Posts Tagged ‘Bibleview’

Symbols of Allegiance

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

An atypical flag configuration includes the American flag, the Christian flag and the Israeli flag.  What does this tri-flag message mean?  What symbolism is conveyed by these flags flying together.  To answer this, Christians should consider the Bibleviewand not simply a view reflecting civic, secular, nationalistic or patriotic identity and loyalty.

 

Since 9-11-01, display of symbols of allegiance has increased.  Wearing lapel flag pins is expected, even required.  God fearing, loyal Americans wave, wear, and witness for the red, white and blue –in support of our collective expression of united resistance to “networks of violence and hatred” that would tread on our soil and harm Americans.  But for any citizen who professes Christian faith, obedience to God means first engaging in Ephesians 6 warfare against the arch enemy greater than any terrorist or enemy country.

These three flags, in their biblical relationship to each other, are the strongest symbols of united allegiance.  When we wave the American flag we should also wave symbols which reflect eternal identities and loyalties.  Christians are, first and foremost, citizens of heaven, not earth.  We are pilgrims here –no matter our citizenship.  We are aliens in a foreign land.  Forsaking all for Christ, we set aside idolatrous worship of false gods, even comfortable tradition.  Christian Nationalism is both a traditional and cultural idol.       

The greatest demonstration of sacrificial love (John 15:13) is Jesus Christ’s atoning, substitute death.  There is no higher allegiance than to the Lord Jesus Christ, and no home more sacred than heaven.  As Christians, our loyalty is not primarily to earthly entities.

 

Christians ought not subvert the spiritual primacy symbolized by the Christian flag to a lesser place of honor below the patriotic symbol of Old Glory.  Further, the Israeli flag ought not be an uncomfortable reminder of our nation’s association with our ally, Israel.  God has chosen one earthly nation, Israel, along with choosing one heavenly people, Christ’s Body, the Church –her members spiritually called out from all nations.  God will judge Israel, the Church and all nations according to His eternal plan.

 

As Christians, our first allegiance is not to man or country or even blood family –but to the sovereign Creator of the universe.  Solomon wrote “a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12b).  Strength is expressed by these three flags flying together.  Lady Lydia

Creation ex nihilo

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

The God of the Bible created all life ex nihilo (out of nothing) during six, 24 hour days of abrupt Creation.  Created honey bees continue to exist as they were made, “after their kind”, as revealed in Genesis 1:21, 24.  Bee colonies survived the Flood in uprooted, floating trees or “gum stands”. Attempting to contradict the truth of how honey bees and all life came to exist, some false explanations for the origin and sustenance of life include:

 

Transpermia – Life originated somewhere else in the universe, was brought to earth and dropped off by an advanced ET civilization.  Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence now will later serve to falsely explain why bodies are missing after the translation of the saints (1 Thess 4 and 1 Cor 15).

Pangenesis – Darwin’s false belief that body cells excrete information into the blood stream, passed on to the next generation in the egg and sperm cells.  Rather, it is the sin nature that is passed on to all humans.  Man’s inherited depravity is atoned for by Christ Jesus’ perfect sacrifice.

Punctuated Equilibrium – Evolution occurred in short rapid bursts not preserved in the fossil record.  Ex nihilo Creation under the omnipotent power of the Creator did occur abruptly, but all changes after Creation are degenerative, not beneficial.  All scientists accept this law of entropy.

Intelligent Design – Life is irreducibly and specifically complex; therefore it must have been designed by an outside unknown and unknowable intelligence.  But the true God is knowable, personal and involved with man.  I.D. fails to draw man to ultimate truth in God’s Word and His Creation.

Micro-evolution – Shifting information within a gene pool, causing variation within a kind.  But no variation in any kind has ever explained its origin.

Macro-evolution – Large-scale changes from one biological life form into another kind of biological life form.

Progressive Creation – God created individual life forms whole and complete, as needed, over billions of years.  This is simply disguised evolution.

Gap Theory – Inserts evolutionary time in the Bible by placing billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and :2 before Adam and Eve’s creation. Some believe this also proves non-Caucasians are inferior as a result of a pre-Adamic ‘polluted’ gene pool.  Correct Hebrew exegesis refutes this theory. 

Quantum Speciation – Rapid speciation occurs in small populations isolated from the larger population.  Variations in skin tone and eye shape fail to explain the origin of life.  Rather, variations are a result of judgment at Babel’s Tower.  Man’s migration after Babel produces gene pool variation.

Theistic Evolution – God used evolution to create all life.  This is a common compromise believed by some who desire to live their faith in a way compatible with false scientific theories.  But true science is not at odds with the biblical account of creation.  1 Timothy 6:20 exposes false science.

 

The Bibleview of reality provides correct information to understand the origin and sustained existence of life.  A correct understanding of biblical creation teaches the earth is young (6-10,000 years).  Creation Scientist Grady McMurtry explains that “any old earth/universe view says that the death of a Nepesh organism (with skin and nostrils) occurred before human sin.  This totally contradicts Genesis and it means that sin was not the reason death was instituted by God.  If human sin did not cause death, then the death of one man on a cross is meaningless.  Only when we understand creation can we realize that sin caused death; that the sin of the first Adam is the causal agent.  If the first Adam did not bring death into the universe, then the second Adam cannot take it away.  If we do not understand creation, we cannot understand that the death of One Sinless Man can atone for the sins of the world.”  See Dr. McMurtry’s work at www.creationworldview.org.  Lady Lydia