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![My name is NOT on the book;
because the Holy Spirit, partially (in
my opinion [IMO]) wrote this; not ME...
...and I SEE that now! The first-time
light bulb turned "ON", and I am
NEVER looking back! To say that,"IT
IS AWESOME!", is SUCH an
understatement!
The ORIGINAL Bible,is 100%
PERFECT; no exceptions. This "book";
is not. But I am HUMAN. The Bible, is
God's Word. This, is my word. Take
what you want; or don't. It's your
choice...
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![IINTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTION
(The following was written when I was 19 years old [2004] and
drunk on the island of Guam [I spent 15 months there] in the
United States Air Force. I have not re-written it)
"I wonder what this is.
Not just myself, but everything.
What everything is.
My life seems so complicated and important.
But yet, it is only a speck.
Less than a speck.
Almost nothing.
How can we be the focal point of something so vast?
We can't be.
It would be impossible.
Incompetent at best.
I’m one of the intelligent ones.
I understand things; yet I know nothing.
And I realize that.
And I realize that it doesn’t help to guess or wonder.
Until we are told,
We simply will not know.
How do we not go mad?
We have no idea what we are.
They use god as an excuse.
That’s how they stay sane.
And yet; I can’t.
Maybe there is something.
As a human, I believe there has to be.
But what if there isn’t?
I can’t understand.
So I say maybe,
And I can somehow keep my sanity.
I honestly hope I get an answer."
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![just to show how absurd evolution is. This statistic gives
evolution every benefit of every doubt, and actually assumes
that it is correct. He writes:
“assuming that evolution is 99.9999% certain, then
‘evolution [still] has only a 1 in 10175chance of being
valid…. Therefore, even with the beginning assumption
that evolution is a virtual certainty, a conditional
probability analysis of the fossil record [alone] results
in the conclusion that evolution is a demonstrable
absurdity.’”
To put it bluntly: “NO WAY JOSE!”
(IMO) How God Created the Universe
~6,000 Years Ago
Believe it or not, I am actually not necessarily dismissing
the big bang. There is plenty of evidence that the beginning of
the universe happened in a way similar to the big bang. The
"cosmic oven theory" states that all of space should be a few
degrees above absolute zero, if the big bang actually happened.
This is compared to a scorching hot oven, which, when opened,
raises the temperature of the room several degrees in a uniform
manner. Thus, the heat from the expansion of the big bang,
should theoretically have spread evenly throughout the universe.
The COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite, and W.
M. Keck Observatory (2) telescopes have proved this. However,
trying to go beyond this "beginning" and stating that the stars,
the planets, and the rest of the cosmos just kinda “came together”;
is just not possible. I believe the evidence that we have for the
big bang shows that God just took a big nothing, touched it with
His finger, and with a theoretical “BANG!”; expanded it into
what we have today.
Many "Christians", and especially "non-Christians", find
a big problem with the Bible’s account of creation. It "states"
that it took six literal days, and it infers that it was around
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![High Magnetic Field, 2005). Before this, everyone "assumed"
that flesh was made of flesh, and bone was made of bone. Who
could’ve KNOWN that they were made of things which we
cannot see (the Creator maybe)?
Proof of: Supernatural Knowledge
Ecclesiastes 1:6
NIV: “The wind blows to the south, and turns to the
north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its
course.”
KJV: “The winde goeth toward the South, and turneth
about vnto the North; it whirleth about continually, and
the winde returneth againe according to his circuits.”
ESV: “The wind blows to the south, and goes around to
the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its
circuits the wind returns.”
VUL: “gyrat per meridiem et flectitur ad aquilonem
lustrans universa circuitu pergit spiritus et in circulos
suos regreditur.”
Although this may not sound like a big deal, it actually is.
These words were spoken by King Solomon (the smartest man
earth; EVER [I checked {Info@TheresProof.com}]), who is
famous in the Bible for asking God for knowledge, which he was
given (whew!). With this knowledge, he detailed the wind
currents described above. These wind currents weren’t actually
confirmed until relatively recently.
Think about it. They didn’t have satellite images 3,000
years ago. They didn’t have telephones so that two people could
speak at the same time, from different locations, to determine
which way the wind was blowing at a particular moment. The
winds he describes are not on a small scale either. So it was
literally IMPOSSIBLE for Solomon to have known of these
wind currents. That is, of course, unless he really DID receive
the knowledge that the Bible says he was given. In addition,
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![Solomon wrote a lot of wise phrases in the Bible, that give
Confucius "a run for his money" (look at Proverbs), further
emphasizing the knowledge God gave him.
However, if you know the Bible, you’ll know that King
Solomon was eventually corrupted by false gods, wealth and
women (he had 700 wives and 300 concubines!). How did such
a wise man; end up in such a predicament? This is a question
that a skeptic could ask to show that he really wasn’t that wise.
Well apparently, pride and money have the potential to be more
powerful than wisdom: ALONE. Plus, just because you have
wisdom about something, it does NOT mean you’ll follow it! A
husband knows that cheating on his wife has some pretty severe
potential consequences. Murderers know that when they openly
murder somebody in public, they will get severely punished. Yet,
they both do it anyways. Also, I believe that the knowledge
Solomon received was mainly earthly knowledge, such as
science and practical wisdom. Spiritual knowledge and
enlightenment is on a completely different level! Just because he
was ultra-wise doesn’t mean he was ultra-close to God. If
Solomon had as much spiritual knowledge as he did earthly
knowledge, he probably never would have left God as he did!
Proof of: The Earth’s Rotation
Job 38:12, 14
WEB: “Hast thou commanded the morning since thy
days; [and] caused the day-spring to know its
place…[earth] is turned as clay [to] the seal…”
YON: “Hast thou commanded morning since thy days?
Causest thou the dawn to know its place…[the earth]
turneth itself as clay of a seal.”
NIV: “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or
shown the dawn its place…The earth takes shape like
clay under a seal…”
VUL: “numquid post ortum tuum praecepisti doleful et
ostendisti aurorae locum suum…restituetur ut lutum
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![Proof of: The Precisely Measured
Oceans
Isaiah 40:12
KJV: “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of
his hand?…”
ESV: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of
his hand…”
NIV: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his
hand…”
VUL: “quis mensus est pugillo aquas et caelos
palmo…”
Here we have yet another simple, yet very important
statement: that God has measured the waters. You have to stop
and think for a second; why does someone measure something? ...
...Because it is important! I don’t measure my milk when I pour
it in my cereal, because it doesn’t really matter. But I DO
measure when baking a cake, because it does matter! Isaiah
states that God measured the waters, which means that He must
have knew that it was important. Recent science has discovered
that the amount of water on the earth is perfect. In fact, a 20-foot
rise in sea levels would cause 400 million people to have to
move (or learn to SCUBA dive [self contained underwater
breathing apparatus]!).
Proof of: The Innumerable Stars
Genesis 15:5
NKJV: “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look
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![1250 times brighter than them. So really, the moon is the sole
source of night light. Without the moon, we would have almost
NO light at night (and God realized this, which is why we have a
moon). Just another huge fortunate design “coincidence” in the
universe (in the minds of skeptics).
Contradicting Genesis Accounts?
It seems that, ever since Genesis was created, people have
fought over the notion that Genesis "1" and "2" are two separate
accounts of the same creation. Genesis "1" is the detailed process
of creation the way "God" would have seen it from his point of
view. It should be obvious that the account in Genesis "2" come
after Genesis "1" chronologically, since the very first verse is
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host
of them”. After this, mentions of creation are obviously
flashbacks of creation, not the actual acts of creation. Still;
skeptics try to say otherwise.
For example, when God was searching for a partner for
Adam, the NKJ version of Genesis 2:19 says “And out of the
ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every
fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he
would call them”. Skeptics see this as God creating the animals
right then, when actually the original tense meant that God had
formed them.
In today’s world, we constantly use the word “formed”
as a past tense account of something that happened before the
account. But skeptics try to use it as a past tense account of
something that "happened" at the time of the account. The
newer NIV version addressed this common misunderstanding, by
more clearly saying “now the Lord God had formed”.
The False Flood?
I was reading a pro-Christian book of Biblical science,
and was startled to read that the author "mentioned" that the
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![an old prophecy, that was fulfilled through the parables:
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be
ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has
become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they
have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I
would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see,
and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many
prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did
not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Read the next section to really understand why Jesus
stated this.
Proof of an Unfair God
Devout atheist Cliff Walker from Positive Atheism
magazine is certainly bitter towards Christianity. After reading
much of his material, I found that a lot of his bitterness comes
directly from the previous passages. In fact, regarding the
passage from Matthew 13, he states, “Is this the ‘I am the light’
that you speak about? The one who is said to deliberately blind
certain people from hearing the truth?" He believes that God is
the one who blinds people. Why would a loving God do this?
But how about we r e w i n d and actually pay attention
to the verse? It does not say that God has caused these people to
be this way. Their state is ultimately caused by Satan, the
corruption of the world, and their OWN choices. The NKJ
version of Matthew 13:15 states, “For this people's heart is
waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes
they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their]
eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with
[their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
The last part even gives the CALLOUSED
heart hope; saying, “Lest at any time they should…be
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![5:1-15), which was found to be an accurate description when
uncovered in 1897.
However, archaeological evidence is ultimately subjective,
and skeptics often try their hardest to disprove the Bible. Since
the archaeological evidence regarding the Bible usually shows
clearly that the Bible was correct, atheists and skeptics have
resorted to searching every last angle for contradictions, even
when they are not there. As stated on www.christiananswers.net,
“It is a sad commentary on the state of archaeology in the Holy
Land, when the purpose of an excavation at a Biblical site is to
disprove the Bible and disassociate the site with any historical
Jewish connection”.
Still, in the end, there is a
PLETHORA
of archaeological evidence that supports the Bible, and no
evidence clearly disproving it. The only real archaeological
evidence that tries to disprove the Bible is the absence of
evidence (e.g. if this really happened, where is the evidence?).
However, as I have already stated, "the absence of evidence is
not evidence of absence".
Sir William Ramsay
Sir William Ramsay is well-known as one of the greatest
archaeologists. He studied under famous liberal German schools
in the mid-nineteenth century. These schools taught that the New
Testament was not historical. Ramsay subsequently went
looking for evidence to support that the New Testament, more
specifically the book of Acts, was not true. After spending 25
years digging in the ground to disprove Luke, the author of Acts,
Ramsay finally came to the "conclusion" that it was a genuine
source of real-life history. Ramsay wrote:
“I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts]…but more
recently I found myself often brought into contact with
the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography,
antiquities, and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually
borne in upon me that in various details the narrative
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![showed marvelous truth.”
Here’s a pretty amazing quote from modern archaeologist
Norman Geisler: “In all, Luke names thirty-two countries, fifty-
four cities, and nine islands without error”.
Jericho
I can’t go over all ~25,000 archaeological sites that prove
the Bible; but I’ll give a few. The excavation site of Jericho
provides some excellent archaeological evidence supporting the
Bible. First, we’ll examine a verse prior to the Israelites entering
Jericho.
Joshua 3:15 reads, “…Yet as soon as the priests who carried
the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s
edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing”.
This verse is saying, that the waters of the Jordan River,
ACTUALLY stopped flowing. This allowed the Israelites to
march across the river. We have evidence that actually shows
that this event is possible. In 1267 the Jordan was blocked for 16
hours, and allowed a Muslim sultan to build a bridge's
foundations. As recently as 1927, a cliff collapsed and blocked
the river for 2 ½ hours. Perhaps (?) God used the same
earthquake to stop the Jordan, as He did to later destroy Jericho.
Next, we’ll look at the Biblical verse related to the
destruction of Jericho:
Joshua 6:20 reads, “So the people shouted when [the priests]
blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a
great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went
up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the
city.”
The first major excavation of Jericho, from 1907-1909,
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![in the Judean desert, and found seven old scrolls rolled up in
stone jars. They sold these scrolls, and kept searching for more.
By 1956, about 900 "separate scrolls" had been found. Most of
them were in fragments, some of them as small as a fingernail.
Over the years, the fragments have been pieced back together to
form the "translations" we have today.
To do this, scientists tested the scrolls written on papyrus to
match up the pieces with the exact plant they came from (thus
the same scroll). They also used DNA testing for the animal skin
scrolls to match them with the "particular" animal. They
obviously "also" considered which jars they were in, and the
"proximity" to other pieces. For the past 50 years or more, this
tedious process has been undertaken by THOUSANDS of
scholars and scientists. The version that I have used for my
research is from 2005, and is supposedly the best and most
comprehensive translation to date. I will give you some verses to
"compare" how these "ancient texts" measure up to the texts of
today.
The following are two different versions of Job 42:9-11.
The first is a "direct translation" from the ~2,100 year old Dead
Sea Scrolls, and the second is a "modern translation" from the
1984 NIV Bible:
Dead Sea Scroll Version: “And G[o]d listened to the voice of
Job and forgave them their sins because of him. Then God
turned back to Job in compassion and gave him twice what he
once had possessed. There came to Job all his friends, brethren,
and those who had known him, and they ate bread with him in
his house. They consoled him for all the evil that God had
brought upon him, and each man gave him one sheep and one
gold ring.”
NIV: “And the Lord accepted Job's prayer. After Job had
prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and
gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and
sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate
with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all
the trouble the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave
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Uploaded byRichard Bobadilla
There's PROOF!?
The document is a personal narrative reflecting the author's journey from atheism to Christianity, emphasizing the integration of faith and science. The author shares insights on biblical truths, critiques on various religions, and personal experiences, including overcoming adversity after a stroke. It serves as both a testimony of faith and an exploration of evidence supporting Christian beliefs.
More Related Content
There's PROOF!?
- 2. Dedicated to… GOD; Mom andDad; My family; Mrs. E. O.; My friends; Everyone. Whether you are for me or against me; I will always try to love you. And when I really can't, Or won't; God can, if I let Him... first first
- 3. Besides what it'sgoing to cost for the printing; I do hereby release all the funds to go to charity. BTW; "Wingdings" (the font name) is a funny name/style . second second
- 4. “Men occasionally stumbleover the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” -Winston Churchill “The probability of life originating from accident is comparable to the probability of the Unabridged Dictionary resulting from an explosion in a printing factory.” -Edwin Conklin “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and don't lean on your own understanding. In all things acknowledge him, and he shall direct your way.” -Proverbs 3:5,6 “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” -Carl Sagan "There is no other book (The Bible) in any of the world’s religions (Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita, Koran, Book of Mormon, etc.) that contains scientific truth. In fact, they contain statements that are clearly unscientific." -Ray Comfort “The Christian faith has not been tried and found wanting. It has rather been found difficult and left untried.” -G. K. Chesterton "To be an atheist requires an infinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny." third third -Joseph Addison
- 5. On 1Dec2011, ananti- Christian said the following: “Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time! But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all- knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bull*** story. Holy S***!” fourth fourth
- 6. My name isNOT on the book; because the Holy Spirit, partially (in my opinion [IMO]) wrote this; not ME... ...and I SEE that now! The first-time light bulb turned "ON", and I am NEVER looking back! To say that,"IT IS AWESOME!", is SUCH an understatement! The ORIGINAL Bible,is 100% PERFECT; no exceptions. This "book"; is not. But I am HUMAN. The Bible, is God's Word. This, is my word. Take what you want; or don't. It's your choice... fifth fifth
- 7.
- 8. I was saved02Feb2008. Looking back (21May2014); I'm much, MUCH stronger now :D READ THIS FIRST! This book will read "different" seventh seventh
- 9. ways, to "dIFfeReNT' people. Someone who thinks that God is "imaginary" should start from "Chapter 1". Someone who believes that there is a God, but is unsure of which "religion" is true, may be able to skip the first couple of chapters of proof for God. Someone who is a COMPLETE SCIENTIST, will probably enjoy the first few chapters, as well as the chapters on archaeological and extra-biblical evidence. Someone who is more of a "philosopher/psychologist" will appreciate the 4th, 6th, 10th, and 11th chapters. So depending on what you are searching for, just look through the "Table of Contents" to find it. Still: even a devout scientist or philosopher could learn from ANY of the chapters. So after reading the eighth eighth
- 10. chapter(s) more accustomedto your taste, I sincerely invite you to read the others as well . TableTable ofof ContentsContents PREFACE: Why Write the Book? INTRODUCTION: What is Everything? CHAPTER 1: God VS Evolution The Impossible Statistics Behind Random Creation Why Would Someone Believe in Evolution? Einstein Bowed to the Creator; Against His Will ninth ninth AND NOOOOOOOW... ...
- 11. CHAPTER 2: EvolutionWins!? Why Evolution is Not Scientific So the Script of Life Wrote Itself? CHAPTER 3: Which Religion? Islam Stolen from the Bible Hinduism Buddhism CHAPTER 4: Scriptural Science Proof of: Modern Knowledge of Proper Circumcision Proof of: Earth Floating in Empty Space Proof of: Wind with Weight Proof of: A Revolving, Spherical Earth Proof of: The Knowledge of Cells/Atoms Proof of: Supernatural Knowledge Proof of: The Earth's Rotation Proof of: Ocean Currents Proof of: The Precisely Measured Oceans Proof of: The Innumerable Stars Proof of: The Uniqueness of Stars Proof of: An Atomic Bomb Prediction Proof of: Specific Knowledge of the Water Cycle Proof of: The Physical Effects of Psychological Processes Proof of: Modern Health, Sanitary, and Dietary Knowledge CHAPTER 5: Scriptural Prophecy CHAPTER 6: “Proof” of Errancy Contradictions in Genesis Why Would God Make the Bible Confusing? Proof of an Unfair God Why Does God Let Children Starve? Thou Shalt NOT Kill? God Isn't All-powerful? Differences Between the Gospels A Really, REALLY Heavy Rock tenth tenth
- 12. The Holy Trinity CHAPTER7: Archaeological and Physical Evidence Sir William Ramsay Jericho The Dead Sea Scrolls Secret Water Shafts Sodom and Gomorrah Tel-Dan Inscription The Shroud of Turin The Discovery of Sargon’s Palace The Red Sea Miracle CHAPTER 8: Theoretical Evidence Noah’s Ark Near-Death Experiences Joseph’s Price as a Slave Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? The Faithful (Crazy?) Disciples CHAPTER 9: Extra-Biblical Evidence The Ebla archive The Nuzi and Mari Tablets Tablets of Belshazzar The Beni Hasan Tomb CHAPTER 10: The Real Evidence He Really Changes You! Did I Really Fix it? CHAPTER 10.31: FAGS CHAPTER 11: So Why Do People Still Not Believe? eleventh eleventh CHAPTER (1):Here's are some more FACTS for you
- 13. PPREFACEREFACE Why Write theBook? Well; why not? Have you ever been really inspired to do something? If you have, you know it feels AWESOME. I was inspired to do a lot of amazing things in my life (2008). Go search my name on the internet (now it's anonymous), and you’ll find that I was a pretty good national-level bodybuilder. I earned my Associate Applied Science in Management (Community College of the Air Force) and my Bachelor Science in Psychology, by the time I was 20 (Excelsior College). I earned my Master of Arts in Health Psychology right after I turned 23 (Northcental University). ALL three degrees were earned, while serving full-time in the United States military, and being deployed (~4.5 months twelfth twelfth
- 14. Jan07-Jun07). I almosthave my Master's of Arts in Theology (Liberty University; 6 credits to go). My right forearm has a tattoo that reads “OVERCOME, when others fail”. The left reads, “PERSEVERE, you will prevail”. I even have a "Chinese" tattoo on my bicep that means “inspiration”. I’ve always been a "BIG BALL" of inspiration to myself, and others. But it was always about me. What I could do, and what I could accomplish, with my own strength. After ~five years and eight months, that came crashing down; but that is explained in Chapter 10. Fast-forward to now, and for the first time in my life; I feel divinely inspired to do something. You ever felt that? It’s INDESCRIBABLE. To suddenly know your EXACT purpose in the world, at a particular moment, is simply an amazingly, indescribable feeling. It; really; is... The reason that I have written this "book", is because I’m a scientist: through and through. After coming to Christ, I realized that science and the Bible mix VERY well; ultimately because they were both created by the same being. The first time I told someone I was a “Christian Scientist”, they thought I was crazy. The misconception of “Christian scientist” being a contradicting label, is ultimately what has driven me to WRITE THESE WORDS. Nine months ago (2007), back when I made "fun" of devout Christians, no amount of “repent and praise Jesus” could get through to me. However, not one single person tried to present to me actual evidence of the stuff they were talking about (or they HAD, but I just wasn't paying "attention"). They just somehow believed it with faith. “What a stupid concept”, is what I, and probably every other atheist/agnostic out there, believes. However, after I became a Christian, I realized that there is a PLETHORA of "scientific" Biblical proof out there. WHY HAD NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THIS? Is it a secret that there is actual PROOF out there!? Although I researched my own information, from many, MANY other published sources, I noticed two distinct thirteenth thirteenth
- 15. deficiencies with manyof them. First; some of them are long- winded and boring. Explain it and move on to the next fact! Don’t "show off" your incredible language, literary, and ultra- tedious research skills! I like to be able to open a scientific book, right in the middle of it, and start reading. Go ahead and try it right now. I guarantee you’ll find something interesting. If I have to read a book cover to cover to understand it, it’s not my type of book. Being thorough is one thing. Repeating yourself and being overly thorough (as this paragraph is quickly becoming ) is another. Second; I haven’t yet found a holistic book of Biblical evidence. They either focus on scientific scriptures, theoretical arguments, archaeology, extra-Biblical sources, how ridiculous evolution is, or some other type of ISOLATEDISOLATEDISOLATED evidence. I WANT IT ALL! I have seen some very good websites that combine many different dimensions of evidence (answersingenesis.com and wayofthemaster.com are two great ones), which I have also gotten a lot of information from. But I want something that I can carry around and show others. So I have tried my best to condense the most significant evidence in the world into "one book". One 6”x 9” book that can easily fit into a cargo pocket. I believe I have done a good job, but that's just my opinion. By the way, I can honestly say that working for God is the ONLY job that I have actually loved doing in my life . fourteenth fourteenth
- 16. fifteenth fifteenth My most painfultattoo. Out of all my tattoos, this is the only one that made me cry (seriously).
- 17. AABOUTBOUT MMYSELFYSELF 27Nov2011, Ihad a serious stroke (at the age of 26). Currently (17Jun2013), my right side is severely limited. I was right handed. Now I'm left. I type with only my left hand; and it is shaky. Thankfully, most of what I had written (~65%) was done pre- stroke. Post-stroke, I can think of what to say, but I have trouble speaking (and typing)... ...am I mad about the stroke? In my opinion (IMO), most people would say I SHOULD be... ...but I'm NOT! I'm 100% serious about that! "Everything happens for a reason", as cliché as that may "sound". You probably are better off than me in this life (IMO). For those who are WORSE off; I truly believe that God has something "special" planned for you! Free will dictates that it's "YOU" who chooses to pick it up, or to pass it by. "I" choose to pick it up, and give it to you ... sixteenth sixteenth
- 18. IINTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTION (The following waswritten when I was 19 years old [2004] and drunk on the island of Guam [I spent 15 months there] in the United States Air Force. I have not re-written it) "I wonder what this is. Not just myself, but everything. What everything is. My life seems so complicated and important. But yet, it is only a speck. Less than a speck. Almost nothing. How can we be the focal point of something so vast? We can't be. It would be impossible. Incompetent at best. I’m one of the intelligent ones. I understand things; yet I know nothing. And I realize that. And I realize that it doesn’t help to guess or wonder. Until we are told, We simply will not know. How do we not go mad? We have no idea what we are. They use god as an excuse. That’s how they stay sane. And yet; I can’t. Maybe there is something. As a human, I believe there has to be. But what if there isn’t? I can’t understand. So I say maybe, And I can somehow keep my sanity. I honestly hope I get an answer." seventeenth seventeenth
- 19. Keep reading... "Words canmean a lot. I’m closing my eyes and just typing what I think. Not holding anything back. Does everyone have a reason, or all we all a probability? If there is a god, does he actually watch over us? I was going to put a song on, but they all seem so shallow. Only pertaining to this world. Which is so small and unimportant. I hope Erin comes back: how shallow is that? Is love that shallow? Not that I love her. But if I did, it wouldn’t matter. But what does matter? THAT is the question. What in this universe actually matters? Who is this “god” actually watching, if there is indeed a god? I doubt it would be me. That wouldn’t make sense, though none of this honestly does. Being intoxicated opens my inhibitions of these thoughts, which I normally hold back. Because they always have a dead end. And I end up wondering, and wishing for more. Maybe that’s why I drink. The yearning for an answer, which I still won’t get. I wonder what old people think? eighteenth eighteenth
- 20. People who knowthey are close to their end. Have they somehow over the years suppressed these thoughts? Or have they come up with some answer? They must have these thoughts, and found some way to manage them. I guess someday I will know. It must not be a satisfying answer, or else they would have shared it with us. Maybe they lived their whole life, and were ashamed that they still had no idea, or simply accepted that fact. Either way, that’s all I want to know. What really matters. I’ll go to sleep sometime. But right now, I obviously don’t think it matters. What matters is extremely relative. I’ll try to tend to what matters, even on the lowest level. Things that I have power over. Such as my life. That’s something that’s feasible for me. Like that fact that (***n) Hill is probably asleep, and my music is too loud. And the fact that alcohol doesn’t help with bodybuilding. And the fact that I need to go to bed, even though I won’t get any deep sleep. I need to take a shower." nineteenth nineteenth
- 21. Holy Cow! IActually Got My Answer! As HUMANS, most of us are all searching for ,"the meaning of life". What is this world? Why are we here? Does it matter if I’m good or bad? Science explains a LOT, but where did science come from? Most of us agree on the "big bang", or something like it. But how did that happen? If it WAS God, where did God come from? Does He watch us? What happens after we die? Is the universe an atom on the bottom of a giant’s foot?? Will we ever know any real answers? “I’m a scientist. Christianity has no scientific evidence. It is a blind faith. I can’t believe in Jesus. There is simply NO proof”. This was my firm belief until just five months ago (2008)... ...But I wasn’t always like that. I had grown up my whole life as a "christian". By age 16, I was a “Jesus Freak”. But then, a year later, I finally took a critical look at what I "supposedly" believed. The questions of life; and why we’re here. These are (IMO) the BIGGEST questions a person can ask. My whole life, I just accepted "the answers" that the Bible gave me. But at "THAT" point, I took off my "Christian" goggles, looked at the world around me, and finally got the courage to say, “I don’t think I believe in Jesus” (Jun2002). For almost six years, I was a total agnostic. To me, it was obvious that there was some type of "higher power". I didn’t "create myself", and the "big bang" just happening from nothing just didn’t; make; sense. The theory of evolution is crap (we'll talk about that later). I figured the "big bang" was God snapping His fingers and making everything; but how was I supposed to know who God WAS? Whether He actually paid attention to us, and what our purpose was? I honestly; do not; know... To make a LONG story short, I found that God is an ironic figure. He did not give me ONE BIT of "scientific evidence" to make me believe; even though science was, and STILL IS (now), the basis of my life. He just touched me, and I twentieth twentieth
- 22. CLEALYfelt it… I suddenlyknew, everything was TRUE (please bear with me). It was an UNEXPLAINABLE experience; just as it is impossible for a person with sight, to explain color, to a blind man. You just have to experience it. PERIOD. But the purpose of this book, is not to talk about "me", or "my transformation". It is to talk about HARDCOREHARDCORE, tangible, scientific evidence. I suddenly transformed from an adamant agnostic, who knew he would never be a Christian again; to a passionate seminary student, without one "bit" of "SCIENCE" to prove it. But; then as I looked, I began to find more, and MORE, AND MORE genuine evidence for Christianity (God has a sense of humor too ). I guess God was saying (not literally, of course), “look, with one touch I can CHANGE you, without any explainable or tangible evidence. But now that you’re CHANGED, here is the evidence you have been BEGGING to have for years”. So this BOOK, is a collection of evidence that I have researched. Did you know that Job, written about ~3,500 years ago (the first book written in the Bible), clearly states that the earth floats in space? We didn’t know the earth floated in space, until ~1,000 years later. There are hundreds of prophecies (668 prophesies) in the Bible, and every single one that was supposed to happen, has happened.!The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946 confirmed prophecies written in ink dated from ~1900- 2,200 years ago. How do you explain that? Because it’s real! And no other religion has ANY proof like this! (www.EvidenceBible.com) I never realized that there was actually real evidence for Christianity. Not just a little, but a LOT. Enough that Christianity is undeniable to those who actually listen and search for the truth. And not just that, but over that last ~3,500 years of people trying to prove the Bible wrong, it has never happened! twenty-first twenty-first
- 23. Most errors inthe Bible are when people misinterpret it. For example, people misunderstand Romans 12:20 when it talks about their enemy. It states “…Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head”. People look at it and say “well, a few books earlier, Jesus said to turn the other cheek. Now it says to feed your enemy, and then put hot coals on their head. It contradicts itself. This is stupid, and obviously wrong”. What people don’t understand, is that; when this was written, people would bring their neighbors hot coals as a courtesy if their fire went out. So heaping "hot coals" on them does not mean to BURN them, but to metaphorically rekindle their fire. So I will also discuss some of these misunderstandings and “obvious contradictions” of the Bible. Another aspect that I will be discussing is archaeological evidence. There is loads of this as well. Sometimes archaeologists find something that they think dismisses the Bible. Then the whole world says, “well, I guess they were wrong :) ”. But then later they realize they were in a different location than they thought, a different level of earth than they thought, they simply misinterpreted the evidence, etc. So in this evidence as well, there is no proof against the Bible, but a lot of proof to support it. In fact, there are over 25,000 different archaeological sites that confirm the Bible. Carl Sagan once said, “the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”. With a little less literary beauty, and a little more readability, it might say “just because you don’t have proof of something, it doesn’t prove that it isn’t true. You could always find proof of it tomorrow.” One of Two Answers Must be Right Ultimately; with the evidence that I have collected, I’ve come to two "distinct" conclusions. You will understand the "basis" to these "two" conclusions, AFTER reading the BOOK. Either “A”; there is a God, He cares about us, and everything in twenty-second twenty-second
- 24. the Bible istrue, or “B”; someone from the future got ahold of a "time machine", and "somehow" set everything up to purposely make us come to the previous conclusion. But; then I realized that "time travel" is IMPOSSIBLE (irrelevant explanation coming up). In order to go back in time, you have to travel faster than the speed of light to end up on the other side of the light cone. But as an object gets closer to the speed of light, its mass EXPONENTIALLY increases. So if an object with mass hits the speed of light, it would end up having an infinite mass, which would then take an infinite amount of energy to further increase in speed. As we KNOW; there is not an "infinite" amount of energy in the universe, so this is impossible (for humans). A second “theory” is to enter a worm hole by diving into a black hole. However, the closest black hole is about 1,600 light years away. So even if we got to just under the speed of light, it would take >1,600 years to get there. But as speed increases, time slows down. So maybe (?) if they were going ~97% the speed of light (basically impossible), those 1,600 years would only age them ~50 years or so. But then after entering the black hole, how would they control where they went in time, even though they would almost DEFINITELY be crushed to nothing, after being destroyed by RADIATION? THE "POINT" IS; time travel is impossible, so the Bible is my answer. I invite ANYONE to give me clear evidence disproving God or the Bible. My email address is Info@TheresProof.com . I do not believe this stuff because I want to. I believe it because it’s true. I hope you enjoy the book, and perhaps learn a thing, or two, or a hundred. twenty-third twenty-third
- 25. CCHAPTERHAPTER 11 It Mustbe One or the Other I initially began this book with scriptural science (chapter 4). Then I realized that some people out there (Malta, 1%),(United States, 9% or 10%),(France, 33%), believe that there is no god (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism, 2013). So proving that Christianity is the only true religion may not stand much ground, against an adamant, close-minded atheist. So I decided to instead start the book with proof of why God must exist. I challenge even the most intelligent, hard- headed atheist, to say that this chapter does not prove the existence of God. If you have a "GOOD" argument; send me an e-mail (REALLY!). There are only two distinct and polar "possibilities" of how the universe began. Either; it was deliberately created by an outside force, or accidentally created by an intrinsic force. Can we directly discover the "probability" that “God” created the universe? Not really. Not easily anyway. But, we CAN find this probability another way. When there are only two possible answers to a "question", the probability of one happening is 1 minus the probability of the other one happening. Using the pro- evolution statistic, that is discussed later on in the chapter, that makes the chance of there being a creator a: 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999999999999999999999999% chance twenty-fourth twenty-fourth
- 26. Read on toget a better understanding of why random evolution is impossible. But I’ll go ahead and tell you, it wouldn’t be smart to bet against those odds. (Page 141 measures "coincidences") Thank the BIG BANG for “Random-but- Vital” Coincidences! Did you know there are some really huge, impossible, yet vital “coincidences” that we have very recently found in our cosmos? These are only considered to be "coincidences" by those who still hold onto their theories. For some reason, "atheistic evolutionists" never mention any of these “coincidences”, and most of the public doesn’t know about them. At the end of Chapter 11; there are a few quick facts about the universe that I pulled from 26 facts listed in Hugh Ross’ book The Creator and The Cosmos (2005). The Impossible Statistics Behind Random Creation The thing is, Einstein did not know any of the previous facts I mentioned. So how did Einstein conclude that, because the universe does not have an infinite past, it could not possibly have been randomly created? Because; it is statistically IMPOSSIBLE! Einstein did NOT have all the statistics, but he did realize that the only way for the universe to have evolved by itself is if it had been around forever. The chance of random evolution creating just a simple organism only has a wink of a chance, even if the universe has been around forever (which it has not). Theoretically, an infinitely old universe would lend an infinite number of chances for the universe to evolve. Still, even if the universe had an infinite amount of time to evolve, the chances are still impossible. twenty-fifth twenty-fifth
- 27. For example, ifI had an infinite amount of chances to throw a basketball one mile straight up on Earth; it would never happen. Not even a quattuorvigintillion (1075) years later. Why? Because it is impossible! I’ll never have the strength to do so by myself! So even if the universe had an infinite amount of time and chances to randomly evolve, hitting just one impossible ROADBLOCKon its infinite journey, would stop it dead in its tracks; every chance, every time. Still, Einstein tried with his tightest grip to hold onto this impossibility; until he finally had to give it up. So without further adieu, here are a few statistics to demonstrate certain possibilities, or rather, impossibilities, in the universe. The Probability of the Simplest Cell Reconstructing Itself Harold Morowitz calculated that if someone took the simplest living cell, and broke the chemical bonds in it, the chance of it reassembling would be one in 10100,000,000,000. That’s a 10 with 100 billion zeros following it. To say it is "impossible" is much, MUCH, MUCHmore than an UNDERSTATEMENT. I tried to come up with a comparison for this probability; but nothing could come "anywhere near" it. Even the entire mass of the "universe", expressed as a multiple of the mass of the "hydrogen atom" (the smallest atom in the universe), is still only about 1080. So 10100,000,000,000 really is NOTa "comprehendible" value. And this impossibility is for the random development of just ONE cell. Not only that; but the simplest cell! The probability of anything beyond that one simple cell developing, let alone a human; is just UNFATHOMABLE. So there you have it. The chance of even one cell forming is impossible. PERIOD. Though; we'll assume that the universe, cells, and humans just, "somehow appeared out of nowhere". twenty-sixth twenty-sixth
- 28. What are thechances that the conditions of the universe would actually allow us to live in it? The Probability of the Perfect Planet (Earth) Assuming the impossibility that the "big bang" somehow happened for ,"no particular reason," and randomly created ALL the atoms, elements, stars, galaxies, moons, etc. What are the "chances" that the random placement of EVERYTHING, could actually create a planet that could "sustain human life"? Well; using only 41 parameters (coincidences) in Hugh’s book (there are obviously many more), he came up with the possibility of 10-53. French probability expert Emile Borél created a “single law of chance” which "states" that anything above 1050 is absolutely "IMPOSSIBLE" under any circumstance. So even the "probability" of a perfect Earth at 10-53 , is 1000 times more impossible than Borél’s absolute impossibility. I’m sure after seeing the probability of a cell reassembling itself, this value doesn’t seem very impressive: and perhaps even POSSIBLE. Let me assure you; it is NOT POSSIBLE! But if you consider this "probability" with every planet, of every star, in every galaxy in the universe, that could make it possible; RIGHT?? Nope. Even considering every single planet in the universe, it still leaves only a 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10 decillion) chance that one of them could sustain life. I find it "funny" that so MANY PEOPLE assume that because there are trillions upon trillions of planets in the universe, it seems absurd that earth harbors the only intelligent "life". In reality, the only reason it’s not absurd to say that such a planet exists at ALL, is because we miraculously live on it! Dr. David Rodabaugh (1975) even gives us another statistic twenty-seventh twenty-seventh
- 29. just to showhow absurd evolution is. This statistic gives evolution every benefit of every doubt, and actually assumes that it is correct. He writes: “assuming that evolution is 99.9999% certain, then ‘evolution [still] has only a 1 in 10175chance of being valid…. Therefore, even with the beginning assumption that evolution is a virtual certainty, a conditional probability analysis of the fossil record [alone] results in the conclusion that evolution is a demonstrable absurdity.’” To put it bluntly: “NO WAY JOSE!” (IMO) How God Created the Universe ~6,000 Years Ago Believe it or not, I am actually not necessarily dismissing the big bang. There is plenty of evidence that the beginning of the universe happened in a way similar to the big bang. The "cosmic oven theory" states that all of space should be a few degrees above absolute zero, if the big bang actually happened. This is compared to a scorching hot oven, which, when opened, raises the temperature of the room several degrees in a uniform manner. Thus, the heat from the expansion of the big bang, should theoretically have spread evenly throughout the universe. The COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite, and W. M. Keck Observatory (2) telescopes have proved this. However, trying to go beyond this "beginning" and stating that the stars, the planets, and the rest of the cosmos just kinda “came together”; is just not possible. I believe the evidence that we have for the big bang shows that God just took a big nothing, touched it with His finger, and with a theoretical “BANG!”; expanded it into what we have today. Many "Christians", and especially "non-Christians", find a big problem with the Bible’s account of creation. It "states" that it took six literal days, and it infers that it was around twenty-eighth twenty-eighth
- 30. ~6,000 years ago.Actually; I followed the exact years of the lineage account of the Bible from Adam to today, and came up with 6,106 years (2008). How is this possible? The light from the stars that we see is actually light that has to be millions of years old, or more. Archaeological evidence on Earth dates limestone all the way up to ~3.8 billion years ago. The Earth ,"itself", is thought to be about ~4.5 BILLION years old. So how did God create it just ~6,000 years ago? Simple. He created it exactly as He wanted it to be, at the age that he wanted it to be. Science and logic demand that whatever "age" an object is, it must have existed for the "exact same amount" of time. So if we see a human that is 30 years of age, we know that they have been alive for 30 years. But God doesn’t have to follow the rules that He created for us (He really doesn't)! When He created Adam, although the Bible doesn’t state it, most assume that he was created as an adult, perhaps 20- 30 years old. Why would God create him as a baby, if He didn’t have to? God created EVERYTHING for us, so when He created it, it was INSTANTLY ready for us to live on; IMO. So why are the stars and galaxies all moving away from us? If God had created them as static, the gravity of the bodies would eventually cause the universe to collapse into itself. Why would God create the universe ~13.8 billion years old? If He had created it "brand spankin’ new", or even just somewhat younger than it is now, we wouldn’t be able to see any stars. The sky would be black. If it were somewhat older, we would receive TOO MUCH LIGHT! Not to mention, HUNDREDS of other problems (seriously). If the earth were older or younger, it would spin too slow, or too fast; respectively. As I described earlier in the chapter: if the universe, our galaxy, our solar system, and our Earth were not EXACTLY the way that they are, life would not be possible. So how does the event of "the big bang" fit into this? Well, if there actually was a big bang, I don’t believe it took much, if any time; at ALL. He did everything in six days, so it has to fit into that time frame. One "theory" that I have, is that God planted the seed (for the big bang), and basically skipped time to exactly the time He wanted it to be. A comparison to this, is a "fish game" I use to play on my twenty-ninth twenty-ninth
- 31. cell phone. Ihad to breed fish, and try to create exotic breeds. The major limitation that I had; was that I had to WAIT for the fish to hatch and grow up, before I could breed them. But then, I discovered I didn’t HAVE to wait. All I had to do was set my cell phone clock a few hours forward, and when I returned to the game ,the eggs would instantly be adult fish. So perhaps God did something like this with the beginning of the universe. Another "theory", is that there was no beginning at ALL; per se. God simply made everything appear, as He wanted it to. This seems to be the most accepted "theory" by the Bible, since it says that He, "spoke," and everything APPEARED! Although skeptics may find it far-fetched that God created the universe "at the age He wanted, in a completely manipulative and powerful way", it’s really the "ONLY" theory that truly, works; OUT. Obviously (IMO), according to the PLETHORA of evidence and perfection of the Creation, there must be a "Creator". This "Creator" is obviously "all- powerful". So WHY is it hard to believe that He could create an object with age? He is not limited by time. He can flip through our time like the pages of a book. He created the universe like a 3D artist creates a world in a "game". They can plant a tree in the game, that is full grown without having to wait for it to grow. The MAIN difference with GOD, is that it doesn't have to take Him anytime (or EXTREMELY quickly) to do it: and He has 3D Studio Max v. 10infinity. A poor, but UNDERSTANDABLE comparison, would be me drawing a short cartoon. Let’s say I draw a five second cartoon. It begins with a "basketball" flying through the air, and going through a hoop, and then zooms out to reveal a person standing alone on the basketball court. Logic would assume, perhaps demand, that the person on the court threw the ball. I mean, someone had to, right? But did he? NO! When I created the ball, it was already flying through the air. There is "no other explanation needed". I created the ball out of thin air, and I created it with velocity. It was already there. PERIOD! The same principle can be applied to God. God "created the universe" as expanding and slowing down, the earth as 4.5 billion years old, and everything else the age that it IS; for a REASON! In ALL of the scientific research I have done, this is the ONLY thirtieth thirtieth
- 32. "theory" that Ihave found, that works on ALL levels. Coincidentally, it somehow happens to go right along with the Bible; the direct Word of God. Time is NOT Constant Another "theory" of interest deals with time itself. Anyone with a vague understanding of Einstein's "theory of general relativity understands" that time is not constant. It appears constant to us, but it is only relative. Two known factors can affect time (that we KNOW of). First off, the speed at which an object travels will affect time. The faster an object travels, the slower time passes for it. So if one "twin" went into a space shuttle and traveled nearly the speed of light, while the other "twin" stayed "on Earth"; the "twin" "on Earth" could physically age 20 years while the other "twin" aged only minutes. In such a circumstance, the "twin" in the shuttle would actually have only flown for several minutes, while the "twin" on Earth would actually have experienced 20 years of life. This is not based on "science fiction", but on actual science. The second factor that can affect time is gravity. The more gravity that pulls on an object, the more slowly time will pass for it. These "two factors" let us know that trying to consider "the age of the universe" by only our "relative time" SOMETIMES is not going to be accurate! "One theory" that clearly explains how the universe can appear so old involves a "gravitational well". This was actually tested, on Earth, with two extremely accurate clocks. One was placed at the base of a clock tower (closer to earth, thus more gravity), while the other was placed at the top of it. After a period of time, the clock on the top of the tower actually had more time pass than the clock at the base of the tower (barely). Since speed also affects time, the speed of the Earth affects how fast time passes on it. However, because position is relative, it is difficult to really say "how fast" the Earth is moving. The Earth is spinning on its axis at ~1000 mph. BUT, it is also moving ~66,000 mph through its orbit. BUT, the Sun and our thirty-first thirty-first
- 33. solar system arespeeding around the galaxy at ~487,383 mph. BUT, the Milky Way galaxy we live in is moving ~1,300,000 mph. As far as comparison, the "speed of light" is ~671,000,000 mph. There's PLENTY of other "factors" of speed as well. So it is VERY difficult to say how fast we are actually moving. What both of these factors "amounts to" is the fact that it is hard to say how fast time passes when we go beyond the confines of the Earth. I can confidently say that one minute for "me" is one minute for "the guy" next to me. But how long is it for someone in another galaxy? The Bible says that God created the earth is six days. But six days from "what" reference? He doesn't say six days on Earth. He just says "six days". PerHAPS: it was six days for "Him". If I'm playing a "computer game" where time passes much faster in the "game" than in my time, I'm still going to make references to the game according to my time (e.g. it took me 10 days to beat the game). As I will discuss in the next section, time does not apply to God (unless He wants it to). But as I will also explain in a later chapter, He can make time apply to Himself, if He wants. Perhaps (IMO), when God created the universe in six days, He entered His "creation", and thus the "time constriction" that "He" created in the very beginning. If He moved around at nearly the speed of light, the 15 billion or so years that we see could "scientifically" be only six days to Him. This is just one of many plausible "theories" that scientifically validate the Bible's exact story of creation. The point IS, simply looking at a "star" that is beaming light from a billion years ago our time, does NOT mean that God did not create the earth in six days, and that the earth is not around ~6,000 years old by His time. It's all a matter of reference. How Can Time Not Exist for God? My friend asked me this, after I told him that time does not exist for God. He asked how could there possibly be a world, or dimension, without time? BETWEEN the point that you read the ,"last sentence," and, "this sentence"; there was "time". So how thirty-second thirty-second
- 34. could God readtwo sentences without having any time between them? He reads one sentence BEFORE the other, and a chronological relationship demands a passing of time (doesn't it?). It just, doesn’t, make; sense. The reason it does not make sense, and is completely incomprehensible to us from this perspective, is because we are still comparing God and His realm, to our own. Consider this example. Let’s say you create a two dimension picture just like the one below: In this picture, there are only two dimensions: length and width. If somehow shapes could "talk", the triangle would completely agree with you that it could move up, down, left, or right in comparison to the square. But what would happen if you tried to explain to the triangle that it could move "away" from the square, but still be the same distance from the square from the perspective that the picture shows? It would think you were nuts, because it is an impossibility according to its dimensional limitations. You would be speaking of depth, and the triangle would have absolutely no way or basis in which to comprehend the concept. The following picture shows what the triangle would not be able to understand: the dimension of depth: thirty-third thirty-third
- 35. Look at bothpictures for a minute: try to understand why the 2-D triangle would never be able to truly comprehend what you were telling it. In a similar manner, we can never truly understand a world without time, until we experience it. Similarly, a man blind from birth can never truly comprehend sight until they experience it. Now we’ll take it a step further. Say you are now talking to the three-dimensional "triangle" from the second picture. It would have no problem with you telling it that it could move front, back, up, down, left, or right. But, suppose you tell it that "without using any of those directions", it could move away from itself. Again; it would think you are crazy. Supposing that the previous picture is a strictly a three-dimensional environment, it would be impossible for the "triangle" to comprehend. This brings us to the fourth and final dimension in our universe (that we can experience). In real life, if we take a triangular block and put it next to a rectangular block, it is possible for the triangular block to move away from itself and the rectangular block: without using any of the "six directions" listed earlier. In fact, when any amount of time passes, both of the blocks move away from their past selves, as well as everything else in the past. This is the fourth dimension: time. So these four dimensions, confine our universe. Without getting much into theory, I will quickly entertain an idea for a "fifth dimension". If there were such a dimension, it could be a multitude of things. But following the first four thirty-fourth thirty-fourth
- 36. dimensions, a "characteristic"that it must have, is that an object can somehow move without using any of the previous dimensions. One idea is what sci-fi writers have called “alternate universes”. One way of describing this, is that BECAUSE there are an infinite number of moves, choices, thoughts, etc. that a person can have at any moment; an INFINITE amount of alternate parallel universes could exist where all of these infinite moves, choices, thoughts, etc. will happen. Of course, this "last example" is only given to show you the possibility and constraints of the universe we live in. We can only "possibly" understand the rules that we are governed by. The laws and physics of our universe were specifically designed by God to apply for "us". The universe is the "bubble" that he put us in. Our aquarium. But he is "outside" of that ,and completely unaffected by it. So we cannot even begin to try and "understand" the realm in which He "lives". So trying to understand a world without time, is "IMPOSSIBLE" until we experience it, which we all will; when the world ends, and we will enter “eternity”. Yes, in Quantum Physics there are 10 - 12 "dimensions", that we know of. Though, those are VERY tiny/too complex. For the "purpose" of this demonstration, we'll stick with four. Why Would Someone Believe in Evolution? Beats me. But I suppose in their minds, it’s pretty simple. People never could understand life unless they were religious. Religion gives people a peace of mind because it takes away the nagging question of where the heck we came from, and why we’re here. As I will prove over the next several chapters, Christianity is the only religion that actually follows science and every other kind of proof to a “T”, and is ultimately the ONLY truth. Still, some people feel STUPID believing in religion, because in this "modern-day world", we can see, feel, explain, and understand so MUCH more than we ever could before. Everyone is a scientist, and nearly everything can be explained thirty-fifth thirty-fifth
- 37. with science, orat least a scientific theory. Yet, we cannot do this with God... ...God is beyond our comprehension, because we are limited to understanding and viewing things, from the perspective of the rules that govern the "universe". Since God is beyond that: it is IMPOSSIBLE to completely comprehend Him as we are. The Bible even says that if God were to appear to us in His true form, we would instantly perish. Perish. PERISH... ...that is the reason God never directly appears to us. PERIOD. In the Bible, He had to appear indirectly, such as through the angels, the burning bush, and His closest manifestation of Himself: Jesus. Still, even Jesus as a human does not completely show us exactly Who God Is. He is simply "beyond our understanding". Only once we are unbound from these "darn" laws of "physics" and the "physical universe", and enter into eternity, THEN will we be able to get a better picture of God. So, we ultimately cannot "fully" understand who "He" is. Jesus is the closest understanding that we have. If you want to have an idea of what God’s personality is like: just look at Jesus. God simply tells us “I Am who I Am”, and I suppose we have to accept that? Since some people feel that this is "too hard of a pill to swallow", they deny it, rather than accepting what they DO understand... Then Darwin came along in 1859 and gave these "unbelievers" a "false sense of peace" by developing a new theory about how animals evolved from crap (well…not literally; but it may as well have been ). This theory was accepted by many for a long time. Then came along the theory of the big bang, which could account for not only the creation of life, but the creation of the whole universe! SWEET! This pseudo- science created an entirely new and unique possibility; that life could actually be fully explained scientifically! Great news for the atheist, right? So now God can be taken out of the picture, and life can be explained completely scientifically??…Well; not thirty-sixth thirty-sixth
- 38. real-... ... NO! PERIOD. Iactually can’t understand how someone can TRULY believe that, the big bang and evolution, created everything. I; really; cannot?? I think the majority of people who believe in this "combo" really don’t understand it. People "dismiss Christianity" because they say there is "no proof"; yet, there is actually too much proof to consider (it was hard to keep this book slim)! Conversely, people believe in "the big bang" and "evolution" because they say that there is proof; yet the most IMPORTANT "proof" is against it! SUCH A PARADOXPARADOXPARADOX ! In reality; the big bang and evolution have so many obvious holes, contradictions, and impossibilities, it truly boggles my mind that people believe it. Let alone, that people earn Ph. D’s and spend their lives studying it! The only reason that I would get a Doctorate in it, is for RESEARCH only! Einstein Bowed to the Creator; Against His Will That’s right, Einstein: one of the smartest men to ever live. He did not literally bow in a respectful manner or anything; he simply threw in his theoretical towel and reluctantly concluded that "God" must exist. If anyone had a grasp on science and the universe, it was this guy! Einstein really wanted to believe that there was no God. It was one of his firm belief that God was "not real". Up until this point, he based his proof that there did not have to be a God on the incorrect fact that the universe was infinite, and static (not moving). As I will later discuss in this chapter, the only way that the theory of spontaneous creation and evolution stands ANY ground, is if the universe had an infinite amount of time, and thus chances, for evolving from nothing. This was the accepted world view, and no one could question it. This, was; thirty-seventh thirty-seventh
- 39. EINSTEIN!! However, Einstein accidentallyshot his own foot by discovering that the universe was not "infinite". After developing his equations of general relativity, he realized that the universe was simultaneously expanding and decelerating; just like an explosion. He acknowledged the fact that the only way for a grenade or piece of dynamite to explode, is for something to initiate the "explosion". Thus, there had to be a “beginner”: IMO, "God". Einstein really didn’t want to believe this, so he created a theory with an opposing force that would perfectly "cancel out" his equation, and allow the universe to indeed have an infinite past. So he fought so hard that he didn’t just search for proof: he tried to create it! There…no more God..whew! This lasted from 1917 until 1929. Then, using his new telescope, Edwin Hubble *burst* Einstein’s little atheistic bubble by proving that Einstein was right with his first answer: the universe is expanding and decelerating. Reluctantly, Einstein finally admitted that God had to exist. Actually, he acknowledged “the presence of a superior reasoning power”; a long-winded way of saying “God” (Barnett, 1948). So if one of the smartest men to ever walk to the face of the earth, who had one of the biggest impacts on science, who did his best to DISPROVE God, could only "in the end" hold up a "white flag" and proclaim His EXISTENCE: what CHANCE does anyone else HAVE, to do the OPPOSITE!? ... I always thought I was "too smart "to believe in God, and here I am writing a book! thirty-eighth thirty-eighth
- 40. WHAT? That’s right. Evolutionwins. At least, at the end of 2005 according to Judge Jones in Dover, PA; it does. The judge ruled that Intelligent Design is "NOT" scientific, and said “our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach Intelligent Design as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom”. Chapter "1" seemed pretty scientific to me, IMO. And evolution seems to be a lot more like fantasy and science fiction. Still, in a "court of law", Intelligent Design was slapped in the face, while EVOLUTION was put on a "pedestal". But what happened?? I read the court script, and it appeared that those on the side of evolution had MUCH better lawyers than those on the other side (?). Out of the entirety of chapter 1 in this book, the defendants (of intelligent design) did not mention ANY of the facts or arguments that I wrote about. Not one! So what did they use for an offense? Not much really. Their biggest argument involved "bacterial flagellum" and a concept labeling it an “irreducibly complex” life form. "Bacterial flagellum" is a very simple outboard motor that "bacteria" use to swim. The term “irreducibly complex” means that if just "one" part of the motor is taken away, it will not work. The defense, Michael Behe, claims that this proves that evolution could not have produced it, since all of the pieces would have to have formed at once, since each individual piece is useless. However, the evolutionists quickly pointed out that the components of the bacterial flagellum can be used for other purposes, so Behe’s entire argument is basically useless. The evolutions then give another irreducibly complex example that advocates of intelligent design use: the mousetrap. But then they go on to explain how even after removing two of the five parts, they can still use the mousetrap as a tie clip. Behe never says anything else about the matter, and it is clearly a win for thirty-ninth thirty-ninth CCHAPTERHAPTER 22
- 41. evolutionists. The next argumentby Behe states that evolution can not account for the formation of the immune system. After he says this, the plaintiff asks to come to the stand. He then completely refutes Behe’s statement by piling "books" on his bench that are all about how evolution explains the immune system. Against, Behe doesn’t do, or say; ANYTHING! The final argument (if you want to call it that) is a quote given to the judge from Behe. “In fact, intelligent design is open to direct experimental rebuttal. To falsify such a claim, a scientist could go into the laboratory, place a bacterial species lacking a flagellum under some selective pressure, for motility, say, grow it for 10,000 generations and see if a flagellum or any equally complex system was produced. If that happened my claims would be neatly disproven”. The judge then asks is this has been done. The defense says no; but that evolution hasn’t done it "either". Still, a theory to "obtain" evidence, is "not" evidence, so I don’t even know why they mentioned it! These three arguments were the only arguments given for "Intelligent design". You have in your hands, right now, a book full of scientific proof for intelligent design, yet the defense only choose three weak examples. Ironically (?), the evolutionists were able to easily counter each of them. Not only that, but the plaintiff somehow had stacks of books to counter the argument about the immune system. It almost seems like it was "set up", and that Behe let it happen (did he?). He said in the court regarding his first argument, “I think the best, well, the most visually striking example of design is something called the bacterial flagellum”. Is he serious!? We have the entire universe to scavenge THROUGH(!); and he says that the best example is a simple bacterial flagellum? Not only that, but it ends up not even being proof anyways! What about the statistic of the chance of a broken down cell reconstructing itself? Why not go there? Whynotgothere...Whynotgothere...Whynotgothere.Whynotgothere... Then there was the second "countering" of irreducible complexity by talking about a "mousetrap". The plaintiff says that although a mousetrap supposedly "must" have all of its parts to work, it can in fact still function as a tie clip without some of its parts. We’re trying to discover the "ORIGIN OF THE fortieth fortieth
- 42. UNIVERSE", and heshows how you can use a "three-part mouse trap" as a tie clip? Talk about undermining SCIENCE! Then Behe does nothing to dispute what they are saying. He just seems to go with it. Needless to say, I was getting "pretty angry" watching the reenactment of the trial... Next Behe gives the argument about the immune system, which has plenty of scientific research to prove it. Why didn’t he choose something that does not have "dozens of books" written about it? Again, he has another argument that states one thing, when clearly the reality of it is the opposite. Finally, the third argument is simply "wishful thinking", and doesn’t prove anything at all. Either the defendant was absolutely terrible, or they were really working for the plaintiff. Either way: Intelligent Design was not really given an argument at ALL, and evolution was not disproved, as it should have been. As this book has, and will continue to prove, the proof and necessity of "intelligent design" is irrefutable. The following section will discuss more holes in the theory of evolution. Why Evolution is Not Scientific As I have already explained, evolutionists say that "supernatural" is something that does not apply to, or breaks the laws of physics. A better way of explaining the big bang beginning is “well, the laws of physics don’t work in creationism. Creationism is not scientific". The previous chapter gave reasons why it is scientific, and why evolution is improbable. I am going to give several reasons more reasons why evolution is not scientific. But first, I will give a small paradox about the two theories. Atheistic evolutionists say that creationism is not scientific because it involves supernatural elements in the beginning, and that supernatural is not "scientific". But what does the atheistic "big bang" model say about the beginning? Is it scientific? Not at all! In fact; the big bang model states that at "the very beginning", the laws of physics had to "break down". Is this just a "scientific" way of saying that it was supernatural? Well, they say that the theories of gravity, magnetism, time, etc. did forty-first forty-first
- 43. not apply theway they do now. Is this not supernatural? So let’s assume that these laws were thrown out the window, and some supernatural force that we don’t "understand", just made everything "happen"; with a “random fluctuation“. Just don’t call it "God". Yea…that right there is science... So the big bang theory is just as supernatural as creationism. They just abandon the word "supernatural" and say that “the laws of physics had to break down”, and some "other force" had to exist. Both theories require something supernatural. So we pretty much all must agree that the supernatural is not just possible, but required, for creation. The differences between the two theories, are that the big bang and evolution are much less probable; and that while creationism gives a motive for creation, the other does not. Here is a quote from noted evolutionist writer and lecturer Stephen J. Gould stating how evolutionists only focus on the minuscule fraction of evidence supporting their theory and throw away everything else: "Every paleontologist knows that most species don't change. They get a little bigger or bumpier but they remain the same species and that is stasis. And yet this remarkable stasis has generally been ignored as no data. If they don't change it is not evolution so don't talk about it." The following attack and rebuttal for evolution was pulled from www.religioustolerance.org: "Indicator 10: If one species were to evolve into another, one would expect that it would do so in many small, incremental steps. Thus, many transition fossils would have been found by now. But, in fact, very few have been discovered. Rebuttal 10: Charles Darwin originally believed that evolution was a gradual phenomenon. In fact, he wrote that if transitional fossils were not found, that his conclusion about a slowly forty-second forty-second
- 44. advancing evolution wouldbe false. Stephen Gould has proposed the concept of punctuated equilibrium: the idea that species were relatively fixed over long periods of time; transition from one species to another happened relatively quickly. Thus, transitional fossils would be extremely rare. He believes that speciation generally occurs rapidly in small, isolated populations of a species. Thus, surviving transitional fossils would be expected to be almost non-existent." So because Darwin's model of evolution has too many "holes", evolutionists came up with the new theory of "Punctuated Equilibrium" to get around the lack of fossil evidence. But what evidence is there for such a model? The only real evidence comes from one species of coral-like sea organisms called "Bryozoan", which remained unchanged for 40 million years and then underwent an explosion of diversification. The only other "proof" of "Punctuated Equilibrium" is the minor mutations that some isolated organisms have experienced, such as Darwin's observations of the changes in a finch's beak to accommodate it to the environment. However, it was still just a finch, just with a different shape of beak. So how does this explain the major evolutionary mutations and instant appearances that we see in the fossil record? It doesn't. It almost appears as if something just created organisms and placed them on the earth. But that would be impossible; right? So the Script of Life Wrote Itself? Who wrote the super-complex script of human DNA? Many scientists claim that RNA actually came first, but who wrote that? Even pro-evolution website www.livescience.com admits: "The RNA world hypothesis doesn't explain how RNA itself first arose. Like DNA, RNA is a complex molecule made of repeating units of thousands of smaller molecules called nucleotides that link together in very specific, patterned ways. While there are scientists who forty-third forty-third
- 45. think RNA couldhave arisen spontaneously on early Earth, others say the odds of such a thing happening are astronomical." Think of it this way. If you took a bucket of paint and splashed it on a canvas, is it possible that it could have created the detailed picture of a lion? Well it's certainly not likely, but I'm sure there's an ultra-minuscule chance that it could happen. Consider this to be the chance of life spontaneously building itself. But: what is the chance that in addition to the lion, a full written description of how to create the lion had also appeared on the canvas. What is the possibility of that? Definitely so close to zero that it can't be comprehended. This is similar to saying that RNA, the literal description of how to build an organism, somehow just appeared within the organism. Dead Humans What about dead human beings? If everything is simply a machine put together, how come we haven't brought been about to put the "building blocks" together and make the machine work again? I figure if humans are NOT more than just flesh and blood, either we'll be able to "build them", or bring them back-to-life after being long dead? Or they will be almost zombie-like and emotionless when we do? Obviously, science is very far from this. But what about animals? What about bacteria? What about a cells? How come we can't build ANYTHING?? Because God breathed life into everything, and only He can do it. Period. As stated by the editorial staff of The Forerunner magazine: "Even if we took all the proteins essential for a living cell and placed them within a test tube, we would still not succeed in producing life. A dead cell has all the essential components to function but something has offset the precision of its operation. Dead cells in a test tube will always remain dead no matter what is done to them, even though they seem to have the ingredients for life. Life does forty-fourth forty-fourth not simply consist of a mere assemblage of the right compounds or proteins."
- 46. CCHAPTERHAPTER 33 So Who’sRight? So if there’s a God, which God is it? It makes sense that God would want us to know who He is, which is what different religions claim they know. So which religion is right? If any of the religions are right, it makes sense that it would have made an impact on the world, and would be well-known. forty-fifth forty-fifth
- 47. So the majorityof the world believes in either Christianity, Islam, and Hindu (70%). While the rest of the religions drastically fall off from there. The religions such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology, New Age, Shinto, and all the other religions are so small and unscientific, that I can’t imagine why people even consider them? Someone had either a money-making idea, or was crazy. Maybe a combination of the two. Then they made something up, and people were gullible enough to follow it. Even the Muslim religion, the second-largest religion in world, only has 63% of the number of followers as Christianity. Although people often say not to follow the crowd (probably due to America’s push for individuality), the crowd is still usually forty-sixth forty-sixth
- 48. right (at leaston the show “Millionaire”, they usually are). In this particular case, I am sure of it. I’ll explain. Islam For years the Muslim religion stated that, although the original Holy Bible may have been the Word of God, it has changed over the years due to human error and corruption. You may not know this (I didn't), but Islam is nearly a copy (ROUGH copy) of Christianity. The Koran, which is basically their equivalent of the Christian Bible, is ultimately a reworded copy of the Bible. It talks about the six days of creation (though it later contradicts itself with an eight day account), Adam and Eve, the world-wide flood, Abraham, the Israelites, David and Goliath, and even Jesus (although the NAMES were different)! The main difference is that they believe that Jesus was just a great prophet; not our savior. So they believe that their religion, which was not even formed until the ~622 AD, is the true religion. Christianity and the Bible have been "corrupted" over the years. Well, guess what Muhammad? We have PROOF?! In 1946, the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were found in a cave at Qumran. These scrolls contained writings of the Bible from up to ~2200 years ago! All but one of the books of the Bible (Esther) was at least partially found; and guess what? The writings from 200 BC are basically the same as the writings of today! Although sometimes there were some minor literary mistakes, the message itself was the same. This finding alone has dismissed Islam’s main offense towards Christianity, and should help you find comfort, in the fact, that; the Bible has not changed over the years. The scientific principles explained in the next chapter were all formally discovered thousands of years after the Dead Sea Scrolls were written (proving they were not later added). I will discuss the Dead Sea Scrolls in a later chapter. Now that you understand that the Bible of today is the same as the Bible of yesterday, the year before that, a millennium before that, etc.; the rest of this book should pretty much prove itself. But; I’m forty-seventh forty-seventh
- 49. still not donewith the other religions yet. I invite anyone to go buy a copy of the Koran. I did, and discovered that it is a (IMO) POORLY written copy of the Bible. In addition to this, there are plenty of clear errors laced throughout it. Even though the original Bible they copied from does not have any clear errors, the Muslim’s humanly written copy added quite a few. Here are several: One Day With Allah is… How many years equal one day with Allah? I’m not sure, and apparently neither was Muhammad. Look at a few verses from the Koran: “…to him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you count.” S. 32:5 “ to him ascend the angels and the spirit in a day the measure of which is fifty thousand years.” S. 70:4 Who Takes Our Body at Death? According to S. 22:11, the angel of death does. According to S. 47:27, the “angels” take it. According to S. 39:42, Allah takes it. Perhaps the answer is that it is ripped into shreds so everyone can get a piece? ...What? I'm a stand-up comedian! The Sun Following the Moon in Orbit The following are direct sentences taken from the Quran: “It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).” S. 36:40 forty-eighth forty-eighth
- 50. “By the sunand his brightness, And the moon when she followeth him ...” S. 91:1-2 It doesn’t take a scientist to realize that Muhammad is saying that the sun follows the moon around the same orbit, but that Allah doesn’t let her catch him. From his point of view on Earth of course, it probably appeared that way. Also, not only does the Quran incorrectly detail the orbits of the sun and moon multiple other times, but it also directly states that the earth does not move! The Stationary Earth “Is not He (best) Who made the earth a FIXED ABODE…” S. 27:61 Say WHAT? Where the Sun Goes at Night If you ever wanted to know where the sun goes during the night, the Quran has the perfect scientific answer: "Until, when he reached the setting place of the sun, he found it setting in a spring of black muddy (or hot) water.” S. 18:86 So not only does it continue with the assumption that it is the sun that goes around the earth, but that it actually sets in a muddy spring and stays there until daytime! Stolen From the Bible It should be obvious that most of the Koran is based on the Bible. I think Muhammad tried to add on to what the Bible said about the cosmos, but got confused with EXACTLY what it forty-ninth forty-ninth
- 51. was saying. TheBible states that the sun has a circuit, or an orbit, in the following verse: "The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end…” Psalm 19:6 NLT Skeptics could say that this view PROVES that they thought that the sun moved around the Earth. Though, you have to REALIZE that we say the same thing TODAY(!): the sun “rises” and “sets”, even though we know that it is really the Earth that is rotating. Still, the reason I mention it, is because I think Muhammad may have tried to expand on it in an incorrect manner. The Seven Heavens “He Who created the seven heavens, one above the other ... And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps ...” S. 67:3, 5 “And He completed them seven heavens in two days and inspired in each heaven its command; and We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and rendered it guarded ...” S. 41:12 “We have indeed adorned the lower heaven with the beauty of the stars.” S. 37:6 So the conclusion of these verses is that there are seven heavens, one above the other, with the stars resting in the lowest. The problem with that, is that stars are located EVERYWHERE in the galaxy. The only way to reconcile this is if the other six heavens are different dimensions. But then how do you explain the following verse? “Do you not see how God has created the seven heavens one above the other, and made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a lamp?” S. 71:15-16 This verse states that the moon is in the midst of the seven fiftieth fiftieth
- 52. heavens, which meansthat it is much farther than the stars, which supposedly only reside in the lowest level. The problem with this, is that the closest star is about 100 million times farther away than the moon, making this an impossibility. Hope for Muslims There is a great Muslim site www.isaalmasih.net , which explains to Muslims who "Isa al Masih" (Jesus Christ) is. The site has many testimonies of real-life Muslims who have been drawn to Jesus in supernatural ways. Skeptics argue that if Jesus is the Messiah, and if God is GOOD, how can He section Himself off from certain people? Well; the answer is that He has many venues of how to reach people. This website is full of ironically similar testimonies of Muslims who have actually had dreams and visions of someone who they realize then, or at a later time, is actually Jesus. I’m a pretty big skeptic when it comes to visions and supernatural stuff, but there are a large number of Muslims who have experienced the same thing. In fact, over one-fourth of converted Muslims reported having a vision or dream of Jesus that made them realize the truth; many of whom knew little or NOTHING of Jesus before the life-changing experience. What are the chances that it is just a coincidence that ~25% of converted Muslims experience this? How many other religions have evidence that their God is literally reaching out to others? How many Christians, or any faith for that matter, have been converted after seeing a vision of Muhammad? From my research, the answer IMO is very close to none. Hinduism Next on the list of religions is Hinduism. This religion really, really confuses me. There are so many different gods; I don’t see how anyone can keep track of them! They do have several main gods, but then they worship many others. It fifty-first fifty-first
- 53. appears that theyjust make up gods as they please. One website (www.wikipedia.com) has 330 million gods in their religion. Some counter that they are infinite forms of god. They’ll even take mother Mary from christianity, and worship her as some manifestation of their god. Their theory and doctrines are so vague and confusing, that it’s really hard to get a grip on what they’re saying. They don’t have a way to be saved, and there is no heaven or HELL. It’s basically a game of karma and reincarnation. The better you do in this life, the better you’ll end up in the next life, and the more you’ll be like GOD. At the very beginning of the Bible, it clearly states that it was this desire that caused Eve to EAT the fruit. Genesis 3:5 states (Satan speaking to Eve) “for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like god…”. The Bible later tells us that pride and the DESIRE to be his own God, is what caused Satan to fall. Hinduism seems to be the encapsulation of this desire. The main problem with Hinduism, other than the fact that it sounds more like an "Ancient Near East" mythological story than a plausible answer to the universe, is that there is no evidence for anything regarding the religion or its doctrines. That ALSO makes it very difficult to disprove. Similarly; I could start a religion where all 39 followers had to drink poison and kill themselves so that they could board the mother ship hiding behind the passing Hale’s Comet. Since it’s all theory with no evidence, no one in the world could disprove it. By the way, that was a description of Heaven’s Gate from 1997 in San Diego, California. The point is, the only reason that Hinduism is still around is because it is so vague, philosophical, and directly avoidant of any type of evidence, that it can’t really be disproved. But in my opinion, this lack of evidence, is evidence that it is a false religion. I know I’ve said that the absence of evidence is NOT evidence of absence, but in this case, there is literally no evidence! NONE! With something as complicated, wide-spread, and historical as the entire Hindu religion, I think I can confidently say: the complete and utter absence of evidence; is evidence of absence. As you will soon see, Christianity has a fifty-second fifty-second
- 54. ridiculous amount ofevidence. Buddhism The following paragraph was quoted from the forum www.topix.com in the Buddhism section and was written by someone with the handle “Llona”. It was written on 3Jul2008 and retrieved by me on 13Aug2008. Although I wouldn’t normally quote from an unknown Jane Doe, she is a Buddhist herself, and sums up Buddhism pretty well (thanks Llona!): “Generally Buddhism does not believe in a personal God or a divine being, it does not have worship, praying to, or praising of a divine being (although some sects do.) It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, no heavenly hope, or a final judgment to those practicing its system. Buddhism is a moral philosophy, an ethical way to live for the here and now of this world to gain the ultimate state. It has more in common with humanism and atheism than its original religion Hinduism it separated from. But Buddhism is not atheism just because they don’t believe in a personal God. It is more like pantheism, there is a impersonal force the void which is the ultimate". So it is basically an extremely vague and unscientific religion that states that everything is an "impersonal force". It is basically a foundation with nothing built on it, in my opinion. I suppose it is almost to the point of agnostic. An agnostic knows that there is life, because we are here; but he doesn’t explain much after that. The Buddhist knows that life is controlled by a force, but he does not really explain much after that. And since I’m in the business of trying to find answers, I can’t really do much with this. I need some tangible evidence. fifty-third fifty-third
- 55. CCHAPTERHAPTER 44 Yes, itReally does Exist That’s right, scriptural science. I promise it is not an oxymoron. I don’t want to bore you with elaborate introductions and long-winded explanations. I’ll explain everything as I go, but let’s get right into it. I begin with science from the scriptures since the Bible is "supposedly" God’s word. If it really is, there should be some pretty amazing stuff in it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Scientific Scriptures fifty-fourth fifty-fourth
- 56. The following sectiongives Bible verses that clearly suggest scientific principles that obviously far predate their time. I have included several versions of the Bible to add validity. The King James Version is from 1611, so even this version is older than some of the scientific principles that were proven. In addition, I added an untranslated Latin version from 405 AD. So if anyone out there speaks Latin; there you go. Key for Versions of the Bible: KJV: King James Version (1611) NLT: New Living Translation (1996) NIV: New International Version (1984) VUL: Vulgate (405 AD) ESV: English Standard Version (2001) NASM: National American Standard Bible (1995) WEB: Noah Webster Version (1833) YON: Robert Young Literal Translation (1898) Proof of: Modern Knowledge of Proper Circumcision Gen 17:12 NIV: "For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised." NKJV: “Every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth.” God DEMANDED that a baby had to be circumcised when it was eight days old. Not seven; or nine: EIGHT. The Israelites probably saw this as just another rule to follow, rather than fifty-fifth fifty-fifth
- 57. medical science. However,in the mid to late 20th century, we discovered something amazing. Prothrombin, which is a vital component to blood clotting, has the highest levels in an individual’s life on exactly the eighth day after they are born. This would make the circumcision the least bloody and safest on the eighth day. Coincidence? I think not! God emphasized the eighth day for a reason, and we have only just recently learned the reason. Below is a prothrombin chart adapted from one published by S.I. McMillen (1984), along with a quote from him: “We should commend the many hundreds of workers who labored at great expense over a number of years to discover that the safest day to perform circumcision is the eighth. Yet, as we congratulate medical science for this recent finding, we can almost hear the leaves of the Bible rustling. They would like to remind us that four thousand years ago, when God initiated circumcision with Abraham....Abraham did not pick the eighth day after many centuries of trial-and-error experiments. Neither he nor any of his company from the ancient city of Ur in the Chaldees ever had been circumcised. It was a day picked by the Creator… (1984, p. 93).” Proof of: Earth floating in Empty Space Job 26:7 KJV: “He…hangeth the earth vpon nothing.” NLT: “He…hangs the earth on nothing.” NIV: “He…he suspends the earth over nothing.” VUL: “qui extendit aquilonem super vacuum et adpendit terram super nihili.” What does this verse tell us scientifically? That the earth fifty-sixth fifty-sixth
- 58. hangs on nothing.Big deal. Well actually, it is a HUGE deal! Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written approximately 3,500 years ago. At that day and age, it was common knowledge that the earth was flat and sat on a large animal (duh, right?). This was back when all sorts of crazy Near East religious ideas were accepted as truth. Yet, Job clearly states two things. First; he denounces that the earth sits on an animal, which was probably today’s equivalent of saying that the earth is flat. Second; he clearly states that it hangs on nothing. He doesn’t say that the Earth hangs on air; he says NOTHING (more about that later)! Outer space is a vacuum, not even consisting of air. It is basically made of nothing, just like Job states. Modern science didn’t realize that space was a vacuum until the 20th century. Well, you may say, perhaps Job considered air to be nothing, which is why he says that. From this perspective, it proves nothing. But actually, Job knew that air was not nothing. In fact, he knew it had weight (read the next page). Proof of: Wind with Weight Job 28:25 KJV: “To make the weight for the windes…” ESV: “When he gave to the wind its weight…” NASB: “When He imparted weight to the wind…” VUL: “qui fecit ventis pondus et aquas adpendit mensura…” No explanation needed here. Job says that the wind has weight, which means that it is made of something. So if he meant to say in Job 26:7 that the earth hangs on air, he wouldn’t have said the word “nothing”. He would have said air. It wasn’t until recently that science discovered that one cubic foot of air at 20 degrees C weighs about 1.2 ounces (Lide, 2007). How easy would it have been for Job to say that the earth sat on an elephant and that air is weightless? Yet, he DOESN'T! He BOLDLY states a FACT that completely contradicted itself at the time; yet in modern times is a scientific FACT. fifty-seventh fifty-seventh
- 59. Proof of: ARevolving, Spherical Earth Hebrews 11:3 (Concerning Jesus’ Second Coming) NKJV: “I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding (grain) together: the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.” NLT: “That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken away, and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.” NIV: “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.” VUL: “dico vobis illa nocte erunt duo in lecto uno unus adsumetur et alter relinquetur. duae erunt molentes in unum una adsumetur et altera relinquetur duo in agro unus adsumetur et alter relinquetur. ” With this one, you have to read between the lines; but it is very obvious once you do. The verse is speaking of "Jesus’ second coming", which happens in an instant. However, the verse speaks of people in bed at night, but then ALSO about people grinding grain, and then about men in a field. If someone is grinding grain or in a field, it has to be daytime. They didn’t have the luxury of stadium lighting, so they didn’t work at night. So that means it is night and day at the same time. However, at that time, it was common knowledge that the earth was flat, and that it was either night or day on the earth; not both. So directly stating that it is night and day at the same time fifty-eighth fifty-eighth
- 60. clearly points toa spherical earth. How do I come up with that? Well, in Isaiah 40:22, way before Luke was written, it states, "it is he that sits upon the circle of the earth". So they knew that the earth was a circle. The only way for these verses to work out is if he knew that the earth was a sphere. And how did Luke know that? God gave him the secret that took Columbus thousands of years to figure out. In fact, Columbus wrote in his diary that it was the Bible that inspired him to do what he did. Before we discovered that the earth was round, it seems plausible that this verse could have been “proof” of the errancy of the Bible at the time (night and day at the same time? You‘re CRAZY!). Proof of: The Knowledge of Cells/Atoms Hebrews 11:3 NKJV: “so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” NLT: “that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” NIV: “so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” VUL: “ut ex invisibilibus visibilia fierent.” I really like using the Vulgate Latin translation because it has not been changed since 405 AD. I was skeptical that maybe the newer translations were "altered", and that maybe the verse had originally said that an invisible force (God) made visible things. Well, I directly translated this ancient Latin to English and this is what I got, “when out of invisibilibus, visibilia be made”. It literally says that "out" of the invisible was made the visible. It does not saying that from something invisible, but out of the invisible. So there is really NO other explanation; than cells and atoms. Technically, cells were discovered in 1665 by British scientist Robert Hooke using a very crude microscope (National fifty-ninth fifty-ninth
- 61. High Magnetic Field,2005). Before this, everyone "assumed" that flesh was made of flesh, and bone was made of bone. Who could’ve KNOWN that they were made of things which we cannot see (the Creator maybe)? Proof of: Supernatural Knowledge Ecclesiastes 1:6 NIV: “The wind blows to the south, and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.” KJV: “The winde goeth toward the South, and turneth about vnto the North; it whirleth about continually, and the winde returneth againe according to his circuits.” ESV: “The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.” VUL: “gyrat per meridiem et flectitur ad aquilonem lustrans universa circuitu pergit spiritus et in circulos suos regreditur.” Although this may not sound like a big deal, it actually is. These words were spoken by King Solomon (the smartest man earth; EVER [I checked {Info@TheresProof.com}]), who is famous in the Bible for asking God for knowledge, which he was given (whew!). With this knowledge, he detailed the wind currents described above. These wind currents weren’t actually confirmed until relatively recently. Think about it. They didn’t have satellite images 3,000 years ago. They didn’t have telephones so that two people could speak at the same time, from different locations, to determine which way the wind was blowing at a particular moment. The winds he describes are not on a small scale either. So it was literally IMPOSSIBLE for Solomon to have known of these wind currents. That is, of course, unless he really DID receive the knowledge that the Bible says he was given. In addition, sixtieth sixtieth
- 62. Solomon wrote alot of wise phrases in the Bible, that give Confucius "a run for his money" (look at Proverbs), further emphasizing the knowledge God gave him. However, if you know the Bible, you’ll know that King Solomon was eventually corrupted by false gods, wealth and women (he had 700 wives and 300 concubines!). How did such a wise man; end up in such a predicament? This is a question that a skeptic could ask to show that he really wasn’t that wise. Well apparently, pride and money have the potential to be more powerful than wisdom: ALONE. Plus, just because you have wisdom about something, it does NOT mean you’ll follow it! A husband knows that cheating on his wife has some pretty severe potential consequences. Murderers know that when they openly murder somebody in public, they will get severely punished. Yet, they both do it anyways. Also, I believe that the knowledge Solomon received was mainly earthly knowledge, such as science and practical wisdom. Spiritual knowledge and enlightenment is on a completely different level! Just because he was ultra-wise doesn’t mean he was ultra-close to God. If Solomon had as much spiritual knowledge as he did earthly knowledge, he probably never would have left God as he did! Proof of: The Earth’s Rotation Job 38:12, 14 WEB: “Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; [and] caused the day-spring to know its place…[earth] is turned as clay [to] the seal…” YON: “Hast thou commanded morning since thy days? Causest thou the dawn to know its place…[the earth] turneth itself as clay of a seal.” NIV: “Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place…The earth takes shape like clay under a seal…” VUL: “numquid post ortum tuum praecepisti doleful et ostendisti aurorae locum suum…restituetur ut lutum sixty-first sixty-first
- 63. signaculum et stabitsicut vestment.” Verse 12 is God asking Job if he has caused night and day on earth, and verse 14 is a statement saying that the earth is turned as "clay" to the seal. Although it does not directly state it, it can be inferred that the earth turning is the explanation of the night and day explained two verses earlier. This was ~3,500 years ago. The first known recorded people to have ever even considered that the earth rotated (besides the Bible) were Hiketas and Herakleides, probably sometime between 530 BC and 350 BC. Even this was at ~1,000 years after the Bible recorded it. Still, it wasn’t until 1543, ~3,000 years after the Bible stated it, that Copernicus finally wrote a widely accepted book on the subject. Proof of: Ocean Currents Psalm 8:8 KJV: “and whatsoeuer passeth through the paths of the seas.” NLT: “and everything that swims the ocean currents.” NIV: “all that swim the paths of the seas.” VUL: “qui pertranseunt semitas ponti.” This short and simple passage states a very strange statement: that the seas have paths. Forests have paths. Mountains have paths. But how can a flat body of water have paths? Well; in the middle and late 19th century, Matthew Maury discovered ocean currents. "Ocean currents" are "basically" like flowing rivers within the ocean. They are driven by tides, winds, densities of water, and temperature. It is amazing that even though this was just discovered 150 years ago, the Bible clearly states it ~2,800 years ago! More amazingly, it was actually this passage in the Bible that inspired Maury to search for the currents in the first place! sixty-second sixty-second
- 64. Proof of: ThePrecisely Measured Oceans Isaiah 40:12 KJV: “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?…” ESV: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand…” NIV: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand…” VUL: “quis mensus est pugillo aquas et caelos palmo…” Here we have yet another simple, yet very important statement: that God has measured the waters. You have to stop and think for a second; why does someone measure something? ... ...Because it is important! I don’t measure my milk when I pour it in my cereal, because it doesn’t really matter. But I DO measure when baking a cake, because it does matter! Isaiah states that God measured the waters, which means that He must have knew that it was important. Recent science has discovered that the amount of water on the earth is perfect. In fact, a 20-foot rise in sea levels would cause 400 million people to have to move (or learn to SCUBA dive [self contained underwater breathing apparatus]!). Proof of: The Innumerable Stars Genesis 15:5 NKJV: “Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look sixty-third sixty-third
- 65. now toward heaven,and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” NIV: “He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” VUL: “eduxitque eum foras et ait illi suspice caelum et numera stellas si potes et dixit ei sic erit semen tuum.” In this verse, God tells Abram that his descendants will be like the stars in the sky, which God knows Abram cannot count. There are other references in the Bible to the number of stars in the sky, such as Jeremiah 33:22, which reads, “…as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore”. This may not sound amazing, since we know there are billions of billions of stars in the universe. However, when this was written, it was "thought" that there were only ~1,100 stars in the sky. Some estimates were even lower. Ptolemy believed there were 1,056, Tycho Brahe counted 777, and Johannes came up with 1,005 Some skeptics may say that even 777 could be considered “Countless” to some, especially "back then". You would almost definitely lose count before you finished, "technically" making them “countless“. However in Jeremiah 33 (and other places), the number of stars in the sky is compared to the number of grains of sand on the seashore. Obviously, the people knew that there were a lot more than 1,100 grains of sand on the beach. Another "interesting" thought, is that ballpark estimates of the number of stars in the universe is around 1022, while the numbers of grains of sand on earth is estimated to be between 1020-1024 (Myron, 2000). How awesome would it be if God made them in the same number, and then later directly stated it in the Bible? Proof of: The Uniqueness of Stars 1Corinthians 15:41 sixty-fourth sixty-fourth
- 66. NLT: “And eventhe stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness.” This verse probably didn’t make a lot of sense before powerful telescopes were invented. When a person looks into the sky with the naked eye, the stars pretty much look the same. Sure, there are some that are "brighter" or "dimmer" than others, but it would seem silly to say that they are all different levels of brightness. It seems acceptable (IMO) that you could have a brightness scale of 1-10, and put every star between those numbers. And it would also seem really "stupid" to say that the stars differ in their beauty. THEY’RE JUST WHITE DOTS! But with new technology, our perspective has changed. We now realize that every star is completely unique. They are all different sizes, different colors, and different levels of brightness. And the part about beauty? Have you seen some of the Hubble telescope images? I can HONESTLY say, that images of the stars and galaxies; ...are the most BEAUTIFUL images in the world (IMO). YET; before these telescopes, all we could see was little-white-dots, that were "pretty much" all the same. The above verse clearly points out these facts millenniums before we actually did: God has ALWAYS known how unique and beautiful they really WERE! Proof of: An Atomic Bomb Prediction Zechariah 14:12 NKJV: “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” sixty-fifth sixty-fifth
- 67. NIV: “This isthe plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.” VUL: “et haec erit plaga qua percutiet Dominus omnes gentes quae pugnaverunt adversus Hierusalem tabescet caro uniuscuiusque stantis super pedes suos et oculi eius contabescent in foraminibus suis et lingua eorum contabescet in ore suo” This verse is obviously a prophetic prediction due to the words, “with which the LORD will strike”. This description of their flesh, eyes, and tongues rotting while the people are standing, was probably VERY confusing when this was written. The people at the time never experienced anything like this. Even explosions from the 19th century would NOT do this. But with the invention of nuclear warfare, bombs can now literally melt a person’s flesh away, while they are standing, just as this prediction states. A Japanese website commented on the Nagasaki bomb, stating, “Burns caused by the heat rays of the atomic bomb were severe, with the surface skin being completely burned and falling off, and leaving tissue and bone exposed”. Take a look at the reenactment of the Hiroshima bombing at the end of this paragraph. It is scary to think that this was 63 years ago (2008), and the bombs are today are so much more powerful, and so much more available. The Hiroshima bomb in the video was equivalent to about 13-16 kilotons of TNT. Compare THAT to the Russian “Tsar Bomba.” The “Tsar Bomba” is equivalent to about 50,000-100,000 kilotons of TNT (more recently, the estimated fallout was too much, so they limited it to a maximum of 58 kilotons). This certainly makes it believable that the destruction and “plagues” in Revelations, regarding the end of the world, could at least partially be due to nuclear warfare. BBC Hiroshima Bombing Reenactment: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/365652/hiroshima_atomic_bom sixty-sixth sixty-sixth
- 68. b_reenactment/ Proof of: SpecificKnowledge of the Water Cycle Job 28:26 NKJV: “When He made a law for the rain…” Ecclesiastes 1:7 NIV: “All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.” Psalm 135:7 KJV: “He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth…” Job 36:27 NIV: “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams;” These verses, written by three different men inspired by God, all explain the "water cycle". They are very accurate representations of the water cycle, which was not clearly understood until more recent times. The first verse in Job clearly states that there is a law (cycle) for the rain. Next, Solomon explains that although the streams are always flowing into the seas, they never fill up because the water is returned back to the streams. Next, Psalms explains that the water from the ends of the earth (the seas) is turned into vapors and ascends. Finally, Job describes that these vapors are drawn up into drops of water sixty-seventh sixty-seventh
- 69. (condensation) and pouredback into the streams. If you look in a science textbook today, this is exactly how the water cycle is described. Back when Job was written ~3,500 years ago, people figured they would get rain when the rain gods decided they could have it. There was no science. The hydrologic cycle was NOT fully accepted until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries AD. Proof of: The Physical Effects of Psychological Processes Proverb 14:30 and 17:22 NLT: “A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away…A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.” Remember I said Solomon was a very wise man because he asked God for knowledge? Well the above "Proverb", written by him, are another small testament of this knowledge. In only recent years, has science actually been able to prove a very direct relationship between psychology and health. In fact, my Master’s degree is in Health Psychology! I can definitely say that King Solomon was right on the money! He says that a relaxed attitude lengthens life. Is this true? Many researchers, including Redford Williams from Duke University (2001), have proven that increased hostility also increases risk for heart disease. Hostility could be considered the opposite of a relaxed attitude. So doing the opposite of what Solomon says increases the risk for heart disease. Not coincidentally, heart disease is the number one killer in America. The second phrase “a cheerful heart is good medicine”, is another psychobiological truth. Numerous studies have shown the POWER of a positive and happy attitude. Psychoneuroimmunologists can widely attest that stress can sixty-eighth sixty-eighth
- 70. have a tremendouslynegative effect on the immune system, which in turn leads to increased sickness. Thus, stress relief is one of the mechanisms by which a “cheerful heart” can prolong one’s life. Also, rumination, negative thinking, and hopelessness (worded by Solomon as a broken spirit) have also been shown to have negative effects on the body. Listen to Solomon! Solomon was the wisest man to ever live. PERIOD. EVEN to Jesus in the flesh! 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 NIV: "God said to Solomon, 'Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as NO KING who was before you ever had and none after you will have.'" JESUS was 100% human. BUT(!); Jesus had the Holy Spirit to guide him. Solomon would get SQUASHED like a BUG(!) compared to the Holy Spirit! Worldly wisdom (human) is something entirely DIFFERENT to the Holy Spirit (Heavenly). Proof of: Modern Health, Sanitary, and Dietary Knowledge God gave Moses 613 laws for the Israelites to abide by. Although they probably didn’t know it at the time, many of these laws were not just rules to follow. They actually had scientific health and sanitary purposes. I will not give all of the examples, sixty-ninth sixty-ninth
- 71. because there areso many. But it is simply impossible to deny, the numerous principles in the rules, that we have only recently linked to science, and the fact that none of the laws would have caused harm to the Israelites (McMillen, 1984). Leviticus 15:2-19 (Cleansing of Bodily Discharge) NIV: “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean... Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening… Whoever touches the man who has a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. If the man with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.” This passage deals with any abnormal bodily discharge, especially from the genitals. Whenever an individual has such a discharge, it is normally due to a disease, virus, or infection, which is often a communicable disease (able to be spread). This scripture is very right in instructing them to wash their bodies, and anything it touched, with water. It also states that they are unclean until that evening, perhaps to make sure that there is no more discharge. However; they are only clean to a certain extent. Notice the next verse, which tells when they are “ceremonially clean”. “When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with running water, and he will be clean.” To be “ceremonially clean” means that they can participate seventieth seventieth
- 72. in normal socialevents, worship, and festivals. So they had to basically wait seven days before they could go into the public. This was probably a provision to ensure that they were free from their issue. Modern medical advice for the treatment of gonorrhea, a common STD that often results in genital discharge, is to wait seven days after treatment to ensure they are cured. This is uncannily similar to this Leviticus law. Also, I must point out another very important aspect of this passage along with many others in Leviticus. God specifically tells them to use running water to wash themselves. Not a lake. Not a pail of water. But running water. The reason for this wasn’t understood until far after the microscope was invented. Until then, people figured that once they washed visible residue off of their body, they were "clean". It wasn’t until 1876 when Robert Koch discovered that microorganisms can cause disease. According to www.wikipedia.com, he discovered this when he found that cows with anthrax always had large numbers of Bacillus anthracosis. This was the reason God commanded them to wash in running water. It would remove many more microorganisms than standing water alone. Koch also discovered that injecting blood from a diseased cow into a healthy cow, would cause the healthy cow to become diseased. This is why God commanded the individual to be isolated for seven days, so the blood borne pathogen would not spread. So what we discovered in 1876 was clearly written in the Bible several thousand years earlier. Leviticus 13:1-23 (Skin Conditions) The following scripture deals with very specific instructions that God gave to the Israelites to deal with various skin conditions. Just skim over the passage, and you’ll quickly realize that God is very specific in what He tells them. This type of medical advice sounds like something that should be written in a 20th century medical book; yet, it was written THOUSANDS of seventy-first seventy-first
- 73. years ago! NIV: TheLord said to Moses and Aaron,” When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest... The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean. If the spot on his skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to keep him in isolation another seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. The man must wash his clothes, and he will be clean.” If Europeans during the Middle Ages had followed all of the Leviticus laws, the plagues they suffered would almost definitely have been avoided: partially or completely. God even tells them in Deuteronomy 23:12 where and how to properly relieve themselves to prevent disease! “Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.” Leviticus 11:3 (Dietary Laws) God also gave the Israelites a pretty comprehensive dietary guide. Of course, they had no idea about nutrition or toxicity, which is why God went ahead and helped them by telling them what to eat. seventy-second seventy-second
- 74. Lev 11:1-3; NIV:“(of the land animals) You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.” This included animals such cows, sheep, goats, deers, etc., and excluded pigs, dogs, cats, horses, etc. In western culture today, we follow these guidelines fairly closely. Beef is very largely consumed, and sheep and deer are sometimes consumed. As a whole, these types of animals are relatively healthy. They eat clean foods, and would be considered by today’s advanced FDA guidelines to be a healthy part of a balanced diet. On the other hand, animals such as cats and dogs are not healthy to eat. Both of them will eat just about anything, so you really don’t know what you are eating. The main guideline that Americans don’t follow regarding this passage, is the eating of pork (pig), which is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. As noted by www.enduringword.com, “It is now known that the pig is the intermediate host for several parasitic organisms, some of which can result in tapeworm infestation. One of these worms, the Taenia solium, grows to about 2.5 m in length, and is found in poorly cooked pork”. In addition, even if pigs are given a regulated diet, they still have a very simple digestive tract that will turn food into flesh in as little as two hours. In contrast, a cud-chewing animal, such as a cow, with its complicated digestive system, and four stomachs, takes around 24 hours to do so. This means CLEANER FOOD, with more purification and less toxicity. Hubert O. Swartout, MD, notes that: "Pork, moreover, is objectionable from other points of view than the danger of contracting trichinosis. It contains a larger portion of fats than most other flesh foods. It is difficult to digest. The undulant fever due to the swine type of germ is on the average more severe than that due to either the cattle or goat type. It is no wonder that from the earliest times of Old Testament history, swine have been classed as 'unclean'." seventy-third seventy-third
- 75. Lev 11:9-12; NIV:“As for marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales, whether taken from fresh water or salt water.” This included most types of fish. Generally, these types of fish swim near the top or middle of the water, and eat algae, plankton, and smaller fish. However, fish such as the catfish, which does not have scales, is a bottom feeder. It will eat anything it can find on the bottom of a lake, such as dead carcasses and/or mud. Obviously, the more healthy option is going to be the scaled fish with fins. I always thought that catfish tasted like dirt, and I didn’t realize why; until I found out what they ate. This verse also rules out shellfish such as clams, oysters, and lobsters, which are also bottom feeders, and often toxic. The modern reason for not eating shellfish is clearly explained on www.wikipedia.com: “A rational basis taken up by some nonreligious people (to not eat shellfish) is the tendency of some shellfish to feed on waste or accumulate heavy metals or toxins in their tissues. Another is that some of these dishes are consumed raw (oysters, mussels, clams and shrimp, most notably) and have the potential to cause serious illness from shellfish poisoning. Some people suffer from potentially-fatal allergies to shellfish.” Lev 11:13-19; NIV: “These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, (20 in all).” The common theme with all of the birds listed is that they are either birds of prey, or scavengers. These types of birds ingest so many different types of diseases that it should be obvious why God gave them this dietary law. Most other birds eat seeds and greens, which are healthy. Lev 11:22; NIV: “Of these (insects) you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.” seventy-fourth seventy-fourth
- 76. From what Ihave RESEARCHED, these insects seem very healthy. They are loaded with protein, with some fat and carbs. Most other insects are either poisonous, venomous, can bite or sting you, are hard or dangerous to find, or are otherwise unhealthy. Locusts and grasshoppers were easy to find, harmless, and healthy. So it makes sense that God chose this as the preferred insect to eat. Overall, the dietary laws were very WIDE in scope, and very CLEARLY written. The Israelites probably thought it was just rules for them to "follow", and CONTROL them; but they were ultimately written for a reason. There are other verses that explain even more detail, such as verse 39. This verse states that when an animal dies it becomes unclean, even if it was a clean animal. This is true in the modern world, as bacteria and scavengers will quickly infest the dead animal. In 1953, David I. Macht, M.D published an article in the Bulletin of the History of Medicine regarding his experiment entitled "An Experimental Pharmacological Appreciation of Leviticus XI and Deuteronomy XIV". In the experiment, he tests meats from various "clean" and "unclean" animals according to Leviticus, including 54 types of fish, using a standard toxicological test. He found that every "unclean" animal tested as toxic, while every "clean" animal tested as non-toxic! What a "coincidence!" . seventy-fifth seventy-fifth
- 77. CCHAPTERHAPTER 55 Did PsychicsWrite the Bible? Approximately 668 prophecies have been fulfilled that were written in the Bible. Three are "unconfirmed". None have been proven false! I created the following two charts to display some of the prophecies that the Bible has fulfilled. The charts were adapted from information gathered by www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org , and each prophecy can be VERIFIED; by simply referring to the Bible. seventy-sixth seventy-sixth
- 78. seventy-seventh seventy-seventh Description of Prophecy Old Testament Prediction NewTestament Fulfillment Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:21-23 A descendant of Abraham Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18 Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16 Of the tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 Luke 3:23, 33; Hebrews 7:14 Of the house of David 2 Samuel 7:12-16 Matthew 1:1 Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4- 7 Taken to Egypt Hosea 11:1 Matthew 2:14-15 Herod´s killing of the infants Jeremiah 31:15 Matthew 2:16-18 Anointed by the Holy Spirit Isaiah 11:2 Matthew 3:16-17 Isaiah 40:3-5 Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3 Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) Would perform miracles Isaiah 35:5-6 Matthew 9:35 Would preach good news Isaiah 61:1 Luke 4:14-21 Would minister in Galilee Isaiah 9:1 Matthew 4:12-16 Would cleanse the Temple Malachi 3:1 Matthew 21:12-13 Daniel 9:25 Matthew 21:4-11Would first present Himself as King 173,880 days days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem
- 79. seventy-eighth seventy-eighth Zechariah 9:9 Matthew21:4-9Would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey Would be rejected by Jews Psalm 118:22 I Peter 2:7 Die a humiliating death Psalm 22 Isaiah 53 Would rise from the dead Mark 16:6 Acts 2:31 Ascend into Heaven Psalm 68:18 Acts 1:9 Psalm 110:1 Hebrews 1:3Would sit down at the right hand of God Prophecies Regarding Jesus' Death Rejection Isaiah 53:3 John 1:10-11; 7:5,48 Betrayal by a friend Psalm 41:9 Luke 22:3-4; John 13:18 Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 26:14-15 Silence before His accusers Isaiah 53:7 Matthew 27:12-14 Being mocked Psalm 22: 7-8 Matthew 27:31 Beaten Isaiah 52:14 Matthew 27:26 Spit upon Isaiah 50:6 Matthew 27:30 Piercing His hands and feet Psalm 22:16 Matthew 27:31 Being crucified with thieves Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27:38 Praying for His persecutors Isaiah 53:12 Luke 23:34
- 80. Thank you "TheBible: Human or Divine?" for the following: “Old Testament prophecies concerning the Phoenician city of Tyre were fulfilled in ancient times, including prophecies that the city would be opposed by many nations (Ezekiel 26:3); its walls would be destroyed and towers broken down (26:4); and its stones, timbers, and debris would be thrown into the water (26:12)". Similar prophecies were fulfilled concerning Sidon (Ezekiel 28:23; Isaiah 23;Jeremiah 27:3-6; 47:4) and Babylon (Jeremiah 50:13, 39; 51:26, 42, 43, 58; Isaiah 13:20,21). Since Christ is the culminating theme of the Old Testament and the Living Word of the New Testament, it should NOT surprise us that prophecies regarding Him outnumber all others. Many of these prophecies would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire to fulfill—such as His descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3, 17:19); His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); His crucifixion with criminals (Isaiah 53:12); the piercing of His hands and feet on the cross (Psalm 22:16); the soldiers' gambling for His clothes (Psalm 22:18); the piercing of His side and the fact that His bones were not broken seventy-ninth seventy-ninth Piercing His side Zechariah 12:10 John 19:34 Given gall and vinegar to drink Psalm 69:21 Matthew 27:34, Luke 23:36 No broken bones Psalm 34:20 John 19:32-36 Buried in a rich man’s tomb Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:57-60 Casting lots for His garments Psalm 22:18 John 19:23-24
- 81. at His death(Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 34:20); and His burial among the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus also predicted His own death and resurrection (John 2:19-22). Predictive prophecy is a principle of Bible reliability that often reaches even the hard- boiled skeptic!” You don’t have to be a mathematician to realize that the prophecies in the Bible are so amazing that they cannot possibly be coincidences. Not only that, but I only mentioned a few of the 668 prophecies that have come true! No other text or human can state such a thing. Even the famous Nostradamus was wrong most of the time. He was only right quite a few times because he made so many predictions! CCHAPTER HAPTER 66 Do They Exist? YES! But only in the minds of skeptics. As I explained in the introduction, the contradictions in the Bible are not really contradictions at all. They are misunderstandings and twisting of words. A "contradiction", by definition is not when two things about something differ, but when they both cannot be true. In reality, two explanations or descriptions can be different, but if they can both be true, then they are not contradictions. Let’s look at some of the “contradictions” and confusing concepts in the Bible. Contradictions in Genesis eightieth eightieth
- 82. Some people dismissthe Bible right after they pick it up because Genesis seems contradictory. Here is a good example of a real-life internet-surfer-dude doing just that: Genesis 1:16 The following passage is a quote from a forum post at www.modbee.com on 23Apr2008 by someone with the handle “Frank”. “So lets take Gen 1:16 ‘And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.’ Hmmm... except that the moon doesn't give off any light. Oh and the night is lit up by other lights, such as solar system bodies reflecting sunlight. I guess the guys making up genesis over their campfire didn't know that the moon is often clearly visible during the day. So ignoring the idiot cries of ‘Satan has deceived you’, we are supposed to take the bibles word for it regarding Gen 1:16?? Okay, from reading other responses by this guy, he has his heart set on not believing the Bible (sounds like I use to be). The answer for his discrepancy is simple. He’s wrong: the moon does give off light. If you took the moon away, the night would be nearly pitch black, so how can you say that it doesn’t give off light? It doesn’t create its own light, but did GOD imply that it does? It just reflects sunlight. And yes, it can sometimes be seen during the day; but what does that disprove? Another thing that he mentions is all of the other lights in the solar system and universe that contribute to the night light. Does he realize that compared to the total light we receive from all of the stars in the sky, on average, the moon is about 400 times brighter (overcast starlight is about 1/8th of that)? Even if you consider all of the planets on a brighter day, the moon is still eighty-first eighty-first
- 83. 1250 times brighterthan them. So really, the moon is the sole source of night light. Without the moon, we would have almost NO light at night (and God realized this, which is why we have a moon). Just another huge fortunate design “coincidence” in the universe (in the minds of skeptics). Contradicting Genesis Accounts? It seems that, ever since Genesis was created, people have fought over the notion that Genesis "1" and "2" are two separate accounts of the same creation. Genesis "1" is the detailed process of creation the way "God" would have seen it from his point of view. It should be obvious that the account in Genesis "2" come after Genesis "1" chronologically, since the very first verse is “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them”. After this, mentions of creation are obviously flashbacks of creation, not the actual acts of creation. Still; skeptics try to say otherwise. For example, when God was searching for a partner for Adam, the NKJ version of Genesis 2:19 says “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them”. Skeptics see this as God creating the animals right then, when actually the original tense meant that God had formed them. In today’s world, we constantly use the word “formed” as a past tense account of something that happened before the account. But skeptics try to use it as a past tense account of something that "happened" at the time of the account. The newer NIV version addressed this common misunderstanding, by more clearly saying “now the Lord God had formed”. The False Flood? I was reading a pro-Christian book of Biblical science, and was startled to read that the author "mentioned" that the eighty-second eighty-second
- 84. flood in Genesis,seemed to be two different accounts, from "separate" ancient texts. Although it is true that some ancient texts may predate the Genesis account, it actually ends up being more proof for the validity of the flood. These various ancient Near Eastern texts have the same specifics as the Genesis account, such as the earth being flooded for 40 days. The reason being punishment for human’s sinful, negative, and in some accounts irritating nature. One guy (Noah) being in a boat that saves him, the boat landing on a mountain, and other similarities. It should be obvious that if there really was a great flood, everyone would have stories passed down about it. This is exactly what happened. One of the reasons "this guy" said Genesis was taken from two separate accounts, is because the Bible mentions two different lengths for the flood. Genesis 7:4 states that God will send flood waters for 40 days and 40 nights. Then Genesis 7:6 says that Noah was 600 years, 2 months, and 17 days old when the waters came, and exactly 601 years old when the water had dried up from the earth. This would make the length of the flood actually 9 months and 2 weeks long. So there’s a contradiction; right? Of course not! It rained for 40 days; but it obviously would take much longer for the waters to recede. Another point that he mentioned was that the name of God actually changed during the story from Yahweh to Elohim (it does earlier in Genesis as well). But in reality, this proves nothing... Actually; it does prove something. That Moses was VERY meticulous in writing Genesis. The use of different titles of God is actually a literary technique that portrays DIFFERENT characteristics of Him. God went from creating Earth, and having an intimate relationship with Adam and Eve; to DESTROYING the whole world! I can certainly justify a CHANGE in title due to that change in character. Similarly: my mom would call me a different name, depending on whether she was about to give me a hug, or rip my head off! Of COURSE; a Biblical skeptic would point out that I am a liar, because my head is actually still intact, and if it were ever ripped off, science cannot repair it at this time (a eighty-third eighty-third
- 85. humorous example toshow the ridiculousness of some skeptics). Skeptics also point out that sometime God says that He is the God of WAR; and the God of peace. Well: He is both. It just depends on the situation. When He says He is the God of Peace, He probably is at that time: and vice versa. For example, I am a happy person. But I guarantee when someone punches me, I’ll probably be able to say I’m an ANGRY person. Two polar characteristics of one thing, yet it is perfectly plausible. Why Would God Make the Bible Confusing? Some skeptics believe that the fact that the Bible does not always seem clear to us, is PROOF that it is NOT divinely inspired: They do have a point though. Why would a perfect God make a book that is hard to understand sometimes, and so easy to take out of context? Well, guess what; Jesus actually explains this. In following passage, He explains to his disciples why He speaks to everyone in parables. Parables are stories and metaphors that "teach"; rather than directly teaching with words. This can also be carried over to the rest of the parts of the Bible that seem confusing. It was done on purpose as sort of a “code,” so that corrupted pagans could NOT understand the Word, and tarnish or corrupt it. Matthew 13:10-14 NIV; “The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables’? He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them’. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah.” Jesus then quotes the Old Testament book Isaiah 6:9-10, which explains exactly what He is talking about. So this is also eighty-fourth eighty-fourth
- 86. an old prophecy,that was fulfilled through the parables: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Read the next section to really understand why Jesus stated this. Proof of an Unfair God Devout atheist Cliff Walker from Positive Atheism magazine is certainly bitter towards Christianity. After reading much of his material, I found that a lot of his bitterness comes directly from the previous passages. In fact, regarding the passage from Matthew 13, he states, “Is this the ‘I am the light’ that you speak about? The one who is said to deliberately blind certain people from hearing the truth?" He believes that God is the one who blinds people. Why would a loving God do this? But how about we r e w i n d and actually pay attention to the verse? It does not say that God has caused these people to be this way. Their state is ultimately caused by Satan, the corruption of the world, and their OWN choices. The NKJ version of Matthew 13:15 states, “For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” The last part even gives the CALLOUSED heart hope; saying, “Lest at any time they should…be eighty-fifth eighty-fifth
- 87. converted…I should healthem”. Thus, it is not God’s predestined will for them to be condemned, but the own individual’s CHOICE using their FREE WILL. Reading even further into the passage gives the exact reason why Jesus “hides” truths from such people. He explains it in parables in which a good seed is sown, but subsequently is taken away or hindered by the enemy. By making these truths and revelations less accessible by the wicked, it makes it more difficult for them to destroy the word. So God did not code messages to purposely blind people from seeing the truth: He coded messages to keep the already blind from destroying it! Apparently these parables served their purpose, since this well-known atheist (who claims to have read the Bible 12 times) did NOT understand what it was saying (or did, and was deliberately trying to distort it). However, in today’s world, it is not that important to “code” the word, so-much. But back when this was written, Christians were imprisoned and killed for their beliefs! These parables allowed them to share great truths verbally and through written material that ONLY THEY would understand. If these truths were clearly written, the Romans and other anti-Christians would have had a much greater impact on destroying reminisces of Christianity. They would have killed those who spoke the words, and destroyed any written material regarding their faith. Walker also has another reason to believe that God is the one who hardens hearts and blinds people, and also the one who chooses "only certain people" to be, “His people”. The first reason is because God says, "Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants”. Although God did cause the Pharaoh to have a hardened heart, this is "an isolated" case in which God uses an individual for his own purpose. Who is to say that God did not have mercy on the Pharaoh’s eternal life sentence, or that the Pharaoh was later delivered? It is also true that God chose certain people in the Bible to be blessed or to be “His people”. But ultimately, these people still had a choice of whether or not to follow Him. King Solomon, for example, was given knowledge, wealth, eighty-sixth eighty-sixth
- 88. and power byGod. But in the end, Solomon FELL away from God. So even though someone is chosen; they still have free will. In addition, very few people in the world have actually been directly appointed by God, the way Abraham, Moses, and Paul were. Even the Israelites, which were God’s “chosen people”, were not just given "blessings" on a silver platter. If you actually read the Old Testament, you will see that they faced great tribulations, and were often severely punished for disobeying God. So even God’s “chosen people” still had to obey the law. In fact, being an Israelite ended up being much more of a responsibility than a privilege. They were responsible for ultimately blessing the rest of the nations, and leading them to become God’s people as well. But an atheist would just look past all that and say, “well, God apparently chose His people already, and I’m not one of them”. The following paragraph is a copy-and-paste of the paragraph from the INTRODUCTION: “People misunderstand Romans 12:20 when it talks about their enemy. It states ‘…Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head’. People look at it and say ‘well, a few books earlier, Jesus said to turn the other cheek. Now it says to feed your enemy, and then put hot coals on their head. It contradicts itself. This is stupid and obviously wrong’. What people don’t understand, is that, when this was written, people would bring their neighbors hot coals as a courtesy if their fire went out. So heaping hot coals on them does not mean to burn or crush them, but to metaphorically rekindle their fire.” Other Parts of the World In other parts of the world, Christians are persecuted still. Richard Wurmbrand spent 14 years at a prison in Russia, and was TORTURED for his Christianity (1940s-1965)! eighty-seventh eighty-seventh
- 89. Richard Wurmbrand's FREEBOOK. Not an e-book; but a PHYSICAL copy ( www.torturedforchrist.com ). Just fill out the form, and they will MAIL you a copy. Totally free. You don't even have to pay shipping :D . It is VERY HARD TO READ; but it's the TRUTH! Today (23May2014), I got a e-mail from "Voice of the Martyrs" : "The Boko Haram terrorist group has declared war on Christians in Nigeria, frequently attacking Christian villages, burning Christians' houses and murdering indiscriminately. They also kidnap teenage girls and force them to convert and marry Boko Haram members. After forcing Kamka (19) and Naya (16) to walk through the woods at gunpoint, the terrorists immediately put them to work fetching water and cooking. A few days later, the girls were told that both of them were to be married. 'We're too young,' Naya protested. But the leader then showed them his daughter, a girl of 7 or 8, who was already married. 'If we refused to cooperate, we would be killed,' Naya told a VOM worker. 'The man whom I was forced to marry took me. He picked up his gun and a knife and threatened to murder me if I continued to resist.'" Why Does God Let Children Starve? The Bible tells us that God provides food for us. So why does God let people starve to death?? The answer is simple: HE DOESN'T! Scientists have found that we actually have plenty of food on earth to feed everyone. In fact, well- known estimates show that the earth is equipped to support 8-10 billion people comfortably; and we have ~7.2 billion (2014). The reason that about 925 million people (2010) go hungry each year and about 8.75 million DIE, is not God’s fault. IT IS MAN'S. PERIOD! He gave us a free will, and with that "free will" we eighty-eighth eighty-eighth
- 90. are killing people. Didyou know that there are more obese people in the world than starving people? And over 1/3 (35.7%) of them (United States, 2010) are clinically obese. Not just overweight; but OBESE. Meaning they likely ingest enough calories to feed several people. In addition to this, think about how much food Americans waste. In fact, Anthropologist Timothy Jones stated that Americans throw away almost half of the food that they grow! So eliminating overeating and wasting are two ways that we could effectively cure all of world hunger. Money is another huge issue. According to www.library.thinkquest.org , “For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years”. In addition, according to World Health Report (2000), ”In conflict situations, food sources and supplies may be intentionally disrupted as a means of starving out civilians from the opposing groups. In 1999 such disruptions left close to 24 million people hungry and in need of humanitarian assistance”. So our own warfare is a third reason why children starve, and another way that we could save them. Most disturbing, and probably most influential, however, is how wealth is distributed in the world. There are 1,645 billionaires in the world (2014), while AT THE SAME TIME, over 2.8 billion people that live on US$2/day or less. Taken from www.google.com "About 20 percent of the world's population, 1.2 billion people, live on less than $1 a day" (14Jun2014). Take someone with ~60 billion dollars, for example. The Feed the Children "campaign" only needs $9 a month to support a child with food, water, shelter, health care, and psychological support. So if this individual were to liquefy their assets, and donate it to Feed the Children, they could theoretically feed nearly ~6.9 billion children for a month. So taking the "statistic" that about 15 million children die of starvation a year, he could save 15 million children’s lives every year for over 37 years! Think about that for a minute...; then try blaming God... Fortunately, many of the billionaires in the world, have begun donating large sums of their money to charity. Bill Gates (currently worth ~$58 billion) has set up a foundation that currently has $37.8 billion in assets. Warren Buffet (currently eighty-ninth eighty-ninth
- 91. worth ~$62 billion)committed, in 2006, to give approximately half of his worth away in 5% "chunks" over the next 20 years; mainly to Gates’ foundation. I commend these gentlemen, and pray that others with wealth will follow suite, and REALIZE what God wants with their money. Unfortunately, some do not. Here’s a quote from www.forbes.com that shows the attitude of the second richest man in the world (currently worth ~$60 billion): “Carlos Slim Helú, the Mexican businessman who is now the world's second-richest person, has poked fun at Buffett and Gates for "going around like Santa Claus." In general, Latin American billionaires do not have a record of charitable giving comparable to Buffett or Gates.” Helú has given away and "pledged" quite a bit of money, but not much compared to his overall worth (around 10%). He states that, "Our concept is more to accomplish and solve things, rather than giving" (2008). Though Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give, than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Thou Shalt NOT Kill? Then why is killing so prevalent in the Bible? God says not to kill, but then orders the Israelites to kill many times. What’s up with that? This type of misunderstanding is actually one of the common causes of "Biblical confusion". Writers of the Bible often used many different words to convey the same meaning, just as we could use many words that mean “happy” (joyous, joyful, blithe, cheerful, merry, contented, gay, blissful, etc.). Over the years of translating the Bible, sometimes these differences are mistranslated, or somehow create a contradiction. I have already mentioned, the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1946 confirm the validity of the Bible of ~2,000 years ago, but there were some minor typographical and grammatical errors found. In today's language, if I were to say, "I am SO GAY! (happy)," it might raise a few "eyebrows". In the case of the commandment “thou shalt not kill”; it should ninetieth ninetieth
- 92. ACTUALLY be translatedin today’s language to “thou shalt not murder”. Killing and murdering are two completely different things. If someone is trying to kill you, and you defend yourself, is that murder? Well, that could depend on the judge; but probably not. When God ordered the Israelites to invade and kill the wicked Canaanites, it was not murder. Though; if someone badly harms you, walks away, and then you retaliate and kill them when the threat has subsided; is that murder? In an American court, it probably would be; and I believe it would be according to God as well. Murder is killing without a just cause. If there is a just cause, it is not murder. God Isn’t All-powerful? Some skeptics point to Judges 1:19 to show that God is not as powerful as He claims. The verse reads, “And the Lord was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron”. First, we must understand that it is not the Lord who could not drive out the chariots; but JUDAH. Yes, the Lord was with them, but He still set limitations on how much He would help them in that particular situation. If God had wanted to just take over, and completely drive out all opposition in the entire land of Canaan, He could have done it. PERIOD. But He didn’t want to make it that easy for the Israelites, partly because their trials tested their faith (which they failed overall). Also, when it says that "he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the mountain", it spoke of Judah, not God. The word “he” (not capitalized, by the way) meant Judah, in the same way that we say “her” when speaking of America. John 1:18 and Exodus 24:9-10 The first part of John 1:18 states “no one has ever seen ninety-first ninety-first
- 93. God." Exodus 249-10 states “Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel”. This appears to be a clean-cut, open-and-shut contradiction for skeptics. However, anyone who has studied Biblical appearances of God, has undoubtedly noticed that God always appears as a manifestation of something else. A burning bush, an angel of God, Jesus; but never a "direct" and "pure" form. In fact, God states that if He truly revealed Himself to a person, they would perish. So in one sense, yes, they had seen God. But in the sense that John is stating, no, they hadn’t seen God. Not as He actually is in heaven. It’s similar to say that, although I have seen the president (photos, television, funny bobble heads etc.), I haven’t actually seen the president (flesh and blood). Differences Between the Gospels The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) sometimes appear to contradict each other, even though they supposedly tell the same story of Jesus. For example, Matthew 8:5-13 says that a Roman commander asked Jesus to heal his servant. In Luke 7:1- 10, he says that the Roman commander sent others to ask Jesus to do so. So each gospel says that a different person spoke to Jesus. However, this contradiction is easily explainable. It is common even in today’s world, for an official to be noted for saying something, when really the words are actually delivered by a less significant individual (e.g. the announcement that “the president said…” when really his secretary spoke it). People like to point out the fact, that the lineages listed in Matthew and Luke are noticeable different. One explanation is that one is the lineage of Joseph, while one is the lineage of Mary. Another explanation is the one is the biological lineage of Joseph, while one is the legal lineage. Either way, the different lists would be perfectly legitimate. The website www.evilbible.com states that “In Acts 20:35 Paul told people 'to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Since Jesus never made such a biblical statement, isn’t Paul guilty of ninety-second ninety-second
- 94. deception?” The problemwith this statement is that Jesus probably did make that statement. We have to remember that the gospels do not include every word that Jesus ever spoke. On the contrary, most of what Jesus spoke is not in the gospels. Think about how long a book would be, if it included every word you spoke to one of your friends, for over three years. The gospels tell the vital parts of Jesus’ life and ministry, but not every word. “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written,” John 21:25. Some argue that, because Jesus stated in Matthew 11 that John the Baptist was the Elijah, and because John himself denied being the Elijah in John 1, it proves errancy. But; John did not realize, or understand fully the IMPORTANCE of his role, or who he was. It is easy to see how he could deny being the Elijah, even though he was. Being ignorant of something does not make it you're fault! Some point out that when speaking about "the beatitudes" in Matthew, Jesus spoke on a mountainside; while in Luke, he spoke on a flat surface. This seems like a logical argument at first, but what if it took place on a level surface, on a mountain? This clearly would fit both gospels. Also, Jesus could have preached this sermon many different times, in different locations. Who is to say that both gospels are speaking of the exact same time and location? This can be applied to many other contradictions among the gospels that skeptics assume are of the exact same event. Over a ~three and a half year period, I’m sure Jesus did the same types of things many times over. How are we sure that two contradicting stories between Jesus healing someone isn’t actually two different people? Kearley explained it well by saying, “one cannot prove a contradiction simply because there is some slight variation in the way some great principle is stated. There is no doubt the Lord’s disciples heard Him utter the same great truths, with several variations in wording, during the course of their time with Him”. Another apparent dispute is over whether or not to pray in public. In Matthew, Jesus says not to be like the hypocrites and pray in public. In 1 Timothy, Paul says “I want men everywhere ninety-third ninety-third
- 95. to lift upholy hands in prayer”. But is Paul actually telling people to go pray on public street corners to show others how righteous they are? In FACT; is he even telling people to openly pray in public at all? Not at all! There is no contradiction when people actually pay attention to the words, and don’t try to twist them around. In Matthew 9:18, Jairus told Jesus “My daughter is now dead”. In Mark 5:23, the same Jairus says “my little daughter is now at the point of death”. So was she dead or not? This brings about another common reason for apparent contradictions in the Bible. The narratives and stories recorded in the gospels are obviously very abbreviated accounts of what actually happened. The version of this story in Matthew is considerably shorter than the version in Mark. As the longer version of the story is told in Mark, the girl is originally barely living, and then discovered to be died. What probably happened in the account written by Matthew, is that his abbreviated version does not include the very beginning dialogue, and simply goes right to the discovery of her death. The girl died sometime after Jairus left the house, but before returning back to the house. So the girl may have been dead when Jairus first approached Jesus, but did not realize it. Thus, the story in Matthew recorded this hindsight, while the story in Mark did not. Skeptics also love to point out the seemingly different accounts of the thieves crucified next to Jesus. According to www.atheism.about.com, here are the contradictions: “Mark - The two thieves are mentioned, but there is no conversation. Matthew 27:44 - The two thieves taunt Jesus Luke 23:39-42 - One thief taunts Jesus and is criticized by the other. Jesus promises the second thief that they would be in Paradise that day, though John and Acts say he did not ascend to heaven until 40 days after his resurrection John - The two men aren’t described as thieves” As I have already explained, it was not possible for the ninety-fourth ninety-fourth
- 96. gospel writers towrite down every detail of Jesus’ life. So just because Mark and John don’t mention the thieves speaking to Jesus, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t. In John, they point out that he doesn’t even describe them as thieves. Again, OMISSION does not prove inconsistency. A bigger issue they point out is that the thieves actually say two opposing statements. Matthew says they taunt Jesus. Luke says that one taunts Jesus and the other criticizes the taunter. So what happened? It seems very reasonable to "assume" that both thieves initially taunted Jesus. But over time, one of the thieves had a "change of heart" after witnessing the powerful nature of Jesus. After this, he realized who Jesus really was, or at least that he was an innocent and righteous man; and subsequently defended him. Thus, every account would still; be; correct. I believe that this is the reason that four gospels were written instead of one. Four unique camera angles will undoubtedly give a better and clearer picture of what happened. There are many other supposed "contradictions" in the gospels and the Bible, and each one is "explainable" in one way or another. But quite frankly, I’m getting bored refuting one pseudo-contradiction after another. I will go ahead and end this section, but please realize; that just because someone says the Bible contradicts itself, it do NOT mean that it actually does! It is always misunderstandings, contextual issues, and simple twisting of words that lead to such conclusions. A Really, REALLY Heavy Rock Here’s a fun one that I’ve heard different variations of. Consider the question, “'can God make a rock so heavy that he can’t pick it up'? If He can, then that means His power is limited because He can’t pick it up. If He can’t, then His power is limited because He can’t do something. HA! Proof that God cannot be all-powerful as the Bible says!…" …Not really “bucko“. Trying to compare God to our universe is, similar to the weight of the rock: really, REALLY ninety-fifth ninety-fifth
- 97. "misinformed". God madeour universe, and He does not have to ABIDE by the rules of it. Time, gravity, magnetism, heat, weight, and all the things that we know of as reality; we cannot relate to Him! It is something HE created, not something that he is not "BOUND" to. Similarly, if I create a two-dimensional drawing, I still PERSONALLY live in a four-dimensional world... But to answer the question…YES!…God can come into our physical universe and limit Himself, if He so desires. How do I come to this conclusion? Well, what about Jesus? God incarnated Himself in the flesh as Jesus, just as the Bible tells us many times. John 10:30 states “I and the Father are one”. He was just as much a physical part of this world as we are. And NO; He probably couldn’t pick up a 500lb rock. If God wanted Him to have that ability, He would have; but the BIBLE doesn’t give us any evidence that Jesus had supernatural strength. So Jesus was God, and God could not pick up a 500lbs rock. Does that mean that God is not all-powerful? Of course not! God MAKES the rules, so if He wants to limit His power, then He can. Though, if HE WANTED to, He could have made Jesus strong enough to throw mountains at planets with His pinkie . ninety-sixth ninety-sixth
- 98. CCHAPTERHAPTER 77 Found inthe Ground There is a lot of archaeological evidence that has been found that supports the Bible. In fact, more than ~25,000 different archaeological sites confirm Biblical history. Even more amazingly, none can definitively disprove it (Little, 2000)! Think about how EASY it would have been for just one of the details in the Bible to be flat-out wrong. In fact, it would have been impossible for them to get every detail correct if the writers had simply made up the stories. What if the pool of Bethesda described in John 5:2 were discovered to only have four covered porches rather than the five that John wrote about? That would be pretty clear evidence against the Bible. Miraculously, this has never happened. Until recently, Luke’s account of the pool of Bethesda was thought to be inaccurate, since there was no confirming evidence. None; until recently, that is. Forty feet under the earth, archaeologists actually discovered the site of the pool of Bethesda, which did indeed reveal five covered porches. Another similar dispute was John’s account of the Pool of Siloam (John ninety-seventh ninety-seventh
- 99. 5:1-15), which wasfound to be an accurate description when uncovered in 1897. However, archaeological evidence is ultimately subjective, and skeptics often try their hardest to disprove the Bible. Since the archaeological evidence regarding the Bible usually shows clearly that the Bible was correct, atheists and skeptics have resorted to searching every last angle for contradictions, even when they are not there. As stated on www.christiananswers.net, “It is a sad commentary on the state of archaeology in the Holy Land, when the purpose of an excavation at a Biblical site is to disprove the Bible and disassociate the site with any historical Jewish connection”. Still, in the end, there is a PLETHORA of archaeological evidence that supports the Bible, and no evidence clearly disproving it. The only real archaeological evidence that tries to disprove the Bible is the absence of evidence (e.g. if this really happened, where is the evidence?). However, as I have already stated, "the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". Sir William Ramsay Sir William Ramsay is well-known as one of the greatest archaeologists. He studied under famous liberal German schools in the mid-nineteenth century. These schools taught that the New Testament was not historical. Ramsay subsequently went looking for evidence to support that the New Testament, more specifically the book of Acts, was not true. After spending 25 years digging in the ground to disprove Luke, the author of Acts, Ramsay finally came to the "conclusion" that it was a genuine source of real-life history. Ramsay wrote: “I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts]…but more recently I found myself often brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities, and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually borne in upon me that in various details the narrative ninety-eighth ninety-eighth
- 100. showed marvelous truth.” Here’sa pretty amazing quote from modern archaeologist Norman Geisler: “In all, Luke names thirty-two countries, fifty- four cities, and nine islands without error”. Jericho I can’t go over all ~25,000 archaeological sites that prove the Bible; but I’ll give a few. The excavation site of Jericho provides some excellent archaeological evidence supporting the Bible. First, we’ll examine a verse prior to the Israelites entering Jericho. Joshua 3:15 reads, “…Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing”. This verse is saying, that the waters of the Jordan River, ACTUALLY stopped flowing. This allowed the Israelites to march across the river. We have evidence that actually shows that this event is possible. In 1267 the Jordan was blocked for 16 hours, and allowed a Muslim sultan to build a bridge's foundations. As recently as 1927, a cliff collapsed and blocked the river for 2 ½ hours. Perhaps (?) God used the same earthquake to stop the Jordan, as He did to later destroy Jericho. Next, we’ll look at the Biblical verse related to the destruction of Jericho: Joshua 6:20 reads, “So the people shouted when [the priests] blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” The first major excavation of Jericho, from 1907-1909, ninety-ninth ninety-ninth
- 101. uncovered strange mudbricks at the base of the mound that the city was built on. In the 1950s, a re-excavation was performed by Kathleen Kenyon using more modern methods. She determined that these "mud bricks" were actually the walls of Jericho from 1400 BC, that had fallen in the book of Joshua! "Normally", if a city was taken over by enemy forces, battering rams and other means of force would cause the walls of the city to fall inwards. However, the walls uncovered had actually FALLEN UPON THEMSELVES; just as Joshua describes. Also, notice that the verse says “the people went up into the city”. The excavation also revealed an earthen embankment, which would have required them to literally go up, further supporting the scripture. Joshua 6:17 reads, “…Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.” Joshua 2:15 reads, “…the house (Rahab) lived in was part of the city wall”. Miraculously, excavations found that a "section" of wall that somehow did not fall. The only "section" of wall that remained intact, was part of the northern wall that had houses built into it. This must have been where Rahab’s house was located, and the act of God sparing her life. As Hebrews 11:31 reads, “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” After the Israelites retrieved Rahab and her family from Jericho, they burned the city. Joshua 6:24 reads, “But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire…” Interestingly, the excavation uncovered major fire damage with ash three feet deep. As Kenyon notes, “The destruction one hundredth one hundredth
- 102. was complete. Wallsand floors were blackened or reddened by fire…in most rooms the fallen debris was heavily burnt.” Verse 24 continues, “…Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD” This verse, as well as other similar verses, is God telling the Israelites to leave the plunder for Him. Pretty much without exception, the conquering of a city involved plundering it. I mean, come on, what do dead people need with food and money? However, the excavation of Jericho actually uncovered large storage jars filled with carbonized grain! This also correlates with Joshua 3:15, “Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest…”, which states that it was harvest season. There was also a little gold found, but not as much as one might imagine there should be. This could mean that the city did not have much money, or perhaps it was later plundered. A more recent mini-excavation, performed in 1997 by two Italian archaeologists, concluded that there was no evidence of destruction during the days of Joshua. However, Dr. Bryant Wood went back in later 1997 to reexamine what the Italians had discovered. What he found, was that, they had actually "uncovered" another section of wall from the time of Joshua. He states, “The Italian excavation actually uncovered most of the critical evidence relating to the Biblical story. But even more exciting is the fact that all the evidence from the earlier digs has disappeared over time. We only have records, drawing and photos. But the Italians uncovered a completely new section of the wall which we did not know still existed (Wood, 1990 and 1999).” The Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls are "arguably" some of the most important archaeological finds in history. In 1946, Bedouin tribesman of the "Taamireh" tribe, wandered into a narrow cave one hundred first one hundred first
- 103. in the Judeandesert, and found seven old scrolls rolled up in stone jars. They sold these scrolls, and kept searching for more. By 1956, about 900 "separate scrolls" had been found. Most of them were in fragments, some of them as small as a fingernail. Over the years, the fragments have been pieced back together to form the "translations" we have today. To do this, scientists tested the scrolls written on papyrus to match up the pieces with the exact plant they came from (thus the same scroll). They also used DNA testing for the animal skin scrolls to match them with the "particular" animal. They obviously "also" considered which jars they were in, and the "proximity" to other pieces. For the past 50 years or more, this tedious process has been undertaken by THOUSANDS of scholars and scientists. The version that I have used for my research is from 2005, and is supposedly the best and most comprehensive translation to date. I will give you some verses to "compare" how these "ancient texts" measure up to the texts of today. The following are two different versions of Job 42:9-11. The first is a "direct translation" from the ~2,100 year old Dead Sea Scrolls, and the second is a "modern translation" from the 1984 NIV Bible: Dead Sea Scroll Version: “And G[o]d listened to the voice of Job and forgave them their sins because of him. Then God turned back to Job in compassion and gave him twice what he once had possessed. There came to Job all his friends, brethren, and those who had known him, and they ate bread with him in his house. They consoled him for all the evil that God had brought upon him, and each man gave him one sheep and one gold ring.” NIV: “And the Lord accepted Job's prayer. After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave one hundred second one hundred second
- 104. him a pieceof silver and a gold ring.” Although the "specific words" are not always the same, the meaning ultimately is. I will point out a couple of differences between the two. Notice that the Dead Sea Scrolls say “friends, brethren,” while the NIV says, “brothers and sisters”. This was because of the culture at the time, the first Aramaic translation (“targum” or “Dead Sea Scroll“ version) removed ALL references of women eating with Job. However, it is thought that the original writing from 3,500 years ago did mention women. Also, notice that at the end, the targum says “sheep”, whereas the NIV says “silver”. The is because the Hebrew word “kesitah” translated into Aramaic as “sheep,” can also mean “money”. Many versions today opt for the latter translation. ` Secret Water Shafts In Samuel 5:6-8 and I Chronicles 11:6, David describes when the Israelites conquered Jerusalem. He explains that Joab entered "water shafts" built by the Jebusites to surprise them. This was always thought to be a myth from the Bible, since these shafts did not exist. That is, until these water shafts were actually discovered by Charles Warren in 1867 (hence why it is called “Warren‘s Shaft“). Jerusalem was strategically in a great position, because it had deep valleys around three sides of it. However, their only water source was Gihon springs, located on the slope of the eastern hill. Because of this, they built a secret water shaft underground, that led all the way to the springs. It was hidden from the outside, but King David may have discovered the hidden entrance, when he was a child. He used this "knowledge" to implement his "strategic attack" and conquer the city. These tunnels can be easily accessed today, and even climbed in, by those physically able to do so. Sodom and Gomorrah one hundred third one hundred third
- 105. The archaeological sitefor Sodom and Gomorrah is thought to have been found south of the Dead Sea. Thick layers of ash were found, correlating with Biblical accounts of the cities’ destruction. More information can be found at the following website: www.accuracyingenesis.com/sodom.html Tel-Dan Inscription The Tel-Dan Stele is a black basalt stele with an Aramaic inscription. It was discovered in Israel in 1993 and 1994. One of the interesting phrases on it is “the House of David”. This is believed to be referring to King David from the Bible. It is "carbon-dated" to be from the 8th or 9th century BC. The Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin is claimed to be the actual shroud that Jesus was wrapped in, when He was buried. His image appears to be burned into the shroud in an amazing 3-D image. It is not dye or ink, because it did not seep into any layers of the fabric. In addition, nothing was added to the fabric. It simply discolored the top of the flax and cotton fibers. Initial carbon- dating, dated it to be in the 14th century AD; but later analysts "discovered" that they had dated a section that had probably been repaired at that time. There is MUCH debate over the shroud, and more information can be found at www.shroud.com and on Wikipedia. The Discovery of Sargon’s Palace Isaiah 20:1 mentions an Assyrian King, named Sargon, capturing the city of Ashdod. This king has always been one hundred fourth one hundred fourth
- 106. considered a legendby many, since there is no evidence of his existence. However, his palace was recently discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. Inscriptions on the palace walls ACTUALLY mention his capture of Ashdod. In addition, fragments of a stela "commemorating" the event were found at Ashdod itself. The Red Sea Miracle We actually have PROOF supporting the Red Sea miracle described in Exodus. This was when the Israelites escaped the Egyptian armies by crossing the Red Sea. God parted the sea while they crossed, and then made it come crashing down on the Egyptian armies, destroying all of them. Some very interesting pieces of evidence were discovered by the Biblical archaeologist Ron Wyatt (www.wyattmuseum.com). While diving between 60-200 feet, he discovered numerous human and horse bones, and actual chariot wheels and bodies along the "proposed" path that they crossed. This by itself is a huge piece of evidence. Why in the world would chariot wheels be in the middle of the Red Sea? Even if they had been driven into the sea, there are no waves to push them to the middle of it. Another amazing discovery by Ron Wyatt in 1978 was a column found in the water in Nuweiba. The inscription had eroded away, so its importance was not known until a second identical column was discovered in 1984 that still had the inscription on it. The inscription indicated that it was a "memorial" probably set up by King Solomon to celebrate Yahweh’s (God’s) miracle at the Red Sea. Finally, the depth of the Red Sea is great, in some places over a mile. Even with great winds or a tsunami, the water could not be removed enough to walk across. However, we have recently discovered a section of the Red Sea with a path leading "NNE" from Nuweiba to Saudi Arabia that could easily be walked across if the water were removed. It is this exact 11 mile strip where the archaeological discoveries of bones and chariot pieces were found! The following website has more information and pictures detailing this evidence: http://users.netconnect.com.au/~leedas/redsea.html one hundred fifth one hundred fifth
- 107. In addition, myfather-in-law watched a "documentary" where several college students, recreated an exact scale model of the Red Sea. Using moderate winds, they were able to part this section of the Red Sea enough for Moses and the Israelites to cross. He could not remember the name of this "documentary", so I do not have a reference. But it definitely warrants further investigation. CCHAPTERHAPTER 88 The Unity of the Bible Many people don’t realize that, the Bible, is one holistic, cohesive, intertwined story. I never did. I focused on one story at a time, since that’s what I was taught in church, growing up. Although there are many different historical stories within it; the ONE single story, beginning with Abraham (Israel) and ending with the savior of Israel and the world (Jesus), and the command to spread the Word, is amazingly kept in unity. It may not sound amazing at first. I’m sure someone out there could humanly write a ~1,500 page novel/history book that all fits together. Actually; that’s exactly what Muhammad did. He basically rewrote the Bible in his OWN words, and created a new religion, Islam, in ~622 AD. What I thought was "funny" when I was reading the Koran, was that Muhammad writes in it, that Allah (god) challenges anyone to write a book just like it (the final page). He states that the Koran is completely unique and not able to be written by man. However, Muhammad clearly copied his one-of-a-kind book DIRECTLY from the Bible! And, in my opinion, it is a poorly written copy. one hundred sixth one hundred sixth
- 108. What makes theBible remarkable (besides that fact that Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, and other religions directly get the basis of their religion from it) is the fact that it was written over a ~1,600 year period, by over 40 different authors. What is MORE amazing is that these authors, ranging from a fisherman, to a tax-collector, to a murderer, to a doctor, all had NO IDEA THAT their piece of writing would each be a vital part of one cohesive message! Even more AMAZING is that, these men, from almost every walk of life, discussed hundreds of highly debatable topics and made thousands of loaded statements... ..Yet, none of them contradict another, not even in personal opinion (except when necessarily to prove a point)! Added to all that, it was also written on three different continents with different cultures. How could 66 different books, written millenniums apart, by over 40 VERY different authors, unaware that it was part of a larger writing; somehow all miraculously "FIT-TOGETHER" into arguably the world‘s most amazing and famous piece of literature? The reason is, because they ultimately were all written by the same entity: GOD. However, God didn’t just reach His great arm out of heaven, with a big pen and pad. He used everyday people as His medium to transfer His message to paper (err…papyrus and animal skin ). Noah’s Ark Many skeptics have doubted the ability of Noah’s Ark to actually be able to hold a bunch of creatures while "still" staying afloat. However, the specifications of the ark actually make it very sea-worthy. In fact, staff members of the "Korea Research Institute of Ships and Engineering" demonstrated that the ark "could have navigated sea conditions with waves higher than 30 metres" (Hong, et. al., 1994). The size and shape of the ark is not only acceptable, but it is actually OPTIMAL for what it needed to do. It was six times longer than its width, giving it TREMENDOUS buoyancy. In addition, it was a long as football field (including the end one hundred seventh one hundred seventh
- 109. zones), 75 feetwide, and 45 feet tall, with three decks! So "carrying" all the animals and supplies would not have been a problem. This is much different from the Babylonian story. In their story, the ark was shaped like a cube, which would not have been seaworthy; at ALL! Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) Okay, bear with me on this one. A near-death experience is when an individual clinically dies, or is very close to doing so, but "lives" and has an experience to tell about. Up until several weeks ago (2008), I didn’t give much thought to the "paranormal reports" regarding NDEs. I just figured it was some "biological process" that occurred close to death. But after doing some research, I found that there is MORE to it than that. I realized that NDEs may actually offer evidence that the end of life; is not the end of "life". According to the NDE Research Foundation (www.nderf.org), approximately 5% of Americans have had a NDE, which is about 15 million individuals. Atlanta cardiologist Dr. Michael Sabom discovered that 43% of cardiac arrest patients had NDEs. This is MANY MORE than I could have possibly imagined. I figured it was some freak probability that someone would almost die, float above their dead body and those around it, and then see a white light at the end of a tunnel. But it is surprisingly common. This massive number by itself is what made me interested in studying this. If 1 in 2000 people said they saw a ghost, I would not be interested. If 1 in 20 people INDEPENDENTLY said they saw the same ghost, it would catch my attention. According to the NDERF, 37% of NDErs, while unconscious or dead, actually gained another point-of-view in another form of consciousness. Even when people were considered clinically dead and had no brain activity (thus no thinking from the brain), they still could often see themselves and everyone around them, from a different perspective (often floating or standing by their body). One might say that, these could just be created memories formed AFTER awakening. one hundred eighth one hundred eighth
- 110. This is whatI always figured, especially with my graduate study in psychology. However, sometimes these individuals with no brain activity could actually recall surgical procedures, tools used, strangers involved, and even words spoken, that they could not possibly have known. Many NDE researchers have also found that blind people are able to see when having a NDE. A two-year study by Ring and Cooper (1999) discusses 31 cases of where a blind individually is able to accurately describe visuals of real events during their NDE. One example is an elderly woman who was born blind. During her NDE, she was able to see and could accurately describe visuals of the instruments, and techniques used to revive her. She could also clearly describe people who went in and out of her room, what they wore, and what they did. Upon hearing this, the doctor referred her to Dr. Raymond Moody, who documented this paranormal experience. Another occurrence that Moody documented was a patient who told him, “After it was all over the doctor told me that I had a really bad time, and I said, ‘Yeah, I know.' He said, ‘Well, how do you know?' and I said, ‘I can tell you everything that happened.' He didn't believe me, so I told him the whole story, from the time I stopped breathing until the time I was kind of coming around. He was really shocked to know that I knew everything that had happened. He didn't know quite what to say, but he came in several times to ask me different things about it.” According to the NDERF, 32% of NDErs have a tunnel experience. Generally, the tunnel experience involves the individual going through a tunnel with a bright light at the end, and often meeting an important figure at the end of the tunnel. Sixty-two percent of NDErs report seeing a light, usually in conjunction with intense feelings of love, joy and peace. According to NDERF, 25% report having a life review. Another source claims a much higher rate of 63%. One NDE individual states, “the (life) review was everything that ever happened to me, and yet it seemed to happen in just a matter of moments”. This individual also stated that this review happened through three different perspectives: their own eyes, the eyes of everyone they knew, and an omniscient viewpoint that could see one hundred ninth one hundred ninth
- 111. everything. He alsoreported feeling a wave of unconditional love. Sixty-Two percent (62%!) of NDErs were given a choice of whether or not to return back to their body. Changes in attitude were reported by 91% of NDErs. Amazingly, 54% even report having gained psychic or paranormal abilities. Although I am extremely skeptical of such a claim, my research has shown that these abilities are related more to being intuitive and empathetic, than anything, IMO. Many of them claim to have healing abilities, which may perhaps be related to their new empathetic abilities. Ultimately, what I gather from my research is that NDEs profoundly change people. Almost all NDErs lose their fear of death, and almost all believe in the afterlife after their experience. This includes everyone from devout Christians to devout atheists. They usually claim that their experience is, at least to themselves, proof of life after death, but that their extremely vivid and enlightening experience; is IM·POS·SI·BLE to explain with words. Consider famous atheist and founder of positivism, A. J. Aye. His theory of positivism stated that anything that could not be verifiable by the senses was nonsense. He had a conviction and reputation of dismissing God, and religion. The Jesuit Fr. Martin d'Arcy even described Ayer as "the most dangerous man in Oxford University,” at the age of 21. However, after having a NDE experience, Ayer proclaimed that it “weakened my conviction that death would be the end of me, though I continue to hope it will be”. The physician tending to Ayer said that when Ayer awoke, “he told me he saw the Supreme Being”. Making a famous atheist publicly question his own popular theory, says something about the NDE. I find it very interesting that there is so much uniformity among NDErs, even those of different cultures. When someone experiences an LSD trip, a dream, temporary asphyxiation, one hundred tenth one hundred tenth
- 112. etc., there isa wide variety of experiences reported, often with crazy distortions of reality. Amazingly, those on the brink of death have uncannily common experiences. How could 15 million Americans have the same paranormal experience? Even more amazingly, how could these clear and vivid experiences happen when the brain is at its worst functioning ability, or even not functioning at all? It almost seems that these super- senses that dying people experience may be a foreshadowing of what some, or ALL, will experience after dying. A documentary titled "Into the Unknown: Strange But True," has an interesting "quote" by neuropsychiatrist Dr. Peter Fenwick, regarding NDEs, that will wrap up this section: "The brain isn't functioning. It's not there. It's destroyed. It's abnormal. But, yet, it can produce these very clear experiences ... an unconscious state is when the brain ceases to function. For example, if you faint, you fall to the floor; you don't know what's happening and the brain isn't working. The memory systems are particularly sensitive to unconsciousness. So, you won't remember anything. But, yet, after one of these experiences (a NDE), you come out with clear, lucid memories ... This is a real puzzle for science. I have not yet seen any good scientific explanation which can explain that fact." Joseph’s Price as a Slave This one is short and sweet. Genesis 37:28 says that Joseph’s brother sold him as a slave for 20 shekels. Research has found that twenty shekels was the exact going price, at the time, for a male slave of Joseph’s age who had been dedicated to the Lord. This may not sound like huge evidence, but think about how easy it would have been for a later author to screw up the exact price! Not just this, but there are so many tiny details in the Bible, that line up perfectly with the reality, at the time. It just seems impossible that fallible men could have created such an one hundred eleventh one hundred eleventh
- 113. INFALLIBLE piece ofliterature. Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? C. S. Lewis is the author of the famous book “Mere Christianity”. In it, he makes the point that Jesus is said to have been one of four things. He was either the greatest liar to ever live, a great teacher, a complete lunatic, or the Son of God. However, He could not have been a lunatic simply by looking at His words and actions. He said and did things that a crazy person could never have done. He never acted out, never said anything proposing he could have been mentally ill, and was never proposed to have been insane by any of the people he encountered. If he were in fact, insane, surely Pontius Pilate himself would have recognized it. So that only leaves three choices. He was either the Son of God, a great teacher, or the greatest liar to have ever lived. Here is a direct quote from Lewis’ book: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.” So Jesus could not have been a great teacher, since a great teacher could not have also been a great liar. So he must have either been the Son of God, and the greatest man to ever live, or the greatest liar to ever live. But this leaves us with another BIG question. How could someone who was a liar, have let himself be crucified? At any point during his trial, He could have easily denounced who He was. All Pilate wanted Him to do one hundred twelfth one hundred twelfth
- 114. was submit tohim, and say that He was not the king of the Jews. ONE SIMPLE LINE; and he would not have been scorned, beaten, tortured, crucified, and left to die a slow, painful, humiliating death. But he didn’t denounce who He was, EVEN THOUGH He KNEW what He was going to face!! That-right- there; just doesn’t make any sense: unless He was in-FACT, who He said He was... ...God in human flesh... The Faithful (Crazy?) Disciples My wife asked me a question a few nights ago, “I understand one hundred thirteenth one hundred thirteenth
- 115. why Jesus hadto die. I understand His sacrifice and why all that had to happen. But why did the disciples have to die such gruesome deaths if they were supposed to be the closest ones to Jesus and messengers of God” (2008)? Well, this actually leads to another great piece of evidence. The disciples, were indeed, some of the closest people to Jesus on earth. However, even right before His crucifixion, Peter still denied that he knew Him, three times, so he could save himself trouble. So Peter’s dedication to Jesus, was still wavering up until Jesus’ death. However, after Jesus rose from the grave, He displayed Himself to the disciples and taught them for 40 days. Sometime during that period, Jesus must have "changed" the disciples. Perhaps it was the simple fact that they saw him tortured and killed with their own EYES, yet saw him in the flesh three days later. Or maybe it was Jesus’ extraordinary teachings. Whatever it was, they were changed. I know this BECAUSE; not only did they vigorously proclaim the Word, even when they were oppressed, they actually did it to the point of death. Not just "ANY" death. All but one of the disciples died violent deaths, ranging from being stabbed, hanged, burned, and even crucified. They could have EASILY AVOIDING IT; by denying Christ. So they must have been 100% certain that Christ was, who He said He was. It was Peter that was crucified upside down. The same Peter who denied that he even knew Jesus, right before His death and resurrection. But Peter did NOT only allow himself to be crucified. He actually was adamant that he had to be crucified upside down, because he "proclaimed" he wasn’t worthy to die the same way that his Lord had died. So he goes from denying that he even knows Jesus, to paying Him the respect of NOT mimicking his crucifixion; even though it was because of Jesus that he was being brutally murdered in the first place! THAT; JUST; BLOWS; MY; MIND! Not only that, but being crucified upside down sounds to me to be EVEN WORSE than being crucified normally. But remember, Jesus was punched, beaten, whipped, etc., long before his crucifixion. If you've seen "reenactments" in the movies; it was WAY worse. I just know... This by itself, shows that Jesus must have had an extraordinary impact on Peter and the other disciples, to change them so much! They went from being an ordinary fisherman to an immoral tax collector, to being martyrs and willingly dying horrible deaths (except John). Even a great liar would probably find one hundred fourteenth one hundred fourteenth
- 116. it impossible tofake ALL THOSE MIRACLES, as well as the resurrection, to the POINT of convincing a group of men to willingly die for Him; when they could have easily escaped death. CCHAPTERHAPTER 99 There is a lot of extra-Biblical evidence supporting the Bible. That is, historical records and archaeological finds of inscriptions that support the Bible. Rather than trying to gather all of them, I will present just a few of them (www.google.com is just a "click" away ) The Ebla archive Elba archive was discovered in the ~1960-70s in northern Syria. The excavation site contained approximately "20,000 clay tablets". The tablets, dated to around 2300 BC, actually uncovered an empire that had eluded history up until this point (Schafer, 2008; Water, 2001). The tablets mention many important Biblical references and evidences. I’ll name just a few. * Names in the tablets, including Abraham, Ishmael, David, Israel, Esau, and Saul, show that these names were common during the time period they were used in the Bible. *Some critics believed that the Hebrew word “tehom” (the deep), used in Genesis 1:2, was not yet invented during Moses’ time (the assumed writer of Genesis). However, this word appears in the Elba tablets 800 years before Moses. one hundred fifteenth one hundred fifteenth
- 117. * Many peoplebelieve that Moses was a primitive man with no alphabet, which meant that he couldn’t have written the first books of the Bible. Certain similarities between the Elba tablets and Moses’ law in the Bible ultimately deny the claim that "Moses’ law was too sophisticated" for its time; as well as the claim that there was no writing in the days of Moses. In addition the "black stele" was a sculpted stone found with the written laws of Hammurabi, and is dated to at least 300 years before Moses. *There have been many skeptics who believe that the victory of Abraham over Chedorlaomer and the Mesopotamian kings as purely fictitious, along with the cities and civilizations related to them. However, the Elba tablets mention many of them, including Sodom and Gomorrah, Canaan, Jerusalem; and the Sumerians, Hittites, Amorites, and Canaanites. In fact, one tablet actually records all five Cities of the plain (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar) in the exact order they are recorded in Genesis 14:2! The Nuzi and Mari Tablets The Nuzi tablets were discovered in the 1920s. They were carbon-dated to be from approximately 1,500 BC. The writings correctly identified social customs of the patriarchs relating to real estate, adoption, and marriage. The Mari tablets were discovered soon after this, and were carbon-dated to be from the eighteenth century BC. There were about twenty thousand tablets, and they revealed contacts between the two different areas as well as similar customs between the two (Provan, 2003). Tablets of Belshazzar one hundred sixteenth one hundred sixteenth
- 118. Belshazzar is mentionedas the last Babylonian king in Daniel 5. The problem is, history has always recorded Nabonidus as the last king of Babylon, and never mentioned Belshazzar. However, tablets were recently found that confirmed that Belshazzar was actually Nabonidus’ son, and that he served as coregent in Babylon. When I read this, I was like “what the heck is a coregent”? A quick search of the reputable www.reference.com explained that, “A coregency is the situation where a monarchical position (such as King, Queen, Emperor or Empress), normally held by only a single person, is held by two”. So although history only mentioned one of these kings (the father), Belshazzar was "technically" the last living King of Babylon . The Beni Hasan Tomb This tomb had an inscription that "depicted" the Asiatics going to Egypt during a famine. Not "coincidentally", this was during the Abrahamic period, when Jacob and the Israelites went to Egypt because of the famine recorded at the end of Genesis. Obviously, I have only scratched the surface of the thousands and thousands of evidences and arguments supporting the Bible. A book covering every single detail of every topic would take much more than my lifetime to write; and no one could stomach reading so much. So I leave further research up to you, if you are still skeptical, or interested. The next chapter will cover a different, intangible, and exceptionally hard-to-fully-understand type of evidence. Not COINCIDENTALLY; this evidence is the ultimate evidence for believing, for those who truly do believe and understand. one hundred seventeenth one hundred seventeenth
- 119. CCHAPTERHAPTER 1010 The followingwas written when I was 19 years old and drunk on the island of Guam (2004): “We are all in the dark Blind to what we haven't created What we do see is incorrect Distorted and delusioned I don't believe we will ever have a light At least not during life We must navigate the dark Without sight Trying to figure out what this is But I don't believe we ever will We can only speculate” The following passage was written when I was 20, and I have not changed it since then. It is very offensive in nature (towards Christianity), and I only include it to give you an idea of who I was until five months ago (2008). However, it does mention some definite problems in Christianity that I still believe exist, which I will discuss in the next chapter. I have bolded and italicized these problems in the passage. October 26, 2005 “On Religion Believing what you are told about religion is one hundred eighteenth one hundred eighteenth
- 120. simply taking theeasy way out. It's like having someone create for you a prefabricated, but correctly shaped, puzzle piece that you force into the mysterious empty section in your puzzle of life. Hold on, hold on, before you start accusing me of being an atheist, let me enlighten you on the fact that I do believe that their is a higher power. A "God", if you will. There is no other explanation for the universe other than believing that some sort of powerful force created it. Unless of course the universe isn't tangible; but then we get into some Matrix-type s---, and that's just another can of worms. So there you go. I believe in God. I'm not sure if he or she or it specifically acknowledges each of our existences, but I still talk to them anyway. Once we get past that, however, my beliefs begin to get unhelpfully vague. When I was younger, I went along with the crowd; I read the bible and worshiped Jesus. I was a Christian. I had always silently questioned what they were telling us, but was always too afraid of being a rebel. If what they said was true, I could possibly go to hell for even contemplating the thoughts that I was. Even if what they said was bulls---, I would still be scorned by everyone else who believed it if I said anything skeptical. So I continued to practice Christianity, and eventually became pretty close with Jesus. I even got to a point where I stopped cussing; something that obviously plays a large role in my life. Still, some of what I was hearing and seeing just didn't make any d--- sense. Many of the details were contradictory, and so were the actions of many of my fellow Christians. Whenever we came to a part in the Bible that was confusing or questionable, the preacher would just throw the word "faith" to us. Faith. You have to have faith. If you have faith, and you're naive, everything makes sense. The Jesus Club The main reason that people go to church is so one hundred nineteenth one hundred nineteenth
- 121. they don't goto hell. It's not because they love God; it's because they're scared. If you don't want to go to hell, you have to give your life to Jesus. This sounds pretty grueling/scary/permanent, but it's actually quite simple. The process involves the preacher saying a passage that sounds official, and subsequently dunking the scared- I'm-going-to-hell person's head under holy water. Sure it doesn't physically do anything, but it makes the newly transformed happy-I'm-not-going-to-hell person feel as if they can finally be worry-free. That burden that every human has; you know, the one of not quite knowing what the f--- we are; is suddenly lifted. They are now a part of the exclusive Jesus club, where every member knows where they came from, where they are, and where they are going. They can live their lives without that annoying ultimate question of life nagging them every waking moment. The best thing about the Jesus club is that the dues aren't too expensive or time consuming. Most of the other clubs have pretty hefty fees. Out of the top ten clubs in the world, including; Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, Islamic, Judaism, and many more, Christianity has comparatively some of the best rates available. Some of the other clubs have dues as high as 10% or more of your total earnings and hours of prayer and worship every day. The exceptionally harsh clubs may even include requirements such as pilgrimages and physical labor! Ugh! The Jesus club doesn't require any of this, and they have the same benefits as the others; guaranteed entrance into the happiest place you can think of. In fact, Some of the other clubs don't even promise this! The only dues required for Jesus Club members are: a crumpled dollar every Sunday, a ten second prayer at every meal, a thirty second prayer at night, and an hour of force feeding every Sunday. And that's the premium membership package; what a deal! The economy Christian package only involves an occasional, short, pre-rendered prayer in a public place, and force feeding on Sunday morning if your sin-meter one hundred twentieth one hundred twentieth
- 122. is too high. Ina recent study, Christians have shown that the worst part of the club dues is by far the Sunday morning force feeding. But the force feeding really isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. Usually there are some pretty hot pieces of meat in skimpy clothes sitting in neighboring pews. Whenever the congregation says a prayer, you can usually look around and catch some nice cleavage shots without any repercussions. If you're really slick and intuitive, and have a premonition of an abnormally lengthy prayer, you may even be able to catch an up skirt view! Where else can you do that, short of a strip club?! Many of the other clubs have dress codes that don't allow their members to wear such clothing. Why be short-changed on your benefits? Many Christians actually wrote that they look forward to Sunday for this sole reason. Not only that, but club membership also includes exclusive access to some of the hottest bodies in town, all of whom will like you more simply because you're a club member! Why wouldn't you want to be a Christian?! Join today and reap the benefits of: unlimited eye candy, free bread and wine, instant superficial social support, and another reason to add to your essay of "Why my Life Matters"; not to mention the satisfaction of knowing that you've chosen the finest happy-eternity- in-a-box the world has to offer! Once I hit the tender age of 17, I'd had enough. Enough of the hypocrisy, enough of the lies, enough of the bulls---. Jesus may very well be real; or maybe Buddhism, or Judaism. Who really knows? I'm not doubting anything. As a disclaimer, if any entity was included in the aforementioned passage that is indeed a real entity, then I have something to say to him/her/them; "sir/maam/thing, I apologize for any misinterpretations that you may have had of the preceding paragraphs. I'm not making fun of you, I'm one hundred twenty-first one hundred twenty-first
- 123. simply making funof the people who disgrace you." Religion may have been real, but church was not. So I quit. For a while, I was lost without all of the fake support that the church had offered me. Over the years, I slowly came to terms with my beliefs. I finally decided that I don't need all of the answers conveniently organized in one place. I believe that there is a reason we don't know everything, and I'm not scared to admit it. For all of you who are, I'm sure there's a local hypocrite house right down the road that will take you right in: for a small fee.” He Really Changes You! Wow. Talk about anti-Christian. I was completely sure that no one knew for a fact that Christianity was real, that no one wholeheartedly believed what they preached, and that I would never be able to believe it. I knew I would never believe it. I could never allow myself to believe in Santa again, and I would never allow myself to believe in Jesus again. Not unless He gave me some proof, and I knew that; wouldn‘t; happen... ...Well; I was wrong; and He did! Like I said earlier, I can’t explain what the proof was to me, just as a man cannot accurately explain the experience of seeing color to a blind person. But for non-Christians, my "CHANGE" itself is the PROOF. If something was powerful enough to change someone like me, it had to be supernatural. Not just me, but millions and millions of people have experienced the same thing as me. How many other religions have people literally pull a "180" with their heart? It just doesn’t happen. The reason that so many Christians are so changed by "Jesus", is because He really changes YOU! It is NOT just a "psychological thing". I had an associate’s, bachelor’s, and a master’s degree before I was saved (2008). I was very intelligent, scientific, an one hundred twenty-second one hundred twenty-second
- 124. NPC National Levelbodybuilder, and seemingly COMPLETELY self-sufficient. But God humbled me in a second; and I instantly had my PROOF! I don't have anything tangible. Only I can see it. For those who are unsaved: IMO, it is REMARKABLE(!), to say the least... Although we do have substantial and irrefutable scientific and historical proof of Christianity; the "greatest proof" of "Christianity"; is the truly changed lives that happen as a result of accepting Jesus! History is one thing. Science is one thing. Archaeology is one thing. Actually SEEING someone TRULY change: is something else entirely. And actually being changed is UNEXPLAINABLE. PERIOD! I had tried many times before to change BY MYSELF, and I always thought I could do it on my OWN... Here is a short story about me almost dying when I was 19 in Guam (for 15 months). I wrote it when I was 21 (2006). Again, please try to ignore the profanity. I haven’t changed this, because I want to retain the character of "who" I was: “After I moved to Guam for my first duty station, the thrill of life quickly overcame me. In Kentucky, I had been somewhat sheltered. I was a goody-good for the most part, and never really drank much or did any drugs. Not even cigarettes (not one!). In fact, I didn’t drink alcohol or lose my virginity until after I was eighteen. In Guam, however, the drinking age was eighteen. So for the first few months, I felt as though it was my responsibility as a newly appointed adult to do my share of drinking. As it inevitably turns out, like most newbie drinkers, I did more than my share of drinking. My friends and I got completely s---faced at least three or four nights a week (seriously). I wanted to take college courses (I REALLY wanted to), but I wasn’t allowed to because I was in "upgrade training". I used that as my one hundred twenty-third one hundred twenty-third
- 125. excuse to goout to bars, strip clubs, and "massage" parlors every weekend. I was having a blast but, besides sex, wasn’t doing anything productive. It didn’t bother me at the time, because I just kept thinking about how I would start college after I was done with my upgrade training. In addition, I blew off the fact that the alcohol was hurting my bodybuilding gains by saying that I wasn’t going to compete until after returning to the states. So I continued to eat, drink, and be merry. Then a point came when the drinking, the merriness, and nearly my life, came to a screeching halt. I had recently discovered that the most efficient way to get wasted was to fill a flask with Bacardi 151 and drink shots until blacking out. I started the night with one flask full of the super-strong liquor, and had planned on drinking that over the course of the night. At about 2330, a half-hour into the party, my flask was already empty. I still felt pretty good, so I decided one more flask wouldn’t kill me. After filling and emptying the flask once more, I found myself filling it again. I should have known that something was wrong. The fact that I had poured most of the liquor on my shirt and pants, rather than in the flask, should have been a red flag that I was a little f---ed up. Then again, I suppose that I was so f---ed up, that I DID realize that I was that f---ed up, but DIDN'T CARE! I knew that I smelled like pure rubbing alcohol, and if someone were to have dropped a cigarette on me, I probably would have gone up in flames (vodka/80 proof VS Bacardi/151 proof. Almost twice as much alcohol as vodka). The thought of that made me laugh to myself. People would probably think it was funny. I was glad that I smelled like alcohol. Being drunk can make you think some weird s---. After the memory of covering myself with almost pure alcohol, the next memory I have is of me taking about three or four more shots in a row. Some girl was sitting next to me. I think I was showing her how much I one hundred twenty-fourth one hundred twenty-fourth
- 126. could drink. Someguy was sitting on the other side looking at me and laughing. He must have been pretty impressed with how much I had drank (in hindsight, they were laughing because I was so drunk!). Yup, I was the man. The next memory after that confused the hell out of me. I opened my eyes; all I could see was white. My eyes began to focus. White speckles. A ceiling? Turning my head slightly to the right revealed one of my friends. "Wathups ma…," was about all I could get out. I must have been pretty messed up. I could feel a grin forming. It’s always funny to be so intoxicated that you can’t speak correctly. "He’s gaining consciousness," a voice to my left clearly stated. I slowly pivoted my head to soothe my curiosity. The whole world was bobbing around. Or maybe it was just my head. After about ten seconds, I had finally managed to turn my head about 30 degrees to reveal the character who was trying to sound so smart. They were green. No; they were wearing Camouflage BDUs. This wasn’t making any sense. After a moment of focusing, I analyzed his duty badge. It had a shield with a cross; he was a medic. "Fuucc….," I tried to mumble. I suddenly felt nauseous. "G-----mn it," a familiar voice to my right shouted. It was my friend. "Why does he keep throwing up on me?" I was confused again. It quickly made sense one I felt something warm running down my chin, and acknowledged the fact that my mouth tasted like stomach acid. I opened my eyes again, and quickly became angered by the sight. It was my first sergeant, the big guns upstairs that deals with discipline. "Dises my f---in room and my f--kin dayof. Gettowda my f---in room. Iun bug ya on ur f---in day off." I tried to tell him to leave, but for some reason I just couldn’t talk right. I must have drank so much that someone called the medics and the first sergeant. I one hundred twenty-fifth one hundred twenty-fifth
- 127. glanced at myclock, which read about 0700. That couldn’t be true. The last thing I remembered it was midnight. Another quick look around the room revealed my superintendent, several more medics, and a handful of spectators gawking at me as if I was a monkey at the zoo eating his own s---. It was at that point that I did a quick analysis of the situation and realized I was in deep s---. DEEP...S---! Forget the fact that I had just cussed out the first sergeant. Oh my god, I was in so much trouble! Tears started pouring from my eyes. Any effort to stop them proved futile. I had never been in trouble before. Not like this. I closed my eyes and hoped that I was dreaming. I could feel myself vomiting again, but didn’t even bother to open my eyes. I was too busy trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this. Three days later I was still feeling sick to my stomach, but at least I was finally able to hold down some food. The mere thought of alcohol brought about the taste of stomach acid. I was never going to drink again (yea right). Most people have stories about the time they were so drunk that *blah* *blah* *blah*. Well now I had a story about how I was so drunk that I almost died. I was lucky enough that my friend found me lying alone and breathless in the dayroom and called the paramedics. For seven hours they had to keep me conscious and breathing. They said that if they let me sit there for more than a few seconds, I would quit breathing. When that happened, my friend had to grind his knuckles on my chest. The pain that he inflicted was strong enough to alert my senses to tell me to let out a moan, and subsequently inhale more oxygen. By the time the medics got there, I was already beginning to recover, which was why they didn’t take me to the hospital. By the way; that DUDE... you seriously saved my life. I would have DIED if it weren't for you. THANK YOU(!); from the bottom of my heart :'( . one hundred twenty-sixth one hundred twenty-sixth
- 128. I had neverhad a near-death experience before that, but I’ll tell you something that I learned from it: THEY ARE AWESOME! Besides the fact that I was forced to enroll in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Training, I was glad about what had happened to me. For the umpteenth time in my life, I’d had a life-changing experience. Not just because I stopped drinking for three months and after that learned to drink in moderation, but because I realized just how fragile and meaningful life was. If any number of subtle details would have been different that night, I could be dead right now. After that night, I gained a new respect for life, and acknowledged what it meant to not take life for granted.” Did I Really Fix it? YEA RIGHT! I thought I had myself under "control". But since then, I’ve almost died numerous times, more ambulances rides than I could count, wrecked my car (and motorcycle) numerous times, been arrested countless times (thirteen times in Georgetown, KY), destroyed my marriage (it was mostly my fault), tried committed suicide three times, etc.; all because of ALCOHOL! I had so many chances, and thought that I had changed so many times. And each time, I really thought I could do it. But the REAL change didn’t happen until I finally acknowledge God, admitted to Him that I couldn’t control it on my own, and begged for His help. Now I don’t drink anymore (one day at a time). Not even a sip. I have an agreement with God, and He helps me keep it. I swear I could not do it on my own. I tried SO HARD; but I just could NOT alone! My sobriety is just one of the many things in my life that have changed. I don’t curse at all anymore. I don’t look at pornography anymore. I don’t do any drugs anymore. I don’t stare at women anymore. And I never thought any of that would ever be possible! Heck, I even done wrote me a big ol’ book (~6.5 years from start to finish)! All it takes is a little help one hundred twenty-seventh one hundred twenty-seventh from the creator. And all you have to do is ASK!
- 129. CCHAPTERHAPTER 10.3110.31 one hundredtwenty-eighth one hundred twenty-eighth Bible Answer: The Bible tells us that the rainbow did not occur until after Noah's flood. God gave it to us as a promise that He would never destroy the earth with a flood again. The rainbow was not only a promise from God but it was a reminder. That is the meaning of the rainbow.
- 130. What about "faggots"?"Queers"? "Anal assassins"? Right about now, one of four things are probably going through your head. Ones that HATE queens, are probably clapping your hands right now. Ones that think that it's wrong to be an "angel food", but have the "don't ask, don't tell" policy; are probably neutral/slightly in favor of it. If you are straight, but think that it's your body, your choice, probably think that calling them "bull dykes" is NOT cool. If you are a "LGBT", your mouth is probably going to hit the floor in disbelief, not able to say a word. Or; your just REALLY pissed!... ...I'm sorry gays; it's (IMO) not your fault your homosexual (seriously). First of all, I want to apologize for making rude remarks. Though, it was to make a "point". Chances are, you were born that way. You've been called every name under the sun. For me (I'm straight), I would like to say; 'I'm sorry for all the hurt that you've been through!" I honestly cannot imagine it!! ... ...My brother is really smart, has a good job, pays bills on time; one hundred twenty-ninth one hundred twenty-ninth
- 131. and, by theway, he is 100% GAY! Do I love him?... YOU BET! Some of you think that it's wrong. Well;... IT IS! Revelation 22:15 NIV:" Outside are the homosexuals, those involved with the occult and with drugs, the sexually immoral, murderers, idol-worshippers, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." What would Jesus do? Would he cast all homosexuals to hades, then hell? ... (Think about it)... (Think about it)... NO! PERIOD!! He would probably have dinner with them, like a good Samaritan should, and leave on a great note. Those straight people that have sex, but aren't married, are technically sexually immoral people! If gays go to hell, then there's a 100% certainty that sexually immoral people will as well; along with rest of the list! But, remember: Romans 3:23 NIV: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Well, what about Genesis 19:8 with Lot? NIV: "Look, I've got two daughters who haven't had sexual relations with a man. I'll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want to them. However, don't do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof." Check out www.gotquestions.org/Lots-daughters.html . He's exchanging his two virgin daughters to these men to gang rape, as long as they don't gang rape these two male strangers. It's in the Bible; there's no doubt about it. But it's LOT who's saying it. God is out of the picture completely. If you will go back and read it again, you'll see that I put "quotations" around key phrases. "I'll" and, "you can do whatever you want to them.", and "my roof" is all one hundred thirtieth one hundred thirtieth
- 132. 100% about Lot,with God out of the scene. If you read further on, you'll see that it bites him in the butt. Genesis 19:33-36 NIV: "That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. The next day the older daughter said to the younger, 'Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.' So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father." If he would have listened to God, I'm not sure how it would have played out. Though, IMO, I'm pretty sure that the incestual relationship would not have happened. I'm a sinner... For myself, every single woman that I've had sexual intercourse with (except when I was married), was a sin. Looking back at four-sided question, again; WWJD? Here's a great website that would benefit "LGBT" (or those curious). www.gaychristian.net . "Our membership includes both those on Side A (supporting same-sex marriage and relationships) and on Side B (promoting celibacy for Christians with same-sex attractions)." For me, I would choose Side B; definitely. But I am like a grain a salt, in over ~7.2 billion people in the salt mine (2014). It's YOUR choice... Homosexuality is wrong, according to the Bible. But a sin, is a sin, is a SIN! Kicking somebody out of Christianity is probably, if not THE most inconsiderate, immoral, thing you can do; "just one hundred thirty-first one hundred thirty-first
- 133. because your straight".If anybody deserves to be a hypocrite (and we ALL are to some degree; some more than others), you would probably be right up at the "top" of the line. Once you have read this, it's up to you to decide what to do with it. Are any of the apostles "LGBT"? We don't know. But Paul, who wrote almost half of the New Testament, was almost certainly hiding something. Once you get past the APPROVAL of killing Christians (killing Thomas, the first Christian ever murdered), to one of the BIGGEST Christians there will ever be; there still seems like theres "something" missing?? Look on www.Google.com to see. If you're "LGBT", my heart goes out to you; (though you're probably MUCH STRONGER than you know ). The Evidence is Obvious; Why Still all the Disbelief? one hundred thirty-second one hundred thirty-second CCHAPTERHAPTER 1111
- 134. Well, one ofthe biggest reasons people still don’t believe, is simple. They dissociate scientific proof and the Bible. The Bible is viewed as a religious text, and religion and science are on opposite ends of the continuum for many. However, as I have shown with this book; this is not true! Still, some people are so hardened and adamant, that they won’t even consider looking at the facts. Others, however, do look at the undeniable facts. However; some of these people find ways to denounce them, by being overly critical or misunderstanding the facts. They end up PROVING SOMETHING WRONG in their "minds", that is actually right (correct) on the paper. The quote from “Frank”, the forumite, in Chapter 2 is a good example of this. Other actually accept the evidence, but there is something missing. That "something" is the “real” evidence that I described in the previous chapter. Let me explain. Here’s a good analogy: let’s say there’s a new oil filter out there that "supposedly" increases your "fuel economy". The oil filter company has done all sorts of tests, and there is plenty of "scientific proof" to back up their claims. There are even hundreds of personal testimonies you have heard about. One of your close friends gets the filter, and their fuel economy actually goes down. So do you buy the filter? Probably not. Does that mean it is a bad filter, and everything else was a lie? Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps your friend put it on wrong, didn’t get the right one, has something else "wrong" with his car, etc. But none of that is going to matter, because you are going to look at the evidence right IN FRONT OF YOU! The same problem happens with Christianity! Some Christians Give Christianity a Bad Name! As I mentioned at the beginning of the previous chapter, with the text that I made bold and italicized, Christians and the church are not always sincere, and not always right. The first line that I marked was “Many of the details were contradictory, one hundred thirty-third one hundred thirty-third
- 135. and so werethe actions of many of my fellow Christians”. As I have already discussed in chapter 4, the details of the Bible that I thought were contradictory, were actually not. It was simply because I didn’t understand it, I didn’t ask questions, and it wasn’t explained to me well (OR; I didn't listen)! In some churches today, this has to change! People need to ask questions when something "doesn’t" make sense to them; but more importantly, the pastoral staff must be vigilant in looking for these things! The second part, that the actions of many Christians today "contradict" what they preach, is also very prevalent. In fact, I would dare say that most Christians today do not practice what they preach, outside the walls of the church! I know when I went to church when I was younger, almost no one cursed in the church; but a lot of them did outside of it. People were nice to each other in church; but then they would talk behind people’s backs, and make fun of them in public. This hypocrisy is one of the biggest things that is ruining Christianity today! So many Americans today consider themselves "christians". They stick "Christian" stickers on their vehicles, but then they speed down the road cursing at traffic, and speeding 20 miles over. Do Christianity a favor. If you don’t practice what you preach, don’t tell anyone you’re a christian. Actually, if you don’t practice what you preach, then Jesus has not really entered your heart. If He has, then you have let Him go; in which case you are an apostate. An apostate is the lowest of the low. For example: someone who has beaten, tortured, raped, and killed 100 LITTLE girls, but NOT saved; would be better than a goody two-shoes, who is in the end: an APOSTATE! Let that sink in for a minute... Another negative aspect about a lot of Christians is that they have a “holier than thou” attitude. What Christians have to understand, is that they are not better than anyone else; they are simply better off than some. Christians don’t earn salvation; and the Bible tells us that it is NOT anything that we did to get what we have. It is a FREE GIFT, and nothing to feel self-pride for! As Randy Milholland once said, “The only time anyone's admitted they were a 'christian' before, was when they were busy telling me why they're better than me”. Again; one hundred thirty-fourth one hundred thirty-fourth
- 136. Romans 3:23 reads,"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." christianity is becoming more of a culture than a faith. It is a series of rituals and half-hearted beliefs, not a sincere commitment of faith. People are often born into it, but don’t practice it. But really, Christianity is NOT supposed to be something you are born into. It is supposed to be something that happens to you. One famous anonymous quote is, “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car." If you’ve truly let Jesus in, you will know it, because you will be a different "creature". Just look at the numerous books of former professing atheists that INSTANTLY turned into a different person. It really DOES happen, because it really is REAL! But just because you see a so-called “christian” acting or saying non-christian things, it doesn’t mean that the power of Christ isn’t real. It means that the power of Christ is not with that person, and they are not really a Christian "at-the- moment." The next line that I "highlighted" was that most people go to church, because they don’t want to go to HELL; more-so than because they love GOD. I also believe that this is at least partially true. Heck, that’s why I always went to church! Who wants to be condemned to HELL? But after truly being saved, I realized something. Once you’ve actually let the Holy Spirit in, you won’t worry about hell; because you’ll know that you’re saved. It won’t even be a thought (really!). So when a genuine Christian goes to church, it is NOT to keep them from hell, because they already know they’re going to heaven. It is because they want to thank God for saving them, to get a closer relationship to Him, and to EVANGELIZE. The focus of church becomes God, not the person. So if you ask a “christian” why they go to church, and they say “well I don’t want to go to hell”, then chances are they have a lot of learning to do. I’m not condemning those people, because I believe most "christians" hit this point at least once. I’m simply stating that you should not base your opinion of "christianity" on these people. one hundred thirty-fifth one hundred thirty-fifth
- 137. The next phrasethat I highlighted was “The only dues required for Jesus Club members are: a crumpled dollar every Sunday, a ten second prayer at every meal, a thirty second prayer at night, and an hour of force feeding every Sunday…The economy Christian package only involves an occasional, short, pre-rendered prayer in a public place, and force feeding on Sunday morning if your sin-meter is too high”. Again, this is the view that many people have of christians. It is actually a GOOD description of many of them as well (IMO). For many people, christianity is a routine designed to give them comfort and safety. If a “christian” falls into the TRAP of doing their weekly routine, to keep god off their back, to avoid going to hell, and to make themselves and/or others to think highly of them; then: JESUS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING! I never thought I would actually be happy to go to church, or that I would listen to Christian music all day. I had grown up with the "mindset" that you try to struggle to stay awake in church, TRY to put a dollar in the plate, and then live your life without getting "caught". When christians convey this mindset to the public, it is no wonder that the public thinks we are all hypocrites. Many (most?) of us are! Nine months ago, I used to drive down the road with my ultra-loud subwoofer blasting KoRn and (dirty) rap music (IDMAX 12" 1000 watts RMS. Look on www.ebay.com). Now, I drive down the road bumping and singing modern gospel music with my windows down. I use to be embarrassed, especially at stop lights and intersections. But now I just sing my heart out(!), and welcome the strange looks. I figure maybe someone will look at me, and have a change of heart. Probably not; but I don't mind it anymore . Not because I want them to think highly of me. But because I want them to think highly of God, and understand the reality of Him! The next topic that I bolded was how there are so many one hundred thirty-sixth one hundred thirty-sixth
- 138. females in churchwith skimpy clothes on (and guys too). The Bible "clearly states" to completely separate sexuality and God. Period. So if you go to church and see a woman showing a lot of cleavage or a really short skirt, they; are; WRONG! I always thought it was funny that, when I was younger, I spent half of my time in church trying to catch glimpses of the women. What should they expect? Having D-cups hanging out in front of a bunch of men, is like putting steak in front of my boxer and getting "mad" when he salivates. CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT DO THIS!! Women and men, alike, are supposed to wear conservative clothes to church. It’s one thing to look "nice". It’s another thing to show off. You can do that at a dinner party (conservatively). The focus of church is God, not your God-given perfect breasts, or beautiful biceps. So put em’ away, and stop tarnishing Christianity! I used to be one of the worst!. Finally, the last line that I bolded was “Religion may have been real, but church was not”. Unfortunately, this is often the case today. The Bible "clearly" tells us in the Great Commission to evangelize to others. Yet, somehow, about half of all churches do not add a single convert to their congregation in a given year. Clearly, they are not living up to the Great Commission, and are "thus" leaving out what is arguably the most important part of the Bible: Jesus’ last words on earth. Acts 1:8 states “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”. What He is saying, is that once you have the Holy Spirit in you (you’ll know when you do), you are to spread His word to Jerusalem (your town/city), Judea (your state), Samaria (your country), and to the ends of the earth. It is not a suggestion: it is a DEMAND! Yet somehow, many churches today completely ignore it! This is only one example of the follies of christian churches today. Some churches focus too much on how God is blessing them, rather than how they can bless God. Some have a tight-knit community of churchgoers, but turn a blind eye to outsiders. However; there are also plenty of good churches out one hundred thirty-seventh one hundred thirty-seventh
- 139. there. The churchthat I currently go to, is awesome (2008). You just have to think to yourself “does the church I go to actually practice what the Bible teaches”? If not, let them know! If they still won't listen, find another church! Jesus was labeled a “friend of sinners” because he went out into the community and showed loved to everyone, not just his fellow disciples. This is the reason why the unchurched stay unchurched. The so-called "christians" in their community abandon them, and focus on their own lives. A christian, is not really a "Christian," unless he feels COMPELLED to share the Gospel, and show "Christ-like-love;" to EVERYONE! So if you know a “christian” who completely ignores those who are lost, then be assured, that they are lost as well. I apologize for ending the book on such a harsh note, but the TRUTH must be TOLD! Christianity is legitimate. It is 100% LEGITAMITE! It has a solid basis, and plenty of evidence. But the most important evidence, the "christians" THEMSELVES, are constantly being hypocrites. HYPOCRITES! If you are a "christian" who ignores the lost, curses, acts hateful towards others, or is otherwise hypocritical, then you need to do everyone a favor: hide that cross necklace, and take off your Jesus bumper sticker. You’re confusing everyone. If you are a genuine Christian, then you need to correct those who are not! If you are not a christian at all, then I beg you to try and open your heart. Jesus really is here, and He really is waiting for you! Those who don’t have Him in their heart, simply cannot believe it; and those who DO have Him in their hearts, simply cannot deny it. As a person with Him in my heart, I tell you: He; is right here. I promise… and so did He, almost 2000 years ago . Revelation 3:20 NIV: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and one hundred thirty-eighth one hundred thirty-eighth eat with him, and he with me.”
- 140. (Chapter 1) Here's aresome more FACTS for you . Nuclear Coupling This force holds particles together in the center (nucleus) of an atom. If it were slightly stronger, atoms would only be able to have one proton, causing hydrogen to be the only element in the universe. If it were slightly weaker, life-essential elements heavier than iron would be insufficient. Either way, I would not be typing this right one hundred thirty-ninth one hundred thirty-ninth
- 141. now. Electromagnetic Coupling Onthe atomic level, electromagnetism is responsible for holding electrons in orbit around the nucleus, just like Earth orbits around the sun. If this force were slightly weaker, electrons would not be held in orbit and would just fly away from the nucleus. If it were slightly stronger, an atom could not “share” an electron orbit with other atoms. Again, in either case I would not be typing this. The Speed of Light If the speed of light were any faster, starlight would reach us too quickly, and the entire sky would be blinding. If it were slower, the stars would not be luminous enough. The Age of the Universe If the universe were any older, there would not be any solar-type stars in a stable burning phase in the right part of the galaxy. If it were any younger, these stars would not yet have formed. The Mass Density of the Universe If it were greater, stars would burn too rapidly because of too much Deuterium (heavy Hydrogen). If It were less, there would not be enough Helium, and thus too few heavy elements forming. Ratio of Exotic to Ordinary Matter If it were smaller, galaxies would not form. If it were larger, the universe would collapse before solar-type stars could be formed. Electrons and Protons A proton is ~1836 times more massive than an electron. If this mass were slightly larger or smaller, there would be insufficient chemical bonding, and life would not one hundred fortieth one hundred fortieth
- 142. exist. Carbon and OxygenEnergy Level Ratio If the ratio were larger or smaller either way, the other elements would be insufficient. Ground State Energy Level for Helium If it were larger or smaller either way, there would be insufficient carbon and oxygen. This is only a small example of evidence of the perfect design of life. There are actually thousands of these “coincidences”. Ross lists an additional 33 life-vital “coincidences” dealing specifically within just our galaxy. Here’s a few: Supernovae Eruptions If they were too close, frequent, or late, they would exterminate life on earth. If they were too far, infrequent, or soon, we would not have enough rocky element ashes for the formation of rocky planets. The Color of our Sun Stars have different colors, which relate to their heat and the components being burned within. If the sun were any redder or bluer, photosynthetic response on earth would not be sufficient. This would not allow plants on earth to live, which would destroy any life beyond plants (basically everything). In addition to plants, humans would not be able to tolerate a very big fluctuation either. We think Alaska is cold. I was there, and it was -30 degrees. The majority of space gets down to a few degrees within absolute zero, or about -456 degrees. We think that is a pretty big difference. We think Kuwait is hot, at 120 degrees. I was there; less than a day later (22Jan2007). So 150 degree difference, in less than 24 hours, is QUITE a difference; RIGHT? one hundred forty-first one hundred forty-first
- 143. BUT; the coreof the sun is about 15 million degrees!! So our “comfort zone” is really very small compared to the range of temperatures it could be. So although a 150 degree increase or decrease on the earth would be a very, VERY minor change; compared to the rest of the universe, it would kill nearly all living plants and animals on our planet without proper gear. The Distance From our Solar System to the Center of the Galaxy If we were closer, galactic radiation would be too great, and stellar density would alter our orbit in a life- threatening way. Earth’s Distance from the sun If the earth were much closer or farther from the sun, we would not have a proper water cycle. This would obviously destroy the plant life, and we know what happens from there. If the earth were much closer or farther from the sun, it would either be way too hot or way too cold for life to exist (again, the tiny margin of error). Orbital Eccentricity The orbit that the earth takes around the sun is not a circle; it is slightly elliptical (~91,445,000 miles vs ~94,555,000 miles). This further squeezes the margin of error for the other factors, as well. Also, if the orbit was slightly more of an ellipse, the seasons would sway too much, and cause life to cease. As of right now, the earth is closest to the sun on January 3-5th. This actually helps to buffer the winter for the northern hemisphere (where God originally placed His people). The opposite happens during summer. If this did not happen, winter would be colder and summer would be warmer, which I definitely vote against . HOWEVER, I must also note that even though the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun in summer and farther from the sun in winter, it does NOT greatly affect one hundred forty-second one hundred forty-second
- 144. the temperature. Thisis because the abundant water in the southern hemisphere actually takes a long time to change temperatures, thus actually creating another seasonal buffer that is delayed. In fact, if the southern hemisphere had substantially more land, it could get too hot to sustain life. In contrast, the northern hemisphere has much more land, which heats up and dissipates ~five times more quickly than water. So the northern buffer does kick in immediately, while the southern buffer is delayed. This orbital seasonal buffering for the earth has happened for the past 4,500 years or so (right around the flood of Noah). Surface Gravity on Earth If it were greater, our atmosphere would retain too much ammonia and methane. If it were less, it would lose too much water. Earth’s Rotational Speed If it were faster, atmospheric wind velocities would be too great. If it were slower, diurnal temperature differences would be too great. Age of the Earth The rotational speed of the earth slows down with time. If it were older, it would spin too slowly. If it were younger, it would spin too fast. Either way, look at the previous fact. Amount of Water Vapor in Earth’s Atmosphere If it were greater, the greenhouse effect would capture too much heat. If it were less, we would not receive enough rain to support life. Ozone Level If it were greater, temperatures would be too low. If it were less, temperatures and UV radiation would be too high. one hundred forty-third one hundred forty-third
- 145. The Inclination ofEarth’s Orbit Our axis is inclined ~23.4 degrees, which gives us the seasons. I think God did this to give us some variety, and to also shrink the line to "BARELY"! I was stationed on Guam for 15 months near the equator (May04-Aug05). Believe it or not, being in beautiful tropical weather year round gets OLD (seriously)! If this inclination were much greater, the temperatures would fluctuate too much, and life would not be sustainable. The fluctuation that we do have also makes the margin of error for the other factors much smaller. I live in St. Louis (2008), and it was 102 degrees yesterday. In the winter, it gets close to zero. So if any of the other previous factors I mentioned were not exactly as they are, even a tiny 50 degree shift would make it almost impossible to live. Even the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth, in El Azizia, Libya in 1922, was only 136 degrees. Bibliography I didn’t want to "riddle" the text with references every other word, so some of the references I used but did not mention directly in the text are listed below. Barnett, L. (1948). The Universe and Dr. Einstein. p. 106. William Sloane Associates. New York. Berge, T. (2005). Science and the Bible: Evidence-Based Christian Belief. Templeton Foundation Press. West Conshohocken, PA. Norman Geisler (1999). Baker Encyclopedia of Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 1999) 47. Hensgen, T. (1981). The Achilles Heel in Jerusalem's Water System. Biblical Archaeology. Review 7:18. Hong, S.W., Na, S.S., Hyun, B.S., Hong, S.Y., Gong, D.S., Kang, one hundred forty-fourth one hundred forty-fourth
- 146. K.J., Suh, S.H.,Lee, K.H., and Je, Y.G. (1994). Safety investigation of Noah’s Ark in a seaway. Journal of Creation 8(1):26–36. Kearley, F. F. An Examination Of Alleged Contradictions In The Gospels. Retrieved on 09Aug2008 from http://www.apologeticspress.org/rr/reprints/Alleged- Contradictions-in-the-G.pdf Lide, D. (2007). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 88th Edition. Taylor and Francis. Little, P. E. (2000). Does Archaeology Verify Scripture? Know Why You Believe. Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove, IL. Myron, H. (2000). Department of Energy. Retrieved from http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/ast99/ast99215.h tm on 13July2008. McMillen, S.I. (1984). None of These Diseases (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell). National High Magnetic Field. (2005). Laboratory. Molecular Expressions. Retrieved from http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/animalcell.html on 9July2008. Provan, I. W. (2003) A Biblical History of Israel. A History of Israel from Abraham to the Persian Period. 113-114. WJK Books. Vancouver. British Columbia. Rodabaugh, D. J. (1975). Mathematicians Do It Again. Creation Research Society Quarterly. Dec. 1975. p. 173-75. Ring, K., & Cooper, S. (1999) Mindsight: Near-Death and Out- of-Body Experiences in the Blind. Palo Alto: William James Centre for the Study of Consciousness. Ross, H. (1995). The Creator and the Cosmos. NavPress. Colorado Springs, CO. Schafer, A. OTS: The Elba Tablets. Retrieved from http://theopenword.org/ots/m_et.htm on 11July2008. Strobel, L & Vogel, J. (2001). The Case for Christ. Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. Water, M. (2001) Archaeology Affirms the Accuracy of the Old Testament. The Bible and Science Made Easy. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. Peabody, MA Wikipedia, (2013), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism one hundred forty-fifth one hundred forty-fifth
- 147. Williams, R. B.(2001). Hostility: Effects on health and the potential for successful behavioral approaches to prevention and treatment. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson & J. E. Singer (Eds.) Handbook of Health Psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Wood, B. G. (1999). The Walls of Jericho. Bible and Spade. Spring 1999. pp. 35-42. Wood, B. G (1990) Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho? A New Look at the Archaeological Evidence. Biblical Archaeology Review. March/April 1990. pages 44-58. one hundred forty-sixth one hundred forty-sixth
- 148. www.godonthe.net/evidence/ www.evidence.info/ www.allabouttruth.org www.gaychristian.net/ one hundred forty-seventh onehundred forty-seventh Great Apologetics Websites www.jesus-is-savior.com www.answersingenesis.com www.christiananswers.net www.wayofthemaster.com www.allaboutgod.com www.bibleanswer.com www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org www.basicchristian.org/biblicalproof.html www.evidenceforchristianity.org