More Evolution Frauds: Archaeopteryx Revisited

On one of my blogs I addressed the issue of transitional (intermediate) species for which there is no fossil evidence at all. Some gentleman evolutionist wrote back with his short response, "Archaeopteryx" as if that one word confirms Darwins theory. That provoked me to write the article, "Archaeopteryx or Giving Creationists the Bird." I've also dealt with the many frauds perpetrated on society by the "scientific community" to support the theory of evolution. Almost all creationists are familiar with the Nebraska Man and Piltdown Man frauds. Ironically, National Geographic was quick to publish this hoax (depicted above) as well as another fraud I covered, "The Lost Tribe of the Tasaday's." It strikes me odd that the same secular voices that cry out long and loud about wrong doing in the broader Christian society take extreme offense when confronted with the truth that "scientists" perpatrate even more frauds often in an attempt to actively promote their own agenda, especially evolution, and especially when it will net them new money's.
Today I was reminded of those frauds once again when I came across the following article which is reprinted here from nwcreation.net.



"Archaeoraptor Liaoningensis: Fake Dinosaur-bird ancestor

The most recent and perhaps the most infamous evolution frauds was committed in China and published in 1999 in the journal National Geographic 196:98-107, November 1999. Dinosaur bones were put together with the bones of a newer species of bird and they tried to pass it off as a very important new evolutionary intermediate.
'Feathers For T-Rex?', Christopher P. Sloan, National Geographic Magazine, Vol. 196, No. 5, November, 1999, pp.99,100,105



Interesting Quote - "National Geographic has reached an all-time low for engaging in sensationalistic, unsubstantiated, tabloid journalism" Storrs L. Olson, Smithsonian Institution."

(This article is reprinted here from nwcreation.net)



For more information on this fraud see the following:


Another Missing Link Takes Flight


Another Hoax?


Archaeopteryx, Archaeoraptor, and the “Dinosaurs-To-Birds” Theory


Crying Fowl: Tale of 'Missing Link' Embarrasses Scientists


Evolution Coverup

Ancient Bible Prophecies for Today

"Since a good portion of the Bible consists of Jewish prophecy, it stands to reason that fulfillment of those prophecies will be evident in the nation of Israel." - R. Hoeppner

That's exactly what we find! Here are only a few of those AMAZING prophecies that refer directly to -

ISRAEL

1. The (dissolved, non-existent) nation of Israel would be reborn in one day.

Isaiah 66:8 "Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land [a] be born in one day? Or shall a nation be brought forth in a moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children.

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[a] "Never in the history of the world had such a thing happened before--but God keeps His word. As definitely foretold here and in Ezekiel 37:21, 22, Israel became a recognized nation, actually "born in one day." After being away from their homeland for almost 2,000 years, the Jews were given a national homeland in Palestine by the Balfour Declaration in November, 1917. In 1922, the League of Nations gave Great Britain the mandate over Palestine. On May 14, 1948, Great Britain withdrew her mandate, and immediately Israel was declared a sovereign state, and her growth and importance among nations became astonishing." (c)Lockman Foundation

On May 14, 1948 Israel once again became a nation.

Status: Fulfilled
2. Jerusalem to be under Gentile control until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:24 - "They will fall by [a]the mouth and the edge of the sword and will be led away as captives to and among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (completed)."

Jerusalem was taken and possessed by Gentiles in A. D. 70 (under Titus of Rome) until the Jews regained control after the Six Day War of 1967.

Status: Fulfilled

3. During the diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews to the four corners of the world) Israel would become a wasteland.

Deuteronomy 29:23-28; - "The whole land is brimstone and salt and a burned waste, not sown or bearing anything, where no grass can take root, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and wrath-- Even all the nations shall say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean? Then men shall say, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt. For they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they knew not and that He had not given to them.
So the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land, as it is this day."

During the past 1900 years historic Israel was nearly an uninhabited wasteland used as a crossroads by nomadic tribes.

Status: Fulfilled

4. A day would come when Jews will return to Israel from the North, South, East and West.

Isaiah 43:5-6; "Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are dispersed] and gather you from the west.(A) I will say to the north, Give up! and to the south, Keep not back. Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth--

Jeremiah 31:7-10; For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the head of the nations [on account of the chosen people, Israel]. Proclaim, praise, and say, The Lord has saved His people, the remnant of Israel! Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and among them will be the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she who labors in childbirth together; a great company, they will return here to Jerusalem. They will come with weeping [in penitence and for joy], pouring out prayers [for the future]. I will lead them back; I will cause them to walk by streams of water and bring them in a straight way in which they will not stumble, for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim [Israel] is My firstborn.
Hear the word of the Lord, O you nations, and declare it in the isles and coastlands far away, and say, He Who scattered Israel will gather him and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock."

Zephaniah 3:10. "From beyond the rivers of Cush or Ethiopia those who pray to Me, the daughter of My dispersed people, will bring and present My offering."

Status: Observing the fulfillment currently taking place.

The Hebrew (pure) language to be restored.

Zephaniah 3:9 "For then [changing their impure language] I will give to the people a clear and pure speech from pure lips, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one unanimous consent and one united shoulder [bearing the yoke of the Lord]."

In 1948 the once lost language of Hebrew became the official language of Israel.

Status: Fulfilled

5. In the last days Israel would once again plant forests of trees. Trees are growing all over Israel today after the land was laid waste for nearly two millennia.

Status: Fulfilled

6. In the last days, Israel would blossom and be an exporter of produce to the world.

Isaiah 35:1-2; 6 "THE WILDERNESS and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose and the autumn crocus.
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of [Mount] Carmel and [the plain] of Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty and splendor and excellency of our God."

Ezekiel 36:34-36. "And the desolate land shall be tilled, that which had lain desolate in the sight of all who passed by. And they shall say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.'
Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it."

Today Israel exports in excess of a billion dollars worth of produce a year plus over 200 million dollars worth of flowers.

Status: Fulfilled

7. Israel would once again enjoy economic prosperity.

Ezekiel 38:12-13. "To take spoil and prey, to turn your hand upon the desolate places now inhabited and assail the people gathered out of the nations, who have obtained livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth [Palestine]. Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all their lionlike cubs [or satellite areas], shall say to you, Have you come to take spoil? Have you gathered your hosts to take the prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take a great spoil?

This young nation exports ten times ($30 billion) the goods of their neighbor, Jordan ($3 billion).

Status: Fulfilled (photo of date palms near Lake Galilee)

8. The Jews will once again plant vineyards on Israel’s mountains. Once in thier land they (the Jewish exiles) shall never again be driven out of it.

Joel 3:18; "And in that day, the mountains shall drip with fresh juice [of the grape] and the hills shall flow with milk; and all the brooks and riverbeds of Judah shall flow with water, and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Shittim."

Amos 9:13-15. "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt [that is, everything heretofore barren and unfruitful shall overflow with spiritual blessing]. And I will bring back the exiles of My people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be torn up out of their land which I gave them, says the Lord your God."

Dozens of vineyards are now growing throughout the Golan Heights and other mountains of Israel.

Status: Fulfilled (pictured are grapes in Israel)

9. Jerusalem would be rebuilt on its own ruins.

Jeremiah 30:18 "Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will release from captivity the tents of Jacob and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city will be rebuilt on its own [old] moundlike site, and the palace will be dwelt in after its former fashion."

Zechariah 12:6. "In that day will I make the chiefs of Judah like a big, blazing pot among [sticks of] wood and like a flaming torch among sheaves [of grain], and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell and sit securely in their own place, in Jerusalem."

Exactly as predicted, Jerusalem is being rebuilt on the old ruins. The fact is that new construction often has to be temporarily halted because the construction site is also an archaeological site.

Status: Continually being fulfilled.

The Bible Book of Genesis

The name "Genesis" comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, (the Septuagint), where the first book in the Bible is called “Geneseos,” meaning "origin" or "source." This is appropriate since it's this book that tells us about the origin of the universe, man, and creation. It explains the how’s and why’s of sin entering into the human race and gives the promise of a Savior to redeem man.

Who Wrote Genesis?
Both the Old and the New Testaments ascribe the authorship of the first five books (Pentateuch) of the Bible to Moses.

Jesus and the Jewish leaders both ascribed these books to Moses:
"And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3) And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4) And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5) And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6) But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8) And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." – Mark 10:2-8

"And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" – Mark 12:26

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. – Luke 24:27

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. – Luke 24:44

"Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?" – John 7:19

The Apostle John: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." – John 1:17

St. Philip: "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" - John 1:45

St. Paul: "And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening." – Acts 28:23

(Here are two other references to look up: Hebrews 9:19 and 10:28-29).

Genesis is a Book of God and His Relationship With Man

Genesis centers on God and His relationship with humankind in general. Ultimately Genesis shows God and His relationship with seven individuals: (1) Adam, (2) Enoch, (3) Noah, (4) Abraham, (5) Isaac, (6) Jacob, (7) Joseph.

Why Study Genesis?

Genesis is the ‘Seed plot’ of the Bible. All of the great doctrines originate here. God revealed as Creator, Covenant Maker, Almighty, Trinity, the Provider, King, Judge and the Most High. We are also given to recognize the Devil’s strategies, we need not be ignorant of his devices .

Genesis1.1-2: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth *was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

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Resources: Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance;

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” - Genesis 1:1.

In the beginning [God…Heb. -el-o-heem'] "Plural of; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty." --Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

In the beginning God [created…Heb. -baw-raw'] A primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes):—choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).

It's interesting that the word Elohim is plural but created is singular. This is the earliest reference to the Holy Triune God. In the act of creation we see the work of God the Father, God the Word and the God the Holy Spirit. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth... God defined"earth" as dry land (Genesis 1:10). Genesis 1:2a. “And the earth *was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. ”

"And the earth *was without form"[Heb. - toòhuò] to'-hoo - From an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), that is, desert; figuratively a worthless thing; adverbially in vain:—confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.and voidHeb. - boòhuòPronounced - bo'-hoo From an unused root (meaning to be empty); a vacuity, that is, (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin:—emptiness, void."and darkness was upon the face of the deep. "[Heb. - choòshek]pronounced - kho-shek' - From the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness:—dark (-ness), night, obscurity.

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*Also translated “became” as a footnote in the Torah and used in the Bible 67 times as

"became.".And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. - Genesis 1:2b
[Heb. - raòchaph]raw-khaf'A primitive root; to brood:—flutter, move, shake.

The three most common Christian theories of Creation:

1. Age-Day Theory

2. Gap Theory

3. Six equal 24 hour periods of the creation week.

All three believe that God the Creator created everything; all three believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God; All are theories.One theory, the Gap theory stands out because it accounts for certain events that the others don't.

Isaiah 45:18. “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, (tohu) he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
Here God clearly said that he created it (the earth) not in vain (Heb - tohu) yet in Genesis 1:2 that's exactly the word (tohu) used to describe the Genesis 1:2 earth. What could have happened?
Also on the third day God seperated the dry land from the waters and called the dry land "earth." Genesis 1:1 states that God created the heaven and the earth (dry land). In Genesis 1:2 there was no dry land, not until day 3 of the creation week.
In the detective business that's called a clue. Something cataclysmic evidently happened on the earth between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

Logical Speculation

Now since Satan was present in the Garden of Eden early on, it is reasonable to consider that his prior history with the angels, he being a chreub, occupied more than one literal earth week. Lucifer (Satan) was created perfect 'until the day' that iniquity was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15-17) and he was cast out of heaven, as was testifed to by the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 10:18 below).
That would account for the total destruction that laid waste to the earth and killed off whatever pre-adamite world existed at the time. Whatever physical beings were on the earth at that time were destroyed and beyond redemption and their spirits or 'ghosts' are roaming around becoming familiar with people of Adams race - also called familiar spirits. Jesus said that these demons seek to inhabit bodies indicating that they have been disembodied. Luke 10:18 (Jesus speaking)

"And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Then in v. 2 the Spirit of God came on the scene and moved on the face of the waters. With that in mind, check out these two verses:

Jeremiah 4:23 “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.”

Psalm 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou **renewest the face of the earth.

Consorting with a familiar spirit was one of the reasons given for King Sauls death.

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* *chaòdashkhaw-dash'A primitive root; to be new; causatively to rebuild:—renew, repair.

What About the Virgin Birth? Is It Necessary?

The First Prophecy Concerning Christ: The Virgin Birth

He would be born of the “Seed of the woman.”

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.” – Genesis 3:15 NKJV

This is a direct three part prophecy referring to three distinct events in the life of Jesus Christ:
1. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ (seed of the woman).
2. His victory over the serpent, (Satan)
3. His own suffering (bruised heel).

Note that in the Bible it’s always the case that offspring are the ‘seed of their father’ and not the reverse; except here!

Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14

The New Testament fulfillment:
‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, “God with us.” – Matthew 1:23

Mary, the mother of Jesus herself wondered about what was to take place in her life.
“Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. – Like 1:30-35

Joseph, her betrothed learned of her pregnancy and this is what the Bible says about that:
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:18-21.

This is the record – “and (Joseph) did not know (have intercourse with) her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.” – Matthew 1:25 (Jesus means “Savior”)

Jesus was this promised ‘seed’ of the woman that God said would deal the death blow to Satan and crush the ‘serpents head.’ Satan was embodied in the serpent of the Garden of Eden. Jesus crushed him on the cross but eventually will cast him into the lake of fire.

“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” - Revelation 20:10
The promised seed (Jesus) would also suffer a non-lethal blow. The crucifixion of Jesus was referred to here. Though He died physically, he remained alive in the spiritual realm for he himself dismissed his spirit on the cross after assuring the penitent thief that they would be together in Paradise that very day.

Question: Don’t Pagan Traditions Also Have A Promised Seed And A Virgin Birth Story?

The birth of Jesus is not the first story that contains a chosen seed or a virgin birth. Does the word counterfeit ring a bell? Don’t forget that Satan (Lucifer) was in the Garden of Eden with the first human couple. After persuading them to disobey God, Satan heard with his own ears God’s pronouncement of his own doom at the heel of the virgin born, promised seed of the woman. Remember, Satan (the devil, Lucifer) wants to be God and will counterfeit the things of God to suit his evil purpose. It doesn’t surprise me that he uses his powers of deception to present a false messiah. Satan has done it in the past and will again do it in the future (i. e. false Christs).

Is It Necessary To Believe In The Virgin Birth?

Question: What if you believe in Christ and accept most of the Bible but chalk up miracles like the virgin birth to ‘allegory?’
Answer: If Jesus wasn’t the fruit of a virgin’s womb he couldn’t save himself, much less mankind. How can I make a such a dogmatic statement as that? Because when Adam sinned, he contaminated the gene pool of his descendants. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and death passed on to all men because all have sinned. The only remedy for sin is the shedding of innocent blood. The problem is that all of the descendants of Adam have a sinful nature and can not pay the price for redemption. The solution for centuries was an annual sacrifice of a spotless lamb, a temporary, substitutional atonement for the sins of the people. When a family would remember the Passover, for instance, the head of the family would provide a lamb; but God had His own Lamb.

The science behind it is that the blood of an individual is determined by their father – not their mother. So when Jesus came, born of a virgin, offspring of the Holy Spirit (God), His blood was the only uncontaminated human blood in the universe (since Adam before he sinned). In effect, Jesus was the second Adam. Since He never sinned, He was able to offer his own blood once and for all for the sins of the world, eliminating the need for an annual sacrifice.
We know His sacrifice was accepted from symbols like the rending of the veil in the Temple that opened up the Holy of Holies to the common people.

So what would be the ramifications if Jesus was born of a human father? The answer is quite simply that He could never save anyone from their sins being lost himself. So the ultimate answer to the question, “is belief in the virgin birth necessary?” it's a resounding yes! But belief may take time. It’s a building process. I knew I’d met Jesus on the night of August 8, 1964 but by August 10th I was still filled with doubt about the importance of the virgin birth. It took prayerful study and then I finally saw what I’m sharing here. Jesus inherited his humanity from his mother but the blood, the cure for all sin was the unstained blood provided by God Himself.
It is only through that blood, and nothing but that blood we have cleansing from sin!
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:6-7

“He...(God)...hangeth the earth upon nothing.”

"He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing." - Job 26:7

*"For millenniums, various theories of what supports the earth--elephants, giants, and other fantastic means--were accepted by mankind as truth. The Bible made no such absurd error. How could Job, more than 3,000 years ago, possibly have known that God "hangs the earth upon or over nothing," except by divine inspiration?" [*footnote in the AMP Bible]

This concept was utterly foreign to the thought of man during this time. No other ancient document describes the earth floating on nothing. The Bible doesn't stop there.

"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." - "Isaiah 40:22 (KJV).

The Duoay-Rheims translation (which comes from the Latin Vulgate) records it this way;

"It is he that sitteth upon the globe of the earth"

Global Warming

This subject should be re-visited. I've written about global warming from the perspective of Bible prophecy and the current debate.

The Gap Theory of Creation

The Bible is not a science book but as I have claimed earlier in this blog, where it touches on proven science it is accurate and reliable. Nobody knows all of the mechanisms God used to create the universe but the Bible encourages us to explore. Believers generally view the creation from three standpoints. Each view makes valid points and each will determine how the creation event in the Bible will be interpreted. It should be remembered that all three are theories and should be acknowledged as such and not used to ostracize or disfellowship other believers. All three view the creation story as recorded in the Bible as divinely inspired.
The Three Most Common Biblical Creation Models are: The “Gap” theory; the “Age-Day” theory and the "Literalist" theory (in which the original universe, including earth were created in six literal days about 6011 years ago)

I. “Gap” or “Reconstruction” Theory. This theory suggests the condition in Genesis 1:2 is the result of a cataclysmic judgment involving the fall of the angels; that there was a primeval creation, complete in itself, in which the Angels were created as well as an inhabited pre-Adamite earth. After an unknown interval of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 there was a rebellion by Lucifer who was cast out onto the earth (Isaiah 14:12-14; Luke 10:18) perpetuating a catastrophe creating the conditions of Gen. 1:2. Therefore, the six creative days in the following verses would be the new creation of the earth that had become desolate.
Problem: That death was in the world before Adam sinned.
Solution: Sin (iniquity) was found in Lucifer. (Isaiah 14:16-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19)
At some point (in Genesis 1:2) the Holy Spirit began brooding over the waters covering the earth as God began to create the earth as a home for man and the life we see about us. When Adam disobeyed God and obeyed Lucifer, he forfeited all that God had given him to Lucifer, and that old serpent became ‘god of this world’ (2 Corinthians 4:4) over which he has no right (Psalm 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26) and to whom Adam by nature became servant and the earth itself came under a curse.

II. “Age-Day Theory”
This theory regards the first two verses of Genesis as that of the original creation in its raw state as from nothing, while the remaining part of the chapter is a formation and organization of the matter thus created. Genesis 1:1-2 is merely an introductory statement of fact, with each creative day being an indeterminate period or era of time. This is based on verses like 2 Peter3:8 which equates a thousand years as a day. These “era’s” are the geologic era’s t hat fit into modern scientific theories. How long it was, we do not know but ample space is given to all the requisitions of geology.
Problems:
(1). The Scripture says that each day of the creation week is “an evening and a morning.”
(2). The geologic era’s of science do not correspond to the same order that life appears in the scripture.
(3). Plant life was made before there was sunshine. If the age-day theory is correct then plant life survived an era or at least a thousand years without it.
Solution: none

III. 24 Hour / Six Day Creation Theory (Young Earth Creationism)
This theory says that the entire universe was created by God in 6 equal twenty four hour days about 6,011 years ago according to Ussher's Chronology.
Genesis 1:1-2 is an introductory statement showing the earth at the outset, like a lump of clay that God began to squeeze and form into the earth we live in today. Proponents of this theory often say that it is futile to question creation for God said “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4) and “the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)
Problem: The stars & ‘sons of God’ were witness to the creation of the earth. (Job 38:6, 7) How can this be if the stars weren’t created until the fourth day? See other problems.

I believe in both an old and young earth interpretation. God created it from a pre-adamite earth that was destroyed by a flood that completely destroyed all life. This does not conflict with the Bible at all as some have claimed.

(Definitions are derived primarily from Strong's Concordance)

Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”In the beginning…In the beginning God -- (the Self-existent One) Here the Hebrew word for God is 'el-o-heem' which is a plural form of; 1) "gods" in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the "supreme God;" occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty."In the beginning God created…" Here "created" comes from a Hebrew word pronounced "baw-raw'"'Baw-raw'' is a primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes):—choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..." Earth here is the same word as 'earth' which is defined as 'dry land' in verse 10.
Genesis 1:10: "And God called the dry land Earth"
The gap in the creation story is between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 for it says-(Genesis 1:2) “And the earth [**was] without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Below, you will notice the words I've italicized are terms used in the Bible to commonly describe the aftermath of divine Judgement, not the creation. To say that this a state of the creative act is to contradict every specific creative act of the God who creates all things orderly and whom Isaiah says clearly (Isaiah 45:18) "God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."
The word vain is from the Heb. word pronounced toòhuò or to'-hoo. Same word used in Genesis 1:2:
And the earth was without form ( toòhuò or to'-hoo) which comes from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface), that is, desert; figuratively a worthless thing; adverbially in vain:—confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness and void (boòhuò or bo'-hoo) comes from an unused root meaning to be empty; a vacuity, that is, (superficially) an undistinguishable ruin:—emptiness, void.and darkness (khoh-shek') was upon the face of the deep.From the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness:—dark (-ness), night, obscurity.
How do Young Earth Creationists (YEC) reconcile the state of the earth in Genesis 1:2 to a God who Creates all things good?
Now if God said He didn't create the earth in vain, (toòhuò or to'-hoo) who are we to say that He did? This is a state that the earth came into after it's original creation.
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**Also translated “became” in the footnote of the Torah.

New Creation

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

My Testimony

Outdated Book

By definition I was an agnostic throughout my high school years-when an elder Christian gentleman (Mr. Garry Lawrence) confronted my non-belief with the Bible.
To me the Bible was an outdated book full of contradictions and fairy tales with little relevance for the twentieth century. Each week I would see Mr. Lawrence and he'd bring a page from a little notebook he kept, with biblical references he'd written down on it. His tireless effort to reach me with the Gospel was surprising since I had launched every objection I could against his belief without so much as making a dent in his faith. Regardless of what topic was covered on his little pages of biblical references, it always ended with my need to be 'saved' (his words) and experience the reality of Jesus Christ in my heart as Lord and Savior.

The Experiment
As time went by I thought to myself that I'd conduct an experiment. I would ask this "Jesus" into my life, and then when nothing happened I could say with some authority that I tried it and it nothing happened! But how does one conduct such and experiment?

How would you conduct such an experiment?

I pondered this question seriously. Certainly, I reasoned that even if a god existed who created everything, he probably wouldn't be interested in this little speck of dust in one solar system in one of billions of galaxies let alone one fininte individual among billions who lived on that speck of dust. There was no way I believed in any god(s) especially a personal God, so what harm could there possibly be to simply say one 'prayer' as an experiment?

But any experiment will yield results of somekind and then the experimenter will be faced with what to do with those results. That begs this question; what if by the remotest chance my prayer should bear fruit of the 'divine' - would I be willing to see it through? In other words, would I allow the results of the experiment to influence my conception of the truth if it were proven to my satisfaction that I encountered God; would I then be willing to change the entire course of my life? This was a difficult decision because up to this point I had been my own god. I enjoyed my life and the so-called 'sins' that being my own god allowed me to participate in.
After much thought, I concluded that it would be worth the infinitesimal risk to my personal lifestyle to know the truth. My opinion was that the experiment was actually a futile attempt that would only continue to confirm to me that my pre-conceptions about God, the Bible and religion in general were correct.

So on Saturday night, August 8, 1964 I knelt down beside my bed in the dark and contemplated what words would constitute a 'prayer.'

God Encounter
While kneeling there I suddenly sensed a presence I'd never known before - emanating slightly behind me and to the left. I turned and looked but saw nothing -yet I sensed what can only be described as the purest love I've ever experienced! It radiated all around me and immediately I felt filthy and naked, as though this radiance exposed my most foul, secret imaginations. Strangely it was without condemnation. My eyes filled with tears as this amazing love melted me down and I knew without a doubt that I was in the presence of Jesus Christ. I cried and pled for forgiveness and then I actually felt a weight lift from my shoulders. I don't know how long I remained on the floor but I knew that I encountered deity, and His name is Jesus Christ.

Plummer St. Foursquare Church
Having had a standing invitation for months to attend the Lawrences' church, (Plummer Street Foursquare, in Sepulveda California) I decided to take him up on it the very next morning. Persuading my dad and brother to go along, I mentioned nothing that had happened the previous night.
We drove up in front of an average house on Plummer Street. The house was a "pioneer" Foursquare church with a small congregation. Before the service began Mr. Lawrence had instructed me that, if at the end of the service I wanted to be 'saved' I should wait for the 'altar call' (an invitation by the pastor to go forward to an altar). At the end of the service I went forward at the invitation and to my surprise so did my dad and brother. The minister, Rev. Marion V. Wagner prayed first with my dad, then my brother and finally she came to me. She laid her hand on my head and said -"you've already received Christ!" which amazed me since I'd kept quiet about it. Then someone began speaking in a strange language following which someone else spoke in English. That was very strange. I wanted to know what Mr. Lawrence thought of that.

Spirit Baptism
Later that day Mr. Lawrence explained it as the Holy Spirit's gifts of tongues and interpretation. He showed me an article in a Pentacostal Evangel magazine citing where he'd spoke out in tongues in a church service and there was no interpretation. He was discouraged thinking he had spoken out of order but after the service two Catholic Jesuits who were in attendance at the meeting approached him wanting to know where he learned that language, because it was a language they were working on. Of course the only conclusion was that this was a demonstration of the gift of tongues. I asked him if it were possible for me to receive those gifts and he said certainly but rather to pray first for for the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. This seemed 'far out' to me, but I wanted to get more of what I'd experienced. That Sunday evening I went back to the church. I asked those in the congregation to pray for me; I wanted to receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. They gathered around me and began praying, laying their hands and Bibles on me. They told me to pray out loud as well and I began stammering in another language. Later I was baptized in water as the Lord commanded.

My Old Friends
When school started again I tried to hang out with the old crowd but the dirty jokes, profanity and porn no longer held an attraction for me and I drifted away from them. I began carrying a Bible to school and spending lunch hours reading from its pages. One thing I ran into right away was a ridicule from those who were as I had been before. They asked me questions I had of my own and couldn't answer back then, but it forced me to dig deeper into the Bible. Many of the questions took me beyond the knowledge I had and still do, but dozens of those questions have been answered to those who will seek the answers. As I progressed in my Christian walk I began finding others who shared a love for Christ and the joy that is inherent in knowing Him. I thought then as now that even if there weren't a hereafter I was personally much more gratified by being a Christian than as an agnostic. I realized a new purpose and meaning to life that had been lacking. I even became acquainted with influential men in the '60's Pentacostal movement, Demos Shakarian, David J. DuPlessis, Ray Bringham and a host of others who shared my love for Jesus Christ.

The Living Word
Its amazing how the Bible came alive! It's still that way. It's characters live right off it's wonderful pages.
There’s a great song that describes it – though it’s not sung much in today’s modern churches with their pop-Christian chorus', but it's one of my favorites anyway; it describes the difference Jesus made in my life.

“Since Jesus Came Into My Heart”

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought
Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have ceased from my wandering and going astray
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And my sins, which were many, are all washed away
Since Jesus came into my heart!

I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure
Since Jesus came into my heart!

There’s a light in the valley of death now for me
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And the gates of the City beyond I can see
Since Jesus came into my heart!

I shall go there to dwell in that City I know
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And I’m happy, so happy as onward I go
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Chorus:
Since Jesus came into my heart-
Since Jesus came into my heart!
Floods of joy o’er my soul
like the sea billows roll--
Since Jesus came into my heart!

A lot of those old 'saints' have gone home to be with Jesus. Garry and Vera Lawrence, Rev. Marion Wagner and her husband Forrest, my dad--yet memories from those days are vividly imprinted on my mind!
When I go to Hawaii I visit Garry Lawrences' grave. He and his wife Vera went home to be with the Lord years ago; but I'm forever thankful for Garry's faithfulness in not giving up on me. I know he's not in that grave but I visit to remember and take pause to thank God that He sent that man into my life. I only hope that I've touched someone else's life as he did mine. One day I will see him, Vera and many others who've departed this earth to heaven's shore-

R. W. Hoeppner

Is Atheism a Religion?

Is atheism a religion?

Christians have made the allegation for years that atheism is a religion. Though vehemently denied by atheists themselves. But finally a leading atheist and spokes person for atheists –Michael Newdow- has freely admitted that in fact, atheism is a religion.

Whew, I'm glad that's settled!

Is atheism rational?
"The irrationality of atheism" By Tom Flannery. A debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D'Souza.
"The Irrationality of Atheism - Problems Of Logic And Reasoning" by Clay Watson (see Clay Watsons' homepage.
"THE ABSURDITY OF ATHEISM" by Fred Klett

Simple Cell?

The evidence of Intelligent Design (God) abounds in nature as the evidence for evolution is conspicuous by its absence. The complexity of even the simplest cell is astounding. So how do you get around the simple logic that if all life evolved from a single cell, that first cell (progenitor of all cells to follow) would have at the very least possessed complete reproduction capabilities within itself in order to pass its traits on.

Just a few decades ago a simple cell was believed to be just that; simple. Since then scientific knowledge has progressed to a much better understanding of the tremendous complexity of even the 'simplest' cell here-to-fore unimagined. Even the bacterial structure diagrammed here is merely a simple depiction of a much more complicated life form. In this "simple," single celled creature there are numerous different mechanisms that must work together (interdependency) to enable the cell to function. For example, there are cilia and flagella. They are designed to move the cell or move fluids around the cell. They themselves are made up of microtubules whose structure is made up of linear polymers of tubulin which is a globular protein. They function as conveyor belts. Then there are centrioles, which are also made of microtubules but they are organized in pairs at right angles to each other. The centrioles control the movement of the flagella and cilia. This is simply the most elementary description of a much more complicated function of only one small part of a cell. And then there's the cell membrane which is very complex in itself with it's proteins, lipids and protein channels, it's uniport and cotransport systems and all of that is only a minute fraction of the outside of a cell.

As Charles Darwin himself noted:

"If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not
possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my
theory would absolutely break down."

So to Charles Darwin, I must say, "Sorry - your theory is broken down. The Bible says this:

"For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their
inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them.
For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that
is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly
discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So
[men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or
justification], because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they
did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became
futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning,
and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened."

- Romans 1:19-21 AMP