Bible Thoughts July 1, 2001
“And the angel that I saw standing upon the
sea and upon the earth lifted up his right hand to heaven, and sware
by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven and the
things that are therein, and the earth and the things that are
therein, and the sea and the things that are therein…”(Revelation
10:5-6).
The world is full of theories as to the origin of the earth, the animals, and mankind. They often tie up their belief in what is called organic evolution. Their theories(guesses) are built upon various “evidences” they believe they see in the animal kingdom, in the deposits of the earth, in the fossils they find, and other material items. From a tooth to a bone, plaster of paris(or something similar) has become the constructing material to devise how various animals of the past looked. Vivid imaginations have produced some rather startling results.
From the speculators, various hypotheses have been manufactured to explain the origin of man. The most common theory(guess) they use is evolution. Proposing that man is the result of a process of millions of years, we are what we are today. Our origin is supposed to have been in some one-celled creature that eventually evolved into a man. Can they explain where this one-celled creature originated? And how? Was it an accident of nature or did some Neolithic creature lay an egg and it hatched into the ancestor of man? Darwin did man no favor through his speculative theories(along with others who so speculated or jumped on the bandwagon).
In the eyes of the evolutionist, man is the ultimate result of nature’s work. A question: If evolution be a true explanation, why is there not a higher creature than man? Why did it stop? Why has it not continued? Upon what basis can the speculators place man at the top and all others underneath him?
Man seeks answers that do not harmonize
with the Bible and the facts of nature. God created the animal
kingdom as well as the kingdom of men. They were all created as part
of the Lord’s work. No organic evolution: The lord spoke, they came
into existence, not over millions of years, but immediately. The
Word of God reveals the true process, not the works and speculations
of men.
“Now when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead,some mocked; but others said, We will hear
thee concerning this yet again”(Acts 17:32).
Over the past few years, many in all walks of life have trained themselves to be able to couch words in such a manner as to leave a question within the mind of the listener as to what was said. This juggling of words can even be found in the religious world. It is most difficult to decide whether some preachers are for sin or against it.
In the early days of the church of our
Lord, such a condition did not exist. The people on Pentecost knew
exactly what Peter was saying(Acts 2:37). The Athenians had no
trouble in understanding Paul(Acts 17:32, 34). Stephen met his death
because men knew whereof he spake(Acts 7:54, 59). Preachers in the
days of the apostles spoke plainly and pointedly the truths of God.
OUT OF THE PAST
Every saved person is in the church of our Lord, for “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved”(Acts 2:47). If saved, one is added; if not added, he is not saved! We are born again to be saved; if born again, we are God’s children; if children, we are in the family; if not in the family, we are not saved! There is no other conclusion! “By[or in] one Spirit we are all baptized into one body”(I Corinthians 12;13). If the Holy Spirit prompts it and we are properly baptized, we are in the one body; if not in the one body, the church, something was wrong with the baptism or the true Spirit did not prompt it! We are reconciled in one body(Ephesians 2;16). If not in that body, the church, then we are not reconciled. It is reconciled, we are lost!