The Enuma Elish was written before Genesis, and it has some similarities with the biblical account (e.g. watery chaos, separated into heaven and earth, light exists before creation, succession of events, etc.). For instance, in the Babylonian account of creation Marduk killed the goddess Tiamat (the salty sea) and used her carcass to create heaven and earth (see NET note). Critics (like Gunkel and Otzen) argue that Moses copied his creation story from the Babylonians? Is this the case?
Continue reading →End of Time: Will What You Believe Matter To God?
What is Truth? I pondered this question after finishing my book and I thought what is the answer to that aged old question? One answer that you can count on is that Jesus said that He is truth, (John 14:6). This is pretty straightforward and also an answer that Christianity does not quarrel over. The problem is there are so many different versions of ?the truth? you don?t know which one to believe in. The Roman Catholic Church says they are the one true church. The Baptist Church believes that baptism is not necessary for salvation that you are saved before the immersion. Seven Day Adventist holds that Saturday is the day for worship and all of these having their own version of what the truth is. However the question that needs to be answered is, is there a right and a wrong? On that final day when Jesus returns what happens if standing before the throne and He says baptism is required before you can enter into heaven? Suppose God hates the Roman Catholic Church and calls it an abomination? Imagine a person standing before the throne and God tells them that Saturday was the wrong day you idiot. Picture being thrown into the lake of fire for what we see as trivial matters and the Lord says they are not. Will it matter who is right or wrong before the judgment seat of our Lord? To find the answer to this question we turn the pages of the Bible.
Continue reading →Genesis 1 – Are there two contradictory accounts of Creation in Genesis 1 and 2?
In Genesis 1 vegetation is made on Day 3, animals on Day 5-6 (before Adam), and man on Day 6. In Genesis 2:5-7, 18-20, he’s created before there was any vegetation or animals.
Run to the Bands of Love
I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love. (Hosea 11:4)
Revelation 21:1 – Does the earth last forever (Psalm 78:69), or is it destroyed (2 Peter 3:10)?
Does the earth last forever, or is it destroyed? Psalm 78:69 says, “And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.” But 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” So which one is correct? Does the earth last forever, or is it destroyed? The answer is simple. They are both correct.
Your Invisible Eye
Did you know that you have three eyes? In fact, someday your third eye may provide spare parts that might be necessary to repair the two eyes you normally think about.
Continue reading →Revelation 21 – Will the Earth pass away or not?
The Earth and sky have been around since before even man (Genesis 1:1). Generations do come and go, but with respect to them, the Earth does indeed remain “forever”. This is a poetic and metaphorical expression, not to be taken absolutely literally. Matthew 5:18 simply emphasizes how binding God’s law and commands are in that they are even more standing than the sky and Earth, and the same is true of Matthew 24:35, and Revelation 21:1 talks about the new after God’s final victory over evil through the Second Coming of Christ.
Evolutionary Man-Ape Myths
HAECKEL’S DUMB APEMAN
Ernst Haeckel, inventor of the iconic evolutionary embryo chart, was also the inventor of the dumb cave-dwelling ape-man, and it was based on nothing more scientific than his own fertile imagination. Haeckel’s Embryo Chart was a lie which was exposed in his own day, though it has continued to be used widely as evidence for evolution.
Revelation 17:10 – Who are the seven kings? Roman Emperors or World Empires?
Most commentators identify these seven kings with Roman Emperors. However, Osborne writes that this “is incredibly difficult.” Consider the list of Roman Emperors below:
Later
… later … (Hebrews 12:11)
How happy are tested Christians, later. There is no deeper calm than that which follows the storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain?
Revelation 16:21 – How could hailstones be this big?
Problem: Revelation states, “And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men” (Rev. 16:21). Preterist interpreter Kenneth Gentry writes, “It is quite impossible that such gargantuan hailstones can be accounted for under the most aggravated of meteorological conditions.” Gentry is right. In July 23, 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wrote about the largest hailstone ever found:
A Trail That Tells a Tale
Two rocks float through silent space, unaware that they will soon cause a scientific debate millions of miles away on earth. On earth these two small asteroids added together may weigh only a few hundred pounds. The conclusions that can be drawn from them, however, might be weighty enough to overthrow a powerful theory.
Revelation 10:2 – Will There Be Time in Eternity
Problem: In Revelation 10:6 we read “that there should be time no longer.” In the hymn, When the Roll is
Called Up Yonder the lyrics are as follows: “When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time
shall be no more.” Often we hear Bible teachers say that when we enter eternity there will be
no more time. Yet is this what the Bible says?
No, God Does Not Need You
There is a kind of swagger in modern evangelicalism that I’ve grown to despise. It’s the swagger of people who speak as if God is pacing the floors of heaven wringing His hands, desperately hoping somebody down here with a fog machine, a sermon series logo, and a half-baked marketing strategy can finally help Him “reach this generation.”’
Continue reading →Revelation 8:10 – Is this star simply an angel?
Problem: While dispensational commentators often believe that these “stars” are actual physical objects—perhaps missiles or meteorites or something else falling from the sky to poison the waters (v.11), other commentators hold that these are simply angels. In Revelation 9:1, we read that the “star” from heaven is actually an angel.
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