REBELLION AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT

When considering things in their larger magnifications, some things are just not worth rebelling against. It is the equivalent of spitting out the window, only to have it come back and hit you in the face. Not a pleasant experience to say the least. However, youth must first experience this awful consequence before realizing that they did not make up the rules, nor will they ever. This is a hard lesson to learn, but in the long run it will pay off handsomely.

Youth is characterized by its idealism. It is idealism that has not been tempered by life experience, therefore, it never works in the real world. Youth believe that parents are square and a drag. They believe that they are going to be able to change the world. They certainly possess the energy and enthusiasm. They do not mind continually running into brick walls. They figure that they will eventually be able to run through them. At this point, they are not smart enough to realize that the brick wall is impregnable. Oh well, they say. We have enough time and energy to keep trying.

It never dawns on them that they are fighting a losing battle. This is why not much is ever accomplished by youth. They simply lack any sense of foresight. They do not fully appreciate the consequences of their actions. They waste more time than redeem it. Their reflective capacity is next to zero. This is why they will make numerous decisions that they will live to regret later on in their lives. In fact, they may never effectively overcome those poor decisions. They may have eternal consequences for them.

To rebel against the establishment presupposes that there is right order about the universe. To rebel against what is right is to become an outlaw. It is the seeking to be determiner of what is right and wrong for each individual. No matter how much man may believe that he has evolved from a primitive state, he has not evolved ethically at all. In fact, he has regressed from his original state of Genesis 2:25, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." At this point in time, shame did not exist in the world. To man there was no such thing as anything dirty.

What a change transpired when man decided that he was the determiner of his own fate. Genesis 3:9-10 talks about man being ashamed for the first time, "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." The shame of his actions were obvious to all. He went from a position of confidence to one of timidity. Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." Righteous people are not guilty and therefore, cannot be manipulated. They do not suffer from shame.

Youth is further characterized by its extreme narcissism. They think that they are the center of the universe and that no one is as important as they are. They are under the illusion that all things revolve around them. This is due in large to the fact that they do not have to fend for themselves. Others support them in their vanity. They could not achieve this on their own. When the real world crowds in on them, they immediately want to be bailed out. They certainly do not want to experience the world of hard knocks. They just might stub their toe. How painful.

Youth seeks attention. They want everyone to see them. They will make a spectacle of themselves so that others will notice them. This usually entails negative attention. In their estimation of things, any attention is better than none. They are not concerned if they look utterly foolish. This is because in their world there is no right or wrong. Everything that they do is right, in their little world.

A case in point of what has already been written can be found in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Work crews demolished a building that young people had commandeered. The newspaper article (AP) begins with, "Masked demolition workers tore down the graffiti-sprayed building Monday that served as the makeshift cultural center for Denmark’s anarchists and disaffected youth, ignoring sobs and screamed obscenities from a surrounding crowd of young people." It should be noted that these young people did not own this building. They were trespassers. A minor point to them. They believe that everything belongs to them by them just being born.

The article goes on in saying, "Four days of street riots followed the owner’s decision Thursday to evict the squatters from the building—officially abandoned but used by anarchists, punk rockers and left-wing groups since 1982. The violent demonstrations were Denmark’s worst in a decade and drew like minded young people from across Northern Europe ending with more than 650 arrests and 25 injured." Absolutely wonderful. The Associated Press does not condemn this shameful action on the part of these young people. They make the owner of this building as the cause of these riots. In reality, these young people demonstrated their true colors. They are totally self-centered and filled with hate and rage against the establishment. They used this situation to show that they are immature little babies who will resort to violence when they do not get their way. They love to throw hissy fits, if anyone dares defy them.

Here is an enlightening piece of this article, "The protesters saw their fight to keep the "Youth House" as symbolic of a wider struggle against a capitalistic establishment. They hurled cobblestones at riot police, set fires to cars and trash bins, and caused havoc on the usually calm Copenhagen streets." The reason that there was a riot, in the first place, was because these youths wanted something for nothing. They believe that they are entitled to whatever they want without having to pay anything for it. In a word, they are thieves. Notice their maturity level. It is the equivalent of a baby throwing a tantrum. They turn destructive and violent. They despise all authority because they recognize no authority outside themselves.

What makes this incident more remarkable is that it occurred in a bastion of liberalism. Copenhagen is known for being a place where most things are allowed. Even this is not enough for the young people of Denmark. They want everything without having to do any thing for it. Their motto is "What is yours is mine and what is mine is mine." They live on a one way street named Me. In their world, the only ones that have any rights are themselves. They are self-indulgent in the extreme, as this case in point makes abundantly clear.

This is why there is a decided generation gap. Older people and young people have been polarized against each other. There is a civil war going on here. This is because young people, in general, have rejected establishment. Because of their idealism, they believe that they can establish another establishment, where they are on top and not on the bottom. This they accomplish, of course, without having to conform to any form of law or authority. They will determine right and wrong for themselves.

Negativity, as demonstrated by these youth in Copenhagen, accomplishes nothing. It just leads to destruction and violence. It should be obvious that these youth were trained in practical atheism. Their actions say loud and clear that they do not believe in any authority outside of themselves and anyone who stands in their way will feel their wrath. You will know that they are there. Of course, the Associated Press stands in alliance with these disenchanted youth. The Associated Press are just as mature as these youths because they support them. The Associated Press’ official religion is atheism. Their bias is obvious.

To overcome negativity, it must be replaced with something positive. This is where God’s law comes into play. Exodus 20:12 reads, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." This law teaches youth not to rebel against the establishment i.e. established Godly authority. To rebel against this jurisdiction is to revolt against God. Honoring is a positive emotion. It is placing value on something. This entails the opposite of negativity, which devalues.

Leviticus 19:32 is a positive command, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." We are to respect the older generation, not defy them. Our youth have been taught from an early age to do the opposite. This is clear in their actions. They believe that they are the ones that everyone should rise up before. They clearly have things transposed. They are dyslexic.

Rebellion against the establishment is a serious thing with God. He makes this clear in His law. Examples are found at Exodus 20:15, "And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death," and Exodus 20:17, "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." God calls for the civil penalty of forfeiture of life for rebellion against His established authority.

LIFE IS ABOUT COMPLEXITY NOT SIMPLICITY

Introduction

Intimidation is something that happens often, though few want to admit it. Most people wish to level the playing field. They do not want to admit that there are others who outdo them at almost everything. Most people do not recognize genius. They are content with mediocrity, because this is the land that they occupy and they can compete here. Rather than trying to improve themselves, they seek the lowest common denominator. They have the mental capacity of bullies.

This is why socialism appeals to so many. They look for ways to bring down the successful to their level of incompetence. Rather than attempting to rise to the occasion and show that they can take on greater responsibility, they do not want to become competent. They do not want to put forth the effort, but they want the rewards of the successful. They are the ones that are constantly complaining about their situation but do nothing to remedy it.

They are simpletons at best. They believe in conspiracy theories and ultimately fate. This explains why astrology is actually believed and followed. Almost every major newspaper has a section devoted to astrological predictions, as if these speculations are reality. Anyone going to a supermarket cannot miss the tabloids and their supposed truth which is total nonsense. My own mother used to buy the National Enquirer. She denied it but a good friend affirmed the fact that he read it at my house. My fraternal grandmother used to hold this publication’s material as gospel.

So is it today. These publications still sell. No one stops for one moment to ask the question, "Why?" The answer is actually complex. People will affirm that they believe in God and then turn around and believe that fate is ultimate. They are holding two positions at the same time. This is in itself a complex undertaking. This is, of course, hypocrisy right out in the open but who really will call them on it? These people do not have true friends who will tell them what they think of their positions. After all, they do not want to offend anyone by speaking the truth openly. Back where I come from, we call those who enable mediocrity, incompetents or novices. Make no mistake about it inferiority is accepted as the norm.

Something that is true in the economic realm is that you pay for what you get. This is because Genesis 1:11-12 is true, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." In other words, likes beget likes. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of in John 10:35, "If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken." God’s word simply cannot be broken. Paul expressed it this way in 2 Corinthians 13:8, "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." In other words, standing against the truth is the height of futility. It is an impossible undertaking. It is easier to stand for the truth than against it. Further, this means that, though truth is complex, those who do not assert it have to become complex to the point of ludicrousness.

Application

I heard that a preacher made the assertion that God was simple and we are to structure our lives in a simple manner. This is stand up comedy right out in the open. How can someone that is infinite be simple? This is an absurd assertion made by those who want to be able to explain the unexplainable. In other words, there are some things that are beyond our comprehension. God does work in predictable ways, but He is also works in mysterious ways.

Isaiah expressed this truth in his book in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Here the Lord makes a differentiation between himself and man. He does not mince His words. He makes a claim that He can easily substantiate. God knows that He is complex but His complexity is fully comprehended only by Himself.

It is futile for man to attempt to understand God in simplicity. Man who is finite, can never fully understand infinity. Man does not need to understand truth exhaustively, only truly. This is extremely important. To attempt to know everything is an impossible task and is demonic. Man must know that he is limited and derivative. For the natural man and Darwinian Christians this is too much to handle. They want only what God alone can possess.

The Psalmist David comprehended his position under God in Psalm 8:3-5, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." When looking at the complexity of God’s creation, David is humbled by it. He asks the question about man’s position in regard to this intricacy of God being aware of man. This proves man’s simplicity, in regard, to God’s complexity.

God informed Job about His unlimited facets from Job 38-41. Over and over again, God reminds Job about just who He is. God asked Job, if he was so wise, then answer the following questions, in detail, in Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job and his companions made the vain attempt to explain what had happened to him, as if they understood all complexities. They seemed to lose sight of God’s sovereignty. God does as He pleases. He does not answer to man, but man is accountable to Him.

Our relationship to God is dependent upon how well we perceive just who He is within our sphere of conception. We have the advantage that many did not. We get to see things in retrospect or hindsight. The Bible enables us to advance our knowledge far beyond what is possible without it. By faith, we can know what no man can find out through his own efforts. Most things are too complex for man to grasp with his limited faculties. I believe in the doctrine of ex nihlo. This is proved in Hebrews 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." We just accept, without further proof, that God created the visible world out of nothing. In other words, this is something beyond our comprehension. Therefore, it behooves us to accept this as truth, because it conforms to the laws of logic even though we cannot conceive of all its intricacies.

The Lord said in Job 40:1, "Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, 2Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it." This is the height of impotence, man attempting to instruct God. Our position before God is not one of potence but just the opposite. We do not instruct Him. He instructs us. This is where the lie of the devil comes into play in Genesis 3:5, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Man desires to set the rules rather than obeying God’s established laws. Man hates all laws, other than his.

Paul understood the truth. He said in different places that we cannot know everything and that only God has exhaustive knowledge. One place he expresses this truth is in Romans 11:33-36, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." Paul tells us in plain words that God is to complex for us to try and figure out. If this be the case, then logic would tell us that we should accept His word without reservation.

Paul said the same thing in 1 Corinthians 2:16, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." Name the individual that can tell God the way that things will be. The fact of the matter is that just the opposite is true. Only God can bring about what He proposes. We should have gathered as much from the creation of the world. Genesis 1:9 reads, "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so." God says and it is so. Man can not bring about the same results. He may say but he does not always deliver. God always accomplishes what He sets out to do. Man may propose but God disposes. This is because the world is governed by His law.

Those Christians who do not believe in God’s law being applicable today are what I call Darwinian Christians. They claim that the Old Testament is irrelevant. They desire to instruct the Lord as to what is acceptable and palatable to them. They desire to instruct the Lord rather than being instructed by Him. They do not comprehend that all of Scripture is intrinsically tied together. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The Scripture that Paul was referring to here was the Old Testament. This tells me that those that profess to be Christians and do not adhere to God’s law are guided by situation ethics rather than moral absolutes. By definition, there is no other alternative.

Conclusion

Solomon was the master at conclusions. He wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." What commandments did he mean? Obviously, he was referring to God’s Old Testament law. Fearing God and obeying His Old Testament law proves that we have developed wisdom and complexity. We do not accept life as simple. We have learned to apply God’s law to every facet of our lives. We do not desire to live simply but complexly.

Job came to a point of summation in Job 42:1-6, "Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 2I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. 3Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. 4Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 5I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." What an amazing assessment on the part of Job. He says that the Lord can do everything. He should have come to that conclusion by the very creation of the world. It took the loss of everything, the rebuke of friends, and the admonition of the Lord to bring Job to this understanding. He desired rather to justify himself with self righteousness. To a degree he believed that his obedience unto God would deliver him rather than depending upon the grace of God.

Finally, Job came to an understanding that he could not fathom all of life’s mysteries. Some things he would have to accept by faith without further proof. The same is true of us. Many things in this life are beyond our comprehension. For us to seek to go beyond our capabilities is the height of folly. It is a waste of time, not a way of redeeming it. This is where the vast majority of people find themselves. However, it is best to accept that life is complex and some things are too far beyond our knowledge to understand. Living by faith entails that God knows all things and we should seek to imitate Him to the best of our ability according to the standard that He has established.

WHY IS IT CARVED IN STONE?

Let’s face it, life is about routine to the maximum. People are constantly seeking diversions from the ordinary. This is because our lives are so mundane. We seek to break the tedium. This is why entertainment is such a popular business. Actors and actresses give us hope that there is some way off the treadmill even if it is for a few hours. We inherently rebel against the predestination of this present world. We desire a world of our own choosing.

We want to live in a world where we are multimillionaires and can go to any exotic place whenever we so desire. God has given us an imagination but we have the tendency to believe that our fantasy is reality. We were created in the image of God. We cannot escape this fact, no matter how hard we try. One of the attributes of God is His immutability. This is for us, a double edged sword.

Only a few have been so gifted to enjoy what is popularly deemed the good life. Their names are not legion. The masses are the ones who live the lives of the ordinary. This fact maybe for two reasons. One is most people are content with mediocrity and the other is that some are willing to sacrifice to be the best at what they do. You have divergent paths all at the same time. Few are willing to pay the price for success.

Yet, at the same time, we find our lives conform to original patterns that were formed early in our lives. It is as though, we can never overcome these, no matter how much we desire to do so. They seem to be so deeply ingrained in our psyche. This makes reversion an inevitable thing. This all has to do with our personality. We are inborn with certain traits that we can only improve on but never overcome.

Where do we get our personality from? Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "person," as, "1. An individual human being consisting of body and soul. We apply the word to living beings only, possessed of a rational nature; the body when dead is not called a person. It applied alike to a man, woman or child. A person is a thinking intelligent being. Locke..." Personality, based upon this definition, comes from God. This was established in Genesis 1:26-27, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Whatever God is, we are in a state that is derivative of Him. We are never primary, but rather secondary.

What then is personality? The above dictionary renders "personality," "That which constitutes an individual a distinct person, or that which constitutes individuality. The personality of an intelligent being extends itself beyond present existence to what is past, only by consciousness—
Locke.... Since God is infinite, He is able to give to each and everyone same and yet at the same time distinct characteristics. This speaks more to God’s ability than to our personality being distinct from everyone else. We are one of a kind, in some unique ways.

This is truly the case of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Only begotten Son means His unique Son. He truly had a personality that was the most distinct of all time. There never has been and never will be again one with such a dissimilar personality from all of humankind.

David wrote in Psalm 139:13-16, "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." Each of us are distinctly, fearfully and wonderfully conceived.

We hold many things in common with one another and yet at the same time we have things that are different from everyone else in the entire world. We have fingerprints that are unusually ours. Our DNA is not like any other person. We are in a word universality and plurality. This once again proves that we were created in the image of God, who is the ultimate universality and plurality.

David said further in Psalm 8:4-6, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet." God has given us all talents and abilities to do the work for which He has placed us upon the earth for.

Because our personalities are unique with us, some things are always going to be our particular pattern. We need to learn how to appreciate other people’s differences from ours. Few possess this quality. Most believe themselves to be the ultimate pattern. Diversity then is an aspect of the Godhead and of mankind. Each of us has something exceptional to contribute to the furthering of goodwill on the earth. May God help us to discover what it is.

BORROWED CAPITAL

Introduction

The Bible is God’s word and therefore, it is without error. If we begin with this premise as the starting point, then any of man’s ideas must be measured by this standard. We as Christians are accused by unbelievers of not being critical thinkers and not able to think for ourselves. A little reflection will show that those accusing of such are really criticizing themselves because they are the ones who are guilty.

As has been pointed out by Cornelius Van Til and R. J. Rushdoony on numerous occasions within their writings, "All facts are God created facts." If this is true, then it follows that not to accept God’s interpretation of those facts, would simply mean to deny reality. No matter, what unredeemed man may say, he still lives in God’s world. This world is controlled by God, not by man. We must therefore, come into line with God’s order or suffer the consequences.

Man is never creative but rather inventive. He can only work with material that has been previously been given to him. This being the case, he borrows everything that has been given to him. To not acknowledge the source of our abilities is the equivalent of theft as Rushdoony stated in By What Standard? Clearly, then all knowledge comes from God who knows all things exhaustively. God is omniscient. If this is so, and it is, then we do not need to keep reinventing the wheel when it comes to understanding things. Ours is not to reason, but to believe God by faith.

Satan always works the same way, through skepticism. He said in Genesis 3:1, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" When we are asked a question, our mind automatically begins to search for an answer. Satan knows that if he can get doubt to enter into our mind regarding God’s word, he can eventually get us to be total cynics. This is why it is incumbent to memorize and meditate on God’s word, not the devil’s.

An Elaborate Scheme Not Necessary

For some reason we have in our minds that if it is simple and straightforward that it cannot be so. However, all truth is straight and to the point, whereas the schemes of the devil are complex and hard to follow. He tries to deceive us by the use of many words. Proverbs 10:19 is direct and to the point in this regard, "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise." When people start to talk in circles, you know that they do not know what they are talking about.

Genesis 1:11-12 contains an important physical law, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." Here this law is simply stated that "likes beget likes." This above all else disproves evolution. According to evolution, "likes beget unlikes." No farmer plants his crops according to evolution but rather according to creation that is if he desires to eat. Even evolutionists eat food produced by God’s creation rather than on their basis. Babies are human when born. If evolution was true, we do not know what they might be. It could be a panda bear, or a raccoon etc. We just could not be sure.

Evolutionists are therefore inconsistent. They say things came into existence randomly by chance but they want to be paid for their efforts by order and systematically. They want it both ways. They want to live by their false philosophy and reap the benefits of God’s created order. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 7:20, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Do not listen to what people say, watch what they do. Evolutionists live according to God’s order in certain aspects of the physical realm and then deny there is a God. Simply put they are hypocrites because they live counter to what they espouse.

God is Predictable

One popular mythical statement that you hear is "God works in mysterious ways." What this means is that God is impersonal and we just are never quite sure what He is going to do next. He is the unknown God in this way of thinking. However, God is personal and therefore, you should hear, "God works in predictable ways." The sun rises and sets in the east and sets in the west. This is a daily predictable event. If evolution were true, it might rise today and then again it might not. It could reverse and rise in the west and set in the east. Of course, we know that this never happens because if it did, life would be not able to survive. Evolutionists are hypocrites because they talk of randomness and chance and yet live in an orderly and predictable world.

If they are wrong about evolution, then it follows that they are wrong about almost everything. The only thing they would not be is when they have to conform to God’s law to survive. What I do not understand is why anyone would pay money to be taught by these men who know nothing of reality. They are living in a fantasy world of make believe that they make up as they go. They have very vivid imaginations. Too bad it is not true what they believe. They are more into science fiction than science. Science has to conform to God’s law to be workable. If they do practice science, they are once again being hypocritical.

Conclusion

It is time for the Christians to begin to expose evolutionists for what they truly are, liars. They are of their father the devil. The Lord Jesus pinpointed these hypocrites true source in John 8:44 when He said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." I have heard Christians say about evolution, "Remember evolution is a theory and has never been proven." This has had absolutely no impact on them at all. It is a theory and it is also a flat out lie.

My wife says, "If evolution is true, then we should be seeing it happen right before our eyes. We should be seeing life forms changing from one form to another." But we don’t. Why not? Because it has never happened and will never happen. This is God’s world, created and maintained by Him. Evolutionists need to be transformed and conformed to the Lord Jesus, not Satan. Satan is the original myth maker. He concocted the fairy tale of evolution. He was wrong in the garden of Eden. Can he be right now?

IS GOD DEAD?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against
the LORD and against his anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and
cast away their cords from us.
Psalm 2:2-3

The answer to the title question for many people is a resounding, yes. They may say that they believe in some type of god but they are not clear as to what kind of god he is. Further, they live as though God does not exist. It is not that they believe that He does not exist; they have made Him in their own image and thus, their god approves of and likes everything that they do and say. In other words, their god requires nothing of them. As one lady I know put it, "My god is a perfect gentleman." Is this what our concept of God has come to?

Because someone says that they believe in God does not mean that they believe in the God of the Bible. It all depends upon definitions. Pharaoh was the most powerful man in the world in his time. Here was his response to Moses regarding the Lord in Exodus 5:1-2, "And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." He did not know the Lord and neither was he going to obey Him.

The response of Pharaoh was laughable. He demonstrated his ignorance, like many do today. He was soon to find out exactly who the Lord was. After the seventh plague which God brought upon Egypt, here is Pharaoh’s response in Exodus 9:27-28, "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28Entreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer." Promises, promises. This is spoken like many of our politicians who promise you everything and deliver nothing.

Whenever Pharaoh would get relief from the plagues, he would relent on all of his promises. This is evident in Exodus 9:34-35, "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses." Pharaoh was in a contest with God. No matter how much punishment was inflicted on him, he was not going to admit that there was a God above him. For all intents and purposes, he believed that God was dead.

In this contest of wills, Pharaoh’s was broken by the tenth plague. Exodus 12:29-33 reads, "And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as y have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men." The heir to the Egyptian throne was dead. Pharaoh relented at this point.

Pharaoh had learned nothing from his encounter with the invisible God, as Exodus 14:28-30 reveals, "And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 29But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." These verses show the inglorious end of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They died, but the LORD continued on.

In more recent times, the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche is another example of someone who did not know the LORD. "Of major philosophers, Nietzsche has generated possibly the least consensus. One can readily identify some key concepts, but the meaning of each, let alone the relative significance of each, remains hotly contested. Nietzsche famously put forward the idea that "God is dead", and this death may result in radical perspectivism or may lead one to confront the fact that humans have always regarded truth perspectivally." (Wikipedia).

What did Nietzsche really mean by the statement "God is dead?" By this he meant that, in order to create the world in his own image, he had to first get rid of the Christian faith which also includes Christian morality. Nietzsche realized that a different value system would have to replace it and there was no one better than himself to come up with this new and improved moral system.

Something that must be thought of at this point is what is God and His essence comprised of? We know that God is invisible. Literal visibility of God is not possible. This is because it is true what is written in John 4:24 regarding God, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." God does not have a physical body. His essence is immaterial.

The Greek word for Spirit is pneuma whose primary meaning is "the wind." Vine’s Expository Dictionary says, "the spirit, which, like the wind, is invisible, immaterial and powerful." There are two ways of viewing God. One is through material eyes and the other through the eyes of faith. One is blind to the spiritual world and the other can see the unseen. We do not claim that God is visible to the physical eye. Clearly He is not, but like the wind, we can see His almighty power.

Then comes the next question, "how does a Spirit die literally? What weapon would you use? So far man has developed no weapon that can take out a spirit. All of our weapons are designed to take out flesh and blood. "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?"
(Wikipedia)—Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125, tr. Walter Kaufmann

What Nietzsche describes above is pure fantasy. He would like to think that he had the ability to literally slay God and set up himself as God. His father, the devil, also wanted to do the same thing and he failed as have all who would attempt to overthrow God. It is an impossibility but generation after generation will see those like Nietzsche try it one more time. Maybe this time we will be successful they are heard to say. Psalm 2:4 gives the LORD’S response to the likes of Nietzsche, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision."