 79 times in Scripture, 78 times spoken by Jesus. He is the Truth, and He tells the truth. We can fully trust everything He says. His promises are written in blood.

Truth claims are exclusive. Jesus didn’t say He was a truth, but “the truth”. If someone says Jesus isn’t the primary truth, then either he’s wrong or Jesus is.

If we grasp this truth, we’ll undergo the ultimate paradigm shift: without Christ, any sacrifice we make is worthless. We are miserable without Jesus. Nothing we have can satisfy us. And even if it did, we couldn’t hold on to it.

When we hear Jesus tell us to take up our crosses and follow Him and say we should lose our lives for His sake, we’re tempted to think, “Too hard, I will never be happy.” But in fact, Jesus is saying our short-term sacrifices for Him are a means to an end, and that end is true and abundant life: “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

Scripture is full of disheartening diagnoses, including that “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” Jeremiah 17:9

But the Great Physician must tell us this hard truth so we can say,

“Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).

The Physician also promises,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Words that at first may sting us deeply don’t mean we are without hope, only that we cannot cure ourselves. But God has provided the cure:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Eternal life is not found by believing in just any god but by believing in the “only true God.” False gods, both religious and secular, litter the landscape. “Jesus prayed, ‘Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’” (John 17:3). The only true God is the one who sent the only true Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus gives us more than eternal existence. He gives us eternal life: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 2:4-6

This great truth all hinges on the person and work of none other than Jesus.

God’s best and most perfect gift to us is Jesus Himself.

“All things were created through him and for him…and in Him, all things hold together” Colossians 1:16-17

How can we be anything less than optimistic? Our optimism is based squarely on realism: Jesus is real, atonement is real, resurrection is real, and Jesus soon coming Millennial Kingdom is real. The Gospel really is “good news.”

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

JUDGEMENT IS COMING UPON NATIONS THAT TURN AWAY FROM GOD

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DEADLY STORM SYSTEM BARRELS ACROSS THE U.S.A

Overall, there were reports of 69 tornadoes across eight states including Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service. More than 400,000 homes and businesses were without power as of 7 a.m. EDT Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.

Power Outages across the midwest

Homes were ripped off their foundations, storefronts shattered, vehicles tossed like Matchbox cars and, in Belvidere, Illinois, the roof of a theater collapsed during a concert, killing one person and injuring 28.

Seven people died in Tennessee’s McNairy County. At least five people lost their lives in Arkansas, where there was extensive damage in the Little Rock metro area. Two deaths were reported in Crawford County, Illinois, and three were confirmed in Indiana’s Sullivan County. One person died in Madison County in northern Alabama and one in Pontotoc County, Mississippi.

Coralville, Iowa tornado damage

The toll appeared to be highest in Arkansas, where officials in Pulaski County announced a confirmed fatality in North Little Rock. There were also four deaths in Wynne, Arkansas. At least 40 people were injured in the Little Rock area, and five of them were in critical condition.

O​ne person was also killed when the roof collapsed at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois. Two others died in Illinois, three deaths were confirmed in Indiana, and one in Alabama. Dozens of homes have been wiped out, storefronts destroyed and vehicles, including semitrailers, tossed like toys.

The storms were part of an outbreak of severe thunderstorms that took aim at a wide area of the Midwest and South.

This follows massive earthquakes that have killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria and previously in Haiti in 2020 and 2021.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake kills up to 5,000 people across Turkey and Syria

The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria on Monday morning (afternoon AEDT), levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland. It was quickly followed by a powerful 7.6 quake and dozens of after-shocks that wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region filled with millions who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts.

A global food crisis

Conflict, economic shocks, climate extremes, and soaring fertilizer prices are combining to create a food crisis of unprecedented proportions. As many as 828 million people are unsure of where their next meal is coming from. We have a choice: act now to save lives and invest in solutions that secure food security, stability, and peace for all, or see people around the world facing rising hunger.

An expected 345.2 million people are projected to be food insecure in 2023 – more than double the number in 2020. This constitutes a staggering rise of 200 million people compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. More than 900,000 people worldwide are fighting to survive in famine-like conditions. This is ten times more than five years ago, an alarmingly rapid increase. An immediate response is needed. The global community promised to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030. 

Signs of the End of the Age

“There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Mark 13:8b

“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:7

“There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.“ Luke 21:11

The Coming of the Son of Man

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:29-31

MORE ON HUMILITY

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This post follows my post The Power of Humility, posted five days ago. Humility is relying on God, rather than on ourselves, in the sure knowledge that He gives the grace (the ability to succeed) to the humble (James 4:6). When we see God act, it increases our sense of security and makes us aware of His presence with us. We become aware that the One acting on our behalf is giving us the very thing which we have been unable to grasp for ourselves. It is the meek (humble) who will inherit the land, rather than those whose hope is based on power, rights, skills, or privilege.

“But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” Psalms 37:11

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

To act meekly, trusting God alone, is profoundly counter-cultural and very different from seeking to reach our ‘full potential’ as independent autonomous entities. Pride engenders self-reliance; humility frees us from total dependence on our insights and abilities.

Humility is sometimes portrayed as involving the adoption of a negative view of ourselves, but in fact, humility releases us to be who we really are, without the need for pretense. It engenders self-acceptance and saves us from having to construct a false self to convince ourselves and others that we are worthy of acceptance, love, and admiration. Our true self is potentially less impressive than we would like to be but is more peaceful, less self-absorbed, and easier to be with. Thomas Merton puts the heart of the matter quite succinctly: ‘In order to become myself I must cease to be what I always thought I wanted to be’. We do not need to aspire to be more gifted, good-looking, athletic, or intelligent than we already are. Humility is a great blessing, as it frees us from the need to be defensive about our shortcomings. It releases us from our desire to dominate others so that we feel superior; we don’t have to impress friends and colleagues to get the recognition we crave.

Humility, accepting our limitations, enables God to work through us more effectively and it puts us in good company. The Gospels, Mark’s in particular, intentionally highlight the way the disciples always seemed to get hold of the wrong end of the stick, often compounding their incompetence by suggesting a foolish course of action. When Jesus speaks metaphorically they take it literally and vice versa. The good news is that if God could use them so powerfully, despite their obvious limitations, then he can use us as well. His power really is made perfect in our weakness.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Walking humbly with your God now will prepare you for reigning with Jesus in His soon-coming Millennial Kingdom. It no doubt will determine the role that Jesus assigns to you.

Humility creates community. Rather than being a sign of weakness, being humble requires a certain strength. Humility takes much more courage than pretending that we are something we are not.

In the Millennium glorified believers will mediate Jesus’ rule throughout the earth acting as civil and criminal magistrates and judges and spiritual guides and leaders in all aspects of the Kingdom: worship, politics, health, education, business, art, sport etc.

ALL-OUT WAR ON CHRISTIANS IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

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If you think it is the norm that men and women are fully interchangeable, that marriage is open to any combination, and that killing babies is just peachy, then you will fit in just fine with the Victorian Labor Party, the Herald Sun, and all those of the secular left.

Late last year in the Herald Sun there was a horrific hatchet job on the newly elected Liberal politician Moira Deeming. Her crimes, she thinks it is a crime for babies to be murdered in the thousands; marriage is between a man and a woman; and males cannot become females and vice versa. Oh, and worse yet, she is a biblical Christian! So crucify her already. We can NOT allow such horrible people to be anywhere near our political process. Sack her now!!

As a former high school teacher, Ms. Deeming has critiqued the education sector in Victoria since her win at last year’s state election. In one email, Deeming said that she did not win her Liberal preselection on “merit”, rather it was an act of divine intervention. “I did not win (Liberal Party preselection) on merit … I won because God arranged it,” she said.

Now her own Liberal party wants her sacked despite the fact she was the only new liberal candidate to win a seat at the last election. Liberal leader John Pesutto put forward an expulsion motion condemning Ms Deeming for allegedly organizing, promoting, and attending the anti-trans rights rally headlined by controversial British activist Posie Parker. Ms. Deeming addressed the Let Women speak event on March 20, which saw anti-transgender inclusionary activists and LGBTQI+ advocates clash before Nazi sympathizers hijacked the event. Ms. Deeming publicly denied any extremist associations and condemned the demonstrations.

A two-hour Liberal Party meeting at Parliament House on Monday resulted in a nine-month suspension for Ms Deeming. It is a sad day for free speech and a sad day for women – women Moira was seeking to champion. For daring to let women speak, she is now in the political wilderness – at least for three-quarters of a year.

This is just one more example to confirm the Biblical prophecies that in the end times prior to Jesus’ return there will be increased persecution of Christians, in fact as the following prophecy indicates Christians will be hated and eventually killed because they will not take the mark of the Beast (Antichrist).

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

Are you and your church ready for what is coming? You cannot say God did not warn you. As I have said many times on this website, there are over 1800 Biblical prophecies of Jesus’ second coming. There were 300-plus prophecies of Jesus first coming to earth and the Pharisees and Sadducees totally missed it. Sadly, there are many more prophecies of His second coming and the church at large is missing it. For the last 12 years the Lord has prompted me and many other Christians to get back to God’s Word. I was fortunate that almost 40 years ago now God connected me with Creation Ministries (CMI); they helped me overcome my stumbling block; belief in evolution that is taught as fact in our schools and universities. CMI showed me that the scientific evidence supported Creation and the Biblical account of history far better than evolution and billions of years. The geologic evidence supports catastrophe not slow gradual change of uniformitarianism. Millions of dead things, buried quickly all over the world as evidenced by fossils and fossil fuels; coal, oil, and natural gas are evidence of the truth of Noah’s flood, The first time God poured out His wrath upon the world. The time is coming soon when He will pour out His wrath again with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. The world needs to be told this is coming. It is called apocalyptic evangelism.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD: PART 2

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My first post on Fear of the Lord listed many Scriptures on the blessings we can expect if we fear the Lord. I was blown away by how many there are. Moreover, they are so important I decided to list them below this post just in case you missed reading them. Even if you did read them it is worth reading them again, they are so encouraging.

The Bible makes it clear we are all called to “Fear of the Lord“. As we are told in the Psalms the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

What promises? In the preceding verses, we were told that when we repented of our sins and were baptized; dying to self, being born again by the Holy Spirit. we are now “the temple of the Holy Spirit“. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live a holy life.

“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24

This scripture was spoken by Samuel to the people of Israel. Jesus had not paid the price for our sins back then so Samuel was speaking to people who had not received the Holy Spirit and yet expected the people to serve Him because of the miracles He had performed to establish them as His nation in the Promised Land.

“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” Luke 12:5

BLESSINGS FOR THOSE THAT FEAR THE LORD

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! Psalms 34:9 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,” Psalms 25:14 “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” Psalms 103:11
“The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” Psalms 147:11
“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” Psalms 33:18
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” Psalms 103:13
“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” Luke 1:50 “O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” Psalms 34:9
“He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” Psalms 145:19
“Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.” Psalms 85:9
“The fear of the Lord leads to life: and he that has it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” Proverbs 19:23
“The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.” Psalms 34:7
“You that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.” Psalms 115:11
“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:26-27
“The fear of the Lord prolongs days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” Proverbs 10:27
“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.” Proverbs 22:4
“Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Proverbs 15:16
“Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for them that fear you; which you have wrought for them that trust in you before the sons of men!” Psalms 31:19
“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord; that walks in his ways. For you shall eat the labour of your hands: happy shall you be, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of your house: your children like olive plants round your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that fears the Lord. The Lord shall bless you out of Zion: and you shall see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, you shall see thy children’s children, and peace be upon Israel.” Psalms 128:1-6 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:2-5

Those that fear the Lord will be raptured, glorified and return with Jesus to rule and reign with Him during His Millenial reign on this earth.

GOD GAVE US MANY BIBLICAL END-TIMES PROPHECIES

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God gave all of his prophets a picture of the future that God had in store for them. There are at least 1800 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming. God wanted to prepare us for the soon coming time of tribulation when God will purify His church as He allows Satan to rule and reign for 3 1/2 years through the Antichrist (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 below).

In the case of the O.T. prophets, they were given the future of their nation Israel that God had established for His purposes. They all saw their prophesied Messiah (Jesus) ruling the nations from a magnificent Jerusalem in the land of Israel with the borders that God had specified to Abraham. This is Jesus’ Millennial reign on this earth prior to its destruction, the second resurrection, the White Throne judgement, and finally the new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell. It is a transition period, we have had 6000 years of Satan’s rule and we will soon have 1000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning the nations with the glorified Saints.

The Saints will be resurrected and those living raptured just prior to God pouring out His wrath upon the earth with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. As I have covered before, a number of times, the rapture occurs after the celestial signs at the end of the sixth year (sixth seal) of the final seven years (70 the Week of Daniel). The wrath of God lasts one year and ten days, the length of time of a Jewish year that precedes a Jubilee year. God’s wrath at the time of Noah’s flood also lasted one year and ten days.

The N.T. apostles were given prophecies like the two below, to Peter and Paul. Jesus gives us far more detailed information in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 & 25, Luke 21, Mark 13) and Revelation. I will cover those in a future post.

“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:2-7

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God… And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“ 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12