Know Your Bible

VOL. 11 September 9, 2012 NO. 33

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DOES A NEW LIFE FORM MEAN GOD IS DEAD?

David Gibson - Religion News Service

"Seldom in the confusing history of man has there been a time when we receive everything we need at the right time and in the right way. No matter the invention of man there is always the ingenious person who wants to antagonize the masses with a flood (rivaled only to the great flood of Noah’s day) of unnecessary and useless junk. The days of junk mail (snail mail) have now turned into the days of junk email. Unsolicited, unwanted, undesired, offensive on occasion and totally useless messages fill the box intended for work, leisure and fun. Junk email is the continued expression of man’s pursuit of the trivial mess that clutters up his life in general.

The discovery of what is apparently an entirely new form of life -- a bacteria based on toxic arsenic rather than phosphorus, one of the six building blocks of all life on Earth -- has set the scientific world abuzz, prompting White House inquiries to NASA and threatening to upend longstanding beliefs about biology.

But some say the announcement also signals an end to religious faith, or at least the beginning of the end, because it implies that life can spring forth unexpectedly on Earth or even on other planets, and in unexpected forms -- developments that seem to run counter to literal read- ings of biblical creation accounts.

‘The polite thing to say is that discoveries such as this don't really impeach the credibility of established religion, but in truth of course they really do,’ David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association (AHA), a leading secularist organization, said of this week's revelations about the microbes discovered in Lake Mono in California.

‘The fact that life can spring forth in this way from nature, taken in context with what else we've learned in recent centuries about space and time, surely makes it less plausible that the human animal is the specially favored creation of all-powerful, all-knowing divinity,’ Niose said.”

INCREDIBLE IGNORANCE ABOUT ORIGINS …

The report by Gibson is probably one of the most ignorant suggestions that I HAVE OBSERVED IN PRINT IN MY 75 YEARS OF LIVING ON THIS EARTH. The universe from which this so called new life form has appeared was created by God; since this includes everything including toxic arsenic why is that incredible or even interesting since several new species of germs and other microscopic agents have risen from combinations of chemicals and other agents found through God’s creation?

The humanist organizations will grasp the impossible in order to prove the impossible yet this is not even close to impossible. This is simply ignorance of the Almighty Power {i.e. GOD}.

I feel sorry for those that spend their lifetime in pursuit of fairy tales about how there must be greater things in earth or the universe that man has yet seen or even understands. Indeed; God has produced the universe in which we live and one can expect that whatever man discovers about that universe God knows and has known from the beginning; approximately 6,000 - 7,000 years (i.e. since HE CREATED IT – Genesis 1:1-2 - 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. ASV)

Consider this:

Please read the following two passages of Holy Scripture from the King James Translation of the Bible …

Psalms 14:1 - "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

Proverbs 14:16 - "A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident."

---Garth Clair

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THE CONVINCING POWER OF PROPHECY

Prophecy, as it is considered in this study, is the foretelling of future events by revelation from God. It never was based on the will of man or the wisdom of mankind (2 Pet. 1:20,21). It was always true and accurate and did not fail. In fact, these characteristics were made the test of true prophecy and true prophets of God (Deut. 18:21, 22). If one spoke as a prophet and used a predicted event for the purpose of leading people away from God, he was to be recognized as a false prophet and was to be rejected (Deut. 13:1-3). Prophecy was given by God to be a sign from Him (1 Sam. 2:31,34; Isa. 7:14; 1 Kgs. 13:3-5).

No human being can by human wisdom unerringly predict future events; even when he has trends or circumstances on which to base his prediction. The convincing power of prophecy is in its inerrancy even when there are no visible clues to serve as guides. Note for example, Joshua's prophetic curse upon anyone who undertook to rebuild Jericho, and its fulfillment specifically about five hundred years later in the life of Hiel the Bethelite (Jos. 6:26; 1 Kgs. 16:34). The prophetic word from God through Moses was that by obedience to God Israel could assure their stay in the promised land of Canaan; but if they turned away from God, they would lose the possession (Deut. 11:16-21). Much of the Old Testament tells of the fulfillment of that prophecy, culminating in the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivity.

Peter said that we do well to heed the prophetic word made sure, as to a light shining in a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19). These prophecies are some of the most powerful faith-building evidence given. Prophets of old spoke of the coming of a new covenant, distinguishing it from the covenant given through Moses (Deut. 18:15,18,19; Jer. 31:31-34). The coming of an eternal kingdom built by God in the days of the Roman kings was prophesied by Daniel in (Dan. 2:31-45). The nature of that kingdom is further described by Isaiah and Micah (Isa. 2:2-4; Mic. 4:1-7). Remember that Isaiah and Micah prophesied these things over seven hundred years before Christ came. Joel spoke of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that was to accompany the coming kingdom (Joel 2:28-32; Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:5-8; 2:1-21).

Assurance that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah, is fully confirmed by prophecy. He was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2) of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), of the seed of David (Isa. 9:6,7). People were prepared for His coming by the preaching of John, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Isa. 40:3). Jesus preached in Galilee (Isa. 9:1,2), and confirmed His claims by miracles and signs (Isa. 29:18,19; 19; 35:5-10; 61:1,2; Lk. 7:19-23). He was rejected by the Jews (Isa. 53:3), crucified (Isa. 53:7-12; Matt. 20:19), and pierced (Zech. 12:10) He died with the wicked and was buried in a rich man's tomb (Isa. 53:9), and rose the third day (Psa. 16:8-11; Matt. 17:22,23).

A multitude of witnesses attested to His resurrection. Truly, He was a Man approved by God, Who fulfilled the prophecies that had been made concerning Him. We have the prophetic proof always at our hand to strengthen our faith, the foundation of our lives.

---Gilbert Alexander

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