WHEN DID SATAN REBEL AGAINST GOD?

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The Scripture Ezekiel 28:12-15 (below) indicates Satan was in the garden of Eden when He first sinned against God. The three major passages that deal with the fall of Satan: Genesis 3, Isaiah 14, and Ezekiel 28, in all three, Satan is in the Garden of Eden, and God pronounced the immediate judgment of being cast to the ground and the future consequence of his slander.

His rebellion was prompted by God giving sovereignty over the Cosmos to Adam. Satan became enraged by the notion that he, the great Angel, must be a servant to Adam, made of dust. So the root of jealousy and bitterness began festering within him.

Satan came to Adam and Eve as God’s chief steward, prime minister, and high priest who oversaw everything and was charged with protecting the sacred place they occupied. They had no reason to question his motives. They had known him since the day of their creation. Therefore, Satan could come to them in his unfallen, glorious state and they listened.

Adam and Eve were childlike in understanding the great cosmos, and their wisdom could not compare to Satan’s. Satan was charged with watching over the creatures made of dust, guiding and serving them in any way needed. This obviously brought out the worst in him.

Adam and Eve ejected from the Garden of Eden

Satan’s deadly, slanderous weapon was a simple question: “Has God indeed said? (Genesis 3: 1). This tiny question was an insidious, but subtle slander of God’s character. He was asking, can you really trust what God said? Next, he lied about the consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3: 4), and then proceeded to truthfully tell the purpose of the tree: to be like God.

Satan subtly slandered God in the Garden of Eden because he did not want to serve anyone, but instead wanted all to serve him. He persuaded Adam and Eve to curse themselves. He used slander to incite Adam to eat the fruit God forbade, knowing Adam would “surely die” (Genesis 2: 17), and he would subsequently commit all his progeny to perpetual death (Romans 5: 12; 1 Corinthians 15: 21– 22). Adam’s transgression caused an imbalance, a debt, a legal lien upon the Earth which must be balanced or paid.

“You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings.
On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:12-15

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:12-14

DEFENDING THE BIBLICAL WORLDWIDE FLOOD

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How Large Was Noah’s Ark? The length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. (Genesis 6:15) Unlike many whimsical drawings that depict the ark as some kind of overgrown houseboat (with giraffes sticking out the top), the ark described in the Bible was a huge vessel. Not until the late 1800s was a ship built that exceeded the capacity of Noah’s ark.

The dimensions of the ark are convincing for two reasons: the proportions are like that of a modern cargo ship, and it is about as large as a wooden ship can be built. The cubit gives us a good indication of size.1 Using the most likely cubit length, an ancient royal cubit of at least 20.4 inches (0.518 m), we know that the ark must have been no less than 510 feet (155 m) long, 85 feet (26 m) wide, and 51 feet (16 m) high. In the Western world, wooden sailing ships never got much longer than about 330 feet (100 m), yet the ancient Greeks built vessels at least this size 2,000 years earlier. China built huge wooden ships in the 1400s that may have been as large as the ark. The biblical ark is one of the largest wooden ships of all time—a mid-size cargo ship by today’s standards.

A Korean study was performed at the world-class ship research center (KRISO) in 1992. The team of nine KRISO researchers was led by Dr. Hong, now the research center’s director-general. The study confirmed that the ark could handle waves as high as 98 feet (30 m) and that the proportions of the biblical ark are near-optimal—an interesting admission from Dr. Hong, who believed in evolutionary ideas. The study combined analysis, model wave testing, and ship standards, yet the concept was simple: compare the biblical ark with 12 other vessels of the same volume but modified in length, width, or depth. Three qualities were measured—stability, hull strength, and comfort.

The Biblical verse below tells us Noah didn’t have to search or travel to faraway places to bring the animals on board. The world map was completely different before the flood, and based on Genesis 1, there may have been only one continent. The animals arrived at the ark as if called by a “homing instinct” (a behavior implanted in the animals by their Creator) and marched up the ramp themselves.

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.” Genesis 6:18-20

Juveniles of even the largest land animals do not present a size problem, and, being young, they have their full breeding life ahead of them. Even most dinosaurs were not very large — some were the size of a chicken (although absolutely no relation to birds, as many evolutionists are now saying). Most scientists agree that the average size of a dinosaur is actually the size of a bison. As far as the number of different types of dinosaurs, it should be recognized that, although there are hundreds of names for different varieties (species) of dinosaurs that have been discovered, there are probably only 60–80 different kinds.

Was Noah’s Flood Global? “And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.” Genesis 7:19–20

Noah’s flood was much more destructive than any 40-day rainstorm ever could be. Scripture says that the “fountains of the great deep” broke open. In other words, earthquakes, volcanoes, and geysers of molten lava and scalding water were squeezed out of the earth’s crust in a violent, explosive upheaval. These fountains were not stopped until 150 days into the flood—so the earth was literally churning underneath the waters for about five months! The duration of the flood was extensive, and Noah and his family were
aboard the ark for around a year.

Scientists once understood the fossils buried in water-carried sediments of mud and sand—to be mostly the result of the great flood. Wanting to debunk the Bible and the worldwide flood of Noah’s day, Charles Lyell of Darwin’s era introduced the ideal of slow gradual change over millions, now billions of years. Geologists now realise the evidence for catastrophism is everywhere. It can be seen all over the earth, from seabeds to mountaintops. Whether you travel by car, train, or plane, the physical features of the earth’s terrain clearly indicate a catastrophic past, from canyons and craters to coal beds and caverns. Some layers of strata extend across continents, revealing the effects of a huge catastrophe. The earth’s crust has massive amounts of layered sedimentary rock, sometimes miles (kilometers) deep! These layers of sand, soil, and material—mostly laid down by water—were once soft like mud, but they are now hard stone. Encased in these sedimentary layers are billions of dead things (fossils of plants and animals) buried very quickly. The evidence all over the earth is staring everyone in the face.

There are hundreds of stories and legends about a worldwide flood. Why do diverse cultures share a strikingly similar story?
Did you know that stories about a worldwide flood are found in historic records all over the world? According to Dr. Duane Gish in his popular book Dinosaurs by Design, there are more than 270 such stories, most of which share a common theme and similar characters. So many flood stories with such similarities surely come from the flood of Noah’s day.

Stories of the flood—distorted though they may be—exist in practically
all nations, from ancient Babylon onward. This evidence must not be lightly dismissed. If there never was a worldwide flood, why are there so many stories about it?

The reason for these flood stories is not difficult to understand. When we turn to the history book of the universe, the Bible, we learn that Noah’s descendants stayed together for approximately 100 years until God confused their languages at Babel (Genesis 11:1–9). As these people moved away from Babel, their descendants formed nations based on the languages they were given by God. Through those languages, the story of the flood was shared until it became embedded in their cultural history.

The Bible declares that the earth-covering cataclysm of Noah’s day is an obvious fact of history. People “deliberately overlook this fact, that . . . the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished” (2 Peter 3:5–6). The flood left much evidence—from the fact that over 70% of the rocks on continents were laid down by water and contain fossils to the widespread flood legends. Both of these evidences provide compelling support for this historical event.

God clearly sent a worldwide flood to punish humankind for their evil and corrupt ways (Genesis 6:5, 11). Even though flood-affirming evidence from geology and other areas of study is abundant, we don’t need this evidence to know what happened. Starting with the Bible and the history that God faithfully recorded there, Christians have a tool to interpret the evidence that evolutionists and non-Christians do not. We have the record of what happened from the one who was there.

Get all this information and more in a free booklet, Noah’s Ark – A Biblical and Scientific look at the Genesis account produced by Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org)


USA PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROMOTE A GODLESS AGENDA

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A new documentary, “Brainwashed: The Indoctrination of America’s Youth,” warns that public schools promote a “godless” agenda. It calls on parents and churches to “wake up” and help today’s youth develop a biblical worldview. The godless, evolutionary worldview has been taught in schools and universities increasingly since the late 1960s (the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) that Arkansas‘s law prohibiting the teaching of evolution was in violation of the First Amendment)

In an interview with The Christian Post, Coral Ridge Ministries CEO Robert J. Pacienza said the documentary’s target audience includes parents, grandparents, and “anyone concerned about the next generation.”

Pacienza told CP the documentary took about a year to make. He said he was inspired to make the film after seeing various reports about the messages America’s youth receive not only through social media and the entertainment industry but also at public schools and college campuses.

According to a report the advocacy group Parents Defending Education released last year, more than 1,000 school districts, representing 18,335 schools with more than 10.7 million students, have policies that permit or advise faculty to withhold information from parents about their child’s gender confusion. 

Another study released last year found that around 3,600 individuals between the ages of 12 and 18 underwent body-disfiguring gender transition surgeries across the United States between 2016 and 2020. 

In addition to raising concerns about what schools are teaching kids about gender, the documentary discusses school curricula centered on social-emotional learning, which some experts featured in the film argued is used to push “left-wing politics” in the classroom. 

The documentary notes that while schools promote politics and social justice topics, many students fail at fundamental subjects like reading, writing, and math.

“I just thought we needed something that is waking people up to what is happening,” Pacienza told CP. 

Pacienza said that one of the documentary’s goals is to provide parents with “real action steps” in response to what he described as “propaganda” from the progressive left. These steps might include limiting kids’ exposure to digital devices and having more conversations with them around the dinner table.

“So it’s not just a documentary that exposes the problem, but it also gives Christian parents and Christian grandparents and any Christian in America that cares about the next generation real tools and resources to help them fight against this godless agenda that’s targeting the youth in America,” Pacienza said.

Sadly, the documentary does not address the issue of evolution and billions of years which contradicts the Bible’s history of 6000 years. The worldwide flood of Noah’s day produced the fossils: billions of dead things all over the world, including fossil fuels. It did not need billions of years.

http://www.answersingenesis.org and http://www.creation.com provide essential resources for dealing with the issue of evolution and billions of years.

ARCHAEOLOGY DISCOVERIES CONFIRM THE BIBLE’S HISTORY

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Secular archaeologists have spent 200 years attempting to establish that the Bible is a collection of mythology and Jewish/Christian propaganda, yet archaeological evidence is more consistent with the Bible as an accurate historical document. In Unearthing the Bible, Dr. Titus Kennedy isolates and illuminates 101 archaeological discoveries that buttress the thesis that the Bible is a reliable historical record by the traditionally recognized authors at the traditionally accepted times they lived.

Kennedy’s book should be in the hands of everyone serious about the historical study of the Bible. Sketching 101 intersections between God’s Word and archeological evidence, Kennedy crafts a sturdy structure of information and argument that makes clear that belief in the truth, accuracy, and reliability of the biblical narrative is not merely possible, but it is sensible and rational. Indeed, it takes a full dose of willful blindness and/or intellectual dishonesty to refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy and implications of some of these artifacts. Complete with photographs and translations of ancient inscriptions, a helpful principle of organization, and explanations that are clear and coherent, the book is a genuinely useful tool. No fair-minded reader can deny the book’s success in demonstrating that ancient events left behind extensive evidence that the biblical narrative is accurate.

As Kennedy notes on page 9, “The Bible has been routinely attacked and disregarded based on history or archeology.” Unearthing the Bible challenges those attacks and dismissals head-on. The book cites the biblical passages related to each artifact, anchoring the archaeological context with the date and location of each piece’s discovery, a note on the biblical period in question, keywords, and citations of related biblical passages. The reader’s sense and understanding of the relevance of each artifact to the scriptural record grows as the array of archaeological discoveries increases in number and characteristic. In the end, a reader hostile to a biblical worldview may still ‘attack’, but ‘disregarded’ is no longer an option.

In some cases, Kennedy cites a piece of archaeological evidence not as demonstrably connected to a specific biblical character, but as proof that a particular name was, in fact, in use at a particular time. On pages 38–39, Kennedy points out that

“27 scarab seals bearing the name ‘Yaqob’ (Jacob) and the element ‘El’ (perhaps meaning ‘protected by God’) have been discovered in Egypt, Canaan, and Nubia, dating to around 1800–1600 BC.”

sumerian-king-list
Sumerian King List dating back to about 2000 BC

He notes that this period is in line with the time of Jacob’s migration to Egypt, but that the name was not used either before or after this time. Without trying to make more of the evidence than the evidence allows, Kennedy points out that it is significant that the archeological evidence of the name’s use corresponds dramatically with the biblical account.

Altogether, Kennedy cites 19 cases of names used at a time in the Bible that corresponds with the time that a particular name was in common use. This list contains both Old and New Testament names. Some of these cases have made the popular press, such as the ‘James Ossuary’ described on pages 224–225. This may, or may not, be the same “son of Joseph and brother of Jesus” that we know in the Bible, but, because all three names are in their proper timeframe and could be common, it certainly is possible.

Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archaeological Discoveries that Bring the Bible to Life is a valuable Bible study tool, but, beyond that, Kennedy’s book is a collection of convincing illustrations that scientific evidence does not contradict God’s Word. Just as biology, geology, chemistry, and physics are consistent with the Bible, the evidence found in archaeology is consistent with the Bible. Moreover, fulfilled Bible prophecies demonstrate its authors were divinely guided by the Holy Spirit.

TIMELY MOVIE ON THE BIBLICAL WORLDWIDE FLOOD OF NOAH’S DAY

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Noah’s Ark & Flood Movie in Select Theaters in the U.S.A. March 20–21, 2024. The movie site states:

There is a tale over 4,000 years old, preserved in ancient writings from every major culture around the world. Many thought it was only a myth, but recent discoveries confirm what the Bible has said all along. From the Director of Genesis: Paradise Lost, Sevenfold Films and Genesis Apologetics present The Ark and the Darkness. Geology, paleontology, the fossil record, ancient history, volcanism, earth science—all of these scientific fields converge on one simple truth: Noah’s Flood actually happened. Join the team of scientists from Answers in Genesis and Liberty University as they reveal the truth about Noah’s Flood.

A Christian creationist group in California (Genesis Apologetics) released the new movie on the flood called The Ark and the Darkness that will have limited showings in a number of movie theaters across the nation on March 20–21.

This is a documentary-style movie with some impressive animation, and it features various interview segments with a number of creation scientists, including some from Answers in Genesis (such as AiG’s geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling, paleontologist Dr. Gabriela Haynes, and researcher and speaker Dr. Terry Mortenson).

FROM NIMROD TO THE ANTICHRIST, SATAN’S LAST WORLD LEADER

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The coming Antichrist’s One World Government will be put down by Jesus on His return at the battle of Armageddon, Jesus then initiates His One World Government. The nation God established for His purposes, Israel, will fulfill its destiny with its Messiah, Jesus, ruling the nations of the world.

It is amazing how the Bible reveals that mankind has not changed and down through the ages God’s arch enemy, Satan has raised up his rulers to deceive mankind and destroy God’s agenda which centers around the nation, Israel, The nation that God established for His purposes. In my lifetime the most horrific leader that Satan raised up was Adolf Hitler. He initiated the destruction of six million Jews, many were shot but mainly they were killed in gas chambers. At the height of deportations in 1943–44, an average of 6,000 Jews were gassed each day at Auschwitz.

You will learn from this video that Satan’s first world leader after the flood was Nimrod who built the Tower of Babel and we know how God put down that rebellion. The only true history of this world is given in the Bible, the nations that exist today arose from the descendants of Noah.

IMPORTANCE OF GENESIS 1 TO 11 TO EXPLAINING EARTH’S HISTORY

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I have been involved with Creation Ministries International (CMI) since 1982. It was Creation Science back then and Ken Ham (now Answers in Genesis) was the joint founder of the organization with John McKay (now Creation Research Centre).

I became a Christian in 1982 as a result of attending a Creation Science weekend conference. I am a pharmacist by profession and was taught evolution at school and Sydney University. The only reason I attended the conference was because Professor John Rendle Short then professor of Pediatrics at Brisbane University was a speaker at the conference. I knew the man as he was working on a project with Ross Laboratories, the pediatric division of Abbott Laboratories. I was the General Manager of Abbott Laboratories, Hospital Products Division at the time. I was intrigued that he was a speaker at a Creation Conference. I made a commitment to follow Christ when I was eleven years old but fell away as a result of evolution. The Bible no longer made any sense to me, as it taught man was there at the beginning, at creation. In fact, it taught a young Earth and God judged mankind with a worldwide flood that destroyed all but the eight people on Noah’s Ark and it changed the topography of the entire world. The world denies God judged the world with a worldwide flood and adds billions of years to Earth’s history to allow time for their theory of evolution.

Noah’s Ark replica at Answers in Genesis Kentucky. It is made to the Biblical shape and dimensions.

I came away from that Creation Conference understanding that there is no mechanism for evolution: natural selection cannot do it. It only selects from what is already there, it does not create anything. The only other mechanism offered by evolutionists is mutation and yet mutation is loss of information it does not add information which is what would be necessary to take you from GOO to YOU. I was so annoyed with myself for having accepted evolution as fact without looking at the evidence and even more concerned that universities and schools are teaching evolution as fact. It took about six months before I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

I started supporting Creation Science at that time realizing how essential it was to uphold the inerrancy of God’s Word (the Bible). When Ken Ham obeyed God’s call to the USA, he asked me if I would take on the leadership role of Creation Science. I owned Christian Press at the time, a leading distributor of Christian books and resources in Australia. I declined because the Lord had just led me, and my team, to start Care & Share Products to take Christian products into the secular market and to work with Missions in third-world countries to develop Fair Trade products. Carl Weiland eventually took on leadership at what became Creation Ministries International (CMI) He was God’s man for the job and he like Ken Ham achieved remarkable results for the Kingdom of God. You will learn about Ken’s astonishing story in this video.

MORE EVIDENCE FOR A YOUNG EARTH

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In 1980, Mount St. Helens (in Washington State, USA) erupted, blasting the top and side off the mountain. Then, as volcanoes do, it began to rebuild. In 1992, samples of new volcanic rock—KNOWN to be only about 10 years old—were dated using standard radiometric dating techniques (3 samples from the same rock, 350,000 years, 900,000 years, and 2,800,000 years). The results were eye-opening. Radiometric dating is not all it’s cracked up to be! In fact, it’s fair to ask: “Can radiometric dates be trusted at all?” Join geologist Dr Tas Walker for a discussion of the Mount St. Helens eruption and its aftermath, the fundamental flaws in radiometric dating methods, and the relevance of the age of the earth to people’s view of the world.

TIMESTAMPS ⌛ 00:00 Teaser 00:40 Introduction: What’s the deal with Mount St. Helens? 02:33 Dating rocks from Mount St. Helens 04:34 Assumptions underlie radiometric dating 05:57 Three samples, three dates: 350,000 – 2.8 million years 07:36 Story-telling accompanies radiometric dating 11:10 How can we get ACCURATE dates? 12:29 How were the Mount St. Helens dates received? Handling objections 17:05 Carbon dating gives good evidence for a YOUNG earth! 18:37 The only way to be sure of the age of something 19:58 Different kinds of radiometric dating 21:19 Radiometric dating seems so SCIENTIFIC – How can it not be right? 23:00 What to do when the dates don’t fit the expectations 27:56 Is it okay to publish dates/perspectives that don’t match existing expectations? 31:51 The age of the earth is a critical part of people’s worldview 33:38 So, what do long-age geologists think of Mount St. Helens? 35:55 Other lessons from Mount St. Helens: 36:09 → Geologic layers can be deposited rapidly 36:59 → Erosion can happen rapidly 38:02 Geologists are now more accepting of catastrophism, but won’t let go of long ages 39:17 In conclusion: The age of the earth matters to both the biblical and the naturalistic worldviews

GOD’S INTENT FOR THE CHURCH

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God’s intent for the Church has always been that it be a place where lost people get found and the broken get put back together — a place filled with “weres” who are learning to build new lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It’s time for surveys to tell us that churches are breaking new ground and being filled with those from broken families, broken relationships, and broken lives. But they should also tell us churches are doing all they can to break the downward cycle of family dysfunction and restore health to marriage and fatherhood. Only then can people step into the life God has for them, and only then can they be part of God’s heart for breaking new ground through the power of the Gospel.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes …” (Romans 1:16).

In Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he reminded them they had “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God …” (I Thessalonians 1:9). When he took the Gospel to the city of Ephesus, many who engaged in sorcery and pagan worship left their ways to follow Jesus (Acts 19: 19, 23-27). The survey question, “How many of you came from families that practiced sorcery and idolatry?” Would have had embarrassing results. Yet Heaven was smiling as new ground was being broken.

But the city of Corinth tops them all: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:9-11). That must have been quite a congregation! New ground was being broken.

“Churches must work to restore healthy marriages and fatherhood to combat a growing decline in Christianity, according to a survey released by a faith-based group.” The article went on to detail how the decline in resident fatherhood and the collapse of marriage are likely explanations for the increase in religious non-affiliation throughout the United States.

God’s roles for males and females need to be restored. Male leadership in the home and church is clearly laid out in God’s Word but it like most of God’s commandments has been jettisoned by an unbelieving world. Fortunately, God tells us in His Word that this would be the case and the only solution is for Jesus to return and restore righteousness by ruling and reigning the nations with a rod of iron, and this He will do for 1000 years with the resurrected Saints. Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom is a transition period prior to God establishing a new Heaven and new Earth where only the righteous dwell. Whilst Satan is bound for most of the thousand years. In the end, God allows him to be released and astoundingly he is still able to raise an army of rebellious people like the sand of the sea to come against Jesus and the Saints. The rebellion is promptly put down and this earth and heaven are destroyed. A second resurrection occurs of those unbelievers who were not raised at the first resurrection and all those who died during the Millennium. Jesus White Throne judgement follows. Only then does John see a new Heaven and a new Earth and a magnificent New Jerusalem descending from Heaven onto the new Earth.