It is never OK to lie.  Lying is clearly defined as sinful by God.  The fourth commandment says:

Exo 20:16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

So, Rahab’s lie was a sin.  And the fact that she found favor with God does not in any way minimize her sin.  It should, however, cause us to think of what a merciful and gracious God we have.  God was merciful in not punishing her.  We can all point to sins we have committed that God, in His mercy, has not punished.  God’s favor, blessing and grace is truly unmerited.  It’s never given because of what we do, but because of who God is.  He is loving, merciful and gracious.

Critics of the Bible like to use the story of Rahab to say that God morally contradicted Himself by not judging and punishing Rahab’s sin.  They try to suggest that God approved of her lie because she and her family were kept safe during the destruction of Jericho.

Rahab found unmerited favor in God’s eyes.  He blessed her because He had a plan and a purpose for her life and she demonstrated a faith that would fuel her service to Him.  It was not that God blessed her when she sinned, or that He diminished her sin, it was that He knew her heart and her faith…and that brought mercy and grace.

Let’s take a look at the historical account to better understand the reasons why critics are wrong.

The story of Rahab begins when Joshua sent two messengers/spies into the city of Jericho to “view the land” prior to their moving forward in conquest to take the land (Joshua 2).  The king was informed of the presence of the Israelite men and sent his men to require that Rahab turn them over.  Rahab, however, hid the spies and lied, saying that she did not know where they were (Joshua 2:4).  The men were then able to escape.

We’ve established that Rahab did lie in this situation.  But let’s take a look at her words to the two messengers/spies.  What she said clearly showed the condition of her heart and her faith in the God of Israel:

Joshua 2:9-11  and [Rahab] said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”

We also read that she asked for deliverance for herself and her family in return for the protection she provided them:

Joshua 2:12-13  “Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”

The men promised kindness if she would not disclose their whereabouts:

Joshua 2:14-15  So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”  Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.

Rahab and her family were spared when Israel sieged Jericho because of God’s mercy and grace.  She trusted in God enough to put her life at risk, demonstrating faith in the God of Israel.  The Bible commends her faith in Hebrews 11:31:

By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

Read carefully what that verse says.   She did not perish with “those who did not believe.”  She was not among the unbelievers… she believed.  She sheltered the spies and then “sent them out another way” (James 2:25).

Conclusion:  It is never OK to lie.  In this account of Rahab we see:

1) God’s  mercy demonstrated — regarding her sin.  

2) His grace  magnified — by His deliverance of her and her family from destruction. 

3) His purpose and plan revealed — for we read in Matthew 1:5 that Rahab was included in the messianic line. 

Interesting to note:  In the New Testament she is referred to as a harlot, but not a liar.  Her sin of lying was not overlooked —  rather, it was forgiven.

14 Days – 1,700 Miles – God is Good!

Know it! Live it! Share it!

I wanted to share with you about the 15 day ministry work I recently did in the UK.  I traveled from one place to the next encouraging, equipping and empowering brothers and sisters in Christ to KNOW! what they believe and to Live it! and Share it!

May 17 – The tour started in London with our dear friends Trevor and Maggie of Hephzibah of Marlow.  Trevor and Maggie organized the entire tour, and also drove me all over the island!  Thanks to both of you…you’re such a blessing.  By the way, you can like them on Facebook and encourage them.  Just look for Hephzibah in Marlow.

What became a common  occurrence was seen that first night. There were  folks in attendance who drove hours to be there.  And at every event that followed, folks drove a minimum of an hour and many drove close to 4 hours!  To think we complain about sermons that go longer than 30 minutes!

May 18 – We went to Alderholt where I had the privilege of speaking at the Alderholt Bible Conference.  Pastor Jonathan Paterson did an awesome job and it was a privilege to be with him.

May 19 AM – Very cool day!  I spoke in a church in Bere Regis that was over 200 years old!  Suzie and Graham, who run Truth for Youth, got their church to open the doors to us.  It was so good to see Ivan there.  He’s one of the hardest working men I’ve ever met.

May 19 PM – We went back to London to speak at Bridge Lane Christian Fellowship.  We had some fireworks there!  My talk was Human Evolution: Is That All You Got?(1)  and when the talk was over we did a Q&A.  A man raised his hand and asked, “Are you a Christian?” in a tone and manner that indicated something was obviously up.  I answered, “I’m not sure where you’re going wit this so let me define my understanding of that term.  If by Christian you mean a Christ follower, then yes, I am a Christian!”

He then proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t be a Christian because I disagreed with millions of others who are Christians and began listing various denominations that accepted evolution.  I explained to him that I wasn’t talking about denominations, I defined Christian as a “Christ follower” so I cared more about what Christ taught and not what man teaches.

He made some comments and then said that I was “wrong about everything!”  I didn’t want this to escalate, but he was getting angry. People in the audience started to shout at him, so I told everyone to not get angry and reminded them that he was the reason we were there that night.  Praise God that we were able to have this conversation.

Then I said to him, “Really, everything?  I’m wrong about everything?  My name’s not really Carl? I don’t work for Reasons for Hope? I’m not from America?  I’m wrong about everything?”  Folks laughed and it relieved the tension.  I continued with, “If I’m wrong about everything, would you please tell me one specific thing that I said that was wrong?”  I asked him to tell me one specific thing that I misquoted, misrepresented or that was misleading,  and said I would thank him. I explained that, as a Christian, I am held to a higher standard and that if I was wrong on something he should tell me.

His response was, “You’re wrong about everything!”   Again I asked him for one specific thing and said that, if I was wrong about “everything,”  telling me just one thing should be easy.  This pattern repeated itself a couple of times after which he finally said, “I’ve never studied paleontology so I can’t tell you where you’re wrong!  But you didn’t talk about DNA or the fossil record!”

To make a long story short I explained that I couldn’t cover everything in a one hour presentation, but if he wanted to talk about the fossil record let’s do it.  As I pulled up the talk I joked with the audience again and said, “I understand if you need to leave, we don’t want to be disrespectful by going so long.  Maybe you’ve got something in the crock pot that you need to get back to. By the way, do you even use crock pots in England?”  Folks laughed again and I had my talk ready by then.

I then spent about 10 minutes going through the secular phylogenetic charts that show that evolution actually supports what God says in His Word.  I then challenged him one last time to tell me anything specific where I was wrong.  I had used only secular sources in both of those talks and the evidence showed very clearly God did what He said that He did.  He just brushed me off and the evening was over.

Well, that’s three days into a 14 day trip!  There’s more to share, which I’ll do soon. Again, I’d like to say, “Thank You!”  We cannot do this type of ministry without your support.  You are a blessing.

Stay bold,

Carl & the rforh Team

 (1) Human Evolution: Is That All You Got?  from the Becoming Bold Series:

Becoming Bold DVD Series & Study Guide

Watch the 5 DVD presentations and work your way through each session using the study guide.  You’ll learn…so you canKnow it!   You’ll be strengthened in your faith…so you can Live it!   And, you’ll be motivated and encouraged to boldy go forth and Share it!   Buy the set now at the rforh store.

One of the most compelling scenes in the movie, The Passion of the Christ, is when an adulterous woman is brought to Jesus by Pharisees and Old Testament lawyers.  They want her stoned because she has broken one of the Ten Commandments.  Jesus sees the tragedy of her life and the need of her heart and offers her forgiveness.  Before this gracious act of mercy, however, he confronts the religious leaders with their own sinfulness.  One by one they walk away.  The Biblical account is found in John 8:2-11.

At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.  

They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.  

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  

“No one, sir,” she said.  

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.  “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

There’s an amazing prophecy about this event in Jeremiah 17:13, written over 600 years before Jesus earthly ministry.

Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame.  Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.

What did Jesus write in the dust of the ground with his finger?  The names of the accusers who had forsaken the Hope of Israel.  The names of the accusers who had forsaken the Spring of Living Water.  They wanted to see the woman die.  Jesus wanted to see her live life to the fullest.

Many know John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Listen to the words of John 3:17!

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The forgiveness Jesus offered the adulterous woman is extended today to everyone!  “Neither do I condemn you.  Go now and leave your life of sin.”  II Peter 3:9 states, “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Did the woman in the story accept Jesus’ offer?  Without a doubt.  This is why her narrative is included in the Bible.  Did any of the Pharisees or Old Testament lawyers ever repent and receive Christ as Lord and Savior?  We know some did, like Paul the Apostle.  In I Timothy 1:15 and 16 he wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy.”

In 1738 Charles Wesley wrote a beloved hymn entitled, And Can It Be?  The third verse is a powerful exposition of the mercy of God.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

In Luke 18 Jesus told the parable of a tax collector (a publican) who had lived such a rotten life, he considered himself unworthy of salvation.  Desperate to know God he went to the Jerusalem Temple, smote his breast and cried out, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  At the same time, within ear-shot, a Pharisee pompously prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like one of these publicans.”  Jesus amazingly declared, “The tax collector went home to his house that day justified rather than the other.”

How thankful we can be that the Almighty is a God of mercy; otherwise there would be no hope for any of us.

If you are not a Christian, and you think that God could never forgive your sins because they are too horrendous or too revolting, think again.  Jesus paid the penalty for the transgressions of the world when he died on the cross.  Salvation is a free gift for anyone who desires to receive it.

This is the Mercy of God.

by Shari Abbott, Reasons for Hope

(read this, then watch the video below or read the story)

KP responded to my response posted last week about the question “Was Jesus a human sacrifice to Satan” (If you’ve not read the question or response you can do so here: “Was Jesus a human sacrifice TO Satan” and Reader Response).

Hi Shari,

I appreciated your reply …I realized that I missed the word “TO” in the title just as you noted later on! How important it is to take heed to the “little” words I know …so much in Scripture hinges on words like but, and, and [in this case] “TO.”

I did not see anything online as you referred to …I wonder how this is going around …but then a lot of stuff is said ‘in His name’…argh.

Thanks again for your interesting site.  May you continue in delving into His Word.  His, KP

I highlight the point KP made in which she said she has not heard of the Internet forward that I mentioned.  Perhaps many of you have not (and that’s a good thing).  But in case it arrives in your inbox one of these days, I thought I’d share it with you.  That way you will be aware of the false teachings it contains.

This story was shared by Paul Harvey in the 70s on his radio show, “The Rest of the Story.”   Paul Harvey was a strong Christian, so it’s fair to believe that he was not aware of the false teaching in this story.

This is a good example of how important it is for us to “search the Scriptures daily” to see if things we hear are true (Acts 17:11).  This conversation between Satan and Jesus is not found in Scripture so it is totally fabricated and untrue.

If you’ve read the original article, “Was Jesus a Sacrifice to Satan” and the dialogue between KP and me, I think you’ll easily hear the false teaching in this little story.  If you don’t spot the false teaching, refer back to the previous articles.

Now, from Paul Harvey …The Rest of the Story

Watch the video that presents the story of The Birdcage, or READ the story here.

Paul Harvey shared the following story on his radio program, “The Rest of the Story” in the 70s. It’s a touching story of redemption, but it teaches a misunderstanding of Jesus’ work on the cross in redeeming us. Paul Harvey was a strong Christian, so it’s fair to believe that he was not aware of the false teaching in this story.

I’m sharing this, not to criticize Paul Harvey, but to say that we all need to be careful in evaluating non-biblical stories that illustrate biblical teachings.  Many are excellent, but some contain false teaching — and often those false teachings are very subtle.

I mentioned in the Reader Response to the question “Was Jesus a human sacrifice TO Satan”  the story of The Birdcage, which is often circulated  on the Internet.

This is a good example of how important it is for us to “search the Scriptures daily” to see if things we hear are true (Acts 17:11).  This conversation between Satan and Jesus is not found in Scripture so it is totally fabricated and untrue.  Once you understand the false teaching of this story, you’ll never forward this Internet email.  If you’ve not read the previous articles, refer back to them for a better understanding on why this presents a false teaching.

_____________________________

The Bird Cage

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.

I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me, swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the boy and asked, “What you got there son?”

“Just some old birds,” came the reply.

“What are you gonna do with them?” I asked.

“Take ‘em home and have fun with ‘em. I’m gonna tease ‘em and pull out their feathers to make ‘em fight. I’m gonna have a real good time.”

“But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?”

“Oh, I got some cats. They like birds. I’ll take ‘em to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment. “How much do you want for those birds, son?”

“Huh? Why, you don’t want them birds, mister. They’re just plain old field birds. They don’t sing – they ain’t even pretty!”

“How much?” The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?”

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy’s hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.

“Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn’t resist. Got ‘em all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, I’m gonna have fun! I’m gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other. How to hate and abuse each other. How to drink and smoke and curse. How to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I’m really gonna have fun!”

“And what will you do when you get done with them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, I’ll kill ‘em.”

“How much do you want for them?”

“Oh, you don’t want those people. They ain’t no good. Why, you’ll take them and they’ll just hate you. They’ll spit on you, curse you and kill you! You don’t want those people!”

“How much?”

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “Your life.”

Jesus paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage, opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

Intro

The issues of creation-evolution, intelligent design, and the age of the earth often result in heated debates and emotions. Are these topics really so important? As long as one believes that God created everything, is this not enough?  Who really cares about the details? Does creation really matter? The short answer is yes. The verse 1 Peter 3:15 challenges us to have answers to questions about our biblical faith. The verse also cautions us to control emotions while defending the faith, with gentleness and respect for others.

Apostle Paul’s Approach to Genesis  

One day Paul visited the intellectuals of his day in Athens, Greece. These leaders were very religious but were not familiar with the God of the universe.  Walking around the city, Paul even noticed an image to an unknown god, just in case.

How does Paul address these outsiders to the Kingdom of God? In Acts 17:22-26 we hear Paul patiently explain who the unknown God is. This God made the world and everything in it (v. 24). He also made all people, starting with our first parent, the literal Adam (v. 26). With the Greek nonbelievers, Paul begins with basics of the Genesis creation account, he then moves on to the gospel. Paul starts at the beginning… what a novel idea!

New Tribes Mission with 3300 missionaries in 20 nations understands the importance of the Genesis foundation for evangelism. Their teaching is chronological, beginning with creation and moving through all of scripture including the New Testament. New Tribes finds this a successful missions strategy.

All of us today are surrounded by those who, like the Greeks, have a dismal knowledge of the Bible. As in Paul’s day, people need to be challenged that there is a Creator we each are responsible to. As a bonus, there is general interest in Bible and science topics including astronomy, dinosaurs, fossils, and intelligent design. Such topics provide a starting point for conversations with others.

Four Reasons why creation matters

Three examples follow, showing why creation should matter to each of us. First, in our schools, science education is incomplete without explaining its strong creation foundation. It was the creation worldview, especially in the 1600s, which led to the realization that nature is designed, dependable, and decipherable. Many pioneers in science and math were godly men and women. Their testimonies are worth study; they demonstrate that the Bible and science are entirely compatible revelations from the Creator of the universe.

Second, creationists appear to be the only group challenging highly questionable secular science assumptions. These include the big bang, an ancient age for the earth, dinosaurs living in a land before time, the spontaneous origin of life, and macroscopic evolution. Creationists may be an irritation to the science establishment, but our questions provide a much-needed assessment of science pronouncements.

The third point concerns home and family values. Television, movies, and religious scandals give a totally false picture of authentic Christianity. Furthermore, some teachers and professors are merciless in attacking the faith of students in the classroom.  In sharp contrast, Genesis is a refreshing starting point in explaining creation, the Curse or Fall of mankind, and our responsibility before God. The message of hope that people desperately need to hear begins in the book of Genesis. This is where we learn the origin of the universe, the definition of marriage and family, the importance of life including the young and the old, reasons for creation stewardship, and much more. Creation studies provide a much-needed counterbalance to modern secularism.

Conclusion

Modern science has gone off on a tangent and marginalized itself with its denial of miracles including supernatural creation. True science is the search for truth. And if this search leads to biblical creation, which it clearly does, then so be it. Creation does indeed matter to the health of our society and to the souls of men.

For further information, check the books by Don DeYoung in the rforh.com bookstore. Dr. DeYoung’s website is DiscoveryofDesign.com.

Click on the video:

In God We Trust!!!  

by Wade Wacker, Reasons for Hope

Wow, this video is extremely disturbing.  It magnifies the effort of people to separate the human race from the One who Created them.  We built this nation Under God.  Now, people are brazen enough to believe it is “I” or “we” without the help of God that can make this Nation (State) great.  How sad.  

If you do not believe we are under attack as Christians, this may help you realize we are.  We need to be bold enough to respectfully disagree.  It would have been nice to see people bow their heads, or actually stand up after the opening speech and ask to open in prayer.  Remember, the introduction called for a prayer.  This was not a prayer or the pledge of allegiance, it was a statement — A statement that included a quote from Carl Sagan, an atheist (actually he was an agnostic, but that’s another topic).  

Another thing to note.  It’s interesting that he asked people not to bow their heads….and yet he bowed his!!!  

Should this Democratic State Representative have been allowed to subvert the traditional opening of the session with prayer?  

Should he have declined opening the session because he was unwilling and unable to pray — for had he prayed, who would he be praying to?

What are your thoughts.  Comment below.

Christians should not be surprised by the relentless assault of academia on the biblical worldview of origins. 

The Apostle Peter actually forecasted, in his second letter (3:1-6), a time when the authority of Scripture would be challenged on this front. 

He begins with an admonition to believers to maintain a high regard for Scripture (v.2) and be aware of conflicting philosophies (v.3). The conflict has always been about the Word of God and the compulsion of the natural man to distance himself from It.

In his prophecy, Peter details the when, the who, the what, the why, and the how of this (then) future opposition.

WHEN (will it happen)?  In v.3, the text says “…there shall come…” indicating that his pronouncement reflected future events (this can be contrasted with warnings of current happenings in 2:1). The phrases “there shall come” and “last days” intimate a chronological assignment by the writer of a time to come.

WHO (will be responsible)?   The “who” are identified as “scoffers” (also in v.3)…those whose philosophies are rooted in selfish desires rather than Sovereign design (my paraphrase of “…walking after their own lusts”). Oxford American Dictionary defines a scoffer as one who speaks derisively (scornfully), especially of serious subjects…a mocker. 

WHAT (will be compromised)?   In verse 4 we see that the gauntlet is thrown down concerning the reliability of God’s Word (“…Where is the promise of His coming?”)

Remember the words that Jesus used to comfort His disciples when He told them that He would be leaving? (John 14:1-6) A requisite connection to approaching the Father through Jesus is the trustworthiness of His promise to return (see Acts 1:9-11).

WHY (would it be challenged)?   Back in verse 4, we can see that assertion of the scoffers is based on phenomenal observation. What was their perception of the evidence? They concluded that “…all things continue as they were from the beginning…” This scornful derision is a reference to a concept made popular by the writings of a Scottish lawyer turned geologist, Charles Lyell, at the turn of the 19^th century. 

Uniformity or uniformitarianism is the concept that current rates and processes are responsible for every geologic and topographic observation. If the present is the key to the past (necessitating millions of years), then neither the Biblical record of history nor the New Testament writers that subscribed to it (not to mention Christ Himself) can be trusted.

HOW (would it be accomplished)?   In verses 5 and 6, it becomes clear how the scoffers would debate the veracity and relevance of God’s Word. Using the rationale of uniformity, they could deny Creation and the great diluvial judgment known as The Flood.

One scientist speaking at the 1984 American Association for the Advancement of Science summarized the collective agenda of many of the prominent voices of the various disciplines with this astounding admission.

  “The overturning of the catastrophist, Biblical view has been one of the major achievements of modern science.” 

So what are we to make of the 2 Peter 3:4 reference to uniformitarianism in the context of creation? 

I believe it is a reference, in prophetic awareness, to the theological trade-off that would take place during “The Enlightenment” or “Age of Reason” when the “…words which were spoken before by the holy prophets…” (2 Pet. 3:2) would come under intellectual assault. 

Note that the “scoffers” conceded reference to creation, but only as it could be explained from the uniformitarian framework. Their objection was that it happened “…by the word of God…(v.5)”

What do I mean by theological trade-off?

Many of the prominent theologians of the early 1800’s became troubled, even intimidated, by the sweeping, cultural momentum of this new natural philosophy. In an attempt to maintain credibility in this new climate of “enlightenment”, the preachers revisited Genesis and emerged with a revised chronology based on uniformity. 

In 1804, a new theory was introduced by a young Scottish pastor named Thomas Chalmers. His idea became known as the Gap Theory. Its premise was basically this…the ages necessary for the pronouncements of geology could be neatly placed between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.  

This “gap” was used to reconcile the doctrine of uniformity (and its long ages) with the Genesis account of creation.

C.I. Scofield wrote (1909) in his popular study Bible; “…the first creative act refers to the dateless past, and gives scope for all the geologic ages.” He commented with great relief, “No conflict of science with the Genesis cosmogony remains.”

Charles Spurgeon quizzically remarked in a September 2, 1855 sermon entitled Election,

“Can any man tell when the beginning was? Years ago we thought the beginning of the world was when Adam came upon it; but we have discovered that thousands of years before that God was preparing chaotic matter to make a fit abode for man, putting races of creatures upon it, who might die and leave behind the marks of His handiwork and marvelous skill (fossil remains), before He tried His hand on man.”

Thus “deep time” uniformity became harmonious with creation as prophesied in 2 Peter. 

There were a few, however, who truly understood the impact of such compromise and did remain “…mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets…” as the Apostle Peter had admonished. One such man (in this growing minority) was Granville Penn; geologist, Christian, and great-grandson of William Penn (the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania). These words of Granville Penn were written in 1825…

“If there is anything that tends more than another to perplex the thoughts of the believer in Revelation (The Word of God) in this age of geological inquisition, it is unquestionably the objects with which he sees himself surrounded in the disordered scenery of the globe, when he is urged to contemplate them as they are adventurously expounded by persons who resist all connexion of them with the narrative of Scripture; and when, moreover, their expositions are dogmatically asserted, to be proper dictates of philosophy. And, as the exposition of these objects has hitherto been almost exclusively adventured by persons who have systematically resisted that connexion, a reflecting mind is bewildered by the difficulty of reconciling the author of the objects which are seen, with the author of the statements that are read; and seems often driven near to the distracting doubt, whether they can be One and the Same, and consequently, whether the first and introductory record of the body of Scripture (Genesis) can be truly of divine original: for, we are sure, that Nature is of divine original.”

Unfortunately, as Granville Penn points out, those resisting the connection between Scripture and natural observation were the ones that were (and are still today) aggressively engaged in propagation.

As theologians scratched and clawed for cultural relevance and credibility, they revised their interpretation of God’s opening record. The result was a cacophony (a discordant mixture) of cosmogonical (theories of origins) compromise.

Now along with evolution and Biblical creationism the theories of origins have expanded to include primarily theistic evolution, ruin/restoration creationism (Gap Theory), and progressive creationism.

The greatest casualty of creation compromise is the message of reconciliation attached to the writings that follow. You cannot change the opening record without affecting the integral sum the Scriptures. Creation that involves millions of years turns the Kingdom message into the hope of fools.

Christian, there is no doubt that we are living in “the last days.” May we each recommit ourselves to the absolute authority and life-changing power of the Word of God from the very first page.