Did God Re-Create: The Gap/Ruin-Reconstruction Theories

The question may strike you as odd, yet due to the teaching of Evolution, many Christians have tried to insert a gap of unknown time between Genesis 1:1-2, during which the fossils were formed, dinosaurs lived, the like. Though a Scriptural basis is claimed, is there an actual basis, or is it merely a misinterpretation of the biblical account? Let us examine the theory - and what the Bible tells us. (Photo credit to: LambFood, Dan Lietha)

Though there are many attempts to harmonize Scripture with Evolution or long ages, such as Theistic Evolution or Progressive Creationism, each of these has biblical - and scientific - inconsistencies. There are several different versions of what occurred during this alleged Gap, but one of the more well-known ones is the ruin-reconstruction theory, an off-shoot of the Gap theory. Most versions place millions of years of geologic time in between Genesis 1:1-2, including fossils, which indicates death.

Now, Genesis 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God [the Holy Spirit] was hovering over the waters." (NIV) So, why is it so difficult to accept this theory of a Gap? Most adherents of this theory have allowed the theories of secular scientists to determine what Scripture is saying, and have accepted millions of years and a fossil record. Understand this does not mean they accept evolution, but accept millions of years.

Some of the adherents of this theory place the Fall of Lucifer (Satan) during this time. However, this appears to contradict the Bible, as God describes his Creation on Day Six as perfect. (Genesis 1:31) Also, on the seventh day, God rested, and therefore was not at war with Satan and his angels. Therefore, it is logical to place the Fall of Lucifer after the six days of creation, occurring, at the earliest, on day 8. The ideas and concepts accepted into this theory draw from ideas outside of Scripture, opening the door to compromise.

Perhaps the earliest trace of this theory comes from the writings of Episcopius, a Dutchman who lived from 1583-1643. Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was the first to popularize this theory, however. Chalmers was a Scottish theologian as well as the first moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. Although Chalmers' writings did not give much information in regards to the gap theory, other writers, such as Hugh Miller, provided more information.[1] Arthur C. Custance, 20th-century writer, wrote Without Form an Void, published in 1970.[2]

The Scofield Reference Bible, The Newberry Reference Bible, and Dake's Annotated Reference Bible also support the gap theory and have had a great impact on the spread of this theory. As stated in the Scofield Study Bible, "Relegate fossils to the primitive creation, and no conflict of science with the Genesis cosmology remains."[3] This in itself is a compromise of biblical authority, showing that faith is put more in man's word than God's Word.

The gap theory, essentially, has three basic beliefs: 1) A literal view of Genesis, 2) a belief in an unknown age of the earth, and 3) fitting fossils and geologic strata into Genesis 1:1-2. Weston Fields provides a good overview of this theory, [4] "In the far distant dateless past, God created a perfect heaven and perfect earth. Satan was ruler of the earth which was people by a race of 'men' without any souls. Eventually, Satan, who dwelled in the garden of Eden composed of minerals (Ezekiel 28), rebelled by desiring to become like God (Isaiah 14). Because of Satan's fall, sin entered the universe and brought on the earth's judgment in the form of a flood (indicated by the water of 1:2), and then a global ice age when the light and heat from the sun were somehow removed. All the plant, animal, and human fossils upon the earth today date from this 'Lucifer's flood' and do not bear any genetic relationship with the plants, animals, and fossils living upon the earth today."[5]

During the nineteenth century, there was an increasing acceptance of uniformitarianism, which is the belief that the geological changes around us occurred slowly and roughly at the present rate, with the fallacy that the present is the key to the past. There are a number of problems with the Gap Theory/Ruin-Reconstruction Theory. Take for example, Exodus 20:11.

Exodus 20:11 states, "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." From a clear reading of Scripture, of Genesis 1, Exodus 20:11, and Mark 10:6, it seems evident that God is referring to six literal days. There is no time for a gap. Another major issue is the millions of years of fossils.

If there were fossils before Creation, this would indicate that sin, death, and suffering existed before Creation as well. However, Genesis 3 and 1st Corinthians 15 clearly show us that sin came through Adam, so that sin did not enter into the world until after Day 7. Also note that 1st Corinthians 15:45 states that Adam was the first man, eliminating the possibility that there was a race of soulless humans that died in Lucifer's flood. The concept of Lucifer's flood is found nowhere in Scripture.

Another issue would be the millions of years of geologic history. Consider the following: In verse 1-2 of Genesis, the earth was "formless and empty." When the six days of Creation occurred, there were physical changes to the earth - which would have left virtually no trace, severely disrupted if not altogether destroyed. Also, the gap theory essentially eradicates the fossils, rock, and strata laid down during a worldwide flood. Because of this, the position is changed to a local flood, which, as shown in past entries, is not consistent with the Bible. (See entry: "Was The Genesis Flood Local?")

Genesis depicts the Flood as Global. The water covered the earth for an entire year (Genesis 6:17, 7:19-24), only eight people, including every air-breathing creature, survived (Genesis 7:23). Isaiah 54:9 says, "To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth." Clearly, God is referring to a global flood. In 2nd Peter 3:5-6 we read, "But they deliberately forgot that long ago by God's word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed."

Jesus clearly also believed in a Global Flood. "For in the days of before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:38-39) Jesus, who is God, believed in a global flood. Essentially, belief in a re-creation of the Earth goes against Scripture in this way: it shows that the flood was not global, even though the Bible clearly shows this, it shows that there was a flood from Lucifer, and that there were soulless men before Adam, even though Scripture teaches that Adam is the first man.

Also, the gap theorist would have to ignore the evidence for a young creation, such as (but not limited to): the amount of helium in the atmosphere, helium in the ground, meteor dust, buildup of carbon 14, size of human population, natural plutonium, amount of sodium in the sea, amount of sediment in the sea, erosion of the continents, oil leaks in the earth, orphan radioholes, natural gas in the earth, lifetime of meteor showers, interplanetary dust removal, coral reef growth, peat bag growth, multi-layer fossils, oldest living plants, human civilizations, river delta growth, amount of uranium in the sea, neutrons and lead, rotation of spiral galaxies, decay of comets, carbon-14 in meteorites, interstellar gas expansion, hardening of rocks, decay of Saturn's ring, amount of potassium in the sea, Titan's methane loss, Niagara Falls, stone age burials, uranium decay, leaching of chlorine, internal heat of Io, the Recession of the Moon, the planet's magnetic fields, solar radiation, and many other evidences.[6] (See series: "Evidence for a Young Creation")

Also, the gap theory does not accommodate standard uniformitarianism geology within its alleged long ages, which do not allow for a worldwide flood - be it Lucifer's Flood or Noah's Flood, though again, Lucifer's flood is nowhere mentioned in Scripture and is an outside idea. More importantly, the gap theory undermines the gospel at its very foundation. By accepting millions of years, more credence is given to evolutionist ideas, and this must also lead adherents to accept that Romans 5:12 and Genesis 3:3 refer to only spiritual death, not physical death, which contradicts Scripture, such as Genesis 3:22-23 and 1st Corinthians 15.

Man's actions, the actions of Adam, led to sin, which 1st Corithians 15 reveals affected all of creation. Part of the basis for the Gap Theory is an interpretation of "create" which is both grammatically and biblically unsound. These Hebrew words are Bara and Asah. The word bara typically means "to create," in the way of producing something which did not previously exist, i.e. ex nihilo. Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis states:

Credit to: Dan Lietha

"...according to Exodus 20:11, God “made” (asah) the heavens and the earth and everything in them in six days. If God made everything in six days, then there is clearly no room for a gap. To avoid this clear scriptural testimony against any gap, gap theorists have alleged that asah does not mean “to create,” but “to form” or even “re-form.” They claim that Exodus 20:11 refers not to six days of creation but to six days of re-forming a ruined world. Is there such a difference between bara and asah in biblical usage? A number of verses show that, while asah may mean “to do” or “to make,” it can also mean “to create,” which is the same as bara. For example, Nehemiah 9:6 states that God made (asah) “heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them.” This reference is obviously to the original ex nihilo (out of nothing) creation, but the word asah is used. (We may safely assume that no gappist will want to say that Nehemiah 9:6 refers to the supposed reconstruction, because if the passage did, the gappist would have to include the geological strata in the reconstruction, thereby depriving the whole theory of any power to explain away the fossil record.) The fact is that the words bara and asah are often used interchangeably in the Old Testament; indeed, in some places they are used in synonymous parallelism (e.g., Genesis 1:26–27, 2:4; Exodus 34:10; Isaiah 41:20, 43:7). Applying this conclusion to Exodus 20:11, 31:17, and Nehemiah 9:6, we see that Scripture teaches that God created the universe (everything) in six days, as outlined in Genesis 1."[7]

Indeed. Now, adherents of the gap theory claim that Genesis 1:1-2 allows and even necessitates a gap. From  straightforward reading we may understand that verse 1 and 2 are subject and clause. Gap Theorists believe that it is translated from "the earth was without form and void" to be "the earth became (or had become) without form and void." Not that the meaning of the word is certainly controlled in context, and thus "was" is the natural translation of the Hebrew word "hayetah." Genesis 1:1-2 shows a sequential clause, necessitating not a gap, but a cause-and-effect.[8]

The King James version of the Bible uses the word "replenish" in Genesis 1:28, and gap theorists sometimes use this to justify their position, claiming that God was commanding Adam and Eve to re-fill the earth, not just fill it. However, in 1611, replenish meant to refill. Today it means to re-fill, but when the translation was written, the use of the word meant "to fill." God was commanding Adam and Eve to fill up the earth, not refill.[9]

Please understand that none of this has been written to degrade anyone or attack them, but to illustrate the fallacious nature of this theory. If this theory is to be believed, several things found in the Bible must be rejected, in place of outside ideas, such as Lucifer's Flood, which would negate Noah's Flood. Adam and Eve sinned, which led to the Fall of Man and all of creation. Their sin therefore required a savior, who is Christ Jesus. Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that he is risen from the dead, you will be saved." 1st John 1:9 tells us that we must also confess our sins. I urge you to turn to Christ today.

Did God re-create? The belief, like many others, will continue on, but it is clear from a close look at Genesis and the theory that the two are not mutually compatible. The support given from a biblical basis for this theory is easily explained, though not all of it was covered here. The answer? "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) Thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth," please feel free to comment below (but please remain kind in your comments), email vexx801@yahoo.com or the Ministry team at thetruth.ministryweb@gmail.com, visit the facebook page, or visit the ministry page. Take care, dear reader, God bless! Troy Hillman

Sources:

[1] Ham, Ken. The New Answers Book 1. 12 ed. 1. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2006. 47-63. Print.

[2] Ham, Ken. "The Gap Theory (Part A)." Answers In Genesis. Answers In Genesis, 01 Aug 1980. Web. 15 Jan 2011. .

[3] C.I. Scofield, Ed., The Scofield Study Bible, Oxford University Press, New York, 1945.

[4] Various, . "Gap creationism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, 31 January 2011. Web. 31 Jan 2011. .

[5] Fields, Weston. Unformed and Unfilled. 7

[6] Ibid [1]

[7] Ibid [1]

[8] Ibid [1]

[9] Ibid [1]

What Did Jesus Say About Hell?

Too often, Hell is a subject - and a place - not seriously taken into consideration. Yet the Bible mentions this place many times, especially in the four gospels found in the New Testament. Hell is mentioned all throughout the Bible, and as we know that Jesus is God, we can ensure that what he tells us about Hell is true. What did Jesus say on this subject? (See entry: "Is Jesus Really God?". Photo credit to: UCB)

Hell itself is "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41, NIV, see entry: "Why Was Hell Created?") However, when Satan fell, (Isaiah 14:12-20, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Luke 10:18, etc) he entered into the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve, our ancestors, dwelled. Disguising himself as a snake, Satan approached Eve and made her question God's command not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

This was before there was any sin. However, "when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:6-7) In that moment, God's perfect creation became corrupted by sin. (See entry: "Satan and the Origin of Evil")

Romans 6:23 tells us, "...the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." With each passing generation, sin has become more and more invasive. Once man sinned, this caused condemnation for all to eternal torment in Hell. Why? "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23) When Adam and Eve sinned, their sin required atonement for them to be cleansed of that sin: necessitating a Savior.

God the Son, who took the name of Jesus during his time on Earth around 2000 years ago, came to pay the penalty. When He died on a Roman cross on Golgotha, God the Father had to turn his face from Jesus, so that every sin, past, present and future of humanity, would be placed upon him, and He bore the iniquity of us all. We truly have all broken God's Commandments (see entry: "The Ten Commandments - Have We Followed Them All?"), and "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)

It is because of our sin that we are sentenced to Hell. God sends no one to Hell, we send ourselves there by the choices that we make, as we are all given free will. If we did not have free will, we would have no real choices, no real emotions, we would all effectively be robots. Without Christ, we are unable to enter into Heaven, and therefore we enter in Hell upon death. What exactly did Jesus tell us about this place? Is it real? Is the fire literal? The answer to both are yes.

Mark 9:43-48 says, "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." *Note: This does not mean go out and mutilate yourself.

Jesus indeed does say much about Hell. There are forty-six verses in which Jesus speaks on Hell, this is not counting any of the Old Testament nor the remainder of the New Testament, though not all will be presented here. "...anyone who says, 'You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of Hell." (Matthew 5:22) "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12)

Jesus continues, "Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."Matthew 10:28) In hell, people are not merely there in spirit, but in bodily form. Their senses are greatly increased, there is a foul odor, screams, the heat is unbearable, the people are always thirsty, always hungry, their desires (sex, drugs, etc) are multiplied and never fulfilled, there is a pervading fear, you have no strength, no rest nor sleep, no mercy, no water, no life, you are naked, you do not have time to get lost in your thoughts, and there is no purpose - all is over, lost, gone.[1]

There are many other verses on Hell. "...and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:50) There are those who believe that people who end up in Hell are either annihilated (Annihilationism) or are eventually saved out of Hell, having served time. (Universalism) However, both views are not biblically sound. Even from the aforementioned verses, it is evident that Hell is eternal torment, not annihilation nor eventual rescue. This is why it is so important to be saved from Hell.

Consider Matthew 25:46, "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." John 10:28 makes it clear that life for followers of Christ is eternal, and Revelation 20:10 makes it clear that life in Hell is eternal, non-stop, never-ending. Revelation 20:15 is one of the saddest verses found in God's Word. "All whose names were not found written in the book of life were thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 21:8 continues, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur."

Jesus does tell us more in the Gospels. Time and time again He describes the "weeping and gnashing of teeth," the "eternal fire," the "outer darkness," the "worm [that] does not die, and the fire is not quenched." He also makes it clear that Hell is not temporal, but eternal. It is a hard concept to grasp, and indeed it is difficult to imagine eternal pain, yet it is occurring even as this is written, an eerie and terrible thought.

Mark 3:29 reveals, "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin." In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus reveals not a parable but an account of a man named Lazarus, a Rich Man, and Abraham. Now, the general belief is that Hell is located either in the "heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40) or in another dimension. Those who have claimed to have been shown Hell and lived to tell the world about the truth of its existence claim that Hell is located in the core of the earth. There are 52 verses that refer to the location. (For more on this subject, see entry: "Location of Hell: Harrowing of Hell")[2]

Luke 16:19-31 gives the following account. "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. [This was at the paradise section, before Jesus died, no one could enter into Heaven.] The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades [Hell], where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to them, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced if someone rises from the dead.'"

If we do not believe the Bible (Moses and the Prophets make up most of the Old Testament), how then will we ever believe? There are, as stated, many other verses on Hell. Ezekiel 26:20 for example, says, "When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit..." Psalm 140:10, "Let the burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they may not rise up again."

The point of this entry is not to cause resentment or similar feelings, but to show that Hell is not a mythological place. Many people who have been shown clinically dead and then revived describe experiences of Hell. (For example, the experience of Bill Wiese, see here.) Hell is truly a literal place, and an eternal destination, one which I would not recommend to anyone, no matter who you are or what you may have done.

The good news is that the Creator entered into His Creation to atone for our sins, for the darkness inside of us all. How then can we be saved from this eternal destination, and change our destination to Heaven? "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and if you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) 1st John 1:9 continues, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 

According to Dave Hunt in Defense of Faith, "We may rest assured that no one will suffer in hell who could by any means have been won to Christ in this life. God leaves no stone unturned to rescue all who would respond to the convicting and wooing of the Holy Spirit. As for the fate of [the damned] being eternal, it could not be otherwise. Death is not the cessation of existence but the continuation of the eternal being with which God lovingly endowed man--but now in painful separation from God and all else in utter darkness and loneliness."[3]

Thank you for reading this entry of "The Truth." Feel free to email vexx801@yahoo.com or thetruth.ministryweb@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, comment below, (but please remain civil) visit the facebook page, or visit the Ministry homepage. Take care, and may God bless. Troy Hillman

Sources:

[1] Wiese, Bill. Hell: Separate Truth From Fiction And Get Your Toughest Questions Answered. 1st ed. 1. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2008. 291-294. Print.

[2] Ibid. 303-306

[3] Hunt, Dave. In Defense of the Faith. 1st ed. Harvest House Publishers, 1996. Print.

Are Dinosaurs Alive Today?

For centuries, all over the world there have been reports of strange creatures. More often than not, these encounters and reports are dismissed as the products of over-imagination, wishful thinking, or mistaken identification of another creature. But is there something to this? Could dinosaurs really still be alive today? We will attempt to find the answer. (Photo credit to: Genesis Park, Sandra Mansi, Various)

Dinosaurs have been discussed at length in past series, such as "Dinosaurs of the Bible" and "Evidence for a Young Creation (Part Four)." The general belief of Young-Earth Creationists regarding Dinosaurs are as follows: Dinosaurs, meaning, "terrible lizard," were created by God on Day Six with all other land creatures. The water-dwelling dinosaurs of course, were created on Day 5. 

Genesis 1:29-30 says, "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." In the beginning, everyone ate plants: including dinosaurs.

Like all other creatures, dinosaurs were put onto Noah's Ark during the Flood. There were only about 50 kinds, this does not include water dinosaurs, since it was a flood, and none of the water creatures had to be put on the Ark. The dinosaurs that were not on the ark were fossilized during the catastrophic global flood, thus the reason we find fossilized dinosaurs. If there were dinosaurs on the ark, where are they now? What became of these creatures?[1]

When the floodwaters receded, the world was a very different place. Noah was given permission to eat meat (Genesis 9:1-3), which more than likely led to the eventual extinction of several species, as Noah and his family, as well as we his descendants could have hunted such creatures down. Instead of chicken for dinner, the meal would be dinosaur. This does not, however, account for the many reports, the many ancient depictions of dinosaurs, dinosaurs in the Bible, fossil evidence, and fossilized dinosaurs: including fresh blood cells!

Though not every Christian agrees, Young Earth Creationists tend to agree that Dinosaurs are found all throughout the Bible. The word "dinosaur" was not invented until the early 1840's, and the dinosaurs found in Scripture are referred to as dragons, behemoth, leviathan, serpents, cockatrice, or basilisks. For example, Job 40-41 describes both the Behemoth and Leviathan. In the series mentioned earlier, more detail is given regarding these creatures, but the basic belief is that the Behemoth was a Sauropod, and the Leviathan most likely a Kronosaurus or Sarcosuchus.

The Leviathan was around during the time of Job (1500's/1400's), and was at least around during the time of King David, as evidenced by Psalm 74:13-14 and Psalm 104:25-26. Isaiah also refers to the Leviathan in Isaiah 27:1.  Though some believe that the Leviathan was merely a mythological creature or even an angelic creature created by God and shown to Job, certain references seem to contradict this concept.

Dragons are mentioned many times in Scripture, though they are translated differently in modern translations. Dragons, however, are merely dinosaurs. Dragons are a variety of gigantic reptiles reported over several centuries in over 200 places. As stated by the World Book Encyclopedia, "The dragons of legend are strangely like actual creatures that have lived in the past. They are much like the great reptiles which inhabited the earth long before man is supposed to have appeared on earth. Dragons were generally evil and destructive. Every country had them in its mythology."[2]

Though it is assumed by many that fire-breathing is scientifically impossible, it certainly is possible that certain kinds of dinosaurs possessed this sort of defense. For example, by producing methane  or other inflammable gas in its digestive system, dinosaurs could expel this by a means of ignition, thereby producing fire. Since these were likely soft tissue, we would not expect to find these systems fossilized. Some believe that luminescence given off by some creatures. The ropen reported in New Guinea is said to give off a luminescence that the locals believe is fire, because it looks like hot embers.[3]

Reports of dragons and dinosaurs are so often dismissed because the world has been led to believe by means of Evolutionary principles, so if a dinosaur is reported or even captured on film or photo, it is dismissed as a fraud, because a living dinosaur does not agree with the Evolutionary worldview. This does, however, agree with a Biblical Worldview, and the "great dinosaur mystery" is easily solved: Dinosaurs were created on Day 6, some survived the Flood, and are not as populous in number in recent years, but are reported in remote regions of the world.

In 1965, the National Geographic Magazine stated that the number of new animal species discovered each year is about 50 mammals, 100 fish, 15 birds, and 5,000 insects.[4] Studies show that only about 5% of our Ocean has been explored. Is it too hard to believe, then, that there are many other undiscovered species: or species that we know of but refuse to accept as still existing?

People who live in the jungle have claimed for years to have seen what can be described as sauropod dinosaurs, such as the Brontosaurus or Diplodocus, or perhaps the Apatosaurus. One example is the "Mokèlé-mbèmbé." This creature is said to be similar to an Apatosaurus and have been reported in Central Africa. Missionaries and explorers also claim to have seen these creatures. Many expeditions have been conducted in search of the Mokèlé-mbèmbé, particularly in the Congo River basin.[5]

The basin itself is roughly larger than the state of Florida in the United States, and Government reports state that 80% of this area remains unexplored. Television Channels such as National Geographic (Danger Encounters), Syfy (Destination Truth), and the History Channel (MonsterQuest) have investigated this creature. The results were inconclusive, and do not prove nor disprove anything.[6]

Another possible living dinosaur is the Pterosaur, or a Pterodactyl. A press release in 2006 stated the following:  "Intermittent expeditions on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, from 1994 through 2004, resulted in the compilation of eyewitness testimonies that substantiated a hypothesis that pterosaurs may not be extinct."[7] As stated on CW, also in 2006, "[in] Papua New Guinea, a creationist explorer, Paul Nation, recorded 17 seconds of digital video of what investigators believe is evidence for the bioluminescence of creatures called "indava" and "ropen." They also believe that these are Rhamphorhynchoid (long-tailed) pterosaurs. Early in March, 2007, a physicist completed his report on his findings on this video footage: The lights were not produced through a hoax and they were not of any campfire, airplane lights, or meteors. They were also shown to not be from camera artifacts."[8]

Plesiosaurs are also suspected to still be alive in different locations around the world. These dinosaurs were ocean-dwellers that could reach up to 100 ft. in length, were slow swimmers, had flippers, and were carnivorous creatures that fed on fish. Fossils of these dinosaurs can be found in many museums, many believe that these creatures survived the Flood and that several are still around today.[9]

One of the most famous is alleged to live in Loch (meaning "lake") Ness in Scotland. Loch Ness is about 24 miles long, and is estimated at over 700 feet deep. The first recorded sighting of a creature in Loch Ness dates back to 565 BC, when Saint Columba visited. We have no way of knowing whether or not this actually occurred, but it is the first recorded sighting. The account is found in Life of Columba, in "Of the Driving Away of a Certain Water Monster by Virtue of Prayer."[10]

Lake Champlain Mansi Photograph

"Also at another time, when the blessed man was for a number of days in the province of the Picts, he had to cross the river [Ness]. When he reached its bank, he saw a poor fellow being buried by other inhabitants; and the buriers said that, while swimming not long before, he had been seized and most savagely bitten by a water beast. Some men, going to his rescue in a wooden boat, though too late, had put out hooks and caught hold of his wretched corpse. When the blessed man heard this, he ordered notwithstanding that one of his companions should swim out and bring back to him, by sailing, a boat that stood on the opposite bank. Hearing this order of the holy and memorable man, Lugne mocu-Min obeyed without delay, and putting off his clothes, [except for] his tunic, plunged into the water. But the monster, whose appetite had earlier been not so much sated as whetted for prey, lurked in the depth of the river. Feeling the water above disturbed by Lugne's swimming, it suddenly swam up to the surface, and with gaping mouth and with great roaring rushed towards the man swimming in the middle of the stream. While all that were there, barbarians and even the brothers, were struck down with extreme terror, the blessed man, who was watching, raised his holy hand and drew the saving sign of the cross in the empty air; and then, invoking the name of God, he commanded the savage beast, and said: 'You will go no further. Do not touch thou that man; turn back speedily.' Then, hearing this command of the saint, the beast, as if pulled back with ropes, fled terrified in swift retreat..."[11]

Personally, I have been fascinated by the Loch Ness Monster since childhood, and have read a great many books on the subject. There are hoaxes, yes, but there are also eyewitness testimonies and hard-to-explain pictures, sonar readings, and footage. While there are some natural phenomena such as logs, sturgeons, or other such things in the Loch, sonar, pictures, and film as well as reports including reports from credible Scientific Organizations indicate that there is a creature of significant size in the Loch, if not a small family.

There is plenty of food each year to sustain a population, and reports indicate that the creatures are scared off by noise. The sightings became more frequent in 1933 when roads were finally built along the Loch, perhaps because the creatures were curious as to what all the noise was about (workers blowing out rocks to build the roads) or perhaps the creatures were always there, not surfacing often, therefore not seen often until roads were built.

Other locations around the world, such as Lake Champlain (Champ), Lake Okanagan (Ogopogo) have been subject to film, picture, and many reported sightings. The White River Monster in Arkansas, a sighting in Kodiak, Alaska, Trunko in South Africa, Alkali in Lake Alkali, Nebraska, Lake Tahoe in California, a creature in Lake Erie (Bessie), five lakes in Utah, and many others support living dinosaurs. These lake creatures have also been reported in the ocean, which is not hard to believe, since only 5% of the ocean has been explored, leaving 95% for such creatures to roam.[12]

Indeed we do find "living fossils," such as the Glass Sponge, the Vampire Squid, or the Coelacanth. The Coelacanth is a fish thought to have gone extinct (in evolutionary terms, millions of years ago) but was found alive and well: and unchanged, not the slightest bit evolved, in 1938. Other created kinds, such as alligators and crocodiles, is thought to have lived millions of years ago, yet are still alive and unchanged.[13]

Flying reptiles have been reported all over the world, from the Thunderbird which shows up in Africa at funerals to feed to sightings in Switzerland in 1649. A leviathan, or rather, a sea monster, was reported during World War I by a German submarine. The account is as follows: "On July 30, 1915, our U28 torpedoed the British steamer Iberian carrying a rich cargo in the North Atlantic. The steamer sank quickly, the bow sticking almost vertically into the air. When it had gone for about twenty-five seconds there was a violent explosion. A little later pieces of wreckage, and among them a gigantic sea animal (writhing and struggling wildly), was shot out of the water to a height of 60 to 100-feet. At that moment I had with me in the conning tower my officers of the watch, the chief engineer, the navigator, and the helmsman. Simultaneously we all drew one another’s attention to this wonder of the seas…we were unable to identify it. We did not have time to take a photograph, for the animal sank out of sight after ten or fifteen seconds. It was about 60-feet long, was like a crocodile in shape and had four limbs with powerful webbed feet and a long tail tapering to a point."[14]

The city of Nerluc, France is named in honor of the killing of a "dragon" that took place there. The animal was described as being bigger than an ox, and having long, sharp, pointed horns on its head. It is believed to be a Triceratops. ChristianAnswers.net points out the importance of China, "Thousands of dragon stories and pictures can be found in ancient Chinese books and art. One interesting legend tells about a famous Chinese man named Yu. After the great world flood, Yu surveyed the land of China and divided it into sections. He "built channels to drain the water off to the sea" and helped make the land livable again. Many snakes and “dragons” were driven off from the marshlands when Yu created the new farmlands. Some old Chinese books even tell of a family that kept “dragons” and raised the babies. It is said that in those days, Chinese kings used “dragons” for pulling royal chariots on special occasions. Ancient Chinese books even tell of people using dragon's blood, fat, brains, and saliva for medicine."[15]

Herodotus, a respected Greek explorer, described small flying reptiles in Egypt and Arabia, matching descriptions of the Ramphorhynchus. The creatures had snake-like bodies and bat-like wings, and Herodotus was shown a canyon with piles of the bones. Aristotle, another respected Greek, reported that in his day, these creatures were common in Ethiopia. People of the past had no trouble believing these things, because they saw them firsthand. But when someone sees one today, because it does not agree with Evolution, or is hard to explain away, it is dismissed or scoffed at.[16]

Early on, I mentioned ancient dinosaur depictions. Though covered in the series mentioned in the beginning of this entry, these are great in number. Dinosaurs are depicted in pottery, cave paintings, carvings, accounts, ancient constructs, burial stones (point of controversy), paintings, sculptures, and what have you. (To view a few of these, go here.) The point to consider is this: if dinosaurs went extinct 64 million years ago and were not re-discovered until the 1800's, why do we find so many accurate depictions and accounts of dinosaurs?

Often, these things are either disregarded, "explained away," or ignored by secularists, as it does not agree with their worldview. However, dinosaurs of a Young Creation still existing today certainly agrees with a Young Creation, and that is what we find. Sauropods, Plesiosaurs (having been trapped in lakes due to the Ice Age which followed the Global Flood), Flying Dinosaurs, and others have been reported, recorded, photographed, and filmed time and time again. Though much of these are in question, there are some evidences which are not as easily explained away.

It would take many entries to examine and discuss each and every sighting of dinosaurs, even in the last century alone, examining which are more credible and scientific than others. However, the point of this entry was to open the mind to the many different aspects that this topic opens up, especially Christianity. If all of this is true, that would lead us to the conclusion that the earth is young. However, the Evolutionist model is not for a Young Creation, but a Biblical model is.

The fact that Scripture is truly God's Word has been discussed before, as has the deity of Christ, and many other questions and thoughts have been answered and addressed. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or what have you, feel free to comment below in a civil manner, email vexx801@yahoo.com or the Ministry team at thetruth.ministryweb@gmail.com, visit the Ministry homepage, or visit the facebook page. Take care, and may God bless, dear reader. Troy Hillman

For more on dinosaurs in regards to this topic, the flood, and Christianity, see here.

Sources:

[1] Ham, Ken. "What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?." Answers In Genesis. Answers In Genesis, 25 Oct 2007. Web. 20 Jun 2010. < http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/what-happened-to-the-dinosaurs >.

[2] Knox, Wilson, "Dragon," The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 5, 1973, p. 265

[3] Various. "Dragons." Creation Wiki. Wikimedia, 22 Jan 2011. Web. 25 Jan 2011. < http://creationwiki.org/Dragon >.

[4] Taylor, Paul S. "Sightings (The Great Dinosaur Mystery)." Christian Answers Network. Christian Answers Network, n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. < http://christiananswers.net/dinosaurs/j-site1.html >.

[5] Various. "Mokèlé-mbèmbé." Creation Wiki. Wikimedia, 5 Sept 2010. Web. 27 Jan 2011. < http://creationwiki.org/Mokele-mbembe >.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Various. "Recent Dinosaurs." Creation Wiki. Wikimedia, 21 Aug 2010. Web. 25 Jan 2011. < http://creationwiki.org/Recent_dinosaur >.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] "The Life of St. Columba." Loch Ness Historical. Loch Ness & Morar Project, n.d. Web. 27 Jan 2011. < http://www.lochnessproject.org/adrian_shine_archiveroom/papershtml/columba_loch_ness.htm >.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Juliano, Dave. "Sea Serpents." The Shadowlands. The Shadowlands, Jun 2010. Web. 27 Jan 2011. .

[13] "Living Fossils." Creation Wiki. Wikimedia, 26 June 2010. Web. 27 Jan 2011. .

[14] Taylor, Paul S. "Sightings: Leviathan." Christian Answers Network. Christian Answers Network, n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. .

[15] Taylor, Paul S. "Sightings: China." Christian Answers Network. Christian Answers Network, n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. .

[16] Taylor, Paul S. "Sightings." Christian Answers Network. Christian Answers Network, n.d. Web. 20 May 2010.

What Is The "New Perspective On Paul?"

In the past few centuries, man comes up with yet another alleged "new perspective" on biblical doctrine. When this occurs, we ought to proceed and cautiously and examine the claims of this perspective, to see if it agrees with Scripture, much like the Bereans. More often than not, these new ideas are not new at all, and it turns out that they disagree with the Bible instead of offering a "new perspective." (Photo credit to: Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier 16th century, Apple)

The first time we find a "new perspective" on things is in the Garden of Eden, in Genesis 3:1. "Did God really say..." Satan, disguised as a serpent, tries to cast doubt in Eve's mind. He succeeds. How often can we say that we hear similar things? "Did God really say that? Did he really mean that? Surely not! He must have meant this!" There's a familiar saying that goes something like, "God said what he meant and He meant what He said."

There is a movement called the "New Perspective on Paul." This view, however, is completely unbiblical, undermining and redefining key doctrines found in Scripture that are at the very foundation of the Christian faith. Once you remove the foundation, the rest of the building falls. That is why The Truth Ministries focuses much on Creation, especially a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11. If our very foundation is not stable, the building will fall. If the Fall of Man, Global Flood, and Tower of Babel are all myths and allegories, then our foundation is shaken.

In what way? Consider this: if Man never fell to sin by eating from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, why then would we need a Savior (Jesus Christ) if we never fell in the first place, if it was all a story? Now, despite the fact that some of the "New Perspective on Paul" adherents includes a few leading New Testament scholars from secular universities, most notably N.T. Wright, this view is gaining ground among several churches.

The very heart of this fallacious teaching is that, for centuries, Christians have "misunderstood" Paul and his teachings, necessitating a new perspective on Paul. The idea is that these latter day scholars are so wise that they are able to figure out the right, the correct, perspective on Paul the Apostle, when scholars from Paul's day could not. The "New Perspective on Paul" movement has been likened unto the Jesus Seminar group, who, a few years ago, decided they could pick and choose what Jesus said and what he didn't say.

Jesus Seminar and its findings were not based on any historical evidence or data, but on assumptions and faulty opinions. Beads were given, and if you thought a phrase was something Jesus would say, you put a specific color bead in. If not, you put the other bead in. This way of dictating truth is fallacious and is not based on any actual evidence, just opinions. The arrogant attitudes implied by both the Jesus Seminar and New Perspective on Paul are quite evident.

Now, there are four general concepts of this argument. There is a belief that Christians of the 1st century AD misunderstood Judaism, saying that Paul was not fighting against Jews who promoted a religion of self-righteousness as well as salvation through works, and also that the Pharisees were not legalists. As stated by GotAnswers.org, "... the Bible describes the Pharisees as those who 'neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness,' straining at a gnat while swallowing a camel' and ones who “cleaned up the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:23-25). The view that first century Pharisees were not legalists and their religion was not one of self-righteous and works-based salvation directly contradicts Jesus’ own words in this and numerous other passages."[1]

The second belief is that Paul certainly did not have a problem with the doctrine of works-based salvation; his only problem was the way in which the Jews treated the Gentiles, not a different over how someone was saved or justified before God. On the contrary, in both Galatians and Romans, Paul clearly condemned the work-based salvation which was beings used to lure Galatians way from the Gospel message. In fact, Paul said that anyone who preached a gospel other than the one that he preached ought to be “eternally condemned.” (Galatians 1:8-9)[2]

Scripture itself shows that this alleged "New Perspective on Paul" is based on unbiblical teaching, which is a very dangerous teaching indeed. Another verse to consider is found in Ephesians 2:8, which says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." The third unbiblical belief of this "New Perspective on Paul" movement is that the gospel is about the Lordship of Jesus and not a message of personal salvation and redemption from sin. Most definitively the Lordship of Jesus is an important part of the Gospel, but if that is all there is, how is this good news?[3]

It is impossible to make Jesus Lord of your life without first being cleansed of sin and, following that, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is only the Spirit that can allow us to yield to the Lordship of Jesus. From the Scriptures, it is evident that the hope of Christians is a Savior whose sacrifice atoned for all of humanity's sins and that it is for this reason that the gospel is "good news", because “it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)

The fourth - and the most dangerous - false teaching of this group is the view on the doctrine of justification through faith, which is a central and vital Christian doctrine. According to adherents of this teaching, when Paul wrote on justification he was not speaking of individual and personal justification where a guilty sinner is declared righteousness on the basis of his or her faith in Christ, instead they claim that when Paul wrote about justification, he was actually speaking of how someone could tell if a person was “a member of the covenant family” or not.[4]

Advocate N.T. Wright writes, “Justification in the first century was not about how someone might establish a relationship with God. It was about God’s eschatological definition, both future and present, of who was in fact, a member of his people.” The issue is that this distorts the biblical teaching on justification by faith, and instead teaches that the doctrine of justification from Paul was merely concerned with the Gentiles' standing in the covenant community, and had nothing to do with a guilty sinner being declared justified before God.[5]

However, we simply cannot disregard nor can we redefine justification and still be considered Christian or Biblical. The teaching on justification through faith is essential to Christianity and if changed, the "new perspective" is very dangerous. N.T. Wright often argues against 2nd Corinthians 5:21 which clearly says, (NIV) "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The movement came about in this fashion: in 1963, Lutheran Krister Stendahl published a paper arguing that the typical Lutheran view of the Paul’s theology did not fit with statements found within Paul’s writings, and in fact was based more on mistaken assumptions about Paul’s beliefs. E. P. Sanders published Paul and Palestinian Judaism in 1977, in which he analyzed Jewish literature and Paul's writings in which Sanders argued that the orthodox Lutheran understanding of the theology of Judaism and Paul were arbitrary. Sanders continued to publish several books and articles, and was joined by James D. G. Dunn.[6]

Dunn labeled the movement "The New Perspective on Paul" in 1982. The work of Sanders and Dunn influenced large number of scholars to study, discuss, and debate these issues. Many books and articles dealing with "The New Perspective on Paul" have since been published. As aforementioned, Anglican Bishop N. T. Wright has written several books in an attempt to popularize this movement.[7]

As clearly shown, the beliefs of this fallacious movement clearly contradict, not agree with, Scripture. John Piper, a major critic of Wright's and this movement, wrote a book titled The Future of Justification dealing with the issues presented by "The New Perspective on Paul." (Find an interview with Piper here, in which he discusses several issues with this alleged new and correct perspective.)[8]

(From: Apple's Itunes)

In an article, Piper states, "...How can that be that good news for him unless you begin to explain the meaning of Jesus’ death and what he achieved. What makes the resurrection good news is that now reconciliation with God can be enjoyed by faith, and you can move from being on the wrong side to the right side. All of that is a necessary explanation of what makes the resurrection of Jesus Christ “gospel.” Wright’s view is a shift in emphasis. He believes in the death of Christ; he believes in the substitutionary atonement; he believes in penal substitution. But he is always backgrounding these things so that the universal lordship of Christ is foregrounded.
It’s the negations he makes that are so troubling, not his affirmations."[9] 

In other words, the teachings from the "New Perspective on Paul" are unbiblical and fallacious at best. Do not base your salvation on opinions regarding God's Word, but on God's Word itself, that salvation comes through justification by faith, and through acceptance of Christ Jesus. Romans 10:9, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and if you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  

1st John 1:9 continues, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." It does not get more clear than that: to be saved, confess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord, and if you genuinely believe in your heart that he died and rose again, and if you confess your sins and repent, you will be saved. (We must confess our sins daily, however, not just once.)

Thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth." Feel free to comment below, (yet please remain civil in your comments) email me at vexx801@yahoo.com or our ministry team at thetruth.ministry@gmail.com, visit the facebook page, or visit the Ministry homepage. Take care, dear reader, and may God bless. Troy Hillman

Sources:

[1] "Is the New Perspective on Paul Biblical?." GotAnswers.org. Got Answers Ministries, n.d. Web. 24 Jan 2011. .

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Various. "New Perspective on Paul." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, 11 Jan 2011. Web. 25 Jan 2011. 

[7] Ibid.

[8] Mathis, David. "Interview With Piper on Wright." desiringGod. desiringGod, 8 Oct 2007. Web. 25 Jan 2011. .

[9] Ibid.

Do Old Testament Food Laws Still Apply?

The claim is sometimes made that we cannot eat certain foods like pork or shrimp because of the Old Testament laws, the Ceremonial Law found in Leviticus. Is there any truth to this, and does the New Testament actually give us an answer on the common question, "which foods are we allowed to eat?" The New Testament gives us an answer. (Photo credit to: Saving Dinner, InfoRochester)

Let us examine what the Bible tells us about this subject. The full text can be found in Leviticus 11. In this chapter, God commands the Israelites not to eat creatures such as: camels, hyrax, rabbit, pig, sea creatures that do not have fins and scales, (such as shrimp) eagles, vultures, red kite, ravens, certain owls, hawks, heron, all flying insects that walk on all fours, weasel, rat, monitor lizard, wall lizard, skink, chameleon, and others. (Also found in Deuteronomy 14:1-21)

If this is so, should these creatures not still be outlawed for consumption? Would we, by eating shrimp, pork, and other unclean foods, be sinning against God, breaking his law? Understand this: the purpose of the dietary law was to separate Israel from other nations, these laws did not and do not apply to any other nations. Another point is the reason for these laws, aside from setting them apart.

People often wonder about why there is so much war and so many laws in the Old Testament. Consider this: if Israel did not strike down the surrounding nations, would they not have been stricken down themselves, therefore wiping out the bloodline of the Israelites? If they did not have laws to follow, such as abstaining from unnatural sexual impurities, unclean foods, and many other such things, the bloodline would have been polluted even further, and it also may have led to deaths.

Now consider this: God had a reason for all these laws and wars between Israel and its surrounding nations. What was it all for? What end would it meet? Protection. Not just protection for the nation of Israel, but protection for the future birth of King David. If the Israelites did not destroy surrounding nations and did not follow the laws, they would have been wiped out, and King David never born.

Consequently, King David was the ancestor of Jesus Christ. If King David was never born, Jesus would have never been able to fulfill prophecy, Jesus would have never been born into the royal line, not born in the City of David, and Israel would have been wiped out, therefore, the Romans would not have had Judea under Roman control, there would not have been Pharisees nor Sadducees, and Jesus would never have shed his blood.

In other words, these laws and wars were for the protection of the bloodline so that Jesus could enter into Creation to die for all of humanity's past, present, and future sins. Had Israel not had guidelines, had the nation been wiped out, we would be without a Savior, without hope. That was the purpose for the many wars of the Old Testament, for the many laws.

Now that we understand this, we may also understand that when Jesus died and rose again, he initiated the New Covenant. In fact, God himself declared in the Old Testament that a New Covenant would arise. Jeremiah 31:31-32, "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant though I was a husband to them,' declares the Lord."

Jeremiah 31:33 concludes, "'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,' declares the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'" The New Testament reveals several times (for example, Acts 11:18) that this New Covenant was offered not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well: to all of humanity, if we only accept Jesus as Savior. (See entry: "Covenants: Old and New")

But what about unclean foods? Does the New Testament reveal the New Covenant's law on foods? Indeed it does. Acts 10:9-16 says, "About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' 'Surely not, Lord!' Peter replied. 'I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.' The voice spoke to him a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to Heaven."

God has made all foods clean. However, there are those who may not believe that this passage is referring to this. It is not the only reference we find in the New Testament. Mark 7:17 certainly gives us the answer to this question, "Do Old Testament Food Laws Still Apply?" It says, "...In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean." The Bible is very clear: Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant when he initiated the New. (Romans 10:14, Galatians 3:24-26) Under the New Covenant, all foods are clean, including, for example, pork and shrimp.

Romans 14 reveals that not everyone is mature enough in faith to believe that all food is clean. Romans 14:20, "All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble." There are those who argue that "God hates shrimp," in the same manner that some argue, "God hates [homosexuals]." Actually, nowhere in Scripture can this be found. The alleged basis for the argument is found in Leviticus, but the argument by both parties is fallacious.

Since Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant, including the Ceremonial Law, those laws no longer apply. (The Ten Commandments still apply, as seen clearly throughout the New Testament.) However, as evident from Romans 1:26-27 and 1st Corinthians 6:9, God does not hate homosexuals, he declares them immoral and unnatural - let no one claim that I have a problem with homosexuals, I am merely citing this for the sake of answering the above question.

In other words, both the God Hates [Homosexuals] movement and the GodHatesShrimp.org movement are fallacious and demonstrate a lack of understanding in regard to Scripture and the Old and New Covenants. The God Hates Shrimp movement was formed to mock Christians who use Old Testament Law try prove a point about sexuality, when instead we need to look at the entire context. The overall point? Jesus declared all foods clean, so no, the Old Testament food laws do not still apply.

Thank you for taking the time to read this entry of, "The Truth." Please remain civil in your comments, and feel free to email me at vexx801@yahoo.com or the Ministry team at thetruth.ministryweb@gmail.com, visit the facebook page, or visit the Ministry homepage. Take care, dear reader, and may God bless! Troy Hillman

Why Was Hell Created?

It is a question asked by many. "Why would God create such a horrible place, if he is supposed to be a perfect God?" Indeed God is perfect, and the Bible makes it perfectly clear why Hell was created. We often question God for his reasons about certain things, especially in the area of Hell, pain, suffering and Death. (Photo credit to: StarrySkies)

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus makes it clear that Hell was created for Satan and his angels. "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" Hell was not created for man, but for the fallen angels. It was not the original plan to be the eternal destination for the unsaved, as Man was created to live forever with God in Heaven. If this is so, then why do the unsaved end up in Hell upon death?

Bill Wiese describes it as such: "Man is a spirit, he possesses a soul (mind, will, and emotions), and he lives in a body. For the ease of discussion, I will use the word soul to represent both soul and spirit. The soul cannot die, in the way we think of death. Death to the soul means to be separated from God. It does not mean cease to exist. If man rejects the only way provided for entrance into heaven, then there is no other place for the soul to go. Our physical bodies can only exist on this earth. They cannot exist in outer space or under the water. In the same way, our soul was built to exist in one of two places - heaven or hell."[1]

Hell is a place utterly void of God's presence. Once we understand that God is good (Psalm 25:8, 34:8, 100:5) and that God is love (1st John 4:16), as well as the fact that all good things come from Him, we come to understand that when all of these things, including God's influence, goodness, and His attributes are totally removed, all that remains is utter destruction, death, chaos, fear, despair, evil, and hatred. Once God is removed, all good things go with him, this is why Hell is utter destruction and despair.

In other words, God did not have to create Hell as such a horrible place, but once His presence was removed from the equation, Hell became desolate, because God's glory, grace, goodness and love were all removed from it. Henry M. Morris, PhD and Martin E. Clark state, "Essentially, Hell is a place where all aspects of the presence of God will be completely withdrawn forever.... Thus, in hell there will be no love, for 'God is love.' There will be no light, for 'God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.' There will be no peace, or rest, or joy, since these are all attributes of God. On the contrary, there will be eternal corruption, strife, rebellion and hatred."[2]

Without the presence of God, a place will automatically be desolate and horrible. Another point we need to consider is that Hell is where God's wrath is poured out. We have already established that Hell was created for Satan and his angels. Hell is still meant for that, but now, because of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, sin corrupted God's perfect creation, and Hell is now also a place of punishment for the unsaved who reject God and do not follow Jesus.

However, you do not have to go there. God gave us free will, so that we may make our own choices in life. If he did not give us free will, we would all love him automatically, and we would be as robots. But God, in His loving mercy, gave us free will, not so that we would wind up in Hell, but so that we may make the right decisions and that we may love Him willingly.

God has warned us over and over that there is a punishment for sin and wrath to come. (see Romans 1:18, 6:23; Ephesians 5:6; 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:15) We could think of this in another way. If your country's leaders built prisons to house to criminal, would you call them bad? Prisons are built to protect the innocent from the criminal. For example, when the Europeans first came to North America, they saw a land beautiful and saw the potential for growth and production, they did not come and say, "I wonder how many prisons we can build here?"

Hell was not God's intent when everything was created. It was made due to Satan's rebellion along with his angels. (see Isaiah 14:12-20, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Luke 10:18) It is our choice whether we go to Heaven or Hell. If we are ignorant of the law and choose to disobey, we are without excuse, we remain responsible for our own actions. Understand that God does not send anyone to Hell, you send yourself there. 

As said by Dr. Bruce W. Dunn, "Fire burns. Gravity kills. Water drowns. And you can say, "God is love, God is love, God is love," until you're blue in the face. But water will still drown you, fire will burn you, and gravity will kill you, and sin will damn you no matter how much you say about a loving God. God just set up life that way. He set up the rules. He set up the laws by which we are to live. And if we break those laws, they break us, and we pay the consequences."[3]

James 2:10 tells us, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." We have all broken God's Commandments, and since "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," (Romans 6:23) we are in need of a Savior. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23) (See entry: "The Ten Commandments - Have We Followed Them All?")

John 3:16-18 tells us, "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. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

Consider what is said in Romans 1:18-23, 25. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles... They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen."

We are without excuse, and we know that Christ is the key to salvation. As put by Chuck Colson, "In a sense, the concept of hell gives meaning to our lives. It tells us that the moral choices we make day by day have eternal significance, that our behavior has consequences lasting to eternity, that God Himself takes our choices seriously. The doctrine of hell is not just some dusty theological holdover from the Middle Ages. It has significant social consequences. Without a conviction of ultimate justice, people's sense of moral obligation dissolves, and social bonds are broke. Of course, these considerations are not the most important reason to believe in hell. Jesus repeatedly issued warnings that if we turn away from God in this life, we will be alienated from God eternally. And yet, although "the wages of sin is death," Paul also says that "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). While breath remains, it is never too late to turn to God in repentance, and when we ask for forgiveness, God eagerly grants it."[4]

How can we be saved? As mentioned many times on this blog, but it holds the same power, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) We also must repent - and confess our sins to God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1st John 1:9) Understand that contrary to popular opinion, "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Christian author and Apologist, C.S. Lewis, once stated, "I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside. All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened. And yourself, in a dark hour, may will [a grumbling] mood, embrace it. Ye can repent and come out of it again. But there may come a day when you can do that no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood..."[5] 

Understand that none of this is said to make anyone angry, but to show that we are certainly in need of a Savior, and why Hell was created. It is a very real place, a literal fire, Hell was created for Satan and his angels, but because of the sin of humanity, we are condemned to Hell without a Savior: Jesus Christ. Thank you for taking the time to read this entry of "The Truth." Feel free to comment below, email vexx801@yahoo.com, the ministry team at thetruth.ministryweb@gmail.com, visit the facebook page, or visit the Ministry homepage. Take care, and may God bless! Troy Hillman 

Sources:

[1] Wiese, Bill. "Hell: Separate Truth From Fiction And Get Your Toughest Questions Answered." 1st ed. 1. Lake Mary: Charisma House, 2008. 51-52. Print.

[2] Henry M. Morris and Martin E. Clark, "The Bible Has the Answer." Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996. 246.

[3] Dunn, Bruce W. "HELL - How can a God of love send anybody to Hell?." Christian Answers Network. Christian Answers Network, 1999. Web. 23 Jan 2011. .

[4] Colson, Chuck. Answers to Your Kids' Questions. Prison Fellowship Ministries, 2000. Print.

[5] Lewis, C.S. The Quotable Lewis. 1st ed. Tyndale, 1989. Print.