I woke from my car wreck in a hospital room with my wife standing over me, holding my hand. I said in a groggy voice, “Hi beautiful, what happened?” She said, “You were in a car wreck.” “So that’s why I feel like I’ve been run down by a bus,” I listlessly joked. “Yep,” she said, “according to the State Trooper, you and the other driver looked over to see where the screeching tire sound was coming from, and you stayed in your lane, but the pick-up truck driver drifted out of his lane and into yours. You both slammed on your breaks and swerved, but it was too late.”
“Wow! I don’t remember anything after trying to swerve,” I said, “Is the other guy okay?” “Not a scratch,” she said, “but both of your vehicles are mangled.” “Goody!” I said sarcastically. “Oh well, we were in the market to get me a new car anyway, so this just moves up the time-table. When can I get out of here?” I questioned. “The doctor said that they want to keep you overnight, just for observation, and if you’re okay in the morning, they’ll let you go home,” my wife explained. “Okay,” I said, “Did you call my boss?” “Well, of course, it’s all taken care of honey. You just get some rest,” she said. “Okay beautiful,” I replied.
I slept through the rest of the day and that night, with the usual interruptions from the nursing staff. When I finally woke, I woke to clear blue skies and sunlight beaming through the window. I leaned over and looked at the reclining chair beside my bed, to see my wife still sleeping, so I didn’t bother her. I lay back down and started reflecting on the events of yesterday. While I couldn’t remember the accident very well, I do remember my mind vividly replaying the story in that old, almost forgotten, science fiction book of mine. I also had a deep abiding need to share the experience with my old high school friend Jim.
He has been a biology teacher at our local high school for several years. He’s also a Christian that attends a very liberal church in our community. I had been thinking of sharing my research with Jim for several months now, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. The research I diligently compiled has clearly refuted many of the scientific theories and notions in my book. Now I was being led by the Holy Spirit to share my research with Jim, and then I realized what was going on. The Lord was leading me to share my research with Jim, but I didn’t take the hint, so he had to use more drastic means to prod me along.
So I prayed silently: “Gracious Heavenly Father, I need to first ask for forgiveness for not acting on your gentle leadership. When I felt compelled by your precious Holy Spirit to share this stuff with Jim, I should have acted right away. Thank you for sending me a wake-up call and protecting me from any serious harm. I thank you and praise you for all that you do for me. I’ll contact Jim as soon as possible Lord. Please open his heart and mind to all that you have shown me, in Jesus’ precious holy name. Amen.”
About this time my wife awoke. “Good morning beautiful,” I said. She looked at me like I was crazy. I almost always wake up ready for the day. I’m a morning person, but she definitely is not. She said nothing, got up and with a plodding shuffle, headed for the bathroom. I just smiled and shook my head, as I thought to myself, “definitely not a morning person.” I didn’t dare say it aloud. She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, kissed me and said, “Good morning Bob.”
Over the next couple of hours, I shared with her what had happened while I was unconscious. I also shared that the Holy Spirit was leading me to share this experience and my research with Jim. She said, “Well, if you feel the Spirit leading you to share this, then you better share it.” “Yep, those were my thoughts exactly beautiful. I’ll call him as soon as we get home,” I said, and then re-thought and continued, “No, actually I think I’ll visit him at the high school, but I need to stop by the house before I head out. May I borrow your car?” My wife agreed and we chatted and waited until the doctor arrived. Other than bumps and bruises, and a very mild concussion, the doctor found me to be in good working order, so he released me from the hospital. An hour or so later, after the compulsory discharge paperwork was finished, we finally got to leave.
When we arrived home, I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth, and then went straight to my computer and printed a copy of my old science fiction story for my friend Jim. Then, grabbing my keys and wallet. I hopped into my wife’s car and headed for the high school. After arriving, I checked in at the high school office, so I could sign in and get good directions. I was then off to Jim’s 11th-grade biology classroom. As I walked toward the classroom, the bell rang, and the halls flooded with students. I arrived in his classroom just as the last two students were exiting. “Hey, Jim!” I announced. “Well, hey Bob, long time no see. How are you?”
“Well Jim, I’m doing okay, except for the bumps and bruises from my accident yesterday.” “Accident,” he questioned, “What happened?” “It’s a long story and you already have students filling in, so I’ll just share that I’m fine, and I’ll share the rest of the story with you soon, but I need to ask you a favor,” I said. “Oh, sure,” he replied, “What can I do for you?” “Thanks, Jim, I’d like you to read this old science fiction story of mine and then meet with me sometime before the end of the month. I want to do a book review and discussion with you. I trust your honesty and insight, so I’d really like to get together with you, maybe over pizza; my treat.” “Sure Bob, I’ll get right on this and call you in a couple of weeks to set up a time to meet over at my place.” “That sounds great Jim; I’ll talk to you soon.”
A couple of weeks had passed. I had a new car and was healing nicely. On a Thursday evening, I got a call. “Hey Bob, it’s Jim.” “Oh, hey Jim, it’s nice to hear from you.” “Bob, I read your story and really liked it, but I’m a little confused because I didn’t see anything that really needed to be revised.” Then I questioned, “So, as far as you can see, it also matches up pretty well with current biological, geological and cosmologic evolutionary theory?”
“Yep, it looks right to me.” “That’s great Jim, thanks; I’d still like to get together with you to discuss it though. I have some new thoughts and ideas to pass by you, so when can we get together.” Jim replied, “How does Saturday afternoon sound to you?” “That sounds great Jim. I’ll order the pizza, pick it up and be over to your place at about 1:00 pm: if that’s okay?” “Perfect Bob; a pepperoni or a supreme, okay?” “You got it, Jim. I’ll see you then.”
It was Saturday and it was a little overcast and gloomy outside, but it was a perfect day to stay inside. I headed out to Jim’s house at about 12:30 pm and stopped and picked up the pizza I ordered before I left home. I arrived at Jim’s house at about 12:55 pm and knocked on the door. Jim answered, and said, “Hey Bob, come on in.” “Thanks, Jim, it’s the pizza dude. I hope you’re hungry!” Jim chuckled and said, “Let’s head out to the kitchen.” I followed him into the kitchen and put the pizza on the kitchen table and sat down. Jim said, “All I’ve got is regular cola, is that okay?” “Sure, that would be great Jim.” Jim got the drinks ready and asked me to get a couple of plates and paper towels, and we sat, ate and exchanged routine small talk and I shared the details about my accident. When we were done, I said, “Well, are you ready to do a little book review with me?” “Sure Bob, let’s move into the living room and get comfortable.”
We relocated to the living room and I said, “Jim, I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to my thoughts about my story. It means a lot to me.” “Not a problem Bob, I really enjoyed the story, so where do we start?” “Well,” I said, “I brought some notes, and I thought I’d share them with you and then we can discuss them.” “Sounds great Bob, fire away.”
“First, please understand Jim, that this is just a friend sharing ideas. After I share these thoughts with you, I want you to do your own research. I’m sharing these thoughts and ideas with you in accordance with my current Christian worldview, in comparison to the old secular, science-driven, compromised Christian worldview from my story. The information is gleaned from the Bible, Biblical studies, several websites, magazines and books associated with the ministries I’m going to share with you later. Okay?” I said. Then Jim looking a little puzzled said, “Okay.”
As Jim listened, I began to share my research. In chapter one of my story, “King David,” Jamook is described as having a thick brow, like our distant human ancestors, but let’s take a closer look at our ancestors. Our human ancestors were just that, human. We did not evolve from ape-like creatures, and thick brow ridges have been found in modern people, as a normal variant. Anthropologists have found human remains and ape remains, but there is no evidence that apes evolved into humans.
“Okay, Bob, why do they show us diagrams in our science books that show a gradual evolution from apes to men?” “Well, that’s just it Jim, there is plenty of speculation, theory, and unverifiable assumptions, but absolutely no proof. Those pictures of man’s supposed evolution are speculative drawings, oozing with artistic license, not fact. Many would argue this, but until they have the ability to go back in time and capture video of the various stages of this alleged evolution, every scrap of ‘evidence’ Anthropologists have is circumstantial. They interpret this evidence using their evolutionary worldview and dismiss all other possible explanations. This is a very closed-minded view, and again, supplies no hard evidence.”
“Let me share more from my notes,” I said. So, what does the Bible say, and why do I believe its version of how humans came to be. Well, in Genesis, God clearly creates man in His image and gives him dominion over the entire Earth. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) This is clearly what humanity has done; they have filled the Earth and subdued it.
This proves to me that the Bible is true in this aspect of these verses and is undeniable. God said that we were made in His image. We are the only sapient creatures on Earth and to the best of my knowledge, the only sapient, truly aware creatures in the universe. We have an awareness that no other creature has possessed, or ever will poses. Also, we have created things that no other creature will ever be able to duplicate, and they wouldn’t even try.
On the other hand, we have successfully copied things that other creatures have created on innumerable occasions, through computer models, scale models, manipulation of chemicals and materials, etc. We are unique, set apart and special. Evolutionists and Atheists would have us believe that we are nothing special, just animals that are more intelligent than other creatures, but we are not like other creatures, and this is evident in our art, mechanized industry, music, inventions, exploration, and many other things that wouldn’t even enter the minds of other creatures.
They create out of necessity, we do not. Our creativity goes far beyond that. We have explored the microscopic world through microscopes and the vast reaches of our galaxy through telescopes. God, in His infinite creativity, created everything in the universe, and we have also created (to a lesser degree), but in a similar fashion. We have the wherewithal and intellect to explore and discover and invent. No other creature even cares about those things. We were truly created in God’s image; a very special creation. “Can we agree that God created us and we are a very special creation?” I said.
“Well, of course, Bob, but couldn’t God have used evolution, to accomplish man’s creation?” “No Jim, because if that’s what He had done, He would have shared that with us in scripture, but what he said was, ‘In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth.’ He created everything in 6 days, not long periods of evolutionary time. I‘ll answer more of your evolution questions in a little while, but let’s go on for right now: okay?” “Sure Bob, go on.”
In chapter one of my science fiction story, David Riley spoke about long ages, encompassing millions of years of time, relating to the Joonum people of the planet Joon. Long ages have been a worldwide perpetuated fallacy for over 150 years. “Whoa, you don’t believe in long ages?” Jim said and continued, “Bob, there is lots of evidence for long ages.” “Not really Jim, because the long ages are based on assumptions and presuppositions, not true operational science. There is no way that the Earth is millions of years old, much less the fallacious 4.5 billion-year-old age that scientists have tacked on to the age of our Earth. Let’s go back to my notes,” I suggested.
There is no way creatures have been around for millions of years, and there’s no way our Earth and the universe have been around for billions of years. This is clearly refuted by the distance of the Moon from the Earth at its present rate of egress from Earth’s gravitational influence, Sarfati (2006).1 Furthermore, as cited in Thomas (no date), “It has been calculated that with 100 mutations per 20-year generation, the human genome would not last much longer than 500 generations.”2 Also, genetic errors started effecting humanity about 5,000 years ago, so if our species is purported to be tens or hundreds of thousands years old, why didn’t the genetic drift start much sooner than 5,000 years ago? Well, the answer is, it didn’t.
The numbers only work if our planet is only a little over 6,000 years old, and our population had to re-start with only Noah and his family of 8 people, after the worldwide flood, about 4,500 years ago. “Bob, my pastor teaches that the story of Noah and the Ark is just a metaphor.” “Jim, many pastors teach that but check this out. The first 5 books of the Bible are basically copies of the Hebrew Pentateuch. I say basically, just because it had to be translated from Hebrew to English, other than that they are the same.
The Pentateuch is the history of the Hebrew people and their laws, so why would any logical thinking person, just assume that the Genesis historical accounts were metaphors?” Jim replied, “You know, you’re right. I never really thought about it like that. It’s the history of the Hebrew people and the chronicles of their beginnings, so it’s history, not metaphor. That makes good sense Bob.”
“Cool, now let’s check out these other pieces of evidence for a young Earth from my notes.” Carbon 14 exists in diamonds, coal beds and fossils (that are supposedly millions of years old). This should not be possible, because the half-life of carbon 14 is only 5,730 years, mentioned in Batten (2009).3 There should be no carbon 14 left in these objects after 11,460 years, so how could they be millions or billions of years old? The rate of erosion is another example. Erosion rates vary, but if you average them out and subtract any additional lying down of materials, you should still have a virtual variation free, smooth as a beachball Earth, if it’s billions of years old.
We should also look at human population growth. Famularo (2012) said, “We can calculate the rate of population growth starting from about 4,500 years ago, when, from the historical details found in the Bible, Noah and his family—eight in total—survived the deluge. That population has to double 29½ times to get the current world’s population of six and a half billion, at an average doubling rate of once every 152 years. Interesting, isn’t it? The Bible’s time frame of history fits the data.”4 Even in the worst of conditions of pestilence, and wars galore, by now the Earth should be so full of people that they would have to be stacked like cordwood on all of the existing continents, just to accommodate the sheer volume of our population, even if humans started breading only one hundred thousand years ago.
On the other hand, our current Earth population is about right if you start counting from when Noah exited the Ark about 4,500 years ago. “And check out these other examples Jim.” The age of comets, the magnetospheres of planets in our solar system, DNA found in fossils, and much more evidence for a young Earth should also be noted, see Batten (2009).3 The Bible and science have clearly revealed that our Earth is only thousands of years old, not billions.
“Dude, I had no idea that there was any evidence for a young Earth, much less all the evidence you presented. Why aren’t we being told about this stuff Bob?” “Well, the powers that be would like to usurp science and proclaim it to be their exclusive domain, but science should be for everyone, especially operational science. That’s how we got cell phones, TVs, jets, and microwave ovens. The evolutionists would like exclusivity, so they suppress the truth.” “Wow, I’m really going to have to give this some thought and research,” Jim said. “That’s fine, I want you too,” I replied.
“Let’s continue with my notes,” I said. In chapter one David Riley also acknowledges a belief in Heaven. I looked over at Jim and said, “I believe it’s a real place and I look forward to going.” “Me too!” Jim agreed. I continued reading. Do I have hard evidence that Heaven exists? No, all I have is the historical evidence within the Bible and my faith. The Bible is the most scrutinized and studied document of all time. It is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. Inspired because God himself placed the information in the minds of the approximately 40 biblical authors, and allowed them to write down that information in their own words, using their own style of writing, in 66 books, written over a period of over 1,500 years, and they all tell one continuous narrative, leading from creation to the end of our universe.
It is inerrant because, in its original manuscripts, it was the perfect written Word of God. Infallible because, throughout its long history, its doctrines have never changed…our perceptions of them may have been corrupted on occasion, but the Word of God is and will always be doctrinally perfect, protected, and upheld by God. It’s truly an amazing piece of literature. So, when the Bible shares the splendor and majestic beauty of Heaven within its pages, I can confidently believe in it. “Amen brother!” Jim exclaimed.
In Chapter two, Jamook wanted to rejoin his family in the hereafter. In death, according to the Bible, only those who have been “Born Again” (accepted Christ as their lord, savior, and redeemer) are reunited in Heaven. Those not born again, continue to exist, but in constant torment, turmoil and pain. “I’ve always wondered about this Bob. Doesn’t that mean that God is cruel and vicious for sending all those innocent people to Hell?” Jim questioned. “Well first of all Jim, no one is innocent, ‘For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God’. (Romans 3:23)
No, Jim, God doesn’t send people to Hell, people send themselves there. Check this out, Jim.” If you have had the opportunity to hear the gospel and failed to respond to it, then you were negligent; you sealed your own fate. You sent yourself to Hell. Even those who apparently have never heard the gospel, have no excuse because God reveals himself to everyone through his creation, and his will, through examples of his divine will. We as humans determine our own fate, that’s what free will is all about, so there is no sense in blaming God for our own ignorance and negligence. If you want to see your loved ones in Heaven, you must be born again, and make sure your loved ones are also afforded the opportunity to be born again, through your testimony, teaching, and prayer. See Romans 10:9 and John 5:24 and 1 John 5:13.
“So what about those guys preaching predestination?” Jim asked. “You’re talking about the debate between Arminianism versus Calvinism. Both are doctrines compiled by men, using their own interpretation of scripture. This has made me unsure about committing myself to either doctrine. But, for the sake of discussion Jim, let’s take it all the way back to Genesis, the beginning. Adam was not predestined to obey God, he had a choice and chose to turn his back on God and disobey Him. Yes, the temptation was presented by Satan, but the final choice was still Adam’s.
God could have easily compelled Adam to serve Him, but He didn’t. God wanted to provide Adam the opportunity to follow Him in love and obedience. Love is an important key to this because if you are compelled to love or commanded to love, it’s not true love. True love and obedience are given freely, by us to God, and that’s what we should do in response to God’s call, we should love and obey Him of our own free will.
Obviously, the leadership of the Holy Spirit convicting us is also a big part of our decision too, but we make the final decision to love and obey or disregard and reject. “Sounds like free will to me.” “Yep, it sure does Bob. You’ve really been studying this stuff haven’t you?” Jim questioned. “Big-time Jim, like my life depended on it.” He laughed and shook his head with a big smile on his face. Then he said, “What’s next?”
David Riley, in my story, lied to the realtor. In the story, he felt compelled to lie, but simply not sharing his reasons for the purchase would have been better. “Lying is never acceptable,” I said. “Have you told lies, Bob?” Jim quizzically asked. “Yes, occasionally, I’m not perfect, just saved, but I avoid lying and feel horribly guilty when I do it. If a person says, ‘I don’t lie’, they just lied and deluded themselves simultaneously.” Jim replied, “Ain’t that the truth?”
The Bible says in (Exodus 20:16), “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” In other words, you should not lie about anyone that you come in contact with, regardless of the form of contact, or distance you are from them. There are additional examples within the Bible that show lying is wrong: Psalm 31:18 and Psalm 59:12 and Psalm 119:29 and Proverbs 6:16-18, among others, like (Proverbs 10:18), “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.” I said, “Jim, the wisdom within the Bible is truly astounding, and just as relevant today as it was 3,000 years ago.” “Amen!” Jim shouted.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). What this scripture was talking about, was that if you rise up your child to understand and love the truth within Biblical scripture, they may leave that truth for a time, but will invariably return to it. In chapter two, I shared that David Riley’s parents raise him up knowing the scriptures, and he was grateful for that loving educational attention that his parents gave him. I’ve seen this in action, but I’ve also seen an increasing “falling away” from Christianity in recent years because parents aren’t bringing their children up to love and appreciate the scriptures.
“You’re sure right about that Bob. I’ve seen it too.” Jim agreed. “I directly attribute the recent increase in school violence to this horrible trend,” I said, and then continued reading my notes. Parents should get back into the Word of God, and personally share the scriptures and its revelations to their children. Leaving this task to preachers and Sunday school teachers has been a huge mistake that most parents are making. We need the Word of God back in our schools too, and no, it’s not a violation of the so-called, “separation of church and state”!
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution affords us freedom of religion and freedom of speech, so as long as the teachers and administrators are not preaching instead of teaching, the Bible should be welcome and encouraged in our public schools. “I wish someone would share that with the administrators at the high school. They get squirrelly if you have a Bible on your desk.” Jim shared. “Yep, I have seen the persecution of Christians escalating too, but suffering a little in this life will be well worth the rewards of an eternal relationship with God and his gift of eternal life,” I said. “Amen Bob,” Jim said.
In chapter three of my story, David Riley puts an advertisement in the newspaper. He had the audacity to require that all applicants be attractive. This was just rude and self-centered, and I don’t know why anyone would answer such an ad. “Oh yeah, that was cold-hearted. I don’t know why anyone would answer the ad either,” Jim shared. “Yep, I’m with you, Jim. He was also very judgmental about the people that answered the ad. I myself have been judgmental in the past, and I’m not proud of it,” I said and then continued reading.
What does the Bible say about being judgmental? Matthew 7:1-5 says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” These verses refer to unrighteous judgment, and this type of judgment has always been wrong, as we can see in Mathew 7, and also in Luke 6:37.
It has never been right to judge someone by their outward appearance, how they speak, what they wear, how many tattoos they have, how many piercings they have, etc. because this has always been inappropriate, unrighteous judgment. “Guilty, I’m guilty of this Bob. I need to quit that. I don’t do it often, but it’s definitely something I need to work on,” Jim said. “We’re in the same boat Jim,” I replied.
There are also righteous reasons to judge. God is the righteous judge, judging the sins of His people in perfect righteousness. God is Holy and is always right and his righteousness is perfect and undeniable. In the past, judges were in place (in the Old Testament times) to judge the people concerning their sins, disputes, and transgressions. We have judges today that judge those that break the law. Legal judgments are required for any society to keep law and order. These judgments would (for the most part) be considered just and right.
As mentioned in Matthew 7, in order to judge, we first should clean up our own lives and live as righteously as possible, and then we can, with kindness and respect, address another person’s unrighteousness. When a person was living in rebellion from God, by fornicating, committing adultery, lying, stealing, or committing other sins, like practicing a homosexual lifestyle or cheating on their taxes, we are correct in judging their sin.
“So wait a minute, we are right to judge if people are doing these things?” “Yep,” I said. “Okay, my pastor, Veronica, just came out of the closet and shared with the congregation that she’s gay. She also introduced us to her partner, so were we supposed to judge her?” “No Jim, you don’t judge her, you judge the sin. You love and support her, but if her sin remains un-repented, she needs to be confronted, but in kindness and respect. Let me read on.”
We must also be careful when we are confronting them. We must be living a righteous walk with God, living to serve the Lord, before we can even think about judging that other person’s sin. So, we should discuss their sin with them with love, kindness and caring, being as sensitive as possible, yet steadfast to Biblical principles and precepts. We were called to be sanctified (separated out, in service to God) and live by Biblical precepts, striving to be God’s people at all times. This is not easy and takes constant vigilance on our part. (John 8:7) says, “…He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” In compliance with the Word of God, we should always judge ourselves first.
“Jim, after you know that you have prayed and cleaned up our own life, you can then go to your pastor armed with scripture, and with kindness and respect in your heart, you can confront her about the sin in her life. If she will not listen, the Bible says that you find another person or two, of like mind, and all of you go and confront her about the sin in her life. If that attempt fails, the Bible says to bring the subject of this un-repented sin to the church. We must be doers of the word, not just listeners,” I shared.
“That’s going to be a tough conversation, Bob.” “I know Jim, but as long as you do it as the Bible instructs, you can’t go wrong. If all of these attempts fail, it’s time to find a new church, because you can’t receive the Word of God from a preacher that turns her back on God by refusing to repent of her sin and discontinue that sin.” “Your right Bob and I’ll try to get with her in the next few days. I’ve got some praying and repenting to do myself first though.” Jim somberly said.
Keesha and David engage in premarital sex in chapter 4 of my story, and while it’s widely accepted as okay in our society, trust me, it’s wrong. “You’re killing me Bob…I’m starting to feel really convicted now.” I continued. Secular experts have examined the brain chemistry in people who engage in premarital sex. They determined that the cocktail of chemicals that are produced, by various parts of the human body, causes a psychological and physical bonding of the people engaging in this behavior. This makes for very tough times for the fornicators when they part company.
It causes anxiety, depression, feelings of loss, desperation (often leading to throwing themselves into another relationship to regain those feelings of love and passion), and other detrimental behaviors, feelings, and symptoms. As cited by Salzman (no date), “Influences, perceptions, physiological responses and emotions many times overrule rational thinking and reasoning.”5
Then Jim shared, “The research is true Bob. After I got divorced I hooked up with a woman and we had sex, and it felt great, but then the guilt came, and because it made me feel guilty, it scared away my girlfriend. Because she wasn’t a Christian and didn’t understand. Then she did just what the research predicted and jumped into the arms of the very next guy she came across. I saw both of them in the newspaper a couple of days ago. He was arrested for armed robbery and she was going to do time as an accomplice,” Jim shared. “Lust and fornication sure can lead you down the wrong path in a hurry,” I said and continued reading.
Fornication is crazy even in secular terms, but what does the Bible say. “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Additional verses include Galatians 5:19-21 and Jude 1:7 and others like, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you,” (Ephesians 5:3). Clearly, it’s a bad idea to engage in fornication and other sexual immorality. It hurts everyone involved and often affects the people around you too.
Reality is a great deal different than a science fiction story. My fictitious Keesha and David, in my story, were statistically a blessed minority, who got married and lived happily ever after, which is not the norm. “You can say that again. I really didn’t understand how much damage could be done and how many lives that it could affect,” Jim shared. “Not to mention the spiritual damage from turning your back on God, just to sin, even though you know it’s the wrong thing to do,” I said. “You’re killing me Bob, but you’re right. I need to be the man God wants me to be,” Jim said.
“Now, on a lighter subject, in chapter five I sound like some sort of ‘tree hugger’, and I know that is considered a derogatory term and I apologize if you’re offended,” I said and then continued reading. At the time I wrote this story I cared a great deal about the environment. Well, I still continue to care about the environment, but now I think of myself as a caretaker or steward of our earthly resources. “So, you may ask, what’s the difference?” I said rhetorically. “Well, there’s a big difference,” I said and then kept reading.
People should always come first. We are called to love each other as Christ loved us, in other words, with a selfless, giving love. We can’t love our neighbors while keeping them from getting running water, in order to protect a tiny fish from extinction. People are more important. We can’t deprive the people of our country of vast oil reserves within our continental US borders, because of the remote possibility of an oil spill. People should come first. Being an environmentalist at the expense of people…our neighbors is wrong!
What does the Bible say? (Matthew 22:37-39) says, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” In Genesis 1:26-27, God shares with us that we are to subdue and care for everything God made. This by no means detracts from our obligation to each other, and our environment should be managed in unison with our care for each other, with the needs of people being paramount. “You know, biblically, that makes great sense. Environmentalists would say that without the plants and animals there wouldn’t be any people, so what would you say to them?” Jim asked and I answered.
“This world that God created has built-in correction mechanisms that sustain it, and while the human impact on the environment is a reality, it is not catastrophic. The Earth will not crumble or be stricken lifeless if one tiny fish goes extinct or we have one more oil spill. God has made provisions for those types of occurrences and He will uphold his creation until He decides to destroy it. We as humans don’t have the power to render lifeless or utterly destroy Earth. Only God has that power. Radical environmentalists that put created things at a higher precedence than God are committing idolatry,” I said. “That makes sense. They’re worshiping the creation, not the creator,” Jim echoed. “You got it,” I replied, and then continued reading my notes.
Vengeance is never appropriate human behavior. Justified punishments are fine, but remember, wanting a person punished and taking vengeance are two very different things. Vengeance, in people, is motivated and often controlled by anger and blind rage, while punishment is performed in accordance with established judicial laws or accepted rules. When David Riley reached out and exterminated the Zet, he was acting in vengeance. His reaction was unjust and he (after the fact) realized it. The definition of vengeance is “punishment for or retribution exacted for a personal injury or wrong,” according to (Dictionary.com).6
So, what does the Bible say about vengeance? God said in (Deuteronomy 32:35), “To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” and (Psalm 94:1) “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.” Proverbs 6:34 and Romans 12:19, among many other scriptures, clearly make vengeance between people a sinful act, so David Riley really messed up when he lashed out in vengeance.
For God, vengeance is not sinful, because He (in his Holy perfection) is thoughtfully punishing a wrong, and all laws and rules are his to enforce. We are His creation. He made us, so He literally owns us, so He is at liberty to do anything He wants to us and for us. Luckily, He is kind, benevolent, and patient with us. He gave the Amorites 400 years to straighten up their sinful, decadent lives before he finally enforced His righteous vengeance on them, found in (Genesis 15). We really have to mess up in a major way for Him to become vengeful. His vengeance is the only righteous vengeance.
Do Christians lash out in vengeance? Yes, of course, they do but their remorse is just that much more profound. Because they know that they not only lashed out against a fellow human but through the sin of vengeance, also turned their back on God. “Bob, I think America and many countries are about to disregard and turn their back on God to the point that he dispenses his righteous vengeance,” Jim predicted. “Well said Jim and I completely agree. If we don’t repent as a nation and turn from our sin, America and many other countries will reap what they have sown…and we’ll deserve it!” I stated. “Amen!” Jim extolled.
In my original manuscript, I used about 4 or 5 vulgar expletives. Since then, I’ve rewritten those portions of my book. While it’s the norm to use vulgarities in common speech these days, it is by no means acceptable; whether curses or expletives are spoken in the heat of anger or not, it’s still wrong. It serves no purpose, except to verbalize your anger or provide non-edifying, degrading speech, or actually call for a curse to be placed on someone or something. Does it really do anyone any good? Some would say, “Well, it makes me feel better,” but I submit that that’s just a statement of defiant bravado and is not really true.
So, what does the Bible say? (Romans 14:19) says, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” and we find in (1 Thessalonians 5:11), “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” and there are many other examples that clearly state that we should not curse or cast dispersions or vulgar expletives at anyone, but instead we should only say things that will edify, uplift or boost the morale of the people we are talking to or communicating with. David and Keesha Riley, and I, were wrong to use vulgarities in my original manuscript. “I can’t argue with that,” Jim said.
In chapter six of my story, I also mention parallel evolution. This is another evolutionary worldview moniker for, “I have no idea why these critters are so much alike”. In my story, David Riley mentions that the Tetrite and Humans appear to be products of parallel evolution. Well, that’s just crazy talk. I believe evolution is impossible. “Wait and minute Bob…You don’t believe in evolution?” “Nope”, I said, “and I’ll explain my position further, a little farther down in my notes.” If evolution is impossible, then so is parallel evolution. Scientists like to take two or more creatures, and compare them; for instance, the now extinct Great Awk and Penguins. These birds were not related, but had common design features, so scientists boldly proclaim parallel evolution, but in reality, they were designed for the environments they would inhabit, by God.
God said in (Genesis 1), “…Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
God created creatures in orders of created kinds. Carl Linnaeus’s system of classification was not published until 1735, so our current manner of classifying creatures is just a few centuries old. The Linnaean system is based on the similarity of physical characteristics. God’s system is based on physical compatibility. While Mr. Linnaeus has been reported to be a good Christian man that just wanted to further classify God’s creations, his classification system came thousands of years after God’s classification system, so I like to go along with God’s system. These created kinds can be interbred, like horses and donkeys (the horse kind) which make the hybrid we call a mule, or polar bears and grizzly bears (the bear kind), which have been known to produce hybrids both in the wild and captivity, as attested to by Rogers (2010).7
On the other hand, if the creature is not within the created kind it is impossible for them to interbreed, even if scientists try to force it to happen in a lab. A goat gamete (egg) can never be fertilized by a hog gamete (sperm) and create anything. Both gametes stop functioning as soon as the sperm enters the egg. A zygote (fertilized egg) can only occur within a created kind. God created each original creature independently, and without the need for evolution. They diversified through rapid adaptation to new environments, which has nothing to do with Darwinian evolution. A bear is still a bear, whether it has adapted to a cold climate and become a polar bear or adapted to eat bamboo and become a panda bear. They are still bears.
They can’t “evolve” into something that is not a type of bear. Creatures with similar structure and function are not the result of parallel evolution, they are the result of an all-mighty, all-knowing designer, using similar design features in both creatures. “So Bob, what you’re saying is that a fish can’t become a salamander and a turtle can’t become a porcupine, but a bear can adapt to new environments and become a different kind of bear?” “Right,” I said.
“Primordial goo, becoming me and you, is impossible, but God designed all creatures with all the genetic materials necessary to adapt to different environments, but the bear kind still breeds bears, the horse kind still breeds horses, and the stickleback fish still breeds sticklebacks, just adapted to new or different environments.” Jim threw his head back, cupping his hands over his face and exclaimed, “Why didn’t I see that! It’s so obvious! I feel so stupid!” “Jim, you’re not stupid, just deceived. Evolution peddling scientists have been spoon-feeding us lies for over 150 years now, and few people have stepped up to challenge them. But, let’s go on with my notes.” I said.
In Genesis 1, God described his creation as very good, but what exactly does that mean? God’s good or very good is nothing short of perfection. He’s Holy…in other words, He’s unable to lie, deceive, make mistakes, or do anything wrong…He is perfect. His very nature dictates this fact. In the beginning, God created perfection. Adam’s sin was punished by God, by purposefully loosening His grip on His creation. He no longer maintained His creation in its original perfection. Death, deterioration and a gradual winding down of the universe didn’t start until after Adam sinned.
In my story, David Riley ruminates on the idea of a one-world government. But I’m not talking about the United Nations, which had noble roots but is now too political and self-serving to be effective. King David was talking about a worldwide government of people that all pull together for the sake of all the people of the planet. Not just certain groups, but all people, with global unity, all pulling together in the same direction. This could never happen on Earth. We are too proud, selfish and greedy; we simply don’t have the capacity for global unity. “Does that sound about right Jim?” “You’re on the money with that one Bob.” I then continued reading.
The Bible does speak of a one-world government though, but it’s not a good thing. The book of Revelations describes a very charismatic leader that comes to power and unites most of the world under one rule. It’s not even going to be possible to unite the whole world during that horrible time. This is the start of the great tribulation. The first 3.5 years will be extremely tough, but bearable, but the last 3.5 years has been prophesied to be just about like Hell on Earth. These 7 years of tribulation (a state of great trouble or suffering) will come after the Christians are all caught up to meet Jesus and ascend into Heaven. So we Christians will not be here.
If you question the validity of this or other prophesies, please research this further, because most of the prophecy within the Bible have already come to pass, and were true and accurate. The Hebrew Scriptures and the Bible are the only religious writings to successfully predict future events, so it makes sense to believe the written prophesy within them. “So, we’re in agreement, we will not be here for the great tribulation,” Jim shared. “Yep, we agree, but there are theologians that believe the church (Christians) will be raptured out in the middle and some think just before the end of the tribulation. But according to my research, I believe we’ll be transfigured and caught up to meet Jesus in the air before the tribulation,” I said. “We’re simpatico,” Jim agreed.
King David also briefly mentions political correctness in my story. I feel that political correctness has become a plague on our society that has spread throughout much of the world. It had noble beginnings, (oh, it’s not nice to hurt people’s feelings, so we should stop doing that). That sounds wonderful, as long as you don’t start giving up your inalienable rights afforded to you by God and by the Constitution of the United States of America.
We should be free to speak our mind and practice our religion (regardless of what religion that is). We give up our freedoms to keep from hurting feelings, when often those feelings may need to be hurt. For instance, it’s politically incorrect to say that many people that are on welfare are just lazy people that would rather get a free ride than work for a living. That type of language freaks out the “politically correct” crowd, and it is not good Christian edifying speech either, but it’s never the less occasionally true (in my opinion). So, re-wording it into something more palatable may be in order, but it needs to be said, even if it hurts people’s delicate feelings.
What does the Bible say? 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Now Paul was talking about those sent out to preach. Some were just sitting on their lazy hind ends when they weren’t preaching, but Paul told them that they need to contribute, by working to help offset the cost to those people generously keeping them clothed, fed and sheltered. I still think it applies to everyone though, unless of course, they are physically, psychologically or intellectually incapable of working. We need to work for what we have.
This is just one example, but there are many more hazards to the plague that is political correctness. “Wow, the plague that is political correctness, I couldn’t agree more. Everyone wants you to walk on eggshells, skirt around issues, avoid hurting feeling to the point that you can’t say anything without worrying about the ‘politically correct police’ welling at you for being insensitive or hurtful, or God forbid, claiming you are a hate crime criminal. It’s crazy!” Jim implored. “I know, sometimes, in kindness and respect, you have to tell people that they are not doing the right thing. That’s not being hateful, it’s being caring and kind,” I said. “True, very true Bob,” Jim agreed.
The Paleozoic Era, again, just a made up name for something that has no proof. In accordance with geological uniformitarianism, the various layers (or strata) of stone on Earth are each arranged into an era of very long periods of time. They are supposed to represent long ages of sediment being laid down very slowly, or in brief local flooding, over vast stretches of time. Well, that’s a wonderful story, but it just doesn’t work. Most of these layers, separated into an era, show nowhere near the volume of erosion you would normally be expected. They are virtually erosion free. They are also bent versus broken, denoting they were laid down by water or occasionally volcanism.
Consequently, they possess coal beds with carbon 14 in them, they have petrified logs trapped in layers that span several different alleged eras, as noted by Walker (2007), they show signs of rapid continental collisions, they show fossil layers that clearly denote that millions of creatures and plants were overtaken and inundated by water, quickly and globally.8 There are marine fossils at the top of Mount Everest for goodness sake! The only answer to these geological formations is Noah’s global flood. Nothing else makes any sense. See Genesis Chapters 6-9.
“Wow, did you say marine fossils on the top of Mount Everest?” Jim questioned. “Yep, you can find fossilized sea creatures in high elevation in several parts of the world and if they were put there by billions of years of continental drift and uplifting, by now, due to erosion, they should no longer exist. The only explanation is a global flood.” Jim slaps his hand to his forehead. “Dah, now I feel really stupid.” “Don’t Jim. Uniformitarian geologists had me fooled for decades.”
In chapter eight of my story, we find that Emperor Sonkei had multiple wives. Polygamy has flourished in many cultures throughout time. Various people groups from Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, have at one time, practiced polygamy, including the Hebrew Patriarchs. Many Muslim and African nations still practice polygamy. That doesn’t make it right though.
St. Augustine said, “That the good purpose of marriage, however, is better promoted by one husband with one wife, than by a husband with several wives, is shown plainly enough by the very first union of a married pair, which was made by the Divine Being Himself.”
God’s plan for marriage has always been the union of one man with one woman. Let’s see what the Bible says. (Genesis 2:24) says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Likewise in (Mark 10:7), “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife” and in (Ephesians 5:31), “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” So, it is clear to me that God would have us joined in marriage as one man with one woman.
“But David, you said that the Hebrew Patriarchs practiced polygamy, how do you explain that?” Jim asked. “Well, yes they did, but it was in direct violation of God’s will and precepts,” I explained and continued reading my notes.
If you know the history of Abram, that became Abraham, you know that he didn’t have any major problems in his life, until his wife asked him to commit adultery with her Egyptian maid, Hagar. King Solomon was the wisest man ever, but he let one or more of his many wives talk him into worshiping other gods, in direct violation of the first and second commandments of the 10 Commandments. There are additional examples too. Polygamy was a compromise and was never intended to be acceptable. Marriage is only sanctified by God if it is between one man and one woman. “So, homosexual marriage doesn’t have a leg to stand on either?” Jim rhetorically questioned.” “Nope, they don’t. God only sanctified one type of marriage and that will never change, regardless of what the politically correct crowd tries to justify,” I replied.
Science has determined that it is probably impossible for any species to survive indefinitely. Errors creep into the genome, and even though God in His infinite wisdom created DNA with a spell check and correction system to decrease genetic drift, this system (in our fallen post-Adam’s sin universe) is not perfect. Errors creep in, which is why there are so many genetic diseases within our human genome. Some of the errors are also because of our diet and chemicals and stresses that we are exposed to. We just can’t survive as a species for more than about 10,000 years.
So, if the Junock civilization in my story were as old of a civilization as I wrote about, they would have been much less formidable. Or, probably even extinct, by the time King David encountered them. When God loosened His grip on his perfect universe, because of Adam’s sin (disobeying and rejecting God), and allowed errors to creep in, it made it impossible for any species to last for long ages. So those who tout millions of years of generations, for any species, must be wrong, especially since our Earth cannot be billions of years old, and the various species can’t be millions of years old.
Some evolutionists would argue, “yes, you’re right, these species are not surviving for millions of years’ worth of generations…they are evolving into new species.” Well again, that’s just crazy talk. Evolution is a myth. Until someone can give me proof that inorganic materials, somehow, miraculously, without outside influence, can spontaneously generate amino acids, and then form the over 200 different amino acids in nature, separate themselves into the 20 amino acids that are used in all life on Earth, and then further separate those 20 amino acids into exclusively left-handed amino acids, and then miraculously converge into the exact proteins needed to create the various structures needed to become that first living cell, then I’m just not going to believe it.
“Jim, all of the activity I just spoke of, has to happen all at once, or a cell cannot spontaneously burst forth into life. Sorry, it’s just not possible.” The Law of Biogenesis, first postulated by Louis Pasteur, is a few hundred years old and has been tested innumerable times. To paraphrase, it states (life must come from life), so life can never come from lifeless inorganic materials…not ever. The theory of evolution is an antiquated fallacious theory, which has not and cannot be proven.
“I’m overwhelmed, and angry,” Jim exclaimed. “I’ve been teaching biology for 8 years and I’ve always felt that something was wrong. The books I’ve read all tout that evolution was a fact; I was taught that evolution was a fact, but obviously, evolution is a big steaming mound of crap! I feel betrayed and deceived,” Jim said angrily. “That’s exactly how I felt when I discovered the truth Jim: exactly how I felt,” I shared. “How am I going to teach this junk to my students knowing that it’s all lies?” Jim questioned.
“Well Jim, they need to know about evolution in order to refute it, so keep teaching it. You just need to make sure your students know that Darwinian evolution is only a theory, and has never been proven. Reiterate this frequently and feel free to share with them that you don’t believe in evolution yourself. If a student asks you a direct question about what you believe, you can respond. Respond directly to that student, not the entire class. The First Amendment of the US Constitution affords you the right to respond to direct questions from anyone, including your students,” I instructed. “Wow, thanks, that’s great advice,” Jim said.
King David also mentions folding space in my story. At one time, this was a theory that many scientists decided might be possible, and some still feel it may be valid, and it sounds like a fun notion. You can start at this point in space-time and instantly move to another point in space-time, without actually moving; like in my story, when King David disappears from one place and reappears in another place. However, in recent years, scientists have found problems with this theory and it has fallen out of favor for some. I don’t remember the specifics about why this theory probably wouldn’t work, but it really doesn’t matter. In my opinion, God created linear time the first day of His creation week, and time will always be linear, and humans’ manipulating time or space-time is impossible, but that’s just my opinion. It’s still a fun notion though! “Your right, it is a fun notion, but I don’t really know much about it. Actually, I’m still reeling from being lied to for all those years about evolution,” Jim shared. “Okay Jim, then I’ll just keep reading from my notes.”
In chapter ten, I mention that the Junock homeworld, that David Riley was visiting, was a “primal planet”. Well, that would depend on your definition of primal. Primal can mean from the beginning, or it can mean early evolutionary periods. “Obviously Jim, my definition, at the time I wrote the story, was stuck in that goofy evolutionary mindset. At that time I believed the notion that eons of time passed, leaving vast volumes of plants and creatures extinct, but when I found out that many of these eons blur into each other, I started to question this idea,” I said and then referred to my notes. For instance, bird bone fossils were found in a dinosaur’s fossilized tummy, as mentioned by Young (2011).9 How could a dinosaur devour its progenitor? Well, it can’t.
If birds evolved from dinosaurs, bird remains should not be in the stomach of a dinosaur, but that’s what some scientists are saying happened. In reality, it’s probably an extinct form of a bird-eating another bird as postulated by Thomas (2011).10 The best idea is that in the beginning, God, on the fifth day created birds and on the sixth day created dinosaurs. This makes perfect sense if you are faced with a bird-eating dinosaur if indeed it was a bird eating dinosaur. It was very hard to tell from that pile of bones, even though the bones were found in their correct anatomical articulation. A better example of blurred boundaries would be terrestrial dinosaur bones found with marine fossils, literally entombed together in the same rock. “So, more evidence for Noah’s flood and that evolution is wrong.” Jim said disgusted, “Read on.”
King David also shares the astronomy theory that declares that an exploding planet would form a gravity well and would fall back on itself. This is, to the best of my knowledge, unproven theory, but could be possible if a gravity well is discovered to be factual versus theory. On the other hand, I also made mention of this planetary explosion causing residual rings, that could coalesce into a moon. This is dubious science in my opinion because particles have a tendency to disperse, not coalesce. They wouldn’t be sticky enough or poses a strong enough gravitational pull or poses any other mechanism to coalesce.
I believe rings would dissipate, and there is a great deal of evidence that Saturn’s rings are dissipating, so research it and judge the facts yourself. Just remember, that all knowledge should be reconciled with the Bible, or it’s just about worthless. “Jim, many Christians today have been trying to reconcile the Bible to worldly knowledge, trying to cram long ages into Genesis, trying to gloss over sin by claiming that things like fornication, adultery, and homosexuality are just part of our modern culture, so they should be considered okay. Well, they’re not okay…sin is sin, and it will always be a sin. We must reconcile everything back to the Bible, the ultimate written authority…the very Word of God. “Amen Bob.” Jim agreed.
In chapter eleven, King David has the opportunity to cheat on his wife with a very sexy, voluptuous, beautiful, and willing Zeelok woman. Well, he thinks about it, and even wishes he would have delved into adultery with this woman, but he decides to abstain. Our society, for the most part, still believes that adultery is inappropriate, but many people still do it. Adultery is wrong for many reasons. You are betraying a trust, lying, breaking your vows, potentially exposing your spouse to sexually transmitted diseases, potentially hurting your spouse’s feelings, bringing your spouse to anger, depression, anxiety, and fear. And you are potentially leading toward a break up of your family, causing trauma to your spouse and children.
“Jim, does any of this sound worth a few moments of guilt-ridden pleasure?” I asked. “No, and thank God that I never did anything that stupid. I’ve done enough stupid things in my life,” he shared. “My sentiments exactly Jim,” I agreed. What a hollow fleeting moment of pleasure that must be. If the people doing this had a conscience, they would be guilt-ridden. What does the Bible say? Exodus 20:14 says, “thou shalt not commit adultery” and Proverbs 6:32 says, “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.” And there are many more examples, many in the New Testament echo the commandment in (Exodus 20:14), “thou shalt not commit adultery”. Adultery has destroyed innumerable marriages. It’s a horribly bad idea and an even worse physical act.
King David speaks of races in this chapter too. Specifically, races of people from Earth, transported to a new home planet, called Terra. This sounds pretty innocuous if you ascribe to popular definitions, but it’s actually far from innocuous. Races are meaningless, except within an evolutionary worldview, because we are actually all direct descendants of Adam and Eve. “But Bob, many people, like my pastor and others feel that Adam and Eve were just metaphors, not real people,” Jim quizzically said. “Okay Jim, but have you forgotten what I explained about those that think Noah and the flood were just metaphors,” I replied. “Oh yeah, never mind, carry on.”
Evolutionists first started separating people into races, because they wanted to push forward this notion of evolution. They put people groups in categories and then claimed that this group is more advanced than this other group, which in turn is more advanced than yet another group. This goofy thought process has changed somewhat in the recent past but is still perpetuated. In the Bible, Job said, “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15) Job reflected on how God made us all the same way.
Modern science, through the Human Genome Project, discovered that each person on Earth is no more than 0.2% different than any other person. They also showed that the so-called “racial” or physical differences between the world’s ethnic groups only make up 0.12% of the genomic differences, as cited by Cameron and Wycoff (1998).11 In other words, the differences like a broad nose or narrow, round face or long face, dark skin or light skin, straight hair or kinky hair, etc. only make up twelve one-hundredths of one percent of the human genome. Science has proven that there is only one race of people on Earth…the human race.
The Bible says, that we are all descendants of Adam and Eve and in (Acts 17:26) the Bible says, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” The key to this passage is that all men are of one blood, all the same, all human. I believe there is only one race of people on Earth…the human race. “You have the reference for that research right?” Jim asked. “Yep, it’s right here in my notes Jim, and I’m going to give all my notes to you when we’re done,” I replied. “Cool, I definitely want to look further into that: twelve one-hundredths of one percent of the human genome?” Jim quizzically and rhetorically questioned.
When King David shares his thoughts about the loss of loved ones, he mentions the difficulty consoling those who lost loved ones. Well, without knowing where your loved ones are going, or believing that they just drift into oblivion, it makes sense that a person would be completely distraught at the loss of a loved one. It would be scary and depressing. Fortunately, it’s not like that for Christians that know their loved one is also a Christian. We know exactly where we are going, and where our loved ones have gone, so the loss is present but eased. We hurt because the person is no longer present with us, but we are comforted in that, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
When we die, our spirit passes into the presence of the Lord. It would be incredibly comforting to know that your loved ones are free of pain, infirmity, mental anguish or any other problem, and they’ve joined the perfect revelry and joy of Heaven. “I agree completely Bob,” Jim continued, “It’s so sad when you know a person dies without Christ, but as you said earlier, they choose where they spend eternity. It’s still sad though.” “I agree, Jim,” I said.
As King David calculated up those that lived and died from Earth after their evacuation, he fails to count those children that are stillborn. Each child that is conceived is special and precious, so David should have counted those stillborn as losses. I would classify this as a stupid mistake of a compromised Christian. Many Christians, and even more liberal thinking people in our society, feel or think very little about children until they are born. Some don’t think much of them even after they are born. When I wrote my story, I felt that abortion was wrong in most situations. Now I know that abortion is wrong in all situations.
The Bible says, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” (Psalm 127:3), and God told Jeremiah in (Jeremiah 1:5) “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
This would imply that God knew each of us before we were even conceived. This makes each of us important to God and the world, starting even before our conception. “So you don’t believe in abortion for any reason? What about rape?” Jim asked. “You know, a long time ago I would have said that rape was an exception. But think about it. That precious life growing in that womb should not be punished for the crimes of his father. That’s biblical. So, should that unborn child receive a death sentence for being conceived? No, in my opinion, that child has the right to live,” I replied. “I see want you mean, but people also counter that with, ‘but what about the rights of the mother,’ so what do you say to them?’” Jim questioned.
“Each party has equal rights, in my opinion. Both have the right to live, and neither of them has the right to ask that the other person be killed. Again, both people have the right to live,” I replied and continued reading my notes. I believe life starts at fertilization and that zygote (fertilized egg) is a viable human, ready and able to grow into an adult.
The only exceptions to this viability would be genetic or implantation errors or accidental trauma occurring to the pregnant mother that also damages her child, causing spontaneous abortion or stillbirth. Other than that, a zygote would be viable and will go to term. When both 23 chromosome gametes come together into a 46 chromosome zygote (fertilized egg), life begins. I believe abortion is wrong and miscarriage is a tragedy. The Bible says, “…for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14). We are precious to God and we were created by God in His image.
King David speaks of sustainable ecosystems. To a point, this could be true; we could do quite a bit to sustain our ecosystem through good stewardship of our resources. The problem is that no system could ever be sustainable indefinitely. The Law of Entropy proves that everything in the universe and our planet is gradually wearing down, going from a state of usable matter/energy to a state of unusable matter/energy, so perfect sustainability is impossible. We live in a finite, fallen universe, all because of Adam and his sin against God. I looked over at Jim. By this time Jim was just listening and nodding in reflective agreement.
King David also rattles off a list of the volumes of habitable planets in his Empire. That sounds great, and I loved writing about them in my story, and love all those science fiction shows that show vast numbers of habitable planets, but it’s just not true.
God created this planet before he created anything else. It’s special and specially created to sustain life. Atheists and evolutionary Astronomers, Cosmologists and Theoretical Physicists would say, “no, the Big Bang started first and then from the resulting cloud of debris stars were created, and then planets, etc.,” but the Big Bang doesn’t make sense. Because nothing, cannot make something. Nothing, creating everything, is the goofiest notion that I ever believed in, and I feel betrayed and deceived by the scientists that proposed it and coaxed me into believing it. “The Big Bang is an unqualified fallacy,” I said. Jim rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Fooled Again…”
I personally don’t believe that there could be another habitable planet, anywhere in the entire universe. Could I be wrong? Couldn’t God have created additional habitable planets? Well sure, but he has provided no indication that he has done so. The Bible says absolutely nothing about other life-sustaining worlds. Even if there were, we certainly could never reach them. The distances are vast and while the science fiction shows make it sound like bunches of habitable planets are right around the corner, this is far from the truth. In my opinion, we are alone in the universe and live on the only habitable planet in the entire universe. What an amazing blessing from our loving, generous, almighty God…an entire universe made just for the people of this tiny, beautiful oasis planet we call Earth.
“Jim, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to talk to you about all of this, probably because God knew that you were ready for the truth and that you would be receptive. This discussion would have been very different with an Atheist or Agnostic. When people are entrenched in the evolutionary dogma, that is spoon-fed to them from school, the media, TV, movies and even some churches, they refuse to be receptive. They refuse, because they have been deceived, or they have rejected God, but either way, they simply will not listen. That doesn’t mean we quit trying to share with them, we need to keep sharing the Gospel because it’s what Christ instructed us to do.
An author…I can’t remember who, said; “Evolution is the creation myth of Atheists,” and that couldn’t be truer. In order to believe in evolution, you have to believe that the first cell spontaneously came to life, even though you have no evidence and there is no physical mechanism that would cause it to happen…it’s impossible. You have to believe that animals can morph from one type of animal into another, like a fish becoming an amphibian, even though all the science proves that it can’t happen.
In order to believe in cosmologic evolution, you have to believe that everything came from nothing in a “Big Bang” or something similar, which is also impossible. Evolution is a faith-based belief system…a religion…based on faith in the impossible. Fortunately for us, our faith is based on the revelation of God through his Word, the Bible, His eyewitness testimony that has been proven time and again to be true and accurate.”
“Well, Jim that’s all I’ve got for you today.” “That’s all you’ve got! You spoke volumes! I’ll never see this world or our universe the same ever again. Please don’t forget to leave me your notes. I’m going to spend the rest of the day on the computer doing research,” Jim said. “That sounds great Jim! Just remember, I’m not perfect, so if you find something that I mixed up or forgot, please share it with me. We can get together over pizza again,” I invited. “Will do Bob, thanks again,” Jim said. Then Jim and I said our goodbyes and I left and drove home. When I arrived and pulled into our driveway, I turned the car off and sat there for a moment and prayed.
“Lord, I thank you and praise you for all you have done today. Please continue to open Jim’s heart and mind, bless him and keep him. Please let the information I shared, that you provided to me, not only open his eyes but let him share this information with others, to open their eyes. I pray that you keep him mindful of your Word, and remind him to always reconcile everything he learns, with the Bible. Also, I pray that everything that was done today honors and glorifies you, and I pray that in everything I do, I do it in accordance with your will and to the uplifting of your kingdom. I pray all of this in Jesus’ precious Holy name. Amen!”
