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Why do civilized people believe so many lies? And what are we expected to do about it?

By Dennis Petersen

Do you think you are a Bible believing Christian? Do you believe that there are a host of people in your community and nation who believe a long list of myths, fallacies and deceptions?

Do you believe that your own perceptions are generally accurate and truthful?

Few will admit to deliberately believing and acting on what they know is a lie, right?

Let’s remember the Biblical warnings about falling for lies:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6

“For false christs (messiahs) and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Mark 13:22

“Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.” Isaiah 5:13

“The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.”Proverbs 10:21

When I was a young student in public school in the 50s and 60s, I began to learn about the advancements of the ancient Roman civilization.  I wondered how they could become so decadent and morally depraved after reaching so many technological and cultural heights.  How could they lose their entire social-political structure to the barbarians?  

Years later I discovered some facts about the existence of a variety of advanced ancient civilizations on planet earth. Some were before the Romans; others were after.  I began to realize there was a common denominator.  It’s easily understood by the historically traceable, miraculous origin of all the world’s language groups.  Where did that happen?  At the Valley of Shinar (Sumer) in the Middle East. Studying world history from a Biblical worldview, it comes into focus that mankind is essentially flawed.  He is self-destructive, and incapable of independently overcoming his fallen condition in sin.

With all the evidence surrounding humans that testifies to the reality of our Creator being so clearly seen (Romans 1:20), Paul’s revelation of man’s ultimate inexcusability could not be clearer. “They are without excuse.” Let’s recount just a few of those evidences.

Some evidence qualifying to be included in Romans 1:20

  • The systematic design observed in the stars did not start by accident.
  • The extraordinary complexity of living cells could not have originated by chance.
  • The astonishing capacity of the human mind means no people groups are organically primitive.
  • The mere existence of fossilized living creatures trapped in the vast sedimentary systems covering the continents all over the earth could not have been formed by anything but a global cataclysmic flood in relatively recent historical time.
  • The harmonious synergism of the living natural world on earth, as particularly obvious by what is famously known as the “Anthropic Principle,” is so vast that the ancient writer of Job stated “who doesn’t know that that hand of the Lord has made this?” (Job 12:9).

When I present creation evidences to most Christian audiences, like most teachers, I appeal to their inner sense of God-consciousness.  I also appeal to their willingness to consider the Bible in helping them overcome the propaganda that has programmed their thinking, having lived in a secular society all their lives.

Now, because so many law abiding, upstanding citizens have been so badly compromised by secular indoctrination in their steady diet of information overload, many of them have a very unbiblical concept of God. They don’t really trust His Word. They are a lot like the men of Athens whom Paul addressed in Acts 17 when he said, “I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious” (vs. 22).

Acts 17 beautifully shows us a pattern for communicating good news to pagans we call secularists.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore, he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. (Acts 17:16-18).

And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. (Acts 17:19-21).

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown God.’ “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: (Acts 17:22-23).

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. (Acts 17:24-25).

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ (Acts 17:26-28).

“Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead (Divine Nature) is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. (Acts 17:29).

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” (Acts 17:30-32).

The sad condition of too many modern Western religious Christians

All too many of today’s church people in America – more than half statistically – are really not much different from those men of Athens over 1,950 years ago.  We can’t assume that they are even open to hear and know the truth. So, we need to honestly ask those we are wanting to positively influence if they are willing to let the Holy Spirit convict them of the sin of hardening their hearts to God’s Word.

Line upon line, precept upon precept, step by step, we can guide an open mind to at least see truth.

Hebrews 3 urges us: Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:7-13).

Then we can ask if they want to access God’s spiritual strength to pull down the strongholds that keep them from God’s best.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor 10:5

Now we are in a place where we can ask if they want to see what God’s Word says about the Jesus that Paul proclaimed to the superstitious Athenians.

It’s really all about Jesus – without Him we can do nothing.

Colossians tells us: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and … on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (hold together). (Colossians 1:13-17).

Of course, this confirms what Paul told the men of Athens, reiterating John’s introduction:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4).

When you can help someone see Jesus as the source and center of all things in their life, then you can draw attention to some key things He said to confirm the truth of God’s Word even before the New Testament was written and canonized.

What Jesus said is key if we trust in Him for our eternal lives.

Luke 16:31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Ask what they think Jesus was talking about. Did it include the creation account of Adam or the Flood account of Noah?

Then show them a few passages and ask if it sounds like Jesus thought those references to His own ancestors were fictitious.

“And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6).

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-27).

When a believer comes to grips with the Scriptures that Jesus believed in the genuine history of the book of Genesis, you then can help him discover the truth of a host of realities they have been systematically conditioned by the enemy’s deceptions to disbelieve.

The Creative and sustaining power of Almighty God

Isaiah tells us: “Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. (Isaiah 42:5-7).

So now we know part of why civilized people believe in so many lies, but there is more.

Remember what Paul said in Romans 1 about the divine result of rejecting God’s reality?

 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:18)

 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting…” (Romans 1:28).

But it gets worse. The prophecy Paul made about the coming anti-Christ carries a principle that we should be aware of.

Look in 2nd Thessalonians 2: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

So, what should we do about it?

Matthew 28 records: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20).

Now Jesus’ mission compels us. It’s His imperative for all of us who believe and follow Him in the 21st Century…

Jesus began his public mission, declaring: “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED…” Luke 4:18

So, what does that leave us to do?

Paul wrote to believers in that first generation following the resurrection: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

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If Your Pastor Doesn’t Lead the Charge, Is God Raising up Gideons?

By Dennis Petersen

Will God’s People Fear God to the point of doing the work to defend their families while they can?

What does it mean to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart?”

“and lean NOT on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Isn’t it perplexing how the more our ‘doubting Thomas’ society leans toward their own flawed understanding, the more they are swayed by the deception of ‘political correctness’ and refusing to trust in the sovereignty of God?  And let’s be clear we’re talking about the Creator God, “Who upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb 1:3)” and “Who works all things after the counsel of his own will (Eph 1:11).” 

For some time, especially since the providential placement of a decisive leader whose actions champion life, liberty and truth as America’s head of state, my soul has been in a continual state of uneasiness over the downward spiral of our nation’s culture. While I am truly content to rest in the confidence that God’s providence prevails in His appointment of kings and national leaders, I am also deeply aware that many of us see the apathy and lack of firm reliance on the supremacy of the whole counsel of God being declared by believing church communities in our land. We should be shocked by the lack of bold challenges to God-fearing citizens to rebuild the broken-down walls of our nation to guard the innocent from the enemies that would destroy the liberty that past generations gave their lives to build.

I discovered an excellent article by an old preacher I remember hearing 40 years ago who seems to be submitted humbly to the sovereignty of God and the supremacy of His Word.  He does not appear to be one who wants to do anything less than clearly declare the whole counsel of God. See if you can identify with his opening statement that should spark all of us to contritely thank God for His mercy. (You can read his article at the website linked at the end of this article.) 

“I am continually humbled by the grace of God and His mercy on me.  I am very aware how inadequately I am living in a constant consciousness of the fear of the Lord.  I repeatedly revisit the remembrance that one day I will stand before God and give an account for every word I have spoken.  Thanks be to God for His love that covers a multitude of sins by His gift of grace received by His beloved.”

Like the true prophets of the Bible, in reverential fear, the author reminded me of one of the saddest stories of our nation’s history.  It was the occasion of the death of the man who was honored by his own contemporaries as the beloved father of our new American nation, George Washington.

Today’s American church family desperately needs to be reminded of an analogy here.

Retired President Washington died because of medical malpractice.  In his time the misguided professional medical doctors believed in a falsehood that led them to literally bleed George Washington to death.  Washington was only 67 years old.  He had completed his eight years as president only two short years earlier, after leading the continental army to victory over the British empire through nearly five long years of unimaginable hardship and sacrifice in the ‘Revolutionary War.’  He contracted pneumonia. In their ignorance of modern pathology, they believed that congestive infection like that was due to “bad blood” in his body. The remedy was to deliberately bleed sick patients.  Washington was already weak from his sickness, but they decided to do what was fairly routine for them.  They drained several pints of blood from his arm.  When the symptoms continued, they bled even more of his life-sustaining blood.  If only they had heeded the wisdom of Leviticus 17:7 – “the life of the flesh is in the blood.”  But by draining the blood out of a man weakened by pneumonia, the doctors made him weaker and finally killed him.  It was the worst thing they could have done.

Today’s American church of Jesus Christ sorely needs to see a vitally important analogy here.  The idea that any of us has some kind of personal entitlement to God’s blessings without contrition before a righteous Judge is preaching a stunted gospel of “cheap grace.” And it is literally bleeding an already weakened church. Such thinking produces a careless apathy and cowardice that helps set us up for national destruction. Can you imagine how wickedly glad our enemy, Satan, would be if we continue to fall for this trap? Instead of a life-giving conviction and a robust will to fight – to actually trust God to help us take action by participating in the battle to preserve our liberties – a warped gospel induces drowsiness and more indifference.

“Past miracles don’t guarantee future mercy.  They should awaken urgency, overpowering gratitude, humility, and profound soul searching.  Throwing ourselves off the cliff of morality to prove the power of Grace tempts God and provokes wrath.”

We thank God for the faithful pastors who are boldly declaring the whole counsel of God to their churches with courage, regardless of the increasing spiritual warfare they endure in the process. However, we are aware from nationwide studies and polls done by numerous reputable research groups like Barna, that the lukewarm church in America is going backwards. As much as 88% of young people raised in churches are leaving the faith of their fathers. Up to 30% of generation X, Y, and Z young Americans consider themselves without a faith or atheist. Way too many men, including pastors are hooked on porn. Most of us are afraid to speak up for the unborn, the oppressed, and those being enslaved by the sensual, demonically inspired demons of our age. Does it even matter to most people anymore that we are forsaking the clear Biblical command to teach Bible truth to our children daily?

1 Chronicles 12:32 tells “of the sons of Issachar who understood the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” The chapter tells of the military talent of each Israelite tribe.  Issachar’s weapon was the gift of “understanding the times.”  Do you think that if we were reminded regularly that we are recruited into spiritual warfare when we are born into Jesus’ family of sons and daughters that we might be more attuned to Biblical principles of our mission?  For starters, the very idea of our call to offensively anticipate victory over the “gates of hell” should be a daily reminder.  Why not pray with fellow Christ-followers who desperately see the need for God to give us men with God-inspired insight like He gave the Sons of Issachar?

Wrath comes when you do not properly respond to mercy

In 2 Chronicles 32:25 we read, “But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore, wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem.”

The Word of God for this generation today is abundantly clear, but who’s listening?

God has obviously extended His mercy to our wicked generation, and that includes His own people who are too timid to speak up, lead, and take authoritative action over the works of the devil in our age. In humility that will happen when God’s ordinary saints who love Him dearly do three things: Revive, Repair and Rebuild.

Revive – We must fervently seek a fresh outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit.  Our assemblies of the saints must cry out to God with hearts of gratitude and plea for His sovereign refreshment of our spirits.

Repair – America desperately needs prayer-filled spokesmen (like prophets of old) to boldly declare God’s righteousness. This only will send the demons of hell into retreat. The righteous (living disciplined  in humble forgiveness) are as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1).

Rebuild – your children will raise up the old foundations when you practice the true Biblical spiritual vitality as defined in Isaiah 58:6-12 – the “fasted lifestyle” that God choses.  Pastors must rebuild their sermons from the ground up.  We don’t need entertaining stories. We need God’s inspired word by hearing plenty of Bible verses.  Let’s talk of our mighty God.  Let’s fill our conversations with content the Holy Spirit can use to reach lost or floundering souls!  People need a fresh rediscovery of the Good news.  The gospel must once again roll off our tongue in the workplace, on campus and at the mall.

Who cares that 90% of the church’s children are deliberately given over to be trained by teachers working for the Canaanite gods of evolutionism, humanism, and the idolatry of self, so dominant in today’s society? Big pharma and Hollywood have more sway in society than true Christ followers. Hardly anyone in most churches is actively part of a discipleship lifestyle to influence others by witnessing and mentoring. Many Godly radio ministries are delivering valuable Bible teaching and providing excellent resources. And yet, we keep getting a steady church diet of self-help and how to cope with basic issues of life. Meanwhile Christians in many parts of the world are suffering persecution and martyrdom that is seldom, if ever, discussed in a Sunday service. Why not?

Could it be that those few of us who would like to speak up are not being given the opportunity because the message doesn’t conform to the heretical agenda of porridge being served to try keeping people in church?

If you know the truth that will free people from the chains of deception and do not tell them, what does the Bible tell us about our accountability to God? 

Ezekiel 33:6 tells us clearly that the watchman who sees the destructive storm coming to his people but doesn’t warn them, is guilty of their lost lives.

Must we allow our society to become as decadent as Rome before a modern Telemachus takes a public stand for righteousness against the brutal insanity that drives our post-modern world? See the story of Telemachus at http://www.prayerfoundation.org/favoritemonks/favorite_monks_telemachus_coliseum.htm .

For the article written by the man of God referenced above, see this link:

AMERICA’S DESTRUCTION: WHAT IS GOD TRULY SAYING?
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Awesome Beauty and Wonder in Nature glorifies God

https://thejohn1010project.com/heavenly-fire.html

The Auroras (or Northern and Southern Lights) rank among the seven greatest natural wonders in the world.  For millennia, they have captured the imaginations of anyone who has witnessed their ethereal beauty in the polar skies.  HEAVENLY FIRE: The Mystery of the Auroras is an unforgettable exploration of why these incredible light shows occur, and what they reveal about God.

Witnessing our Creator’s awesome displays of spectacular power and beauty, like the Northern Lights, stirs our deepest appreciation for Him because He designed all the intricacies of nature for that very purpose. They testify of His power and nature (Romans 1:20). And that’s why the heart of those who belong to Him are prepared by His Spirit to respond to His invitation to “Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture.” (Psalm 95).

THIS SHORT FILM IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY THE CALL OF THE COSMOS PRODUCED BY ILLUSTRA MEDIA AND DISTRIBUTED BY RANDOLF PRODUCTIONS, INC.

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New Book for Inspiring Young Christians to Think

Are you a friend who loves God and realizes how desperate is the need in today’s world to equip Christian young people to have absolute confidence in the Bible?

If you’ve read reports of how less than 20% of Christian young people believe the complete trustworthiness of the Bible or fewer having a truly Biblical world view, you are no doubt alarmed and concerned for the future.

For over 40 years I’ve studied, taught and published compelling, logical and Biblically sound reasons to totally trust the Bible. We never dreamed the family of the Christian churches at large in America would become so poorly equipped to face the next generation. It’s time to help parents be the strategically equipping influencers their children need, like never before.

How can we guide our children to discern the truth about origins?

A dear Christian widowed-mother of six recently wrote to me: “Dear Dennis, Although my own daughter has been raised with a lot of Creation Science resources over the years, when she recently read an evolutionary-based, science workbook, she wrestled with doubts– ‘Mom, this sounds true. How do we know they are not true and what I have heard from Creation science is true?’ I prayed and gave her the best answers I could, by God’s grace. But my heart was sobered to realize that somehow she needs more than just the videos and books I have given her. She needs someone to help her navigate the questions that come up when she brushes up against the opposition’s propaganda and evolutionist’s teachings.”

The Lord inspires me with this challenge to do all I can to give my all to meet this critical mission.  At age 72, despite the challenges since my heart attack to try to slow me down, I’m asking every friend to join me in the ‘fight’ and to persist expanding our influence for Christ’s kingdom, using our God-given gifts. Let’s put this new book in the hands of every young person we can personally coach to be equipped with it’s insights.

This simple guide book clarifies Genesis creation and glorifies Jesus Christ with a simple road map for your journey of discovery. This logical series of clear and concise discussions is designed to help you walk through a conversation with any open-minded friend who could be misled by evolutionist confusion. You will find memorable quotes and humorous nuggets that will bring “a-ha” moments to your heart.

Here is a step-by-step strategy to ask great questions leading to solid Biblical answers. You know people everywhere, confused about Genesis creation or how to understand origins logically.  Now you’ll have not only facts of science but also a delightful pathway to guide others to grasp God’s Truth on this controversial topic.

In this simple guide to clarify creation and glorify Jesus Christ, young students can easily follow the logical series of short discussions. They can even walk a friend through a conversation on how they have been misled by evolutionist confusion.  

Each chapter begins with a question that leads to a clear conclusion. 

  • What does the word of God do in men’s hearts?
  • Can you believe that logic actually does more than just support the truth of creation?
  • What do you suppose is the most fundamental purpose for nature?
  • What does the Cosmos really show us is happening all the time?
  • Can random chance really produce increasing complexity of living creatures? 
  • Can people truly evolve from pond scum?
  • Do simple forms really evolve into complex forms of life over time?
  • Are you ready to discover the knowledge of God?

“This book provides the right questions and answers, from both the Bible and real science, that parents and mentors — empowered by the Holy Spirit — can use to remove the blinders of “science falsely so called” …from children … while introducing them to everlasting Life in our Creator, Redeemer, and Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ! Like Dennis, we have no intention of retiring from the battle for the next generation, and we look forward to using his exciting new book and approach in our own ministry to the glory of God’s Word Written and Living in Jesus Christ!”

Dr. Gary and Mary Parker – CreationAdventuresMuseum.org

“Three appendices are full of facts.  ’20 Secrets Most College Professors Don’t Know About When It All Began’ is alone worth buying the book. Referring to those who are in ‘bondage to sin and destructive lifestyles,’…’Why do they lack knowledge?…What should we expect when we allow our children to be taught about the wonders of God’s creation (biology, geology, astronomy, etc) by those who scorn the Bible and blaspheme God.’”

Karl Priest – Insectman.us

” In Seven Keys to Discovering Genesis is True, Dennis Petersen has laid out a clear road map for any student to understand the works of God in Creation and the Word of God in Scripture.”

Dr. Peter Hammond – Director, Frontline Ministries, South Africa

Many valuable links to graphically illustrated video resources supplement the many illustrations in 7 Keys. Here is an equipping tool that every Christian family will want to have extra copies to give to new young friends. We have no time to waste. They’re growing up surrounded and confused by secular anti-Bible deceivers.

Simple Action to take now!

Write me a short email at dennis@awesomeworks.com to request free access to the preview version of 7 Keys. We will send you the links to the video and eBook versions when they are ready. In advance, you’re invited to join our team to support this mission and plan to have as many copies as you need sent to you at deeply discounted rates when they are available.

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The Top 14 Reasons Why I Should Believe In Creation

Theological reasons to believe the God of the Bible ALONE is capable of producing the universe. (remember that the word “Universe” means “one word.”)

  1. Jesus had confidence in the clear words of the Torah (thus Genesis) when He said in Luke 16:31 “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead.” Also, His endorsement of the reality of Adam and Eve from the BEGINNING, and not billions of years AFTER the beginning is clear in Matthew 19:4. There are many passages testifying to Jesus’ absolute endorsement on the principal of the inerrancy of the Holy Hebrew Scriptures.
  2. If Jesus is not all-powerful enough to be our Creator, there is no way He could be powerful enough to be our Savior. (John 1:1, 14, Col. 1:16 & 17)
  3. Christian faith is based on the authority and integrity of Holy Scripture. So if we can not trust the foundational statements of Genesis to be clear, unambiguous, accurate, and totally truthful, there is no reason for anyone to place their personal confidence in other passages of Scripture upon which their hope for eternal salvation should rest. (Heb. 11:3, Rev. 14:7)
  4. Paul’s preaching of the resurrection of Christ to pagans at Mars Hill was based on the premise that the same God was also CREATOR and SUSTAINER (LORD) of heaven and earth.
  5. The cornerstone of Christian faith is the declaration of God’s law at Sinai, wherein the literal miraculous creation of God in six normal DAYS is the basis for the timeless order of the law of work and rest. Without this there is no explanation for the historic 7-day week that has transcended cultures worldwide from before the most ancient secular historic records. (Exodus 20:11)

Logical reasons to believe the Biblical account of creation is a better explanation for origins than evolution

  1. Creation is intricately designed, integrated, purposeful, and full of aesthetic beauty. These attributes can only be satisfactorily explained by virtue of an intelligent, personal, meaningful Creator, since the only alternative is randomness with no purposeful, orderly cause.
  2. The natural creation and all living creatures are filled with systematic information that cannot have originated by itself. Information requires intelligence. Increasing orders of information from simple levels of life to the most complex cannot be explained naturalistically because you can never get MORE information from LESS information.
  1. To exclude the purposeful intelligence of the Creator from the creation requires one to believe that natural physical elements are eternal and that those elements, left to themselves over time, can randomly produce all the vast variety of living things. Such false reasoning is similar to expecting the chemistry of paper to produce the knowledge of the encyclopedia to be written on it without the external application of intelligent creativity.

Scientific observations that cause the creation explanation to make more sense than evolution.

  1. Irreducible complexities in the most basic living systems demand an intelligent designer, creator and sustainer. Innumerable complex details must be simultaneously in place for even the most “simple” creatures or their organs to function at all. There can be no “incipient” (incomplete) immune system, reproductive system, digestive system, visual perception system, circulatory system, etc.
  2. The Anthropic Principle, witnessed in thousands of ways on planet earth, clearly demonstrates that the creation is designed for life, and particularly man, to thrive here. Earth’s environment is so delicately balanced that even slight adjustments or deletions of certain features would make life and human life utterly impossible. A whole book could be written on this with chapters on the perfect order of features in the cosmos (solar system), the atmosphere, the earth’s chemistry, the geology, the hydrologic cycle, the synergy of life forms, the sizes of everything from tidal variations, to bananas, and the timing of everything from seasons and days to animal growth cycles and migratory patterns.
  3. The computer-like code of all life called DNA, which carries the genetic information regulating every phase of all living systems, is so exceedingly complex that even pagan scientists have acknowledged their absolute awe at the miraculous marvel of its complexity.

General reasons why a thinking person should believe the Biblical account of creation rather than evolution.

  1. The intricate order of nature demands an explanation. To deny the purposefulness of the Creator requires NOT FAITH (of the Biblical kind in a Supreme Awesome Designer) but GULLIBILITY in simplistic, humanly contrived concepts that ascribe powers to material objects that are totally impossible.
  2. The rejection of divine creation (and its cultural implications of moral accountability) by much of modern society has led to a plague of meaninglessness, moral depravity, lawlessness, and the bloodiest century of death in all of human history.
  3. Every aspect of evolutionary dogma is totally unsupported by ANY facts. Much of evolutionary scenarios are completely opposite to Biblical and scientific realities. Every evolutionary axiom and supposed proof has been thoroughly controverted by careful scientific exploration and examination. Many hoaxes of evolutionary scientists have been popularized by a seductive popular press for decades, only to be exposed and defeated by serious collective investigation.
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Can you expose the top 3 absurd assumptions of evolution?

By Dennis Petersen

You have probably seen evolutionary charts like this… but you might not have seen how to expose the faulty arguments behind them.  Those arguments have deceived many students into thinking the Genesis record is unscientific.  In reality, all a person has to do is ask some logical questions to reveal the utter foolishness of evolutionary assumptions.

You’ve heard educated evolutionists insist that it took a loooooong time… and that it was undirected by a Designer or God so it all happened by random chance… and of course, simple things got more complex  –  that’s evolution in a nutshell isn’t it?

Did you get that?  The 3 absurd assumptions of evolution we’re talking about here are:

Extraordinary Time

Random Chance

Increasing complexity

Don’t forget this key piece of the discussion.

The two major evolutionary fallacies?

They are required to get us to this point and they are covered in another chapter or article.  What are they?  They are the absurd answers given by evolutionists to the questions: “how did the universe get here?” and “where did life come from?” You’ve heard those answers I’m sure.  Here they are:

The Big Bang

Spontaneous Generation

 

And don’t forget the simple questions you can use to reveal the ‘emptiness’ of those two supposed ‘scientific’ causes for the two most significant ‘effects’ that can lead anyone to a realization that there has to be a Creator.

Two Extremely revealing questions to ask:

#1 – Did you ever see an explosion cause an increase in the orderliness and complexity of anything?
#2 – Can you even imagine how to put life into chemicals, even if they are cleverly arranged into all the organs and systems of a now-dead corpse?

 

What’s really at the bottom of evolution teaching?

What is seldom mentioned to unwary and impressionable young students today is that evolutionists believe in bigger miracles than Christians ever dreamed of.  They even admit it on occasion.  And the reason their misguided faith is really nothing less than sheer gullibility is because their miracles had no adequate cause to perform them.  Nature and common sense demonstrate scientifically that any result or ‘effect’ requires an adequate cause.  By definition, the Creator of the universe that exists independent of natural substances is the only adequate “cause” for the universe and life.

But, evolutionists are religiously committed to their insane ‘faith’ because they don’t want to acknowledge the reality of their Creator.  Don’t forget that.  That’s why the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Roman Christians in the first century:

“..just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind…” (Romans 1:28).

Answering the Evolutionist Arguments

So how do we expose the 3 absurd assumptions of evolution?  And do it in a gracious and sensible way?

We go into a lot of colorful and fascinating background detail in my book, “Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation,” but let’s keep this as simple as possible.  Here’s the bottom line.

Time

Does Time (millions and billions of years of it) provide a solution to evolution’s impossible dream?

Even if there really had been millions of years of existence for all of creation, there’s one thing we absolutely know about the effects of time.  Just ask the question: “have you ever heard of the second law of thermodynamics?” All processes in nature are bound by this law.

What happens to any natural object or system as you watch it exist for a long time?  It degrades.  It wears out.  It falls apart.  It deteriorates.  It follows the law of what is called “increasing Entropy.”   Evolutionists insist there ‘must be’ a natural way for the nagging problem of entropy to be overcome.  They just don’t want to face the music that only a miracle-working Creator is capable of creating a perfect world or restoring a fallen one in a “new heaven and new earth.”

Chance

What are the chances of producing orderly sequences of understandable information and systems randomly?  In their assertion that random chance is capable of evolving higher forms of life (or any kind of first life for that matter) evolutionists ignore a mountain of evidence.  It’s called “mathematical probability statistics.”  With modern analytical equipment we now know how extraordinarily complex living systems really are.  We now have no scientific excuse for believing in naturalistic evolution.

Ask, “What are the chances of letting random accidental processes produce even a simple system of information?”  Evidence of design should logically cause us to look for a designer.  To the evolutionist’s shame, he refuses to “allow a Divine foot in the door” no matter how ridiculous are his ideas about how intricately designed living beings came to be.

Increasing Complexity

When someone insists that random genetic mutations and natural selection are the process of evolving from ‘Goo’ to You by way of the zoo, you might want to ask them a question or two.

Have you seen what mutations really produce?  They are not pretty.  Thankfully they are rare.  In 5,000 years we’ve never scientifically seen what is agreed by everyone to be a single positive genetic mutation.  It’s clear there isn’t enough time for mutations to do their ‘magic’ even if you had billions of billions of years to arrive at a world full of amazing creatures.  How do you produce a system like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly by way of random mutations?  And when you consider that ‘natural selection’ is only capable of eliminating unfit offspring (the so-called “survival of the fittest”), it says nothing about the ‘arrival of the fittest’ in the first place.  You can’t get “more information” from “less information.”  Someone with intelligence and a high degree of technical skill has to ‘engineer’ biologically increasing complexity.  To believe that bacteria evolved into worms and worms evolved into reptiles and reptiles evolved into birds (and eventually man) is not supported by ANY facts of real observable science.

Evolution is a belief system that is totally devoid of honest scientific support.  Those who insist on it are doing so only because they choose to reject the Creator.  Typically, they have distorted concepts about God and some kind of attitude that resists acknowledging their personal accountability for their actions.

So why do so many people choose to believe in evolution?

The apostle Paul spelled it out very plainly in a prophetic word about the future that applies very well to what we see going on right before our eyes today.  In Paul’s second letter to the Christian believers in Thessalonica (2 Thes. 2:10-12)

“…because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Would you say that the belief in evolution qualifies for “a lie” that condemns them to their own just outcome if they choose to reject the truth of God?

 

© Dennis Petersen 2011

Find More Information at http://creationresource.org

And see how to get your own copy of the book Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation with a bonus online by clicking here.

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How Can Good Scientists Embrace Bad Theory?

An excerpt from the book Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation, by Dennis Petersen

There is so much confusion circulating in the printed and broadcast media today that it’s very hard for average folks to sort out what’s really true.  The theory of evolution is promoted widely as if it is scientifically acceptable because many academic scientists believe it, but is that sufficient to make it stand as really TRUE?  When I’m talking about evolution here, let’s not mistake it for anything else but what it is: pure naturalism.  As one evolutionist made it very clear, “we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”

 What is science?

The Oxford Dictionary defines science as “a branch of study…concerned either with a body of demonstrated truths or with observed facts systematically classified…under general laws, and which includes trustworthy methods for the discovery of new truth within its own domain.”

G.G. Simpson, a leading evolutionist, said:

“It is inherent in any definition of science that statements that cannot be checked by observation are not really about anything…or at the very least, they are not science.”[8]

 

TRUE Empirical SCIENCE IS

  • Observable
  • Demonstrable
  • Repeatable

Observation is absolutely essential for the practice of what we call empirical ‘Science.’  And there are many things outside of that sphere like history and angels and prayer and God Himself.  If you include ‘forensic’ or historical science in the discussion then you are dealing with theories of past events that cannot be witnessed again and which depend on the confidence we can have in the words of the informant.

Does science contradict the Bible?

Some feel that God’s Word and His world could conflict.  Keep in mind that the Bible makes no apology about the supernatural origin and operation of the natural world.  The straightforward narrative of creation in Genesis was approved by Jesus Christ and by the apostles who wrote the New Testament.  We must be careful with what we accept as science.  True science will not contradict the clear teachings of the Bible, but miracles described as actual events, by their very nature, are understood to bypass the limits of what science is typically able to observe.

SCIENCE MYSTERIES

Despite all the work that has been done in all the science disciplines, there are major enduring problems.  What is electricity?  What is light?  What is gravity?  Why do these phenomena behave so consistently?  Some features of these things are known but not the basic “why” behind them.

CAUTIONS FOR SCIENCE

  • There are many special disciplines (niches) of science. Being an authority in more than one realm is impossible for most men.  So, many scientists are unaware of the assumptions in other areas outside of their specialty.
  • Scientists are real people; they are inclined to have the same human weaknesses and biases as non-scientists. They are just as prone to sin, denial, deception and bad attitudes toward God.
  • Scientists who wish to be credible must be cautious not to make broad declarations on issues of religion or human spiritual matters in the name of science.
  • When scientists do say things about origins, supernatural powers and spiritual things, you should be careful to examine and challenge them. Ask for their basic assumptions about God and origins.  Theories are not facts!

What is a theory?

The average person may suppose a theory is like a hunch or a guess, but scientists regard theories as accepted principles or concepts that stimulate research to explain natural phenomenon.

Have scientists been proven wrong?

False ideas have commonly been promoted by scientists of the past only to be discarded by their descendants.  You can probably think of many examples like:

  • The geocentric theory of astronomy
  • The idea that bloodletting is appropriate medical procedure for reducing fever
  • Embryonic recapitulation (the theory that human embryos develop by evolutionary stages of animal ancestry)
  • Phlogiston was believed by 17th and 18th century scientists to be the magical ingredient of all combustible things that enabled them to burn. French chemist, Lavoisier, showed that oxygen was the key for fire (rapid oxidation) to burn.

Is evolution scientific?

No matter how you look at it, the theory of evolution must trace back to a point where inanimate matter became a living creature.  Look at the foundation of this theory.

  • UNKNOWN CHEMICALS in the primordial past…through…
  • UNKNOWN PROCESSES that no longer exist…produced…
  • UNKNOWN LIFE FORMS that are not to be found…but could, through
  • UNKNOWN REPRODUCTION METHODSspawn new life…in an…
  • UNKNOWN OCEANIC SOUP COMPLEX…at an…
  • UNKNOWN TIME and PLACE.

Is it any wonder why many scientists insist that evolution does not even constitute a bona fide scientific theory!

THE BIG QUESTION

Bible-believing Christians are often mocked by those who say:

“Prove your eternal God created all this!”

But what’s the alternative?

Why not ask the scorner:

“Prove to me that atoms are eternal!  If God is not the Creator, how did the atoms get there?”

MYSTERIES OF EVOLUTION?

For any creation or upward development there are basically three things that are absolutely essential:

  1. A PROGRAM to direct the growth.
  2. A MECHANISM to energize the growth.
  3. A PROTECTION SYSTEM to sustain the growth.

Does change equal evolution?

Everyone who cares to study it can see that physiological changes sometime occur in living systems.  Some call this “micro-evolution.”    We must acknowledge that the amount of change is always limited within fixed “kinds.”   The commonly held belief in evolution can be more specifically called “macro-evolution.”   It requires more than minuscule mutations to produce all the different living kinds.  Indeed, TRANSMUTATION is the order of the philosophy, and that is the word that was used in the early 19th century before the word evolution became acceptable.

[There is much more to know as you prepare to discuss this important subject of origins.  Get the highly informative and colorful book: Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation: the Explorers Guide to the Awesome Works of God.  It’s loaded with excellent information and thought provoking observations that build a confident reliance on the accuracy of Scripture and caution for approaching the popular academic treatment of origins.]

Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation, The Explorers Guide to the Awesome Works of God

(Revised and Expanded), by Dennis Petersen

The popular family Creation classic has been vastly enlarged and upgraded for the new century.  Page after fascinating page colorfully unfolds before your eyes as you tour creation with the insight of the Bible as your guide.  Expose and dismantle evolutionary deceptions that have distorted our generation’s view of the seen world.  The skepticism and unbelief, sown by those who disregard the divine authorship of the Bible, are refreshingly overturned through this God-honoring “mini-encyclopedia” of the Creator’s insight.

By “considering the work of His hands,” parents and children encounter a vast wealth of evidences that confirm a confident faith in the Genesis account of creation.  Every student in every school will be challenged to THINK! as he is guided by these insightful and lavishly illustrated chapters to “reason together” with God’s Word.  Evolutionary myths are exposed and a rich Biblical foundation is laid as you explore mountains, planets, fossils, strange animals, dinosaurs, and the astonishing world of ancient civilizations.  This book has been used as a basic curriculum by thousands of Christian home-school families.

“When God was taken out of science and history studies, those subjects became boring for many students.  This book puts God’s power and awesome orchestration into the equation and suddenly science and history come alive!”

[8] Simpson, George Gaylord, Science (1964)  143:769

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Biblical Creation – Can I Believe It

By Dennis R Petersen, Author of Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation

Does God really expect us to worship Him with all our mind?  Do you think God is reasonable?  Through His prophet, Isaiah, He makes the bold challenge to His listeners to: “Come let us reason together…” (Isaiah 1:18).

Only a fool would argue with the Bible’s claim that “Wisdom is …. The principal thing!” (Proverbs 4:7).  God’s promise to His children is that, “When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul; discretion will preserve you and understanding shall keep you” (Proverbs 10-11).

 We probably need to remind ourselves that we are foolish to ‘serve pearls to pigs’ but wise to give insights to true seekers of truth.  As Solomon rightly guides us, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:9-10).

Here is a simple outline that can prove useful in guiding a listening student to the discovery that he can truly love God with all his mind because he can believe God’s Word with complete confidence.

There are theological reasons to believe the God of the Bible ALONE is capable of producing the universe. Each of these could easily warrant a significant study session.

1 – Jesus had confidence in the clear words of the Torah

Thus Genesis, the first book of the Torah, is included when He said in Luke 16:31 “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead.” Also, His endorsement of the reality of Adam and Eve from the BEGINNING, and not billions of years AFTER the beginning is clear in Matthew 19:4.

“Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female.”  The creation of Adam and Eve being referred to here is clearly not intended to mean that their creation was billions of years after the beginning of the Genesis six-day week of creation.

There are many passages testifying to Jesus’ absolute endorsement on the principal of the inerrancy of the Holy Hebrew Scriptures.

2 – If Jesus is not all-powerful enough to be our Creator, there is no way He could be powerful enough to be our Savior.

Be sure to know John 1:1, 14, Col. 1:16 & 17.

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him; And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

3 – Christian faith is based on the authority and integrity of Holy Scripture.

So if we cannot trust the foundational statements of Genesis to be clear, unambiguous, accurate, and totally truthful, there is no reason for anyone to place their personal confidence in other passages of Scripture upon which their hope for eternal salvation should rest.   Check out Heb. 11:3 and Rev. 14:7.

4 – Paul’s preaching of the resurrection of Christ to pagans at Mars Hill was based on the premise that the same God was also CREATOR and SUSTAINER (LORD) of heaven and earth.

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him; And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

5 – The cornerstone of Christian faith is the declaration of God’s law at Sinai,

In that awesome ‘decalogue’ from God it is clear that the literal miraculous creation of God in six normal DAYS is the basis for the timeless order of the law of work and rest. Without this there is no explanation for the historic 7-day week that has transcended cultures worldwide from before the most ancient secular historic records. Exodus 20:11 is one of the most foundational truths of the entire Bible because it was part of a speech made by YHWH Himself in the hearing of all the family of Israel at Mount Sinai.

There are logical reasons to believe the Biblical account of creation is a better explanation for origins than evolution.

1 – Creation is intricately designed, integrated, purposeful, and full of aesthetic beauty.

These attributes can only be satisfactorily explained by virtue of an intelligent, personal, meaningful Creator because the only alternative is randomness with no purposeful or orderly cause.

2 – The natural creation and all living creatures are filled with systematic information…

…that cannot have originated by itself. Information requires an intelligent source. Increasing orders of information are observed from simple levels of life to the most complex and they cannot be explained naturalistically because you can never get MORE information from LESS information.

3 – To exclude the purposeful intelligence of the Creator from the creation requires one to believe…

…that natural physical elements are eternal and that those elements, left to themselves over time, can randomly produce all the vast variety of living things. Such false reasoning is similar to expecting the chemistry of paper to produce the knowledge of the encyclopedia to be written on it without the external application of intelligent creativity.

4 – There are seemingly infinite scientific observations that cause the creation explanation to make more common sense than evolution.

Just consider the amazing design required to transform a caterpillar to a chrysalis and then to a butterfly.

5 – Irreducible complexities in the most basic living systems demand an intelligent designer,

…creator and sustainer. Innumerable complex details must be simultaneously in place for even the most “simple” creatures or their organs to function at all. There can be no “incipient” (incomplete) immune system, reproductive system, digestive system, visual perception system, circulatory system, etc.

6 – The Anthropic Principle,

…witnessed in thousands of ways on planet earth, clearly demonstrates that the creation is designed for life, and particularly man, to thrive here. Earth’s environment is so delicately balanced that even slight adjustments or deletions of certain features would make life and human life utterly impossible. A whole book could be written on this with chapters on the perfect order of features in the cosmos (solar system), the atmosphere, the earth’s chemistry, the geology, the hydrologic cycle, the synergy of life forms, the sizes of everything from tidal variations, to bananas, and the timing of everything from seasons and days to animal growth cycles and migratory patterns.

7 – The computer-like code of all life called DNA,

which carries the genetic information regulating every phase of all living systems, is so exceedingly complex that even pagan scientists have acknowledged their absolute awe at the miraculous marvel of its complexity.

There are general reasons why a thinking person should believe the Biblical account of creation rather than evolution.

1 – The intricate order of nature demands an explanation.

To deny the purposefulness of the Creator requires NOT FAITH (of the Biblical kind in a Supreme Awesome Designer) but GULLIBILITY in simplistic, humanly contrived concepts that ascribe powers to material objects that are totally impossible.

2 – The rejection of divine creation…

…(and its cultural implications of moral accountability) by much of modern society has led to a plague of meaninglessness, moral depravity, lawlessness, and the bloodiest century of death in all of human history.

3 – Every aspect of evolutionary dogma is totally unsupported by ANY facts.

Much of evolutionary scenarios are completely opposite to Biblical and scientific realities. Every evolutionary axiom and supposed proof has been thoroughly controverted by careful scientific exploration and examination. Many hoaxes of evolutionary scientists have been popularized by a seductive popular press for decades, only to be exposed and defeated by serious collective investigation.

So why do intelligent people believe in materialistic evolution?

The Creator, as He has revealed Himself through His Holy Scriptures in the Bible, gives us a plain answer that is consistent with His grace and His providential nature.  Read it in Paul’s letter to the Romans in Romans 1:18-32.  Also read more insight on His answer in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.

“(vs 18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (19) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (20) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (21) For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

(24) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, (25) because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

(26) For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; (27) and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

(28) And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (29) They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, (30) slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, (31) foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (32) Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

Here is the passage in 2 Thessalonians.

“(vs. 10) …and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (11) Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, (12) in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

 

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20 Secrets Most college Professors don’t Know about When it all began

By Dennis Petersen

 

1 – Moses, Jesus and the Apostle Paul specifically pointed out facts that make it impossible to force extensive evolutionary time (i.e. “millions of years”) into the Holy Scriptures.  See Exodus 20:11, Mark 10:6 and Romans 5:12.

2 – There are over 80 “clocks” (called geochronometers) that we can examine to get an idea how long the earth has existed.

These clocks are actual processes that keep ticking away through the centuries.  All of them are based on the obvious reality that natural processes, occurring steadily through time, produce cumulative and often measurable results.  These studies reveal maximum upper limits for the time these processes could have continued.

Almost all of them point to a rather young earth.   Only the least accurate and highly speculative few are misleadingly used to support billions of years.   Those few are vigorously publicized to persuade the uninformed public that there is no reasonable alternative to evolutionary gradualism.

3 – From the dozen or so volcanic eruptions each year comes about one cubic mile of juvenile water.  Using the standard evolutionary assumption that the present is the key to the past, this process would produce all the ocean water of the world (340,000,000 cubic miles) in just 340 million years. The implication is that volcanic emissions alone would insist there were no oceans at all on the earth 340 million years ago!   According to traditional evolutionary charts of earth’s history, 340 million years ago was the height of the “age of fishes!”  Do you see the problem?

4 – All short-period comets (with less than a 200 year orbit) would be gone in as little as 10,000 years!  Since there are several hundred known comets in our solar system, and knowing comets are rare now compared to the many seen in the time of the Greeks or Romans, it seems that comets are “wearing out” pretty fast.  Because many astronomers aren’t willing to admit this process might indicate that comets, as well as the solar system itself, originated only a few thousand years ago, they’re forced to dodge the issue by devising another theory.  So they suppose there must be a huge “nest of comets” far out in the solar system.  Every now and then some cosmic disturbance supposedly kicks some new comets out of the nest.  Has anyone ever seen this nest? (they call it the Oort cloud).  No one has ever seen a cosmic comet “nest.”  This is pure speculative fantasy.

5 – If oil deposits had been encased in earth’s sedimentary rocks for more than 5,000 years, in some cases there would be no oil pressure left, even though there is huge pressure in reality!  The only objective explanation is that these oil deposits were suddenly and catastrophically encased in these flood-deposited layers just a few thousand years ago.

6 – Millions of tons of cosmic dust falls to the surface of planet earth each year.  This dust floating around in the space between the planets is high in nickel content and may have originated from the explosion of a planet between Mars and Jupiter that created the asteroid belt.  We don’t find much of this dust on our continents because it keeps washing into the sea.  But the amount of nickel dissolved in the sea is about what the rivers would erode off the continents in only 18,000 years at the present rate.  There is no sign that a saturation of minerals like nickel in the seawater caused them to precipitate on the sea floor. So the evidence would make us suspect that the process must not have been going on for millions of years.  What do evolutionists do?  We’re told the ocean floors are slowly “sub-ducting” under the continents.  So the dust that is supposed to have been precipitating out of the seawater for millions of years has been “swept under the carpet” so to speak.  If that is true, then of course there is no way to ever find the missing cosmic dust.

7 – Since evolutionists believed that fine powdery cosmic dust has supposedly been gathering on the moon for nearly five billion years, the space agency was concerned and built the first lunar landing module with wide saucers at the base of each leg.  Some NASA scientists estimated a one-hundred-foot thick layer of dry cosmic powder covered the Moon.  Conservative calculations expected a layer 54 feet thick.  Fearing the astronauts might disappear in a poof of deep powder, NASA did everything possible to make a very gentle landing.  That’s why the huge saucer “pods.”  They even built sensing rods extending about three feet straight down under those saucer-like landing pads to measure the subsurface temperature of the lunar dust. But what did astronauts actually find when they got there?

About one eighth to three inches of dust was all that was there!  They were surprised.  Putting up the flag on solid rock was a job of drilling.  How long would it take to gather that much dust?  About 8,000 years MAX!

8 – At the current rate of erosion there should be 30 times more sediment in the ocean than there actually is.  Of course to believe that you have to assume that the ocean has been there for at least a billion years.

9 – At the present rate of erosion all the continents on earth would have worn down to sea level in just 14 million years.  But there’s no evidence such drastic erosion even happened once.  In the Rocky Mountains billions of fossilized animals in the rock layers are claimed to be 100 million years old.  They are thousands of feet above sea level.  How many times did these high mountains wear down to sea level in the last 100 million years?  How did those fossils manage to stay undisturbed all that time while the mountains eroded down to sea level six or seven times?

10 – At the present rate the entire Mississippi River delta would accumulate in only 5,000 years!  What was there before that?  Well, the river couldn’t have been there, could it?  How could this be? Unless of course the North American continent, and all the other continents for that matter, just haven’t been in their present positions any longer than that.

11 – The oldest living things on earth are not the giant redwood trees in California.  The gnarly Bristlecone pine trees survive in one of the most hostile climates on earth, in the high desert Mountains between California and Nevada.  These rare trees have been growing for almost 5,000 years!

The Bristlecone trees are so hardy it is fair to say that they will likely go on living for thousands of years, unless some catastrophe destroys them.

The fact that we don’t find a grove of trees somewhere in the world dating back to 8,000 years, or ten or fifteen thousand years implies that these trees may have begun growing on a virgin earth less than 5,000 years ago!

12 – The present human population would develop from a single family in just 4,000 years if the growth rate were reduced to only ½ % per year – an average of only 2½ children per family per generation.  That is a fourth the present rate of growth. It would easily allow for long periods of no growth due to famines, wars, epidemics and natural disasters.

13 – If evolutionists insist that humans have been populating the earth for a million years, do you have any idea how many people would be on earth in one million years?  Even if the population growth rate were reduced to a fourth the present average, or a scanty ½ per cent a year… You’d have a number 10 with 2,100 zeros after it!  They’d never fit… even in the entire universe!!!

14 – Every 1400 years the Earth’s magnetic field strength decreases by half. Careful measurements worldwide reveal the strength of the field must have been much greater in the past. That would be fine back to 6,000 years ago, but if you project back 10,000 years ago we run into serious difficulties. The earth’s magnetic field would then have been equal to that of a magnetic star. According to Dr. Thomas Barnes, we can only conclude that life on earth would not have been possible more than 10,000 years ago.  The weakening magnet of our planet will eventually cause the disappearance of the magnetosphere and the accompanying Van Allen Radiation Belts.  These are invisible but vitally necessary to support life.  There are no such structures around the planet Venus because Venus has no magnetic field.

15 – The Moon is receding.  Tidal friction and other things are making the earth’s rotation speed slow down a very tiny amount each year. That also causes the moon’s distance from the earth to constantly increase!  Accurate recent lunar measurements show the moon is drifting two inches farther from the earth each year.  The rate would have been higher in the past. Though that may not sound like much, if you believe the evolutionary view, in five billion years the moon would have receded 380,000 miles, a distance that would have prevented normal tide fluctuations that are necessary for the cycles of living things on earth.

16 – The sun’s diameter appears to have been decreasing. Every hour the sun is shrinking about two feet.  If the sun is shrinking 0.04 percent per century, then it totals 0.4 percent per millennium.

If you believe the sun’s age is only 6,000 years there’s no real problem. In that time the sun will have shrunk only about 2.4 percent.  Life on earth would go on quite fine.  But if you believe the earth and the sun have been around for nearly five billion years, you’ve got a problem!  If the sun existed only 250,000 years ago it would have been double its present diameter.  At that size with the earth at its present distance from the sun, it would be too hot on earth for life to exist.

Thirty million years ago the surface of the sun would be touching the earth!  There is no reason not to think this rate of shrinkage, or something close to it, has been consistent since the origin of the sun.  But astronomers also admit that stars much larger than the present size of our sun, burn hotter and shrink faster than the sun.  From the pure simple evidence it is clear that life would have been totally impossible on earth even a million years ago.

17 – Supernovas have been observed about every 30 years when stars violently explode, leaving remnants behind called a “nebula.”  The total of observable nebulae should have tallied in the thousands by now, if the universe is old.  Only 205 have been detected.  This number is 65 less than expected by astronomers, even assuming the universe is only 7,000 years old.

18 – There are currently estimated to be 70 sextillion stars in the universe that formed in less than 20 billion years.  That’s 3.5 trillion stars per year or 6.5 million every minute of every year.  Yet, nobody has ever observed even one star forming from material that was not a star.

19 – The amount of Helium 4 in the upper atmosphere would accumulate in only 175,000 years at its present rate of release from Earth’s crustal rock formations.  There is no evidence it is flying off into outer space.  It is feasible to think that the Creator would have included some helium in the atmosphere from the start, but there is no explanation for why there is no evidence for billions of years worth of helium.

20 – A candid evolutionist admitted: “It is obvious that radiometric techniques (like potassium-argon and uranium-lead) may not be the absolute dating methods that they are claimed to be.  Age estimates on a given geological stratum by different radiometric methods are often quite different (sometimes by hundreds of millions of years).  There is no absolutely reliable long-term radiological ‘clock.’  The uncertainties inherent in radiometric dating are disturbing to geologists and evolutionists.”

One geologist was honest enough to admit the shortcomings of the whole system by writing, “No coherent picture of the history of the earth could be built on the basis of radioactive datings”

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How to Tactfully Help People Change Their Minds

A Paradigm Shifting Experience

Think about it!  Have you ever changed your mind?  Have you experienced the challenging process of truly admitting you were wrong about something, maybe even deceived by something you trusted to be true?  If so, then perhaps you’ll find some helpful insights in the next few minutes that can assist you in conveying your discoveries to others.

 

Let’s face it!  Whenever we are confronted by a different opinion than our own we tend to get defensive.  We feel shaken from our “comfort zone.”  It’s not easy to admit we have been mislead or deceived.  It takes courage to be willing to convert our willing allegiance to different ideas.  Doing so can tend to make us feel like we’re betraying those whom we trusted for our own personal development.  It’s emotionally upsetting to even think that the information we relied on for direction might be wrong or inferior to more enlightened explanations.  If our sources of information were personal relationships like relatives or trusted friends or authority figures, it is even more distressing for us to even entertain the idea that they could be wrong.

 

We’re all human.  So realizing that we share the tendency to resist change should cause all of us to be understanding and patient with others as we work through these challenges to shift our points of view—to shift our paradigm.

 

Changing our mind is really a healthy and inevitable part of growing up… of maturing.  When it comes to shaping our core values and ideas about the world and principles we live by, it doesn’t take long to realize there are many topics that often stir heated debate.  We can choose to get defensive or we can choose to have an open mind.  We should dig deeper to establish our personal convictions but better yet, we should also realize that new information could lead us to adjust those convictions.  For many of us the choice is somewhat directed by what we have seen modeled by those we look up to.  If we’ve lived with people who were calm and considerate we will tend to be less reactive than those who have been surrounded by volatile and prejudiced personalities.

 

Most of us don’t really like getting into an argument.  That’s why we would rather avoid discussing something controversial if there’s a possibility we might have to defend our position with someone who has a different opinion.  So, how do you know if it is even appropriate to open a conversation with someone about a topic that you fear could provoke an uneasy controversy?

 

First, examine your deep personal inner motive.  Are you bent on proving you’re right or do you sincerely care about the person you’re addressing enough to consider their own concerns and perspectives.  Let them know you can humbly identify with them.  Put yourself in their place.  Tell them you understand their feelings.  Admit that maybe you were even in their position or at least that you know others you respect and admire who held the same position they hold.  Then humbly give them a simple statement that you discovered something else that transformed your thinking about the matter.  They may have some curiosity about your own story.  That’s when you can help them discover your own unique journey.  If you treat it like a story they’re more likely to want to hear about it.  It’s just human nature.

 

You may have heard that attitude is everything.  When it comes to making progress or expanding our understanding of reality there is nothing more important than having a positive and humble attitude.  It’s not easy to diffuse negativity and arrogance.  If a few probing questions don’t raise some open curiosity, it might be better to wait for a better opportunity.  After all, it’s not our job to convert everyone we run into.  Serve water to those who are thirsty.  Help whoever you can to create a sense of thirst, but trying to convince someone who is dead set against what you have to say is simply asking for a conflict… and maybe more trouble than you are prepared to handle.

 

How important is it to have the right environment to change our mind?  We can’t very well eat certain kinds of food unless it’s prepared properly, right?  Raw meat and unbaked bread dough are rarely attractive to anybody are they?  Neither can you expect people to swallow some advanced information if they haven’t even heard the basics.  That’s why we must always be sensitive to the fact that we grow incrementally.  If we’ve been deceived over time, how likely is it that it happened incrementally?  It may take some time and several “chapters” of convincing before we build a strong enough case to persuade other people to change their paradigm.

 

Appetite may be the best “sauce” to help people swallow their food, but let’s not miss the influence of a good presentation.  Just as an attractive table setting and colorful platter embellishment invites us to enjoy a good meal, the “packaging” of our information is also likely to influence whether or not others will investigate it.  A positively presented message with enhancements that stimulate the senses is much more likely to gain a listening ear than one that is negative and dreary.

 

I learned that the first step toward any change is awareness of something you didn’t know. You can only change something when you are AWARE that there exists something that can be changed.

Isn’t this the key to all change?  When CAN begin to make changes?  Is it not at that point when you are aware that your thoughts led you to a feeling, and then that feeling led you to take an action which then led to a result?

What do you think is the second step toward making a change?  Could it be a conscious change in your own understanding?  So where does your “way of thinking” originate?  Could it be that you came to honestly admitting that your own understanding was created by your own exposure to ideas and concepts that came from outside of you?

Think about it.  Is there a thought or belief in you that was ever formed by anything other than something outside of yourself?  It might have been at home or at school.  It could have come from the radio, TV or from books.  But, if we’re honest, we weren’t born with a preprogrammed ‘chip’ of insight and understanding.  Haven’t all of our insights and ideas about things been formulated because of inputs from the constant bombardment of the opinions of others?   Do you think that admitting this – being aware of this – can help us to at least have a healthy desire to question some of what we do and believe?