What makes the World Ahead magazine unique among all publications? Why are we truly "different"? What gives us the "right" to be right? As thousands of you newer subscribers browse through the pages of this magazine, you will note a perspective that is found virtually nowhere else. We write of biblical prophecy in a way that shows its power and immanency. We explain the PURPOSE of life itself and the LAWS of successful living in a manner that conveys AUTHORITY. How and why do we do this?

The reason, put simply, is that we have been called by God to help prepare the way for the Second Coming of the Living Jesus Christ. We have been called by God to recapture true biblical Christianity—the real religion Christ and the apostles practiced. It might surprise you to know that most scholars are keenly aware that modern "churchianity" is a far cry from the Christianity of Jesus Christ.

The highly regarded modern philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, in his Attack upon Christendom, wrote, "The Christianity of the New Testament simply does not exist. Millions of people through the centuries have little by little cheated God out of Christianity, and have succeeded in making Christianity exactly the opposite of what it is in the New Testament."

Why then, we may ask, can't real New Testament Christianity be found? Why are millions so confused about what true Christianity is?

The answer is that a very real Satan the Devil has deceived hundreds of millions of human beings! After all, Jesus Christ Himself called Satan the "prince of this world" (John 14:30 KJV). And we read in Revelation 12:9, "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Frankly, Satan has deceived even most professing Christians into believing a so-called "gospel" about the PERSON of Christ rather than believing the true Gospel—the Gospel that Christ Himself preached! It may shock some of you to read this, but even a few hours of diligent Bible study should be enough to convince any open-minded person that what Jesus Christ preached is vastly different from the rituals, traditions and doctrines of mainstream Christianity.

Diligent Bible study—in the right attitude—is the key. It is simply a willingness to wholeheartedly seek God's will as revealed in the inspired Word of God—and to DO IT. It is a willingness to learn what kind of religion Jesus Christ and the apostles actually taught and practiced. It is a willingness to exercise the faith and courage to go against the crowd—to stand ALONE, if need be, in observing and practicing the true teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Gospel of John describes this "test" that many of us have to go through in order to believe and acknowledge the full Truth: "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).

How much simpler it is to go along with the majority—to "fit in"—to "take it easy." How difficult it often is to stand alone for Truth. Yet Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt. 7:13-14).

As you read the pages of The World Ahead, you will find reference after reference to the clear fact that Jesus and the original apostles constantly taught obedience to the Ten Commandments as a WAY OF LIFE. You will find that true Christianity is NOT just a matter of believing in the person of Christ. Rather, biblical Christianity is a willingness to surrender one's will to God and to do what He says. As Jesus Himself said, "not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (v. 21 ).

You will learn that, although you may profess the name of Jesus Christ, that is not enough. For to genuinely acknowledge His name, you must obey Him! Again, Jesus said, "But why do you call Me `Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).

You will also learn that you must be willing to read and study ALL the scriptures on any one subject. Do NOT take some vague scripture and try to read into it your human "interpretation" that contradicts the clear meaning of many other plain verses! For Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). So let the plain, clear scriptures and examples help explain those that are not so clear. And let the clear, straightforward examples of Christ and the original apostles help you understand the Bible. Didn’t Christ Himself understand Christianity? Didn't His original apostles, filled with and led by the Holy Spirit, also understand Christianity?

Which weekly day of rest and worship did Christ and the original apostles keep? What annual religious Holy Days did they observe? Why does modern "Christianity" blatantly reject their teaching and example on these and many, many other matters as well?

The World Ahead magazine is truly different because we fearlessly teach and proclaim the original biblical Christianity of Jesus and the apostles. They also taught with "authority" (Matt. 7:28-29; 2 Cor. 10:8). When we practice obedience to God's law as a way of life, He gives us genuine understanding of the inspired message of the Bible. As God tells us in the Psalms, "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments" (111:10). It is through God's spiritually imparted wisdom and ,guidance that we're able to give you real understanding of world events—where we are headed and what it all means.

"So with all my heart I encourage you not only to read but to study each issue of the World Ahead magazine. Check up on the biblical references you find in our articles. "Prove all things" (1 Thess. 5:21 KJV). Truly study and saturate your mind and heart with the Bible. Read it with an open mind and a willing heart. Be determined to CHANGE when you find that human tradition and majority opinion are WRONG—as they often are.

With an honest heart, try to get back to the Christianity of Jesus Christ. Ask Him, and the Father in His name, for genuine understanding—and for courage to act upon the full Truth.

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by Roderick C. Meredith

Most people try to avoid worrying about it. Few people are willing to openly discuss it. But most people realize, deep down, that our Western culture is coming apart at the seams.

Millions of young people are trapped in a maelstrom of crime and violence. Teenage predators roam the streets. Now we read that, once again, drug use is skyrocketing. Society is deteriorating from within. Columnist William Raspberry recently wrote, "What—assuming the charges against him are proven—do you do with a 6 year-old who beats and kicks a 4week-old infant nearly to death during the course of a burglary? What, to take an earlier case, should you do with the pre-adolescent boys who drop a 5-year-old 14 stories to his death because the youngster wouldn't steal candy for them? What do you do with a 10-year-old boy who shoots his 5-year-old sister to death because she wouldn't go to her room?

"It's one of the really tough problems for the criminal justice system—for society: What to do with children who do awful things" (The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 10, 1996).

In the same article, Raspberry quotes Eliot Sorel, president of the World Association for Social Psychiatry, who says that it's a problem begging for serious consideration. "So we have a convergence of two trends: the dissolution of the basic social matrix, including family, coupled with an electronic technology that teaches violence without (observable) consequence. You cannot keep exposing young children to these twin assaults without having some of them deciding to try it. We can't ignore what we're doing to our children."

But are we ignoring it? Have we thrown away our moral compass? What has happened to the Judeo-Christian ethic that has undergirded Western culture for so many centuries?

Britain's Guardian Weekly editorialized, "It is the make or break decade for Christianity in Britain, according to Dr. Carey. Despite all the determined optimism of Christians it looks grim: Anglicans are running a net loss of 26,000 [members] a year, Catholics 29,000, while the. total loss from all denominations is 74,300. The Methodists could be extinct by early in the next century, they admitted last month. The main focus of concern is that there is a massive 50 percent drop-out rate among teenagers. Never has Dr. Carey's adage that `Christianity has always been one generation away from extinction' had such a chilling ring. Unlike the Pope, the Archbishop does not believe we are on the verge of a great religious revival in the next century. The best that Dr. Carey hopes for is to stem the decline" (April 14, 1996).

Perhaps the most telling observation of all is this recent one from John Leo's syndicated column: "These are dark days for the Ten Commandments.

It's not just that people go around breaking them all the time (nothing new there), but that so few of us seem able to remember what these oft-broken rules actually say. In 1994, a survey of 1,200 people, ages 15 to 35, found that most of those polled could name no more than two commandments, and as the essayist Cullen Murphy writes, `They weren't too happy about some of the others when they were told about them'” (Union-Tribune, Nov. 13, 1996).

"Dark days" for the Ten Commandments? Not exactly. Rather, these are dark days for the people of America, Britain, Canada and anyone else who refuses not only to obey but even to acknowledge the AUTHORITY of the Ten Commandments! People who kid about "rewriting" the Ten Commandments or who disparage them are headed for a terrible fall. Sadly, even many religious leaders try to come up with ingenious excuses to say the Ten Commandments are "done away." But as we shall see, any person—or nation—who constantly breaks the great spiritual law of the Creator will himself be broken.

Get at the CAUSE

All too often, shortsighted leaders try to pacify public concern on some issue by offering a type of social "painkiller." Political morphine may temporarily diminish or at least mask the immediate pain of the malignant cultural cancers eating at society. But just as a painkiller doesn't address the underlying cause of a degenerative disease, neither does "social aspirin" heal our societal diseases.

Many experts in the field of gun control say that keeping the average citizen from getting a gun may do a certain amount of good. But thousands of weapons are already in the hands of hardened criminals. All the gun control in the world won't affect how many guns the bad guys already have!

More prisons? Again, law enforcement officials freely admit this is a "catch-22" situation. Putting a man behind bars does stop him—for a while at least—from harming those outside the prison walls. But inside, he often learns to become cleverer and more ruthless—so that he will be an even more dangerous criminal when he is released.

And, of course, modern "sages" tell us that the answer to the AIDS epidemic is to pass out condoms to 10 and 12-year-old boys and girls—children who may not have even thought of having sex before and are totally unprepared to bear the emotional weight of a sexual relationship.

But, as with physical disease, the genuine solution to these problems facing the U.S. and most other nations is to go beyond treating their effect and to get at their cause.

We have got to face up to the fact that the United States of America truly is coming apart at the seams! When you consider our spiraling national debt—the worst in recorded history—our drug problem, crime, broken families, racial tension, AIDS and other sexually transmissible diseases, you can see that the U.S. truly doesn't have many more years to go before some MAJOR breakdown occurs.

Before long, it will be obvious to many nations that we are under some kind of national curse. But why? And what can be done about it?

The SOLUTION

Realize it or not, America and all other nations are suffering because they are flagrantly breaking certain fundamental laws of the universe. The laws of science or physics? No. It's far more serious than that. We have all allowed ourselves to be deceived into thinking that the Creator God is way off. We have been taught that His great spiritual law, the Ten Commandments, is not binding on people today.

In our confused, do-your-own-thing "value system," America is no longer sure about what is right and what is wrong. So our cities are increasingly unsafe. More and more American high school girls get pregnant. About 1.5 million little human beings are murdered here each year while still in the womb. And yet we print on our currency, "In God We Trust." Are we a hypocritical nation?

We must realize that humanity does not have the authority to decide right and wrong. Only our Creator can do that. And His decisions are revealed in the ultimate manual for human survival, the Holy Bible.

When Jesus Christ was asked the way to ultimate survival, He gave a clear, unambiguous answer. A young man asked; "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Jesus answered, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:17). Then Jesus began to name some of the Ten Commandments so there would be no confusion as to which laws He was talking about.

Think about it! If our entire human society, from top to bottom, would believe in, and live by, the Ten Commandments—we would have a virtual utopia! There would be no need for prisons, for there would be no crime. No need for large defense expenditures, for there would be no more war. No need for hundreds of millions of dollars to deal with drug-related problems, for people would no longer become addicted to narcotics. No expenditures for AIDS and all the other sexually transmissible diseases, for all men and women would learn to be faithful—before and during marriage—to one dearly loved mate.

The Apostle James was inspired to write, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, `Do not commit adultery,' also said, `Do not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty" (James 2:10-12).

Notice that the "law" James is writing about is clearly the Ten Commandments. He states that Christians will be "judged" by that law (v. 12). In addition, the Ten Commandments are specifically called the "law of liberty."

If obeyed, the Ten Commandments would liberate mankind from war, crime, divorce, drunkenness, drugs, AIDS and most of the mental and emotional tension and guilt that haunt so many people.

Christ's Liberating Message

Contrary to the vain reasoning of so many religionists, Jesus Christ's message had much to do with God's law. In a distinct prophecy about the coming Messiah, Isaiah was inspired to write; "The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will magnify the law and make it honorable" (Is. 42:21).

In the Sermon on the Mount and throughout His ministry, Jesus did magnify the law. He said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). Please understand that "fulfill" does NOT mean "nullify." Christ fulfilled the law by keeping it setting us an example that we should follow in His steps ( 1 Peter 2:21 ).

Jesus echoed the point examined earlier in the book of James: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19).

So even the "least" of the Ten Commandments must be kept by sincere followers of Jesus of Nazareth. This would include the weekly Sabbath day, the command against lying and all the others.

Notice Matthew 5:28: "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." In this verse Jesus is clearly magnifying God's law—making its real meaning even more thorough and binding on His disciples.

Can we realize what a different nation and different world we would have if women were so deeply respected that men would not—even in their minds—regard them in a lustful and pornographic way? No more racy magazines with centerfold girls!

Rather, each man would present his own wife to himself mentally as his God-given "other half," deserving equal respect—his true sweetheart and the mother of his children. So there would be virtually no adultery, no divorce, no broken homes with confused, mixed-up and often criminally disposed children.

What if we followed Jesus' magnification of God's law against murder? There would be no vicious hatred, beatings, mutilation or taking of human life. For the Living Christ inspired the Apostle John to write, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him" (1 John 3:15).

So men and women everywhere would understand and learn to obey the spirit of the Ten Commandments. The spirit of the law in no way does away with the letter of the commandments! It simply applies the principles of God's spiritual law to a person's spirit or attitude. The spirit of the law demands that this attitude be made right and clean—pure from hatred, lust and selfishness.

WHY haven't you heard this before? WHY have most of the preachers of our land either neglected to even talk about the Ten Commandments, or else tried to subtly undermine the law's credibility by saying the commandments were "done away" or "nailed to the cross"?

The New Covenant

Many misguided preachers give the impression that, since we are under the New Covenant, the Ten Commandments are done away. Nothing could be further from the truth! Notice God's description of the New Covenant in His inspired Word: "Behold, the days are coming says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God; and they shall be My people" (Jer. 31:31-33).

The New Covenant clearly involves Jesus Christ putting God's laws in our hearts and minds—making them a part of our very nature! The Apostle Peter states directly that we are to be "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Under the terms of the New Covenant, then, God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ actually impart to us their divine nature.

Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23). The Apostle Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20 KJV).

Clearly, the New Covenant involves God the Father and Jesus Christ coming into us and living in us through the power of the Holy Spirit! But what kind of life would Jesus live within a true Christian? Paul was inspired to say, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). So Christ's basic way of life does not change. The way He lived on earth is the way He will live in us.

Jesus tells us, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10). So Jesus kept His Father's commandments. In fact, as the God—the "Rock"—of the Old Testament ( 1 Cor. 10:4). Jesus is the One who gave these commandments to ancient Israel! For He was their God—acting for the Father. And He and the Father are "one" (John 10:30). They definitely do not have different laws or value systems!

The beloved Apostle John was inspired to write, "He who says, `I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" ( 1 John 2:4). So any true Christian must necessarily walk according to the Ten Commandments. He or she must study the commandments and all their meaning and, through the help of God's Holy Spirit, sincerely try to live by them as a way of life.

Think this over.

WHY haven't you heard this kind of Christianity explained before? Why do misguided men talk about the person of Christ, but not His message of obedience to God in this present life—nor the Good News of His coming Kingdom, which is soon to be set up on this earth?

What Lies Ahead

Unless we, on a national level, bitterly repent of breaking God's laws, the future of America, Britain, Canada and other Western nations looks grim indeed. For every great nation and empire in history that has descended to the depths of immorality we are now experiencing has come to a cataclysmic end.

So what will happen? Will our ministers wake up and begin to preach obedience to the laws of God? Will our political leaders turn to the Creator in true godly fear—making God and His ways a vital part of our national life? Will educators, psychologists and sociologists rebuild their concepts on the foundation of God's law and His Word? The answer seems obvious.

We, along with most of our fellow English-speaking nations around the world, are in for a time of national calamity—actually national punishment— unprecedented in the

annals of human history. Month by month and year by year, more and more things will somehow go wrong for us. Our national debt will increase. Our immorality and crime rates will rise. Our cities will become even more dangerous as they are further wracked by lawless hoodlums, gang warfare, race riots—and finally food riots, because of the impending drought and famine prophesied to strike our peoples.

But you, personally, can arouse yourself to an intense awareness of what's happening. You can begin to diligently study the Bible and see what it really says. You can begin to cry out to God in earnest prayer and ask Him for guidance, strength and deliverance for you and your family in the turbulent years ahead. In so doing, you can turn to Him with all your heart and start obeying His laws. You can accept the true Jesus Christ of the Bible as your personal Savior and surrender to let Him live His life in you.

To help you in this, we invite you to carefully read the World Ahead magazine each month. Write for our free booklets and study them. We are glad to have you check up on us, because we teach the Truth. So obey Paul's instruction: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21 KJV).

As you sincerely seek God and come to believe in the true Gospel of His Son, learn to do what He says. He will enrich your life with understanding and purpose. Ultimately, He will grant you the gift of eternal life in His soon-coming Kingdom (John 3:16). And in the near future, He will deliver you from the coming world-wide catastrophe that Jesus predicted so vividly. For Jesus Himself said, "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).

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by Raymond F. McNair

Pope John Paul II recently shocked many by giving credence to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. He referred to it as "more than a hypothesis." In so doing, he went a step beyond Pope Pius XII, who said in 1950 that Darwin's theory was a "serious hypothesis." John Paul's apparent endorsement of Darwin's conclusions surprised almost everyone.

The San Diego Union-Tribune commented on the pope's pronouncement: "By not challenging the evidence supporting evolution, the Vatican places the Roman Catholic viewpoint in stark contrast to that of some fundamentalist Christians, who believe the Bible account of creation is literal" ("John Paul II Backs Theory of Evolution," Oct. 25, 1996).

The pope's statement has further stoked the fires of debate now raging in U.S. schools and churches on the origin of life. Did life forms just evolve over time—or were they designed by a Creator?

Darwin's Evolutionary Bombshell

What sparked this great debate between science and religion? In 1859, Charles Darwin dropped a bombshell on the religious and scientific world when he published his book titled Origin of Species. He published a second work, The Descent of Man, in 1871. Both expounded the theory of evolution—promoting his belief that the evolutionary force of "natural selection" brought about the existence of man and all lesser creatures.

Darwin rejected "special creation" as recounted in the book of Genesis. His espousal of the unproved theory of evolution launched a bitter debate between the world of religion and the world of science. One particular controversy produced the famous "Scopes trial" of 1925. For teaching the Darwinian theory, high school teacher John Scopes had been charged with breaking a Tennessee law. Since then, proponents of evolution and those who believe in special creation have clashed time and again in America's courtrooms, legislatures, schools and churches.

"The teaching of evolution and creationism in public schools has re-emerged as an increasingly contentious issue.... [In America's] public schools... the teaching of evolution remains a subject of enormous public debate.... The Tennessee Legislature this year narrowly turned down a bill that would have banned the teaching of evolution as fact rather than theory, and disputes over the subject have cropped up in school districts around the country.... Teachers in many districts say they do not teach evolution at all, rather than wade into the thicket of religious and political controversies it can entail. In Alabama, textbooks now come with a disclaimer saying evolution is just one theory, not an established fact" (The San Diego Union-Tribune).

No Common Ground?

Public reaction to the pope's endorsement of evolution shows that it is still a hotly debated issue among churches of all denominations.

Is it possible to reconcile the teachings of the Bible and true science? Is the belief that God designed and created the entire universe—including man and all physical creatures—compatible with scientific fact?

The controversy between theology and science is not new. In the first century A.D., the Apostle Paul admonished a young evangelist named Timothy to avoid "profane and vain babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge" ( 1 Tim. 6:20) It is foolish to oppose the proven facts of true science. But it is equally foolish to accept unproved theories!

And that is exactly what the theory of evolution is—unproved. In fact, the very nature of valid scientific process requires the concept of evolution through natural selection to remain an unproved theory!

All true scientific knowledge is arrived at by using a process of experimentation—or scientific protocol—known as the "scientific method." Two integral parts of the scientific method are that a phenomenon must be observed and that it must be repeatable.

But that is clearly impossible in evolution's case. This theory claims that, through natural selection, complex life forms have evolved from simpler ones over billions of years. Obviously, we cannot go back in time and witness the supposed formation of organic life from inorganic chemicals. Neither in our brief life spans can we perceive, or duplicate, the evolution from one species to another—even if it does happen—since it supposedly takes eons to accomplish. Therefore, by its very nature and definition, science can neither validate nor repudiate the theory of evolution!

When rightly understood, the Bible and science are compatible. To those who have diligently studied both, it is clear that there is a certain amount of' "evolution" now going on—minor changes and variations within species called microevolution. This process was undoubtedly built into the creation by the Creator. But the explanation of our present world having evolved from some random joining of chemicals into microscopic life, which evolved into one species after another, each one more complex (up to and including man!), is absurd. This modern day myth, called macroevolution, is completely unsupported by valid scientific method.

What Does the Bible Say?

Many who believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God take the position that the earth was created directly before the creation of man—about 6,000 years ago. They may be shocked to find out that the Bible teaches no such thing! For many centuries, Christian theologians reckoned the date of creation based on this assumption. They concluded that God had created this universe ("the heavens and the earth"} in just six days! The fact is; the Bible does not give us an accurate time frame for dating God's initial creation. Yet much of the continuing conflict centers on the mistaken belief that it does!

How old is the physical universe—according to best "guestimates"? And how old is planet earth? Cosmologists today generally believe that the universe came into being between 10 and 20 billion years ago, and that the earth has existed for about four billion years. This is in obvious conflict with the Fundamentalist view that God created the universe only 6, 000 years ago.

Much of the confusion is the result of the Fundamentalists' misinterpretation of the first and second chapters of Genesis. The Union-Tribune article quoted earlier illustrates this point: "Darwin's theory—that humans are the product of a slow evolutionary process from early forms of life—conflicts with the literal biblical account of creation, that the world, including humans, was created in six days."

But the Bible simply does not say that "the world, including humans, was created in six days." A careful study of both the Bible and modern cosmology reveals that God could well have created this physical universe billions of years ago! There need be no quarrel between the proven facts of science and the plain statements of the Bible.

Let's examine the biblical account of creation in the book of Genesis. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (1:1). Notice that this verse does not say when that "beginning" was! The expression "heavens and the earth," used throughout the Bible, refers to what we call the universe. We aren't told the "birth. date" of the universe, but are informed that God created it "in the beginning"—whenever that was.

What else do the Scriptures reveal to help us understand the creation narrative? Notice this startling reference in the book of Job.

The Lord asked Job, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?... Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (38:4-7). The Bible often uses the term “stars" to represent angels (cf. Rev. 1:20; 12:4). This passage in Job reveals that these morning stars—angels—rejoiced and "shouted for joy" after God created the beautiful earth. So angels were clearly present.

Now let us return to the creation account in Genesis l. We read m verse 2. "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

What as the meaning of the statement that the earth was without form and void? The Hebrew expression tohu va bohu (meaning "chaos and waste") tells us that the planet was in a state of chaos. Yet Isaiah 45:18 says that the Great God who "formed the earth and made it... did not create it in vain {Heb. tohu; chaos]." God, then, did not create the earth in a state of chaos!

But if the earth was not in a state of chaos at its initial creation (Gen. 1:1 ), yet is found to be so in Genesis 1:2, what explanation is there? Is the Bible contradicting itself? Or might we conclude that some time elapsed between these two descriptions?

The Hebrew verb hayah, translated "was" in verse 2, is also used in Genesis 2:7 where, after God formed Adam of the dust, the man "became" a living being. The same word is later rendered "came to pass": "In the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering" (Gen. 4:3). In numerous other places this verb is translated similarly. Genesis 19:26 tells us that when Lot's wife looked back, "she became [hayah] a pillar of salt." In Exodus 32:1, the Israelites said of Moses, "We do not know what has become [hayah] of him."

Therefore, Genesis 1:2 could read, "The earth became without form and void."

What many Fundamentalist Bible students fail to understand is that Genesis allows for a vast interval of time between God's original creation of the earth ( 1:1 ) and the subsequent worldwide chaos and darkness that later befell our planet (v. 2).

Does the Bible support such a conclusion? If so, what could have caused the chaotic condition of the earth? Do the Scriptures give us any clues? The answers may surprise you.

Before Adam and Eve

We've already seen that angels were present when the earth was created. Angels are not physical beings. God made them from non-material "spirit" (Heb. 1:7) before He created mankind. He assigned some of them to this earth. And one-third of the entire angelic host rebelled against the Creator and became evil spirits. Jesus referred to them as demons.

The Apostle Peter tells us that "God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4).

Jude says, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6 KJV).

Furthermore, Isaiah describes a former archangel named Lucifer whom God had set over the other angels assigned to the earth. But Lucifer led the angels in rebellion against their Creator. "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground.... You have said in your heart, `I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.... I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High'” (Is. 14:12-14).

The Almighty also speaks of Lucifer exalting himself above all the angels—seeking to unseat his Creator! "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God" (Ezek. 28:12-13).

God continues, "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God.... You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.... O covering cherub.... Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor" (vv. 14-17). This great "anointed cherub" had previously served at God's throne in heaven. But pride, arrogance and conceit came to fill his heart!

Eras of Sin and Destruction

As we have seen, Lucifer decided to "ascend into heaven... above the heights of the clouds." This means he was not already in heaven—he was on earth. But he was defeated by the Almighty God and those angels who remained loyal to Him, and was hurled back to earth. Christ Himself mentioned this primeval angelic rebellion to His disciples: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). Did this have any effect on the physical universe?

Notice again from the Apostle Peter: "God did not spare the angels who sinned; but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah... bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction" (2 Peter 2:4-6).

Carefully note these three eras of flagrant sin and resultant catastrophes. First, the angels who inhabited this earth in pre-Adamic times sinned against their Creator. Second, because of the egregious sins of those living in pre-Flood times, Almighty God destroyed the physical earth and all its human inhabitants, except eight people (Gen. 6-8). Third, in post-Flood times, when the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah had given themselves up to gross sexual immorality, God consumed their cities in fire, wiping them all out in a blinding flash (Gen. 19).

God goes on in 2 Peter to describe a yet future destruction as punishment for the wicked in our age. Note that the second and third great eras of sin did—and the future punishment will—result in great physical destruction on the earth! The parallel construction here would lead one to conclude that similar destruction followed the first era-the angelic revolt. That would explain much.

When God cast Satan out of heaven, the ensuing galactic war between God's holy angels and Satan's demons probably wrought great physical destruction and chaos throughout much of the universe. Does that event explain the wasted and barren terrain of other planets and moons in our solar system? It is almost certainly the reason the earth became an inhospitable waste. The titanic struggle between righteous and fallen angels plunged our planet into chaos—totally flooded and shrouded in impenetrable darkness. "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep" (Gen..l:2).

No Contradiction

Can we draw any conclusions from the long-standing debate between evolutionists and creationists? The Bible gives us some dramatic answers.

We've seen that Genesis 1:1 describes the primeval creation of the earth. During the angelic habitation, pre-Adamic life flourished. This was the age of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Verse 2 briefly recounts the destruction wrought on the earth as a result of the angels' rebellion against God. In the resultant darkness, all physical life on earth apparently perished. The rest of the creation story (Gen. 1:3-31; Gen. 2:1-3) describes what God did to restore the earth to a suitable condition for new life, including mankind. Based , on patriarchal ages given in Genesis, that restoration of the earth (cf. Ps. 104:30) and the creation of man and lesser creatures occurred about 6,000 years ago—long after the original creation of the earth. And indeed, this restoration was accomplished in just six days. That means that all life today is descended from organisms created only 6,000 years ago—insufficient time for supposed macroevolution.

If we study God's Word carefully, we will see that it nowhere says the earth was created at the same time as mankind. It was probably created billions of years earlier! If we are honest with the Scriptures, we can see that, while they may not agree with human theories that can't be proven, there is no contradiction between real scientific facts and the plain statements of the Bible!

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by John H. Ogwyn

A very old book has recently come in for some new-found attention. A ten-part PBS television special with Bill Moyers, devoted to exploring the book of Genesis, just concluded in December. Additionally, this past fall, bookstores saw the arrival of several new translations of this first book of the Bible. But that's not all. Many different authors have recently written what they understand to be lessons from Genesis. Their perspectives have ranged from a modern feminist view (In the Beginning, by a former British nun) to that of a Jewish rabbi (Genesis of Ethics). There is even a publication by a psychologist dealing with how the story of Noah's Flood has impacted the Western mind.

All in all, this seems like a lot of attention for such an ancient book—especially in today's world, which has increasingly begun to call itself "post-modern." The term "modern" came into popular use in the 1500s. Writers used it to refer to their world in contrast with the previous millennium, which they labeled "medieval."

Whereas the medieval period was dominated by the Catholic Church and its perspective, the modern era has been shaped by a worldview originating in the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Many of today's writers and intellectuals claim to have left even that perspective behind them—hence their use of the term "post-modern."

Even so, regardless of how modern or post-modern we have become, we still can't seem to ignore a book that traces its origins to a vastly different culture almost 6,000 years ago! Through the centuries it has been banned and burned, cussed and discussed—yet the Bible has refused to conveniently go away.

Why? After all these centuries, why is the book of Genesis currently generating what the Los Angeles Times referred to as "an ark-load of authors... releasing works on the subject—all with varying points of view"? Among them, author and commentator Bill Moyers recounts a story that pinpoints why Genesis is, and always will be, very relevant. He was listening to a late-night radio talk show when a young man phoned in and declared, "This is my birthday.... and I need help to know how to live in a world that is disintegrating..... I'm scared.... I'm turning 18 years old in a world that makes no sense to me.... All I know is this world I'm living in is a shambles" (Genesis: A Living Conversation, p. 352).

We can't make sense of our world if we don't know how things started. Even more fundamental is the question of why things started.

A Search for Meaning

Scientists tell us that in the beginning was the "big bang." And life, we're further assured, is the result of random chance. It seems that every few months some new "discovery" about origins makes the rounds. Tens or even hundreds of millions of years are being either added to or subtracted from the age of life in general or man in particular. Even the pope has gotten into the act by recently declaring that "fresh knowledge leads to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than just a hypothesis." As syndicated columnist Cal Thomas put it though, the pope "did not say what that fresh knowledge is or why the `old' knowledge contained in the book of Genesis is not valid."

But most educated people in the Western world would agree with the pope. Even many of those who call themselves Christians do not regard the book of Genesis as an accurate account of origins. The more irreligious dismiss it outright as ancient myth. Others would at least like to regard it as allegory. "The first eleven chapters," they say, "contain a beautiful poetic account from which we can derive spiritual truths."

But is the beginning of Genesis just myth or allegory? Does the entire book simply represent ancient man's search for God? Concerning all of the wide-ranging opinions that have been published and broadcast on Genesis recently, there appears to be one area of wide consensus. Nobody believes what it says! Nothing expressed in the PBS special or in the spate of recently published books accepts the claim of Genesis to truly explain the origin of the universe, the earth as we know it, and human beings and their civilizations. Not only are the first chapters dismissed out of hand, but even the later chapters are treated as stories edited and re-edited by different authors, each trying to express his own point of view.

Critical scholarship has long sought to deny the traditionally understood Mosaic authorship of Genesis (c. l5th century B.C.) in favor of the view that it was compiled from documents by various editors over several centuries. This is termed the documentary, or JEDP, hypothesis. The initials JEDP represent the four "sources" of Genesis—each letter representing one of four imaginary editors. Modern critics believe there was a worshiper of Jehovah or Yahweh (J), a worshiper of Elohim (E), a Deuteronomist of the days of King Josiah (D) and someone of the Priestly school in Ezra's time (P). According to this hypothesis, Genesis was compiled between the l0th and 5th centuries B.C. However, contemporary scholars have been forced to admit that, in the light of recent archaeological finds, Genesis contains accurate historical details that no author writing centuries after the fact could possibly have invented.

The Bible never presents itself as the result of man's search for God. That is a modern evolutionary concept. Rather, the Bible proclaims itself to be God's revelation to man. All of it is "inspired" (Gk. theopneustos, literally "God-breathed"), the Apostle Paul told Timothy (2 Tim. 3:16). Jesus Christ, Himself, directly testified to Moses' authorship of the Law or Torah—the first five books of the Bible (Mark 12:26; Luke 24:27, 44).

Genesis gives answers to important questions—answers that no scientist can arrive at in his laboratory. It purports to reveal not only origins, but also the meaning that lies behind those origins. Many are frightened or disillusioned by our contemporary world and where it seems to be heading. They can't make sense out of it. "If there is a God," they ask, "why does He allow so much suffering?" Along with the origins of the universe, of life and of human civilization, Genesis also explains the origins of human suffering and death. It sets the stage for all that comes afterward in the Bible. When it is cast aside, we can never understand how or why our world came to be the way it is.

Man Created for a Reason

The word Torah is generally translated “Law," as we've seen, but is more accurately rendered "instruction." In the Torah, God establishes the foundation of all subsequent, revelation. Genesis 1:1 explains to us that "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The existence of the material universe is not the result of random chance. Throughout the rest of the Bible, everything we're told about God's relationship with human beings is predicated upon the fact that God is the One who conceived of and brought forth the universe and all life in it.

Quickly we are told of God's plan to create humanity in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). From the account of creation we move through the story of God's dealings with our first parents and their descendants. We learn that God is not simply an absentee landlord. Rather, He is an active Governor and Ruler who intervenes in His creation. As Creator and Possessor of all that exists, God has the authority to make demands of His creation, to issue commands and to require accountability.

In Genesis 1 it is clearly stated that all plants and animals were created to reproduce, each "according to its kind." There is no room for macroevolution—that is, for one kind of life form to evolve into a completely different one. While there is great potential for variety within the canine group for instance, reproduction among dogs always results in other dogs! They may be big or small, slick or shaggy, but they're still dogs—not cats or chickens!

On the sixth day of "creation week," God reached the pinnacle of His physical creation. He formed from matter a being modeled after Himself! Not only did this involve shape and features, but also a mind that has the power of creative thought and imagination.

With the creation of man, God began to carry out a plan that only a very few have ever understood. The Hebrew term used in Genesis 1 and translated "God" in our English Bibles is Elohim. In Hebrew the -im ending denotes plurality. In verse 26, God said, "Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness." Who is meant by "Us" and "Our"?

John 1:1-2 answers that question by revealing that "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." Verse 14 shows that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." He is described in the same verse as "the unique Son of the Father" (NASB, margin). In other words, in the beginning was "God," consisting of the One we know as the Father and the One we know as Jesus Christ.

God purposed to build and expand a family! As a result, He created man, not after any animal kind, but rather in His own image and likeness. The Apostle Paul tells us why God made man in His image. In Hebrews 2:10, he explains that Jesus Christ is the author of our salvation and that, through Him, God the Father is "bringing MANY sons to glory." It is essential to keep this purpose and destiny in mind if we are to understand God's dealings with humanity throughout the remainder of Genesis and, indeed, the entire Bible.

The story of temptation and sin, expulsion from paradise, more sin and finally God's judgment in the form of the Great Flood is told in chapters 3 through 9. Though millions have read and heard these accounts throughout the centuries, few have ever grasped their real meaning. There is a great purpose and plan being worked out by the Creator. Man's earliest history played a crucial role in the development of that plan.

The Two Trees

When the Lord God made the first man, He put him in a beautiful garden. After bringing all of the animals before Adam and allowing him to name them, it was obvious that Adam was alone—there was no companion for him as there were for the various beasts of the field. After perhaps allowing that sense of loneliness to sink into Adam's mind, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, took a rib from his body and used it in the creation of a mate. Adam called her Eve, derived from the Hebrew word for life, because she was to be the mother of all human life to come (Gen. 3:20).

When God placed our first parents in the Garden of Eden, He gave them instructions. Genesis 2:16 states that He "commanded the man." As already noted, God is not only the Creator, but He governs His creation—through law. While we are not given the details of all that God instructed, we do know that He taught Adam about two trees in the middle of the Garden. One was the Tree of Life, which was freely offered to Adam and Eve. The other was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, of which God told Adam that he must not eat. If he did, then Adam would surely die. What was the significance of these two trees? What could possibly be wrong with knowing good and evil?

If we are to live forever as part of God's Family, then we must come to share His character and nature. Paul emphasized this by stating that we must be renewed in our mind (Eph. 4:23-24; Col. 3:10) and that we must actually come to think like Jesus Christ (Phil. 2:5).

Character development involves learning to make proper choices. God put both the right and the wrong choice within Adam's reach. He even instructed him which choice to make and told him the consequences of a wrong decision! Some ask, "Why make the wrong choice available at all?" This is a fair question. The answer lies in understanding what God wants from created human beings. It is not enough to simply choose the right course by default. An unthinking machine could do that. We must also consciously reject the wrong. This cannot be achieved so easily. It involves learning to think like God, which is the whole purpose for building character!

And so we come to Genesis 3—in some ways the most pivotal chapter in the Bible. It sets the stage for all that comes after. So far, we've been introduced to God and our first parents. Now we read of Satan the Devil in the guise of a serpent—telling Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Where did this evil player in the unfolding human drama come from? To understand his beginning, and that of evil itself, we must look beyond the book of Genesis.

In Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, we learn of the existence of a great angelic being called a cherub. His name is Lucifer. This name is a Latin translation of the Hebrew name Hillel, and means "Light-Bringer " God did not create a devil. He instead created a powerful angelic being who was to bring light and true knowledge to others. Ezekiel 28:14-17 explains that Lucifer became lifted up with pride and led the angels under him in rebellion against God. Cast back down to earth, Lucifer's name was changed to Satan, which means "Adversary." The angels who followed him were now to be known as demons. (See "Does the Bible Contradict Science?" in this issue.)

Returning to Genesis 3, we must realize that Satan didn't "sneak up" on Adam and Eve while God wasn't looking! God could easily have kept Satan away if He had so chosen. However, our first parents had to make a choice. Therefore, they had alternatives set before them. All subsequent human history has been affected by their disastrous decision in the Garden of Eden.

The Foundation of Civilization

There are two ways to acquire knowledge. One is divine revelation, the other is experience—either your own or that of others. Adam had to choose whether he would live solely according to his Creator's instructions, or whether he would try various alternatives and experience the consequences. He chose to experiment and his descendants have done likewise ever since. By giving man a choice, God has allowed him to learn firsthand what results from rejecting revelation and doing what seems right in one's own eyes.

When Adam took of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he was deciding for himself what was good and what was evil—rejecting God's revelation and choosing to carve out his own civilization based on what seemed good to him and his descendants. In effect, he rejected God's government and accepted Satan's rule. Human civilization is a mixture of good and evil—a fatal combination that has produced no end of heartache, pain and suffering.

Sin introduced separation from God and ultimately earned its wage—death (Rom. 6:23). It also necessitated a plan of redemption to prevent mankind's eternal destruction. Through the book of Genesis, this plan of salvation begins to unfold. The coming of a future Savior is prophesied in chapter three—the unique Seed of woman who would ultimately "bruise the head" of the serpent (Satan) by triumphing over him. When God slew animals to make clothes for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3 :21 ), He foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and explained to our first parents that without the shedding of blood, human sins could not be forgiven and covered (cf. Heb. 9:22; Rom. 4:7). Christ thus became "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). His ultimate sacrifice was needed from the time of Adam's sin forward.

Genesis, then, is the book of beginnings. It not only tells of humanity's origin, but also lays bare the very roots of our present civilization. Many themes introduced here reappear throughout the Bible, until they finally culminate in the book of Revelation. For example, in chapter 22 of that book we read that the Tree of Life is once again available to those who obey God's commandments, as He intended from the beginning (v. 14). The time frame is yet future. Thus, though Genesis was written long, long ago, it is as up to date as today's headlines—and far more relevant in making sense of our world than the evening news.

The upsurge of interest in the book of Genesis can be of great benefit if people will accept it for what it really is: God's revelation to man. It is a source for understanding primordial origins as well as our real purpose and destiny. Even in a world that chooses to label itself "post-modern," Genesis remains the real starting point for making sense of our life and times.

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by Douglas S. Winnail, Ph.D., M.P.H.

What are the results of a century of Darwinism? Are evolutionary
explanations really adequate? Has the Western world been deceived?

Today we are witnessing the intensifying clash of two opposing worldviews! Darwinian ideas of evolution are increasingly and openly being called into question. Age-old concerns are once again on the table with a newly realized sense of importance. Did God create the universe, or is it the result of natural force's acting over billions of years? Are human beings created in the image of God or are we naked apes descended from some remote common ancestor? Is there a purpose for the universe and a meaning for human life, or is everything the result of blind, purposeless chance? These questions should not be taken lightly. The answers have an incredible impact on how you live your life and how our whole society functions!

The battlegrounds for these two competing ideologies are the media, school classrooms, courts, Congress, churches and, believe it or not, even the scientific community. Surprising as it may seem, even as numerous well-credentialed individuals are questioning the value and validity of Darwin’s ideas, the Roman Catholic Church recently made headlines by choosing to endorse the theory of the theory of evolution (The Arizona Republic, Oct. 25, 1996, p. 1). Aggressive promoters openly assert that "anyone today who doubts that the variety of life on this planet was produced by a process of evolution is simply ignorant—inexcusably ignorant" (Darwin's Dangerous Idea, 1995, p. 46). Yet studies reveal that nearly one half of all Americans believe just the opposite—in special creation (American Heritage, Nov. 1994, p. 111)!

What do you believe on these issues? Why do you believe what you do? How did you arrive at your beliefs? Do these questions really matter, anyway?

What's at Stake?

While the questions we have just asked may not seem relevant to everyday life, they really are. In fact, they strike at the very heart of what Western civilization is all about. How these questions are answered has a powerful influence on our culture. The answers tend to mold and fashion our fundamental beliefs, motives and. values. In the words of Dr. J.P. Moreland, professor of philosophy at Biola University; "what we believe and the way we see things largely determine the type of people we will become and the behavior we will exhibit" (The Creation Hypothesis, 1994, p. 11).

For more than 1,500 years, the Western world was heavily influenced by a theistic view of life. According to this view, Almighty God created the universe—the heavenly bodies, animals, plants and human beings. The Bible was believed to be inspired revelation from God, containing absolute moral laws and information about the purpose of life. However, that worldview was profoundly shaken with the publication in 1859 of Charles Darwin's book, Origin of Species.

This new work suggested that species originated from other species through genetic modification. The mechanism for producing new species was natural selection—the survival of the fittest. Since Darwin’s theory conflicted with Scripture, he concluded that, if his theory was right, the Bible was wrong. It was a small step from that position for others to see in Darwin’s theory a reasonable and plausible explanation for a creation without a Creator. Continuing in this line of reasoning, they decided that, if the creation did not need a Creator, God did not exist. As a result, moral instructions in the Bible were viewed as merely human ideas, not divine laws. People were now free to decide for themselves what was right and wrong. And the meaning of life as recorded in the pages of the Bible? A myth! The implications of Darwin's ideas were—and are—both profound and dangerous!

Although many do not agree with Darwin, his ideas have had a profound influence on Western culture over the last century. Michael Denton, an Australian medical doctor and molecular biologist, states, "The idea [of evolution] has come to touch every aspect of modern thought, and no other theory in recent times has done more to mould the way we view ourselves and our relationship to the world around us. The acceptance of the idea one hundred years ago initiated an intellectual revolution more significant and far reaching than even the Copernican and Newtonian revolutions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries” (Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, 1986, p. 15).

This is precisely why the current debate about Darwinian evolution is causing so much commotion. It has been so widely adopted and promoted by the scientific and educational communities that, if this "foundational" theory were shown to be in error, the bottom would fall out of some of these fields—and the professional reputations of academics in them would be severely called into question. What is at stake is power, prestige and pride!

But why was a theory with such serious shortcomings accepted by so many so quickly? To appreciate the significance of the current debate, it is important to understand how this situation developed.

The Origin of Species

Proponents of Darwinism were not the first to suggest a creation without a Creator. Thales, a philosopher in ancient Greece (c. 600 B.C.), theorized that “the material world was not made by the gods, but instead was the work of material forces interacting in nature” (Cosmos, 1980, p. 177). This naturalistic view of the Greek philosophers was again gaining ground in Darwin’s era as a result of the intellectual liberation spawned by the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. The research of Georges Cuvier on fossils, and James Hutton and Charles Lyell in geology, suggested much more time and variation than the traditional understanding of Genesis would allow. Galileo, condemned as a heretic by the Catholic Church in the l7th century for his ideas about astronomy, had been vindicated.

Natural science was on a roll. The idea that human beings could solve their own problems through science was intoxicating. The suggestion of Darwin's followers that species could arise by purely natural means, without the aid of a Creator, was welcomed by those who sought freedom from the intellectual domination of religion and believed that human progress would perpetually and unerringly continue.

In the century following the publication of Darwin’s ideas, as the credibility of natural science grew, the influence of the Bible waned. Western society became increasingly secular. For many, the power of science seemed almost limitless. Scientists, not “Bible-thumping” theologians, created airplanes, automobiles, telephones and wonder drugs. Biologists discovered genes and chromosomes, which explained the genetic variations that natural selection supposedly took advantage of to engender ever more complex, adaptable and “successful” species. Everywhere naturalistic science was on the ascent. The Bible and religion were in retreat—or so it seemed. As professor Moreland stated, the apparent triumph of the Darwinian revolution vanquished God—and “made the world safe for atheists” (p. 36). That world, however, has proven to be anything but safe!

Blind Optimism?

Several early warning signs suggested how dangerous Darwin's ideas about the survival of the fittest could be when extrapolated from biology to sociology. Atheist Karl Marx buttressed his theory of communistic struggle with Darwinian arguments. Adolf Hitler justified his expansionist ideas and racial extermination practices with Darwin's principle of survival of the fittest. Might made right! Evolutionists recognized and condemned this misapplication of Darwin's theory—but only after the fact!

These examples demonstrate what can occur in societies where God and His laws are denied. Two devastating World Wars have also come as a sobering challenge to the assumption that human evolutionary “progress” is inevitable.

Despite the failures of social Darwinism, evolutionary scientists remained faithful to their theory. Anthropologists claimed to have discovered fossils of the remote ancestors that Darwin had postulated for mankind. Biochemists conducted laboratory experiments in attempts to create life without God’s involvement. Scientists put men on the moon. Undaunted, the "evangelists" of naturalistic science promoted what amounted to a new religion! On his public television series Cosmos, astronomer Carl Sagan announced to an audience of some ten million viewers that science is "the best tool we have, self-correcting, ever changing, applicable to everything. With this tool we will vanquish the impossible" (quoted by Van Till, Young & Menninga, Science Held Hostage, 1988, p. 160).

However, this rosy picture has begun to fade in recent decades. Naturalistic science has come under fire from both within and without the scientific community.

Missing Links

Within scientific circles, despite ringing affirmations of the "fact" of Darwinian evolution and ridicule heaped upon unbelievers, many qualified scientists are raising serious questions about the validity of the theory of evolution. Dr. Alan Hayward points out that these critics "are not creationists. They are evolutionists who consider that Darwin's theory cannot be made to fit the facts, no matter how much biologists might modify it" (Creation and Evolution, 1985, p. 21). Hayward observes that the tendency to claim that no respectable scientist doubts the truth of Darwin is primarily a British and American phenomenon, noting that “the rest of the world [especially continental Europe] is a lot more skeptical of Darwinism than the Anglo Saxons are" (p 22). Hayward's book contains dozens of quotations from prominent scientists representing many diverse fields. They have essentially concluded that Darwin’s ideas about evolution cannot be true.

A quick review of the scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last century reveals why many scientists .have serious doubts about the theory. To explain the origin of species, Darwin used evidence of the variation produced by selective breeding of dogs and pigeons, as well as the variation he observed in nature in the beaks of finches and shells of turtles. He speculated that these variations within species (microevolution) could produce, given enough time, completely different kinds of creatures, or species (macroevolution). His theory was based on extrapolation, not evidence! Eminent Darwinian Ernst Mayr comments that macroevolution "is nothing but an extrapolation" (Denton, p. 86).

Many who study Darwinism do not believe that macroevolution is even possible since no one has ever observed it or made it happen. The idea that one species can give rise to another totally different species over a long period of time is merely an inference. After more than a century of study and experiments, the hard evidence is still lacking. Macroevolution remains an unconfirmed speculation—and biologists know it!

One of the biggest problems for Darwinian evolution is the fossil record. While Darwin suggested that slow, gradual biological changes over time would leave immense numbers of transitional organisms, that is not what the fossil record shows! This baffled Darwin, himself. He stated that since "innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them imbedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?… Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this perhaps is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be argued against my theory” (quoted by Moreland, p. 278).

More than 100 years later, and after the discovery of millions more fossils, the picture is much the same. Attorney Phillip Johnson, in Darwin on Trial, quotes an admission by Niles Eldrege: "We paleontologists have said that the history of life supports [the story of gradual adaptive change], all the while really knowing that it does not" (p. 59). In other words, the fossil record simply does not support Darwin's conjectures! Johnson concludes that the "sudden appearance and stasis [lack of change] of species in the fossil record is the opposite of what Darwinian theory would predict" (p. 56).

Concerning the origin of life on earth, Darwinians speculate that it developed from non-living matter. The idea that life might have arisen from a "chemical soup" billions of years ago was first proposed in the 1870s (p. 103). However, more than a century of experiments has failed to show that this is possible. Stanley Miller, a chemist who achieved widespread notoriety for experiments in this field, states, "The problem of the origin of life has turned out to be much more difficult than I, and most other people, envisioned" (Scientific American, Feb. 1991, p. 117). Sir Francis Crick, who won a Nobel Prize with James Watson for their discovery of DNA, adds that the "origin of life seems almost to be a miracle, so many are the difficulties in its occurring" (p. 117).

Faced with an obvious lack of confirming evidence, it is not surprising that numerous scientists have lost faith in Darwin's theory. Scientist Chandra Wickramasinghe of Britain flatly states, "The general scientific world has been bamboozled into believing that evolution has been proved. Nothing could be further from the truth" (quoted by Denton, p 37). This same scientist is quoted elsewhere as saying, "There's no evidence for any of the basic tenets of Darwinian evolution. I don't believe there ever was any evidence for it. It was a social force that took over the world in 1860, and I think it has been a disaster for science ever since" (quoted by Vincent Ruggiero, Warning: Nonsense Is Destroying America, 1994, p. 175). French zoologist Louis Bounoure describes evolution as a "fairy tale for grownups" (Moreland, p. 287).

Ashes to Ashes

Some of the most surprising results of Darwin's ideas involve the philosophical and sociological ramifications of his theory—the influence on how people think, believe and behave. Here again, the results have not been what promoters anticipated a century ago.

Consider some of the basic messages of naturalistic science that undergird Darwinian evolution: there is no God; no divine revelation; the Bible is a myth; there are no absolutes; life has no meaning; and religion is a fairy tale (Van Till et al., p. 146). Scientists writing on evolution make it sound a bit more appealing. Carl Sagan postulates, "And so the great idea arose, the realization that there might be a way to know the world without the god-hypothesis " (p. 162).

But what are the results of this new way of knowing the world? Look at Western society! What do you see? Surveys and statistics show we are experiencing skyrocketing divorce, out-of control drug abuse, rampant violence and a crisis of ethics. These are just some of the fruits of a philosophical worldview that tells people there are no moral absolutes (like the Ten Commandments) and that each person can individually decide what is right. This has been the message of many schools and even some churches for much of the last century.

In recent years, there has been a societal trend—even a yearning—to discover the meaning of life. But evolutionary theory offers little comfort. The Darwinian notion is that human life has no ultimate purpose or transcendent meaning. William Provine of Cornell University agrees: "The universe cares nothing for us and we have no ultimate meaning in life" (quoted by Moreland, p. 289). Naturalistic science proclaims that humanity "has no significance. The human being is no more than a complex arrangement of elemental atoms" (Van Till et al., pp. 147-148).

How does the pervasive teaching of the theory of evolution affect those who long for purpose in life? How does it impact societies made up of such people? Without a transcendent purpose, life, for many, becomes a perpetual pursuit of material "things." The message to our society today is that the accumulation of material goods and services for the self is what life is all about. Those who die with the most "toys" win! But this is a false message. Physical things never provide lasting satisfaction.

And yet, countless hundreds of millions of human beings have bought the lie. Their motto has become "eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!" The headlong pursuit of wealth and comfort stems from a sense of hopelessness about the future. Our educational systems have taught them from childhood that the whole human race is on a one-way street to the grave. They are led to believe that a few billion years ago, single-celled life forms just "came to be" from the dust of the grou8nd—or perhaps from a random combination of molecules in an evolutionary chemical soup. And after eons of random mutation, man was finally produced. As the process toward his formation began in the “dust,” then to dust he must return. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. But is that really the end of the story?

The Real Meaning of Life

Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl offers an alternative to the evolutionary worldview. He suggests that the most important human need is meaning—that is, to understand what we are and why we exist. Frankl states, “The primordial anthropological fact [is] that being human is being always directed, and pointing to something or someone other than oneself: to a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter, a course to serve or a person to love” (quoted by Ruggiero, p. 67).

The good news is that there is marvelous and awesome meaning to human life. It is far richer than most people have ever imagined—it is far larger than this physical life we now lead. It is a TRUTH that is indeed stranger—and GREATER—than any fiction could ever be! Part of what the theory of evolution claims is correct. Man was formed from lifeless chemicals. But not accidentally in some primordial evolutionary ocean. Rather, man was formed by the Great God. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).

True Christians can rejoice in the transcendent PURPOSE of real life that God has called them to. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16 KJV). The parent-child relationship between God and Christians today can be likened to that of a human parent and an unborn child in the womb.

But it will not always be so! Let’s continue in this passage from Romans: “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (v. 17). What is an heir? He is one who will someday share in the possession of all that belongs to another—in this case, all that belongs to God! And what is that? Simply all that exists in the physical universe—and eternal life in which to enjoy it (cf. Rev. 21:7; Rom. 6:23; Heb. 2:5-8).

Do we really grasp what this means? We can now be the begotten children of God. We will later enjoy a fuller, more mature relationship with God as we inherit all that He possesses. This will happen when we are born into His very Family. In other words, our awesome destiny is to become glorified sons and daughters of God, just like Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 6:18; 1 John 3:2)! To learn more about this, please write us and request a free copy of our booklet, Your Ultimate Destiny.

It has long been said that there is a cause for every effect. There is a cause for the deep social problems we see around us. They stem from mistaken notions about reality fostered by naturalistic science and Darwinian evolutionary thinking. In light of the unexpected results of Darwin’s theory, it is not surprising to see a scientist remark, “I believe that one day the Darwinian myth will be ranked the greatest deceit in the history of science” (Lovtrup, Darwinism: The Refutation of a Myth, 1987, p. 422). He then concludes, “When this happens, many people will pose the question: How did this ever happen?”

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by Staff

A. According to Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, the perhaps unfamiliar word "alms" means "money, food or other donations given to the poor or needy." In fact some verses of the more modern NKJV substitute "charitable deeds" for the "alms" of the King James Bible. Like tithing, alms involves giving your money or material goods to others. But make no mistake, tithing and giving alms are two very different things.

Tithing was a command given by God to the ancient Israelites, although it had been a God-given principle centuries before that nation even existed (cf. Gen. 14:18-20). Ten percent of all their increase was given to God before the remainder was used and enjoyed by the individual (Lev. 27:30, 32). And God gave specific instructions on how His tithes were to be used. In Old Testament times, they were given to the Levites, who served God in religious duties (Num. 18:21 ). In New Testament times—including today—there is no longer a Levitical priesthood, but we are still to tithe (cf. Heb. 7:1-12)! Today, tithes are used by the Church for preaching the Gospel and spiritually nurturing the brethren.

We see, then, that alms—charitable giving to the poor—is not the same as tithing. Are there any biblical examples of giving alms? Is charitable giving, over and above one's tithes, also required of Christians?

The answer to both questions is yes! Christ spoke about giving alms in Matthew 6: "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.... But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (vv. 1-4 NRSV).

We see that the right attitude in giving is as important as the deed itself. We are never to contribute for the purpose of drawing praise or attention to ourselves. We should also note that Christ said "when you give alms," not "if you give alms"! Acts of charity are not merely a good idea, they are required of Christians. They stem from an attitude of love and concern for others.

Jesus set the example for us—which is obvious from a careful reading of John 12. Shortly before Christ's death, Mary, the sister of Martha, anointed His feet with a costly, scented ointment (v. 3). Judas, Christ's betrayer, was keeper of the "money box" (v. 6). He argued that the fragrance should have been sold and the money distributed to the poor. Christ replied that this ointment had been kept in store for His eventual burial, and that it was appropriate to use it for honoring Him—the Son of God.

But what might be overlooked here at first glance is that, although Christ did not give alms at this time, it is apparent that it was His practice to do so. He and the disciples even had an organized system for alms giving. Further evidence of this is found in John 13. Even as Christ spoke to Judas shortly before he left to betray Jesus, some of the other disciples thought He was giving instructions to give a donation to the poor (v. 29). Once again, it must have been Jesus' usual and customary practice to give alms. It must also be our practice.

So how do we go about giving alms meaningfully, today? One good way might be to give to others in need as you encounter them in everyday life. If your neighbor has lost his job, perhaps you could help out with some food or rent money. You could assist a homeless person who might not be able to eat except for the generosity of a passing stranger.

Just be very careful that your giving does not end up causing more harm than good. Unfortunately, some prey on the good will of others, asking for money that they plan to use for alcohol or drug abuse. If you believe that someone asking you for a donation might actually misuse what you would give, perhaps offer to buy him a meal instead. This will help ensure that your good intentions bring about a good result.

A. The American Heritage Dictionary defines saint as: "1. a. Theology. A person officially recognized... as being entitled to public veneration [i.e. worship] and capable of interceding for people on earth. b. A person who has died and gone to heaven. c. A member of any of various religious groups.... 2. An extremely virtuous person" (1992). The third definition given in Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is closer to ours: "one of God's chosen and usually Christian people" (l0th ed.). But that is assuredly NOT where our definition comes from.

Since "saint" is a biblical term, it is imperative that we find out what the Bible has to say about it. According to Scripture, only God is worthy of worship (cf. Matt. 4:10; Rev. 19:10). That rules out definition 1.a. above. Contrary to definition l.b., John 3:13 says, "No one has ascended to heaven" except Jesus. Also, the Apostle Paul often addressed his letters to "the saints who are in Ephesus" (Eph. 1 :1 ), Philippi (Phil. 1:1 ), Colosse (Col. 1:2) or other locations. He elsewhere recalled having shut up many saints in prison before his conversion. As numerous references make clear, these "saints" were alive—not already dead.

Our English word "saint" comes from the same root as "sanctified." Both mean "made sacred," i.e. holy, set apart, separate—just as the biblical Hebrew and Greek words they are translated from (see any Bible lexicon). God makes His people holy by calling them out of the world—setting them apart for a specific purpose (cf. 2 Cor. 6:17; 1 Peter 2:9).

God is holy. What sets Him apart from everything else is His perfect, righteous character! Christians are holy too (1:16)—that is, sanctified as saints. Through God's indwelling Spirit, they develop His same character. The Bible says that "saints... are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Rev 14:12)—just true, obedient Christians. That is where our definition comes from.

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by Raymond F. McNair

President Bill Clinton tried to broker a real peace between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his Arab neighbors, Yasser Arafat and King Hussein of Jordan, at the Mideast summit meeting last year in Washington. But his efforts were to no avail.

Why are Netanyahu and his people so reluctant to allow a Palestinian State to be established on Israel's West Bank? To understand their fears, we must examine the historic record of traumatic Arab-Israeli wars during the past 50 years.

Israel's War of independence

In the early months of 1948, Arab leaders—shocked and angered by the United Nations' resolution to partition Palestine—sent volunteer soldiers to forestall its implementation. But Arab troops were soon overwhelmed by the Israelis. By May 13, Israeli forces had gained full control of their U.N.-allotted share of Palestine, as well as important Arab areas they had captured.

In April 1948—after years of massacres of hundreds of Jewish civilians—members of a Jewish national military organization known as Irgun retaliated by storming the Arab village of Deir Yasin near Jerusalem. They killed 250 people, and the Arabs promptly began publicizing the atrocity—causing a mass exodus of Palestinians from the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs fled due to the wildly exaggerated Arab propaganda that all Palestinians were about to be slaughtered by the Jews!

The Islamic Grand Mufti of Jerusalem whipped up hysteria by proclaiming, "I declare a holy war. Murder the Jews. Murder them all.” Chaos then prevailed.

Full-scale war began on May 15, when five Arab nations (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq), joined by special forces from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, attacked the Israelis. The Jews in Palestine then numbered only about 650,000, compared to a Palestinian Arab population of approximately 980,000. The Palestinian Arabs also had the support of 50 million Arab friends!

By the time the dust of Israel's War of Independence had settled, the Jews had conquered even more strategic land that had been allotted to the Arabs in the U.N. partition plan of 1947. Israel signed separate armistice agreements with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in 1949. But of these nations, only Egypt would later sign an actual peace treaty with Israel.

What did these various armistice agreements include? They "left Israel in possession of all the areas it had won by conquest: [ 1 ] the whole of Galilee; [2] the whole of the Palestinian coast minus a reduced Gaza Strip (occupied by Egypt); [3] all

of the Negev; and [4] a strip of territory connecting the coastal region to the western section of Jerusalem. The remaining parts of Jerusalem (including the Old City), along with what remained of the Arab share of Palestine, were taken over by Transjordan, which then became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. No entity remained that was officially called Palestine. The departure of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs had meanwhile left Israel with a substantial Jewish majority" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Israel," vol. 22, 1991).

It would not be long, however, before the Arabs wanted more. They soon demanded that, at the very least, the Israelis return to the frontiers fixed by the U. N. partition plan of 1947—a plan the Arabs had previously rejected. They also demanded that the Israelis repatriate same 700,000 Palestinian refugees who—due mainly to exaggerated Arab propaganda—had fled Palestine in 1948.

Even after the armistice agreements, Arab bitterness toward Israel continued with incessant guerrilla raids mounted from neighboring Arab countries.

The 1956 Suez War

In 1956, the Israelis found themselves in another conflict with Egypt. What was the catalyst for these renewed hostilities?

In July 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser and some 80 fellow officers staged a bloodless coup, ousting Egypt's King Farouk. Two years later, Nasser wrote Philosophy of the Revolution, in which he outlined "his aspiration to be the leader of the 55,000,000 Arabs... 224,000~000 Africans... [and] 420,000,000 followers of Islam" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Nasser," vol. 8, l5th ed )

In the summer of 1956, Nasser became president of Egypt, and immediately led that nation on a collision course with both Israel and the West. On July 20, America and Britain canceled their offer to build Egypt's Aswan High Dam. Five days later, President Nasser announced the nationalization of the European-owned Suez Canal and sent the British and French packing.

Nasser also began prohibiting Israeli shipping through the Suez Canal. The Israelis took that to be a declaration of war, and invaded the Sinai Peninsula on October 29—quickly capturing Gaza, Rafah and Al 'Arish. Two days later, British and French planes attacked Egyptian airfields. The Israelis quickly occupied most of the Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal. During the brief Suez War, the Egyptian air force was almost totally destroyed.

But Nasser's foes overlooked one important factor. America's. President Dwight Eisenhower had not been consulted regarding the joint Anglo-French-Israeli venture. He brought American pressure to bear on the "aggressors," while the Soviets threatened Israel. In the end, Britain, France and Israel yielded to American, Soviet and U.N. pressure. Egypt's Nasser emerged from the Suez War having gained unprecedented prestige among the Arabs. From then on, the Arab world looked upon this charismatic Egyptian leader as their savior.

Notwithstanding this turn of events, there were some positive outcomes of the Suez War for Israel. Even though Israel, Britain and France were forced to relinquish their conquests, the Israelis accomplished a number of important goals. 1) the Suez Canal would remain open to international shipping—including Israel’s ships; 2) the Gulf of Aqaba would also remain open to allow Israeli ships free access to the Indian Ocean via Israel’s port of Elat; and 3) U.N. troops were to be stationed in a demilitarized zone in the Sinai.

Although the armistice was signed between Israel and Egypt, a very uneasy truce continued! During the following bloodstained years, various Arab factions persisted in harassing Israel by incessant terrorist raids across her borders. A third Israeli-Arab was loomed on the horizon.

Victory in the Six-Day War

Arabs continued to smart under the humiliation of their defeat at the hands of Israel in 1948 and 1956. They longed for a strong Arab leader to restore their honor and territory. Nassar had long aspired to become the greatest Arab hero since Saladin had delivered Jerusalem and most of Palestine from the “infidel” Christians in the 12^th century. His hysterical propaganda echoed throughout the Middle East, as Arab leaders vowed to exterminate Israel.

In one of Nasser’s many daily radio addresses, he told Cairo’s screaming crowds that if war broke out, “our main objective will be the destruction of Israel.” On May 25, 1967, he declared, “The problem before the Arab countries… [is] how totally to exterminate the State of Israel for all time.”

On May, 31, just four days before the Six-Day War erupted, President Aref of Iraq said, “There is resolve, determination and unity to achieve our aim: to remove Israel from the map…. It is the day to wash away the stain.” Only one day before the war began, Algerian President Boumedienne said, “The Arab struggle must lead to the liquidation of Israel.” Then, on the very day the war started, Radio Damascus exhorted Arabs to “throw [the Jews] into the sea!” Clearly, calls came from all Arab quarters for the extermination of Israel.

The Six-Day War in June 1967 resulted mainly from continued Egyptian and Syrian provocation against Israel. Most provocative of all was Nasser’s reckless decision to close the Strait of Tiran to Israeli shipping, thereby blocking Israel’s port of Elat. Further, on May 30, Jordan’s King Hussein signed a mutual defense pact with President Nasser. The Israelis interpreted this to mean that a concerted attack by the Arabs was imminent! When Nasser ordered the U.N. Emergency Force out of Egyptian territory, it meekly complied prompting Israel’s Foreign Secretary Abba Eban to call the United Nations a “broken reed.”

These threatening events in May alarmed the Israelis, prompting them to make important cabinet changes. As ominous war clouds darkened the Middle East, the Israelis appointed Moshe Dayan as minister of defense and girded themselves for a life-and-death struggle.

Israeli leaders decided to take the initiative by striking first. On Monday, June 5, Israeli planes roared westward over the Mediterranean Sea, then turned south before swooping down undetected upon the Egyptian air force, whose grounded planes were easy targets for Israeli fighter jets! In the first few hours of the battle the Israelis destroyed the Egyptian air force, then later proceeded to deal similar blows to the Jordanian and Syrian air forces.

Why were Egyptian pilots caught napping? According to Anwar Sadat, who later became Egypt’s president, “on Monday June 5 [Field Marshal Abdel Hakim] Amer, accompanied by all commanders… flew off on a ‘tour of inspection’ to Sinai. It was only natural that when the commander-in-chief was in the air, orders should be issued to all SAM [surface-to-air missile] and anti-aircraft batteries to hold their fire. And it was during that tour that Israel attacked all our airfields and hit our aircraft on the ground. We can thus say that the war began and ended while Amer was in the air” (In Search of Identity, p. 174).

With the annihilation of the Egyptian air force, an easy Israeli victory was assured. Moshe Dayan then used Israel’s air power to attack enemy columns and objectives that, without air cover, were practically defenseless. Israeli forces quickly decimated Egyptian tank columns in the Sinai, and soon gained mastery of the entire peninsula. Their paratroopers and naval units stormed Sharm el Sheikh, thereby securing the southern entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba. Israeli forces then leapfrogged across the Suez Canal, poising themselves within easy striking distance of Cairo.

Prior to the Six Day War, the Israelis had sent a message to Jordan’s King Hussein urging him not to enter the conflict. Israel’s Prime Minister Levy Eshkol told Hussein, “Our fight is not with you!” On June 7, King Hussein gave the Israelis his reply in a broadcast to his armed forces: “Kill the Jews wherever you find them. Kill them with your arms, with your hands, with your nails and teeth.” Hussein’s troops then began shelling the entire Israeli frontier—Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the international airport at Lod.

But Hussein and his forces suffered the frightful consequences of his unwise decision. With complete air superiority, the Israelis quickly took the offensive, and soon drove Jordanian forces eastward across the Jordan River. Jerusalem was the toughest target of all. In order to take the Old City of Jerusalem, the Israelis had to engage the Jordanians in house-to-house combat so as not to destroy the holy places of the Arabs, Jews and Christians.

The most emotionally charged moment of the entire six-day battle occurred when Israeli soldiers seized control of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, on which stood the Dome of the Rock, the al-Aqsa Mosque and, in ancient times, the Jewish temple. Jewish soldiers, armed with machine guns and grenades, rushed to pray at the temple’s remaining Western Wall—the most sacred spot on earth for Jews. Moshe Dayan exclaimed, “We have returned to the holiest of our holy places, never to depart from it again!” Hundreds of Israelis streamed to their “Wailing Wall,” where many of them wept—the first time Jews had been permitted near that wall for nearly 2,000 years! The Old Testament prophets foresaw that Jews would be in control of Jerusalem just before the Messiah, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), establishes His Kingdom to rule all nations (Zech. 12, 14)!

Once Egyptian forces in the Sinai were crushed and King Hussein’s army had been chased back into Jordan, the Israelis turned their fearsome military might against the Syrians to the north. Prior to the Six-Day War, Syrian gunners had used their commanding position on the Golan Heights to fire upon defenseless Israelis as they went about their work in the valley below. Even with air superiority, taking the Golan Heights proved to be a very difficult task. The Israelis had an uphill battle as they slowly fought their way through the hilly terrain. After capturing the Golan Heights, one Israeli said, “We will never give back this ridge!” Current Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed that same sentiment.

After scaling the Heights, Israeli forces then raced, almost unopposed, to the Syrian city of El Kuneitra (just 40 miles from Damascus) before halting their lightning-swift advance.

This short, buy decisive, war had begun when Israeli fighters destroyed the entire Egyptian air force, which was grounded during a tour of inspection. Was this some brilliantly executed stratagem conceived by superior Israeli military intelligence? Or was it Almighty God who delivered the Israelis from annihilation at the hands of the Arabs by causing Amer to plan his inspection at a critical moment favorable to an Israeli victory? The Psalms say that “no king is saved by the multitude of an army” (33:16), but that real victory is from the Almighty (vv. 18-19). Many Israelis believe that God has guided them to victory in their struggle to survive as a nation

Consequences of the Six-Day War

The Six-Day War brought important changes to the entire Middle East: 1 ) Israel immediately annexed the Old City of Jerusalem, 2) Israeli troops, sitting atop the Golan Heights, were now in a commanding position to defend themselves against future Syrian attacks, 3) the Israelis now controlled all the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the entire Sinai Peninsula; and 4) the whole world had gained a new respect for what tiny Israel had accomplished—in just six days! Even Israel's enemies begrudgingly accorded them a new respect—or at least fear!

Zechariah 12 prophesied that the Jews' modern leaders would be victorious in their wars against Arab neighbors {vv. 6-8). The time setting for Zechariah's prophecy is definitely before Christ's 1,000 year peaceful rule over the entire earth (Rev. 20:4-5; Zech. 14:9, 12-19).

How did the Arabs look upon their defeat in 1967? The depth of the humiliation and despair that they experienced in the wake of their defeat is clearly explained in the words of Nasser's successor, President Anwar Sadat.

His book, In Search of Identity, says Nasser was shattered by the Arabs' defeat in the '67 war: "I rang up Nasser several times. Every time I felt he was worse; his voice was that of a man who belonged in the past—a dark, hollow distant past.... He must be suffering much. His pride, his most treasured asset, had been hurt as never before" (pp. 179-180). Sadat himself admitted, "I myself was completely overwhelmed by our defeat!”

Who can deny that Nasser brought a curse, that is, death and destruction, upon the Arab world by attacking God's people, Israel? God said to Israel, "Cursed be everyone who curses you" (Gen. 27:29).

Their stunning victory gave the Israelis a new self-respect. During the war, Israel had "destroyed or captured 430 combat aircraft and 800 tanks. It had inflicted 15,000 fatal casualties on Arab troops. It had taken 5,500 officers and non-commissioned officers as prisoners. Its own losses were 40 air craft and 676 dead" (Abba Eban, My Country, p 227). Understandably, the victors were bursting with nationalistic pride in their ability to defend themselves against their foes, who at the time outnumbered the Israelis 50 to 1!

Unfortunately, as a result of the Israelis' spectacular victory in that war, some became overconfident. Instead of giving God the credit for their stunning success (Ps. 33:16-20), some Israelis began to take the credit themselves. But such overconfidence—even arrogance—resulted in a lack of vigilance. This helped set the stage for the next tragic Arab-Israeli conflict. The humiliating Yom Kippur War was soon to erupt with traumatic consequences for the Israelis!

The next article in this series will examine the fruits of Israel's near defeat in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and will consider the results of Israel's tragic war in Lebanon in 1982. We will also look at the continuing terrorist bloodletting, especially since the spontaneous uprising of the Palestinian Intifada, which Israeli leaders are still struggling to cope with! Bible prophecy reveals that Israel's goal of "peace with security" is not yet just around the corner!

Birth Pangs of a Modern Nation

In 1917, Britain’s Balfour Declaration promised a “national home” for the Jewish people in Palestine. However, British leaders did not follow through, prompting U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to ask why the British were “reneging on their promise.”

Britain finally dumped this vexing problem in the lap of the United Nations in 1947. That same year, the U. N. passed a resolution to partition Palestine into two states—one Jewish, one Arab. The Jews accepted the U. N. partition plan, but the Arabs rejected it—vowing to take up arms to prevent the State of Israel from being established.

In spite of strong objections and dire Arab threats, the Jews went ahead with their Declaration of Independence. “We… representing the Jewish people in Palestine… hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine—to be called Israel… with trust in Almighty God, we set our hands to this Declaration… the 14th Day of May 1948.” The United States immediately recognized Israel, and most other nations quickly followed.

Since then, the U. S. has consistently tried to prevent Israel’s destruction. Many Arabs have never forgiven the United States for its vital role as a staunch ally of Israel—even calling America the “Great Satan.”

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Get Hooked on the Bible!

Are you a teen bogged down by “these” and “thous”?
Does the Bible not seem to LIVE when you read it? Here’s how it can!

If you’re a teen, you may find it’s hard to connect with the Bible. The characters seem unreal, the situations far away and the language painfully strained. You may want to study the Bible, but it can seem more tedious than reading a dictionary!

But know that God has a direct interest in you. After all, He made you and has opened your mind enough to be reading this publication! And when you read His Bible, you’re letting God talk directly to you. It’s as if He were sitting in your living room, at your kitchen table or in your bedroom talking to you. The Bible is God’s instruction book on how to live your life. It will help you be successful, avoid pitfalls and ultimately have a relationship with God Himself.

But how do you get to that point? What if you try to read, but find yourself getting stumped by the genealogies or the old-fashioned language of your King James Version? How do you get hooked on the Bible?

There are many ways to get into the Bible. Perhaps some of these ideas will help you.

Read About Real People

One of the most exciting ways to get into the Bible is through the written experiences of people just like you. Does the Bible ignore the problems, concerns and experiences of teens? Absolutely not!

Read about the time that David was laughed at by his older brothers when he challenged Goliath (1 Sam. 17:28-20). What gave him the courage to face this armed giant? Maybe he remembered that God had protected him back on the farm—when he had wrestled barehanded with a lion and a bear, and killed them to protect his dad’s sheep (vv. 34-37). Talk about high drama! And all this while still a teen.

Read how Joseph, as a teen, had to resist the temptation to get sexually involved with his boss’ wife (Gen. 39:12). And how his obedience to God eventually paid off at 30 years of age in a second-in-command post of the most powerful, influential nation of the world at that time!

Read how family favoritism and deceit fractured Jacob’s relationship with his brother Esau (Gen. 25:28-34; 27:19-36).

Though Esau became angry enough to want to kill his younger brother because of his sneaky ways, the wounds were later healed and the brothers were reconciled (Gen. 33:4).

Read about Esther. As a young woman, she won a remarkable beauty pageant that made her rich and powerful. But her success also entailed heavy responsibilities. In fact, she had to risk her life to thwart a conspiracy that could have wiped out her entire nation (Esther 4:10-16). And how about Ruth ? She was hit by a series of family tragedies, including the death of her husband. Yet she sacrificed her future and easy opportunities to remarry in her native land, so that she could care for her widowed, destitute mother-in-law (Ruth 1:1-18). Subsequently, God blessed her with another husband for her patience and obedience—as well as the honor of being one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ!

All these stories from the Bible are about real-life young people who, like many of you, faced incredible challenges! Can you relate to them? They had some of the same problems you have—sibling rivalries, putting off personal gain to sacrifice for family members, resisting pressures to have premarital sex and more. The Bible doesn’t cover up people’s mistakes or their problems. It tells it just like it is. The Bible’s good guys and bad guys are revealed for what they really are! They faced it all. Read about their lives. Think about how they responded. It may bring the Bible to life for you!

Read Living Psalms and Proverbs

Another avenue you may want to pursue is getting hooked on the Bible is to read the books of Psalms and Proverbs. Did you know that most of psalms were written by that same young man who fought with the lion? And that the book of Proverbs was written by his son? Read them in The Living Bible’s older paraphrase edition or the brand new translation edition.

While The Living Bible is not a version you should use to try to study a doctrine or some other biblical technicality—because it is a paraphrase—it does seek to convey to a modern mind the action, movements and feeling of the ancient Hebrew language. There is also a large variety of modern English translations with more coming out every year. Some you might choose for their literary style and freshness, while others you might select for their technical accuracy, notes or commentary. Whatever your preference, a modern translation can be a refreshing change from the dated King James English. In fact, our writers usually quote the more modern New King James Version in our publications, unless otherwise noted, because we want our messages to be accurate and up to date! Fresh tools to help you delve into the exotic, biblical world and the divine mind that inspired this Book of books can make your Bible study time come alive!

Ask God to Get You Hooked

One of the most important keys in getting the Bible to really speak to you is for you to contact the Personality who inspired it. Talk to God? Sure! The whole point of Bible study is to open the door to developing a really close relationship with Him. If you want to get more out of your Bible, but don’t know how to start, just get on your knees and talk to God about it. Ask Him to guide you through His wonderful instruction Book. Talk to God just like you would talk to a loving father. Ask Him to help make the Bible relevant to YOUR life. And ask God to open your mind so you can understand what you read.

Whatever it takes, get hooked! If you take the time to make the Bible a friend, it will give you hours and hours of inspiration and encouragement. God’s Word is filled with good advice for all seasons of your life. It will give you lots of instruction on how to be happier and healthier. After all, the Bible is really no less than God talking to you. Start getting hooked by listening to Him. You won’t regret it!

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