Monthly Archives: January 2008

Different Bible Versions and Their Copyrights

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Did you know the the following versions are copyrighted?

1. Revised Standard Version
2. New American Standard
3. Living Bible
4. Good News Bible
5. New International Bible
6. New Scofield
7. New King James Version
8. New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic)
9. Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible
(and many more)

What is the definition of a copyright according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary?

Copyright
COPYRIGHT, n. The sole right which an author has in his own original literary compositions; the exclusive right of an author to print, publish and vend his own literary works, for his own benefit; the like right in the hands of an assignee.

The King James Bible does not have a copyright. It was freely given to mankind by God and, therefore, is not copyrighted.

So what does this tell you? Those copyright owners admit that they have the right to “print, publish and vend (sell) their own literary works, for their own benefit.”

(1 Cor 2:12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Cor 2:13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Cor 2:14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

(Rev 22:18 ) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Rev 22:19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

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The NIV Bible Quiz

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INTRUCTIONS:

Using the New International Version© Bible (NIV), answer the following questions. Do not rely on your memory. As the Bible is the final authority, you must take the answer from the NIV Bible verse (Not from footnotes but from the text. Footnotes are not the Bible.).

1. Fill in the missing words in Matthew 5:44. “Love your enemies, ________ them that curse you, _____________ to them that hate you, and pray for them that __________ and persecute you.”

2. According to Matthew 17:21, what two things are required to cast out this type of devil?

3. According to Matthew 18:11, why did Jesus come to earth?

4. According to Matthew 27:2, what was Pilate’s first name?

5. In Matthew 27:35, when the wicked soldiers parted His garments, they were fulfilling the words of the prophet. Copy what the prophet said in Matthew 27:35 from the NIV.

6. In Mark 3:15, Jesus gave the apostles power to cast out devils and to:

7. According to Mark 7:16, what does a man need to be able to hear?

8. According to Luke 7:28, what was John? (teacher, prophet, carpenter, etc.). What is his title or last name?

9. In Luke 9:55, what did the disciples not know?

10. In Luke 9:56, what did the Son of man not come to do? According to this verse, what did He come to do?

11. In Luke 22:14, how many apostles were with Jesus?

12. According to Luke 23:38, in what three languages was the superscription written?

13. In Luke 24:42, what did they give Jesus to eat with His fish?

14. John 3:13 is a very important verse, proving the deity of Christ. According to this verse (as Jesus spoke), where is the Son of man?

15. What happened each year as told in John 5:4?

16. In John 7:50, what time of day did Nicodemus come to Jesus?

17. In Acts 8:37, what is the one requirement for baptism?

18. What did Saul ask Jesus in Acts 9:6?

19. Write the name of the man mentioned in Acts 15:34.

20. Study Acts 24:6-8. What would the Jew have done with Paul? What was the chief captain’s name? What did the chief captain command?

21. Copy Romans 16:24 word for word from the NIV.

22. First Timothy 3:16 is perhaps the greatest verse in the New Testament concerning the deity of Christ. In this verse, who was manifested in the flesh?

23. In the second part of First Peter 4:14, how do [they] speak of Christ? And, what do we Christians do?

24. Who are the three Persons of the Trinity in First John 5:7?

25. Revelation 1:11 is another very important verse that proves the deity of Christ. In the first part of this verse Jesus said, “I am the A__________ and O___________ , the _________ and the _______:”

Conclusion: Little space is provided for your answers, but it’s much more than needed. If you followed the instructions above, you not only failed the test, you receive a big goose egg. So now what do you think of your “accurate, easy-to-understand, up-to-date Bible”? If these 25 questions haven’t served to show you that the NIV is a very inferior Bible, based on a very inferior Greek text, write me and I’ll make up another quiz with 25 more questions, or 250, if you wish; but you will still flunk the text. If you would like to improve your score, and in fact score 100%, you can take this test using the Authorized (King James) Bible.

by Rex L. Cobb

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Deletions in the NIV

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(Rev 22:18-19) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Although there are many more deletions of words in the NIV, this is just a list where entire (whole) Bible verses or footnotes are deleted in the NIV:

1. Matthew 12:47 — removed in the footnotes

2. Matthew 17:21 — Removed, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

3. Matthew 18:11 — Removed, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”

4. Matthew 21:44 — removed in the footnotes

5. Matthew 23:14 — Removed, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”

6. Mark 7:16 — Removed, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”

7. Mark 9:44 — Removed, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

8. Mark 9:46 — Removed, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

9. Mark 11:26 — Removed,”But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

10. Mark 15:28 — Removed, “And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”

11. Mark 16:9-20 — All 12 verses are removed. There’s a line that separates the last 12 verses of Mark from the main text. Under it says: “The two most reliable early manuscripts do not have Mark 16:9-20:

12. Luke 17:36 — Removed, “Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

13. Luke 22:44 — removed in the footnotes

14. Luke 22:43 — removed in the footnotes

15. Luke 23:17 — Removed, “(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)”

16. John 5:4 — Removed, “For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”

18. John 7:53-8:11 — removed in the footnotes

19. Acts 8:37 — Removed, “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

20. Acts 15:34 — Removed, “Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.”

21. Acts 24:7 — Removed, “But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,”

22. Acts 28:29 — Removed, “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.”

23. Romans 16:24 — Removed, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

24. I John 5:7 — Removed, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

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My Saviour, Complete

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There is none other like my God
His love for me complete
I found my way one glorious day
At His most precious feet.

The feet who trod the land He made
Were pierced because of me
My sins did take Him to His death
That day upon the tree.

He bled and died so I might be
Saved to the uttermost
Not anything that I could do
Or tried to even boast

The ones from times of long ago
Diligently did try
To follow and obey Him
They called Him El Shaddai

However hard they tried to keep
The laws commanded them
They relied upon their flesh
God said they were condemned

It is by grace that we are saved
A gift free from above
Jesus paid our penalty
Of death because of love

There is none other like the Lamb
Who sits on Heaven’s Seat
Lord of Lords, Eternal One,
The King of Kings Supreme.

Kate Plourde
January 31, 2008

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Word of God – Day 17 – Salvation

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(Psa 119:155) Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes. We have previously discussed how the devil seeks to devour. Any way he can successfully get a soul, he will do it. Whether it be the pleasures of this world or trying to destroy the Word of God, he will do whatever it takes to keep man away from salvation. That is why he is feverishly trying to pervert God’s Word so that man won’t find salvation. As we look at the Word of God today, look at how David worded this verse. Those who do not seek God’s statues will not be saved. Noah Webster defines statutes as:

STATUTE, [L., to set.]

1. An act of the legislature of a state that extends its binding force to all the citizens or subjects of that state, as distinguished from an act which extends only to an individual or company; an act of the legislature commanding or prohibiting something; a positive law. Statutes are distinguished from common law. The latter owes its binding force to the principles of justice, to long use and the consent of a nation. The former owe their binding force to a positive command or declaration of the supreme power. Statute is commonly applied to the acts of a legislative body consisting of representatives. In monarchies, the laws of the sovereign are called edicts, decrees, ordinances, rescripts, etc.

2. A special act of the supreme power, of a private nature, or intended to operate only on an individual or company.

3. The act of a corporation or of its founder, intended as a permanent rule or law; as the statutes of a university.

Those who try to defend their position that God’s Word is not preserved have not studied the matter out – that is obvious! Statutes are not just a word here and there. These are defined guidelines – notice, in the first definition, Mr. Webster states “a positive law.” He states further that “Statutes are distinguished from ‘common law.’ and ‘The former owe their binding force to a positive command or declaration of the supreme power’” The definition is clear that God’s statutes are not something that will fall apart through time. They are there for eternity. God never changes – what He hated in the Garden of Eden is hated today and will be hated 1,000 years from now. He is not man that He should change His opinion or stand. Who are you to think otherwise? Who are you to change His Word or think that He cannot keep His Word from Satan’s corruption? Satan did not succeed with he tempted Jesus in the wilderness – he even used the Word of God in his efforts to tempt Christ. You’ve had this happen in your own life, haven’t you – someone used your own words to accuse you or try to make you stumble? But you knew what you had said – you knew what you meant and you were able to straighten that person out. It’s the same with God’s Word. Satan was not successful when he tried to tempt Christ using His own words because he twisted the Word of God and the Master put ole slew foot in his place.

So as we pick apart today’s verse, we see that it is through God’s words that salvation can be found. Is it any wonder that the devil has tried so vehemently to corrupt it and to destroy it? Is it any wonder that there are over 100 versions of the Bible on the book shelves today? If you were to poll just those Christians in your life to see if they believe they have the preserved Word of God contained in their Bible, what would be their response? I was amazed to learn that although many in my own church had a King James Bible, they only had it because they thought it was the “best” version or the “closest” version. They did not have the assurance that God preserved His words! The devil has succeeded to convince the world that God must have limitations because He is not able to preserve His own words! If this is the case, then God cannot keep our salvation! Exactly … Now you’re getting it! Now you understand full well how Satan is successfully undermining God’s plan of salvation – he is causing man to doubt God’s Word and as a result everything relating to salvation is doubtful as well! You know what? It’s working! However, we are told that God’s Word will last forever! (Psa 119:160) Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

David knew how to overcome the devil’s ploys. He was “in the Word” and had it imprinted upon his heart! He turned to God’s words over and over to encourage himself. He did not allow the devil to keep him from it. He knew that in the Bible’s pages were the way to salvation. The Christian ought to arm himself with God’s Word. He ought to study it so he can be prepared to fight the devil. He ought to be convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is able to keep His Words from being destroyed. Do not think lightly of this.

The Words of God draw mankind to Himself – to salvation – whether it was in the Old Testament when God was present in a cloud or through the pages of our Holy Bible. God has not left us defenseless. He is not a cruel and uncaring God – He desires that we have fellowship with Him. Please take time to read these verses and let them speak to your heart. God is not temporal – He is eternal – He speaks in terms of eternity – forever:

(Exo 19:9) And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

(Deu 12:28 ) Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.

(Deu 29:29) The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

(Isa 59:21) As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Forever means just that … without end … nothing negates God’s Words. You can believe your catechism all you want. You can believe your church leaders all you want. You can believe that televangelist all you want. But God will hold you accountable for what you have done with His Word. (Mat 12:36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (Mat 12:37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

My friend, if you think you are on the right path with your belief system, please verify it. You would not board just any plane would you? You wouldn’t board that plane just because “someone” told you that it was the right plane, would you? You would make sure that this plane matched what was on your ticket, right? Why would you assume that you are on the right road to Heaven? Just because your minister, your priest or Rabbi says you are, is that good enough for you? Do you handle your everyday life’s situations like this? If someone told you to put all your savings in Enron shares because they had a good tip, would you have done it? Look what happened to those who did! If you are cautious with your savings, why are you not as cautious with where you will send your soul for all eternity? It is your decision – strictly yours! Do you have that perfect peace that is promised to the one who is actually saved from the pits of hell? The unbeliever will always have a twinge of doubt in his heart! He will never have the full assurance of salvation.

If you are saved, then what are you doing with God’s Word? Are you allowing someone else to glean and digest the spiritual meat from the Bible that God intended just for you? The day that you were depressed and needed encouragement, He was waiting to bless you with His perfect words of encouragement but you did not stop to read them. Remember, you are responsible for your own spiritual growth according 2 Tim. 2:15.

(Ecc 12:13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Do you fear God and keep His Word? Noah Webster defines duty as:

1. That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform. Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.

My friend, it is your DUTY to fear God and keep His Word. This has not changed and will not change. Just as the rainbow is still remembered today as God’s covenant with mankind and will be so for all eternity, so is His precious word found in the pages of the Holy Bible. What will you do with it? Remember who God is! (Jer 10:10) But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Do you really want to take a chance with your eternal soul?

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Word of God – Day 16 – Knowledge of God

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In our on-going series of the Word of God, I am learning that there is nothing above God’s own words. God is not man that He should lie and, therefore, He is Truth. God never changes. And, lastly, God is eternal. God’s Holy Word is sure because He cannot lie and He never changes. Since He is eternal, His Word will go on forever without change.

Why is God’s Word so important to us? Why do we need it? Why do we care so much about its validity and preservation? Contained within the pages of the Holy Bible is the knowledge of God for mankind unto salvation. Is it any wonder that the devil, also known as the father of lies, would want to keep man from it? Is it any wonder that ole slew foot himself would try to corrupt it? (Joh 8:44) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. This same Satan (Lucifer) wants to exalt himself above God. (Isa 14:13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (Isa 14:14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isa 14:15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Satan has tried to exalt himself since creation and has set himself against the Word of God. No matter how much the devil tries to corrupt the Word of God, he will end up in hell.

The Lord gave me 2 Cor. 10:5 this morning and it simply jumped off the page at me! (2 Cor. 10:5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; According to Strong’s Concordance, the word imaginations is:

G3053
λογισμός
logismos
log-is-mos’
From G3049; computation, that is, (figuratively) reasoning (conscience, conceit): – imagination, thought.

The devil and those who work for him have tried to destroy God’s Word since the Garden of Eden. This same effort of perverting the Bible isn’t new and has been going on for thousands of years – but the end is near. Satan’s time is short. However, in the mean time, he is determined to take as many souls to hell with him. If the father of lies can do this by distracting mankind and convincing the so-called “learned and high-minded” that God’s Word cannot be preserved, he will have won. If he can deceive and convince people that the Bible today is nothing but man’s words, then he has managed to distract the populace from seeking salvation. Why do you think it’s such a big controversy in the world? Even amongst Christians there is division on this topic! What a victory for Satan! He has Christendom arguing and fighting amongst themselves and thus providing the world with the worse possible testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of desiring to seek salvation, the world mocks Christ because of this.

What I cannot understand is how can a Christian believe that God created the sun and the moon and He placed the stars in the heavens yet this same Christian cannot believe that God is powerful enough to preserve His Word? It just does not make sense! It is an oxymoron to me. This belief states that this Christian’s God is not powerful – therefore, He cannot move mountains – therefore, He cannot heal – therefore, He cannot save to the uttermost for all eternity! What a horrible testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ! Is it any wonder why there are so many different belief systems today, even amongst Christians? It’s not enough that the devil is winning by having over 100 differenent Bible “versions.” He has managed to cast doubt on God’s Word in the Christian’s mind. If this is where you are at, Satan has won in your life.

Paul exhorts the Corinthians to put off (cast down – throw aside) the computation and reasoning of God’s Word, and all things that set itself against the knowledge of God (God’s Word); and to place our thoughts under the control (captivity) and obedience of Christ. Hmmm, that’s pretty powerful stuff, isn’t it? This pretty much sums up all the cults and how they twist the Scriptures to support their doctrine. Paul states that they exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and they disobey what Christ has commanded through His Word. If the “religious organization” you belong to is not supported by God’s Word, you have embraced wrong teaching and accepted it as doctrine. It is as simple as that.

Before you go on to say that the “knowledge of God” does not mean His words through the Scriptures, let’s allow the Bible to define what the “knowledge of God” represents. (Pro 2:5) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. The “fear of the Lord” allows one to find the knowledge of God, according to this Proverb. This same fear is said to be the fountain of life and will keep us from the snares of spiritual death. (Pro 14:27) The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. The fountain of life leads to living waters – the kind of waters that can only be found through Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. (Joh 7:38 ) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. It stands to reason that the Word of God is the knowledge of God which leads one to salvation in Jesus Christ.

(Hos 4:1) Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.(Hos 6:6) For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.(Rom 11:33) O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

(1 Cor 15:34) Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

(Col 1:10) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

(2 Pet 1:2) Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

Jesus stated that those who had access to such great knowledge of salvation didn’t even accept it and also prevented others from being saved. (Luk 11:52) Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. So the knowledge of God is depicted through the salvation of Jesus Christ. The Word, the Holy Bible, records this knowledge and also records the way to obtain salvation through Christ. (1 Cor 12:8 ) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; The Holy Spirit wrote the Scriptures and He gives wisdom and knowledge, as this verse states. The knowledge that God wished for us to have was penned in the Scriptures so that mankind could find salvation. (Eph 3:3) How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (Eph 3:4) Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Therefore, if the Word is the knowledge of God, then 2 Cor. 10:5 must be obeyed. We cannot put our own reasonings above it. No church can say that their leadership’s words and traditions supersede the Word of God. Paul warned the Colossians of the same thing:

(Col 2:1) For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; (Col 2:2) That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; (Col 2:3) In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:4) And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. (Col 2:5) For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. (Col 2:6) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (Col 2:7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Col 2:8 ) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

The Colossians were taught God’s Word and they were being exhorted to walk in His ways, rooted and built up in Him and established in their faith as Paul had taught them. Paul continues to exhort them by warning them that some man may spoil them through philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men – after the rudiments (the first teachings) of the world, and not after Christ.. Oh my goodness people, do you not see? Can you not comprehend? The Lord warns us that nothing – absolutely nothing can supersede God’s Words. If you think you are a Christian and you are reading this today, I pray that you will compare what you are being taught in your church with God’s Holy Word. Don’t allow traditions of men to be above God’s Word. Don’t allow an organized group of leaders in your church to determine what is to be practiced by your church if it is in conflict with the Word of God.

The same God who created the universe and all that is in it, is able to preserve His Word today so that you can seek His knowledge and find the path to salvation within the pages of the Holy Bible. Do not be deceived by Lucifer’s tactics – why do you think he is referred to as the “angel of light”? (2 Cor 11:13) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. (2 Cor 11:14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. Not only is he an angel of light but his followers are trying to appear as apostles of Christ and ministers of righteousness! The devil has wanted the throne of Jesus since the beginning and he will do what it takes to get it. He is so full of pride that he cannot even see that his time is short and he will be cast into the lake of fire.

My friend, the devil seeks to take away God’s Word from the face of this earth. He does not want anyone to be saved. (Mar 4:15) And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. This is the devil’s job – to take away the Word of God and devour you so you can go with him to the pits of hell. (1 Pet 5:8 ) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Believe me, any church who adds to or takes away from the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Words (the Holy Bible), will blow hell’s gates wide open and meet the father of lies there. There are too many Scriptures which speak against the traditions of men and the burdens they place upon man.

(Mat 23:13) But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (Mat 23:14) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Mat 23:15) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Mat 23:23) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Mat 23:24) Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (Mat 23:25) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. (Mat 23:26) Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Mat 23:27) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. (Mat 23:28 ) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Mat 23:29) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, (Mat 23:33) Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Mat 23:38 ) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Being a former roman catholic, these verses spoke volumes to me! I was so deceived – I trusted my priest to teach me God’s Word but all I got were dry bones. After salvation, I discovered the waters of life that Christ spoke about in His Word. The Bible has the knowledge of God contained within its pages and it led me to Him! Praise the Lord!

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I ask for your patience

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As I build my blog, I ask for your patience. Granted there will be posts that are not to your liking or interest. But building the blog with the information I would like to see on here takes time. Each time I want to add a post to a page, it has to come up as a new post. Granted, some of the materials (like the those from AIG on creationism) are copied with permission. They are here so that whoever visits this blog will be able to see information on this topic if they have never visited AIG’s site. That is the point of duplicating a few of their articles.

Please bear with me if I post several posts per day until I get my pages built up. I will then probably return to my one post per day for the devotionals. Thanks :-)

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Why Shouldn’t Christians Accept Millions of Years

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Why Shouldn’t Christians Accept Millions of Years?

by Terry Mortenson

August 16, 2007

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There is an intensifying controversy in the church all over the world regarding the age of the earth. For the first 18 centuries of church history, the almost universal belief of Christians was that God created the world in six literal days roughly 4,000 years before Christ and destroyed the world with a global Flood at the time of Noah.

But about 200 years ago some scientists developed new theories of earth history, which proposed that the earth and universe are millions of years old. Over the past 200 years Christian leaders have made various attempts to fit the millions of years into the Bible. These include the day-age view, gap theory, local flood view, framework hypothesis, theistic evolution, and progressive creation.

Biblical compromises

A growing number of Christians (now called young-earth creationists), including many scientists, hold to the traditional view, believing it to be the only view that is truly faithful to Scripture and that fits the scientific evidence far better than the reigning old-earth evolutionary theory.

Many Christians say that the age of the earth is an unimportant and divisive side issue that hinders the proclamation of the gospel. But is that really the case? Answers in Genesis and many other creationist organizations think not.

In this chapter, I want to introduce you to some of the reasons we think that Christians cannot accept the millions of years without doing great damage to the church and her witness in the world. Other chapters in this book will go into much more detail on these issues.

  1. The Bible clearly teaches that God created in six literal, 24-hour days a few thousand years ago. The Hebrew word for day in Genesis 1 is yom. In the vast majority of its uses in the Old Testament it means a literal day; and where it doesn’t, the context makes this clear.
  2. The context of Genesis 1 clearly shows that the days of creation were literal days. First, yom is defined the first time it is used in the Bible (Genesis 1:4–5 ) in its two literal senses: the light portion of the light/dark cycle and the whole light/dark cycle. Second, yom is used with “evening” and “morning.” Everywhere these two words are used in the Old Testament, either together or separately and with or without yom in the context, they always mean a literal evening or morning of a literal day. Third, yom is modified with a number: one day, second day, third day, etc., which everywhere else in the Old Testament indicates literal days. Fourth, yom is defined literally in Genesis 1:14 in relation to the heavenly bodies.
    When is a day a day?
  3. The genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 make it clear that the creation days happened only about 6,000 years ago. It is transparent from the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 (which give very detailed chronological information, unlike the clearly abbreviated genealogy in Matthew 1 and other chronological information in the Bible that the Creation Week took place only about 6,000 years ago.
  4. Exodus 20:9–11 blocks all attempts to fit millions of years into Genesis 1. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9-11).This passage gives the reason for God’s command to Israel to work six days and then take a sabbath rest. Yom is used in both parts of the commandment. If God meant that the Jews were to work six days because He created over six long periods of time, He could have said that using one of three indefinite Hebrew time words. He chose the only word that means a literal day, and the Jews understood it literally (until the idea of millions of years developed in the early nineteenth century). For this reason, the day-age view or framework hypothesis must be rejected. The gap theory or any other attempt to put millions of years before the six days are also false because God says that in six days He made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. So He made everything in those six literal days and nothing before the first day.
  5. Noah’s Flood washes away millions of years. The evidence in Genesis 6–9 for a global catastrophic flood is overwhelming. For example, the Flood was intended to destroy not only all sinful people but also all land animals and birds and the surface of the earth, which only a global flood could accomplish. The Ark’s purpose was to save two of every kind of land animal and bird (and seven of some) to repopulate the earth after the Flood. The Ark was totally unnecessary if the Flood was only local. People, animals, and birds could have migrated out of the flood zone before it occurred, or the zone could have been populated from creatures outside the area after the Flood. The catastrophic nature of the Flood is seen in the nonstop rain for at least 40 days, which would have produced massive erosion, mud slides, hurricanes, etc. The Hebrew words translated “the fountains of the great deep burst open” (Genesis 7:11 ) clearly point to tectonic rupturing of the earth’s surface in many places for 150 days, resulting in volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Noah’s Flood would produce exactly the kind of complex geological record we see worldwide today: thousands of feet of sediments clearly deposited by water and later hardened into rock and containing billions of fossils. If the year-long Flood is responsible for most of the rock layers and fossils, then those rocks and fossils cannot represent the history of the earth over millions of years, as evolutionists claim.
  6. Jesus was a young-earth creationist. Jesus consistently treated the miracle accounts of the Old Testament as straightforward, truthful, historical accounts (e.g., creation of Adam, Noah and the Flood, Lot and his wife in Sodom, Moses and the manna, and Jonah in the fish). He continually affirmed the authority of Scripture over men’s ideas and traditions (Matthew 15:1–9). In Mark 10:6 we have the clearest (but not the only) statement showing that Jesus was a young-earth creationist. He teaches that Adam and Eve were made at the “beginning of creation,” not billions of years after the beginning, as would be the case if the universe were really billions of years old. So, if Jesus was a young-earth creationist, then how can His faithful followers have any other view?
    Death is very good?
  7. Belief in millions of years undermines the Bible’s teaching on death and on the character of God. Genesis 1 says six times that God called the creation “good,” and when He finished creation on Day 6, He called everything “very good.” Man and animals and birds were originally vegetarian (Gen. 1:29–30, plants are not “living creatures,” as people and animals are, according to Scripture). But Adam and Eve sinned, resulting in the judgment of God on the whole creation. Instantly Adam and Eve died spiritually, and after God’s curse they began to die physically. The serpent and Eve were changed physically and the ground itself was cursed (Genesis 3:14–19). The whole creation now groans in bondage to corruption, waiting for the final redemption of Christians (Romans 8:19–25 ) when we will see the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21, Colossians 1:20 ) to a state similar to the pre-Fall world, when there will be no more carnivorous behavior (Isaiah11:6–9 ) and no disease, suffering, or death (Revelation 21:3–5 ) because there will be no more Curse (Revelation 22:3). To accept millions of years of animal death before the creation and Fall of man contradicts and destroys the Bible’s teaching on death and the full redemptive work of Christ. It also makes God into a bumbling, cruel creator who uses (or can’t prevent) disease, natural disasters, and extinctions to mar His creative work, without any moral cause, but still calls it all “very good.”
  8. The idea of millions of years did not come from the scientific facts. This idea of long ages was developed by deistic and atheistic geologists in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These men used antibiblical philosophical and religious assumptions to interpret the geological observations in a way that plainly contradicted the biblical account of creation, the Flood, and the age of the earth. Most church leaders and scholars quickly compromised using the gap theory, day-age view, local flood view, etc. to try to fit “deep time” into the Bible. But they did not understand the geological arguments, and they did not defend their views by careful Bible study. The “deep time” idea flows out of naturalistic assumptions, not scientific observations.
  9. Radiometric dating methods do not prove millions of years. Radiometric dating was not developed until the early twentieth century, by which time virtually the whole world had already accepted the millions of years. For many years creation scientists have cited numerous examples in the published scientific literature of these dating methods clearly giving erroneous dates (e.g., a date of millions of years for lava flows that occurred in the past few hundred years or even decades). In recent years creationists in the RATE project have done experimental, theoretical, and field research to uncover more such evidence (e.g., diamonds and coal, which the evolutionists say are millions of years old, were dated by carbon-14 to be only thousands of years old) and to show that decay rates were orders of magnitude faster in the past, which shrinks the millions of years to thousands of years, confirming the Bible.1

Conclusion

These are just some of the reasons why we believe that the Bible is giving us the true history of the world. God’s Word must be the final authority on all matters about which it speaks—not just the moral and spiritual matters, but also its teachings that bear on history, archaeology, and science.

What is at stake here is the authority of Scripture, the character of God, the doctrine of death, and the very foundation of the gospel. If the early chapters of Genesis are not true literal history, then faith in the rest of the Bible is undermined, including its teaching about salvation and morality. I urge you to carefully read the other chapters in this book. The health of the church, the effectiveness of her mission to a lost world, and the glory of God are at stake.

Footnotes

  1. For the results of the RATE project, see Larry Vardiman, Andrew Snelling, and Eugene Chaffin, eds., Radioisitopes and the Age of the Earth, Vol. 2, Master Books, Green Forest, Arkansas, 2005; and Don DeYoung, Thousands … Not Billions, Master Books, Green Forest, Arkansas, 2005. Back

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Creation: ‘where’s the proof?’ by Ken Ham

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When the person you talk to on creation insists that you ‘leave the Bible out of it’, they are really saying the deck should be stacked one way.

Creation Archive > Volume 22 Issue 1 > Creation: ‘where’s the proof?’

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First published:
Creation 22(1):39–42
December 1999
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by Ken Ham

Over the years, many people have challenged me with a question like:

‘I’ve been trying to witness to my friends. They say they don’t believe the Bible and aren’t interested in the stuff in it. They want real proof that there’s a God who created, and then they’ll listen to my claims about Christianity. What proof can I give them without mentioning the Bible so they’ll start to listen to me?’

Briefly, my response is as follows.

Evidence

Creationists and evolutionists, Christians and non-Christians all have the same evidence—the same facts. Think about it: we all have the same earth, the same fossil layers, the same animals and plants, the same stars—the facts are all the same.

The difference is in the way we all interpret the facts. And why do we interpret facts differently? Because we start with different presuppositions. These are things that are assumed to be true, without being able to prove them. These then become the basis for other conclusions. All reasoning is based on presuppositions (also called axioms). This becomes especially relevant when dealing with past events.

Past and present

We all exist in the present—and the facts all exist in the present. When one is trying to understand how the evidence came about (Where did the animals come from? How did the fossil layers form? etc.), what we are actually trying to do is to connect the past to the present.

However, if we weren’t there in the past to observe events, how can we know what happened so we can explain the present? It would be great to have a time machine so we could know for sure about past events.

Christians of course claim they do, in a sense, have a ‘time machine’. They have a book called the Bible which claims to be the Word of God who has always been there, and has revealed to us the major events of the past about which we need to know.

On the basis of these events (Creation, Fall, Flood, Babel, etc.), we have a set of presuppositions to build a way of thinking which enables us to interpret the evidence of the present.

Evolutionists have certain beliefs about the past/present that they presuppose, e.g. no God (or at least none who performed acts of special creation), so they build a different way of thinking to interpret the evidence of the present.

Thus, when Christians and non-Christians argue about the evidence, in reality they are arguing about their interpretations based on their presuppositions.

That’s why the argument often turns into something like:

‘Can’t you see what I’m talking about?’

‘No, I can’t. Don’t you see how wrong you are?’

‘No, I’m not wrong. It’s obvious that I’m right.’

‘No, it’s not obvious.’ And so on.

These two people are arguing about the same evidence, but they are looking at the evidence through different glasses.

It’s not until these two people recognize the argument is really about the presuppositions they have to start with, that they will begin to deal with the foundational reasons for their different beliefs. A person will not interpret the evidence differently until they put on a different set of glasses—which means to change one’s presuppositions.

I’ve found that a Christian who understands these things can actually put on the evolutionist’s glasses (without accepting the presuppositions as true) and understand how they look at evidence. However, for a number of reasons, including spiritual ones, a non-Christian usually can’t put on the Christian’s glasses—unless they recognize the presuppositional nature of the battle and are thus beginning to question their own presuppositions.

It is of course sometimes possible that just by presenting ‘evidence’, you can convince a person that a particular scientific argument for creation makes sense ‘on the facts’. But usually, if that person then hears a different interpretation of the same evidence that seems better than yours, that person will swing away from your argument, thinking they have found ‘stronger facts’.

However, if you had helped the person to understand this issue of presuppositions, then they will be better able to recognize this for what it is—a different interpretation based on differing presuppositions—i.e. starting beliefs.

As a teacher, I found that whenever I taught the students what I thought were the ‘facts’ for creation, then their other teacher would just re-interpret the facts. The students would then come back to me saying, ‘Well sir, you need to try again.’

However, when I learned to teach my students how we interpret facts, and how interpretations are based on our presuppositions, then when the other teacher tried to reinterpret the facts, the students would challenge the teacher’s basic assumptions. Then it wasn’t the students who came back to me, but the other teacher! This teacher was upset with me because the students wouldn’t accept her interpretation of the evidence and challenged the very basis of her thinking.

What was happening was that I had learned to teach the students how to think rather than just what to think. What a difference that made to my class! I have been overjoyed to find, sometimes decades later, some of those students telling me how they became active, solid Christians as a result.

Debate terms

If one agrees to a discussion without using the Bible as some people insist, then they have set the terms of the debate. In essence these terms are:

  1. ‘Facts’ are neutral. However, there are no such things as ‘brute facts’; all facts are interpreted. Once the Bible is eliminated in the argument, then the Christians’ presuppositions are gone, leaving them unable to effectively give an alternate interpretation of the facts. Their opponents then have the upper hand as they still have their presuppositions — see Naturalism, logic and reality.

  2. Truth can/should be determined independent of God. However, the Bible states: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Psalm 111:10); ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge’ (Proverbs 1:7). ‘But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned’ (1 Corinthians 2:14).

A Christian cannot divorce the spiritual nature of the battle from the battle itself. A non-Christian is not neutral. The Bible makes this very clear: ‘The one who is not with Me is against Me, and the one who does not gather with Me scatters’ (Matthew 12:30); ‘And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil’ (John 3:19).

Agreeing to such terms of debate also implicitly accepts their proposition that the Bible’s account of the universe’s history is irrelevant to understanding that history!

Ultimately, God’s Word convicts

1 Peter 3:15 and other passages make it clear we are to use every argument we can to convince people of the truth, and 2 Cor. 10:4–5 says we are to refute error (like Paul did in his ministry to the Gentiles). Nonetheless, we must never forget Hebrews 4:12: ‘For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.’

Also, Isaiah 55:11: ‘So shall My word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do.’

Even though our human arguments may be powerful, ultimately it is God’s Word that convicts and opens people to the truth. In all of our arguments, we must not divorce what we are saying from the Word that convicts.

Practical application

When someone tells me they want ‘proof’ or ‘evidence’, not the Bible, my response is as follows:

‘You might not believe the Bible but I do. And I believe it gives me the right basis to understand this universe and correctly interpret the facts around me. I’m going to give you some examples of how building my thinking on the Bible explains the world and is not contradicted by science. For instance, the Bible states that God made distinct kinds of animals and plants. Let me show you what happens when I build my thinking on this presupposition. I will illustrate how processes such as natural selection, genetic drift, etc. can be explained and interpreted. You will see how the science of genetics makes sense based upon the Bible.’

One can of course do this with numerous scientific examples, showing how the issue of sin and judgment, for example, is relevant to geology and fossil evidence. And how the Fall of man, with the subsequent Curse on creation, makes sense of the evidence of harmful mutations, violence, and death.

Once I’ve explained some of this in detail, I then continue:

‘Now let me ask you to defend your position concerning these matters. Please show me how your way of thinking, based on your beliefs, makes sense of the same evidence. And I want you to point out where my science and logic are wrong.’

In arguing this way, a Christian is:

  1. Using biblical presuppositions to build a way of thinking to interpret the evidence.

  2. Showing that the Bible and science go hand in hand.1

  3. Challenging the presuppositions of the other person (many are unaware they have these).

  4. Forcing the debater to logically defend his position consistent with science and his own presuppositions (many will find that they cannot do this).

  5. Honouring the Word of God that convicts the soul.

Remember, it’s no good convincing people to believe in creation, without also leading them to believe and trust in the Creator/Redeemer, Jesus Christ. God honours those who honour His Word. We need to use God-honouring ways of reaching people with the truth of what life is all about.

Naturalism, logic and reality

Those arguing against creation may not even be conscious of their most basic presupposition, one which excludes God a priori, namely naturalism/materialism (everything came from matter, there is no supernatural, no prior creative intelligence).2 The following two real-life examples highlight some problems with that assumption:

  1. A young man approached me at a seminar and stated, ‘Well, I still believe in the big bang, and that we arrived here by chance random processes. I don’t believe in God.’ I answered him, ‘Well, then obviously your brain, and your thought processes, are also the product of randomness. So you don’t know whether it evolved the right way, or even what right would mean in that context. Young man, you don’t know if you’re making correct statements or even whether you’re asking me the right questions.’

The young man looked at me and blurted out, ‘What was that book you recommended?’ He finally realized that his belief undercut its own foundations —such ‘reasoning’ destroys the very basis for reason.

  1. On another occasion, a man came to me after a seminar and said, ‘Actually, I’m an atheist. Because I don’t believe in God, I don’t believe in absolutes, so I recognize that I can’t even be sure of reality.’ I responded, ‘Then how do you know you’re really here making this statement?’ ‘Good point,’ he replied. ‘What point?’ I asked. The man looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘Maybe I should go home.’ I stated, ‘Maybe it won’t be there.’ ‘Good point,’ the man said. ‘What point?’ I replied.

This man certainly got the message. If there is no God, ultimately, philosophically, how can one talk about reality? How can one even rationally believe that there is such a thing as truth, let alone decide what it is?

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