PERSUASION Does God Exist? the Christian Apologetics Book I Wish I’D Had Years Ago …

EETTEERRNNAALL PPEERRSSUUAASSIIOONN

Does God Exist?

the Christian Apologetics Book I wish I’d had years ago …..

AAllaann LLoowwnnee

ETERNAL

PERSUASION Does God Exist? The Christian Apologetics Book I wish I’d had years ago …..

 What is Proof?  Near-death Experiences of  The Anthropic Principle & Heaven Fine Tuning of the Universe  Angels, Dreams, and Visions  Science and God  Historical Evidence for Jesus  Fulfilled Prophecy  Problems of Pain, Evil, etc.  Answered Prayer  Why Does God ‘Hide’?  Changed Lives  Why Christianity?  The Gospel Makes Sense  What is the Gospel?

About the book. When my son was stricken with a devastating illness, my faith was shaken to its foundations. He had left his early faith in Christianity while at high school, and I felt an enormous burden to help him get back to God before it was too late. We enlisted the help of our church pastor, but I wanted to give my brilliant scientist son convincing evidence for God myself. Where could I turn? I started writing emails to him, describing what I based my own faith on - and this book is an expansion of those emails. Many church-goers are unconvinced of their own faith, hoping what they believe is truth, but without a solid rock foundation. My aim is writing this book is to provide that evidence. It has been gleaned from a wide range of sources and some material will certainly be new to you, and some will shock, even amaze you.

About the author. Alan Lowne is a British-born electronics engineer and CEO of a small import company Saelig Co. Inc. (www.saelig.com). He has been a Christian since university days, when members of a student Christian group invited him to a meeting with the title “Can God Be Known”. He soon found out the answer. He lives in Rochester, NY with his wife Carol and is a member of Edgewood Free Methodist Church. SAELIG BOOKS SAE 012510

For D.R.L.

In memoriam

The author may be contacted at [email protected].

Contents (read in any order!)

The reason for this book ...... 5

My perspective ...... 8

Rev. Wally Fleming’s input ...... 11

What is proof?...... 13

The Anthropic Principle and Fine Tuning of the Universe...... 15

Science and God ...... 44

Fulfilled Prophecy ...... 52

Answered prayer ...... 56

Changed lives ...... 62

The Bible and the Gospel Make Sense ...... 64

Heaven and Near-death Experiences ...... 66

Angels, Dreams, and Visions ...... 95

Miracles - Modern Day...... 102

Is the Resurrection Reasonable? ...... 112

Historical Evidence for Jesus ...... 125

Problems – pain, evil, etc? ...... 131

Why does God “hide”? ...... 138

Why Christianity? ...... 144

What is the Gospel? ...... 149

Duncan’s Response ...... 162

Conclusion...... 164

Appendix: ...... 167

The reason for this book

In October, 2006, my wife and I were raking leaves in our front yard, concerned that we had not been able for a few days to contact our son 3000 miles away in Oxford, UK. Duncan was a PhD student at Oxford University in England, working on a Brain-Computer Interface project. Finally, we heard the phone ring and answered it to hear his wife say that Duncan had collapsed suddenly in the street and was in hospital. The previous month he had stopped breathing while asleep and was miraculously roused by his wife who woke up to the sound of a radio nearby. Little did we all know that this was the first sign of something terrible about to occur. My wife and I decided immediately to go to England to be with Duncan. Within 3 hours we were on a plane bound for Heathrow, to stay – as it turned out, for 8 long months - with accommodating relatives near Oxford. After a week of suspenseful tension, Duncan was diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Duncan was a vibrant young man, who had wide-ranging abilities and interests: extremely proficient in Japanese, Greek and Latin, competent on violin, piano and guitar, adept in many martial arts; he was pursuing computer studies for developing brain-computer interface techniques to allow quadriplegics the ability to communicate by means of thought. Duncan was always looking out for those who were disadvantaged in life. When he was sick at Christmas, and could hardly walk, his chief aim on Christmas Day was to visit a Japanese friend and fellow student in an Oxford hospital on the other side of town, far away from her own home and family, taking his friend’s favorite cookies to her, with the aid of his young wife Kristin.

It became imperative for me and my wife, in light of our Christian convictions and assurance, to try to bring Duncan back to a relationship with his Creator – a relationship gradually lost over the years since childhood. Reasons for Duncan’s departure from Christian faith (announced suddenly one day as “I’m all done with organized religion” when refusing to go to church) was subtle, but apparently caused (we discovered after it was too late) by a number of events in his upbringing: by the terrible treatment by Christians given to a teacher at a Christian school who had fallen into moral difficulties; by the actions of W.V Grant, a preacher who turned out to have used deceptive practices; and other instances where Christians did not faithfully represent Christ. The church’s actions, and by that I mean individual Christians, certainly have a lot to answer for in causing others to stumble.

Education at school in the Greek didactic style caused Duncan to question everything, and influence from atheistic friends left him without any faith to stand on – a situation for which I blame myself. Often, a scientifically-trained skeptic or atheist is governed by two main principles: 1) all beliefs must be supported by observational evidence, and 2) beliefs that contradict observational evidence cannot be tolerated. The skeptic states that there is no god, ignoring observational evidence suggesting that the universe has a cause which cannot be detected observationally.

Though we encouraged Duncan to attend Christian groups at Case Western University, he chose to gather with friends without Christian roots. He always showed great concern for others, however, and in Christian terms I would have said he had a “pastor’s heart”. Even when sick in hospital, his concern was for fellow patients who had no visitors, in contrast to his own family 5

constantly at hand. I believe that may be one reason why he did not receive his healing, though we prayed, believed, and fasted for it, since he didn’t see why he should be healed and others not.

So I began sending Duncan emails as the easiest and most comprehensive way to explain and present logical reasons why it is not crazy or mindless to believe in God, and in Jesus. These emails had some of the same topics as this book, which is an expanded version of the arguments I set before Duncan, and wished I’d had prepared for him before he became ill. My wife and I loved Duncan dearly, but early on thought we would be unable to influence his faith beliefs, especially with a new, unbelieving wife, and so we neglected our responsibility, expecting to address the subject in later years. There were no later years.

His decline and passing were tragic in the extreme, and very hard to understand. Even though we and others prayed fervently for 220 days to see him healed, that was not to be. His life on earth was cut short in June 2007 at age 28. Devastated with our loss, we were counseled by a wise preacher that we should relinquish the right to understand these events and to not become bitter with God.

Naomi and Ruth (in the Old Testament book with her name) had a similar situation. Naomi’s son’s died in a foreign land. Naomi became bitter, and did not realize that, despite the tragedy in her life, God had plans she did not know about. It is notable that Jesus’ lineage includes Ruth and her new husband Boaz.

We did have many encouraging signs during our ordeal – and his life was saved on several occasions. We were very grateful to Pastor Wally (from Edgewood Church in Rochester, NY) for visiting us in England twice, and for his numerous phone conversations with Duncan, who had strayed far away from his early commitment to God. Duncan stated that he felt there was a wall between him and God, but shortly before his death he revealed to Pastor Wally in their last phone conversation together that “I’m on the other side of the wall” to our great joy. My wife Carol and I were visiting Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace before Wally and Mary visited, planning to entertain them, and we surprisingly came upon an art shop which had a dramatic modern rendering of a shepherd rescuing a bemused sheep against dark red skies. We both felt this to be a picture of Jesus rescuing Duncan from what was surely his destruction.

So we had a choice when we came back from our 8-month stay in England. Would we curse God, get bitter, or pursue God even harder to get closer to Him and His power. Even family members had questioned why we were fasting and praying by unhelpfully saying: “I hope you don’t think you’re going to change God’s mind, do you?” We chose to not become bitter, and have been hungry to find wherever God’s word is being taught with power. So we’ve attended

Christian conferences almost once a month, and seek out on-line resources - wherever we can find helpful teaching.

As a project in Duncan's memory, Carol has raised money to build a fresh-water well, in an area that desperately needs it, by painting small, original Japanese/Chinese brush paintings to commemorate his love for Japan and its people. The project is called Water for Life and the website describing the project can be found at www.lifetoday.org/goto/carollowne; the $4800 well was fully-funded at the end of 2008 and a well in Cambodia was dug, the project closest to Duncan’s beloved Japan, where he had hoped to study further. My projects in his memory have been this book and the composition of an orchestral piece “Wise Men Seek Him” for performance at Christmas 2009 by an orchestra in which we both play.

Duncan went to be with the Lord on June 8, 2007 and received the true Water of Life - Jesus, who said that those who come to Him will drink of the Water of Life and never thirst again. I believe we are in the Last Days, and know it won’t be long before we see Duncan again and get to check out his mansion personally.

This book is written with the intention of providing parents of wayward teens, or any interested seekers, a solid body of evidence that gives assurance that belief in the Christian God makes rational sense. Much of this material is not original but garnered from a variety of sources such as Internet sites and books (all credited). But this may be new material to the many (especially our friends and neighbors) who will read it. I know that I myself had never heard of the Anthropic Principle (see later) until I was in England during this awful ordeal.

Acts 17.2: Paul … reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ" he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. Rom. 8. 38 For I am persuaded that … nothing … shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Duncan – as well as many others - rejected “organized religion”. The Church has a lot to answer for, since it so often does not truly represent God by its actions. Many people think that church = God. But, as it says in Isaiah 1.8 “Come let us reason together” – let’s explore why it is not absurd to both believe in God and be a rational, scientific, thinking individual.

My perspective

As a lifelong church-goer, I was dramatically affected while at university in England when I heard, seemingly for the first time, that being a Christian is not a matter of acknowledging some historical facts, but realizing the need for - and trusting and committing one’s life to - a Savior. At that time I came to realize that the Christian gospel actually made sense and explained the reason for the world as we see it, while also giving a remedy for the consequences of sin.

The Roman poet Manlius aptly stated: “Finis origine pendet” (the end depends on the beginning). If you are already biased in your belief that there is no God, no supernatural, then you will tend to selectively look at evidence that supports this view. Evolutionists have famously done that, and are singularly not open to any mention of Intelligence in the design of what is obviously an extremely intricately coded world, but that’s another book ………

In my opinion, life is a bit like a huge, legal management game, and it is the way we react to our surroundings and events in our path that is the critical factor. I am also cognizant of the fact that the Bible reveals that God is just, and as such He is legally bound by the laws and statements He has made. (Oh, how we need to know how to effectively use those laws!) I view the world is like a big legal system, with God the consummate Author, constrained by the legal system He has put in place by His Word.

I believe it is of fundamental importance to understand the biblical description of the authority structure that God put in place between heaven and earth. It is critical to appreciate that in Genesis God gave the mandate for Man to have dominion over the Earth. The Creator restricted His right to influence and interfere in the Earth realm. God's integrity and commitment to His own Word means that His purpose is more important than our plans, and He will never violate His Word. God designed our system such that nothing will happen in the Earth without the active or passive permission of man, Earth's designated legal authority. Conversely, prayer is giving to God the legal right, and “permission” if you like, to interfere in earth's and, consequently, our affairs. So it seems that every action taken by God in the Earth realm requires the involvement of a human being. Note the biblical examples of earthly intervention by Noah, Abraham, Joshua, Daniel, and others. And even for salvation, He needed a Man. As John Wesley said: "God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” The Bible also states that “you do not have because you do not ask”1. .

I'm convinced that the life we are living on earth is subject to sets of rules and laws of which we know very little. How much prayer is enough prayer? How long should one fast? Some events or healings have come about only after a lot of prayer. When is enough? Is it like Disneyland used to be - this is a 3-token ride? This problem takes 3 days fasting?

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible shows that God's people are part of a multidimensional spiritual war between the Lord and Satan. God's creation rebelled against Him, beginning with

1 James 4:2 8

satan, and we, God's people, are caught up in that war (Eph. 6:12- 18). The New Testament shows that this war creates a tension between God's sovereignty over His creation and His people and Satan's control of the world through human sinfulness (1 Jn. 5:19; Eph. 2:1-5).2

John 10.10 aptly states that Satan has well-defined objectives – to steal, kill, and destroy. We realize that it is against him and not men and women against whom we truly war. John Wimber (founder of the Vineyard churches) famously stated that our situation is somewhat like the French resistance after D-day: the enemy is defeated, but we are still living in occupied land. Salvation for Christians has been secured by Jesus Christ, but working out that salvation is another matter. In this interim age before Christ’s triumphant return, the victory over Satan needs to be applied in the lives of people still under his power. Many Christians do not recognize that, though Christ’s victory is irreversible, its application to everyday events is ongoing. Satan is alive and well, although his time on earth is limited.

Many people who take a stand against Christianity do so from a background of personal disappointment with Christians and churches, or with hypocrisy and un-Christian behavior of Christians. Many discount Christ because they confuse church with God. The church has a lot to answer for in its representation of God and His love. Boring sermon? Boring God. Unloving church member? Unloving God. Tedious church service? God is not where the excitement is at. We need to emphasize more that the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. Too often the Christian church can be legitimately criticized for being the only institution that shoots its wounded - or a select Country Club that excludes outsiders.

Somehow, we’ve got the idea that Christians should not have problems. But the Bible is full of “promises” and statements that we don’t like to acknowledge: e.g. 1.Pet.4.12: “Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering”; “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, (Jas.1.2); “… to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. 4In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted.” 1.Thess.3.2-4); “In this world you will have trouble.” Jn.16.33.

The Christian faith is not true because it works. The fact is that I find it works is because it is true. No issue is as fundamental both to the searcher and to the believer as the question of truth. The uniqueness and trustworthiness of the Christian faith rest entirely on its claim to be the truth. God, who is the father of Jesus Christ, is either there or he is not there. Either he has spoken or he has not spoken. What his revelation claims is either true or false. Jesus either rose from the dead or he didn't. There are no two ways about it.3

2 http://www.cwgministries.org/books/How-to-Release-Healing.pdf

3 Os Guinness: God in the Dark (1996)

Ministries that have blessed and fed me:

Many Christians believe that their church is the only place they need for growing in God. My experience is that I have received the most effective teaching and empowerment from sources outside my local church. Here is a partial list of sources from where I receive great teaching. Many of these sites have online resources, print, audio and video, that I’m sure you will find to be very helpful.

1) Mahesh Chavda Ministries (www.maheshchavda.org) – also see his book “The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting”

2) Bill Johnson (www.ibethel.com) – see his book “When Heaven Invades Earth”.

3) Chuck Missler (www.khouse.org) has some excellent Bible teaching video series.

4) God TV (http://us.god.tv ) is a worldwide Christian TV network that broadcasts Christian conferences and ministry series.

5) Christian.tv (www.christian.tv) is another website with streaming video teaching from various sources.

6) Jack Hayford (http://www.jackhayford.org/) is a well-respected pastor who speaks with great wisdom (you’ve probably sung his chorus “Majesty”) – he’s also head of the FourSquare denomination.

7) Perry Stone (http://www.voe.org/) is a prophetic teacher with great messages about Jewish festivals and expositions about Old Testament foreshadowing modern day events.

8) Sid Roth “It’s Supernatural” TV program (www.sidroth.org) – features many guests with exciting testimonies.

9) Chiswick Christian Centre (UK) http://chiswickcc.podomatic.com/

Rev. Wally Fleming’s input

Wally Fleming was the pastor of the small Free Methodist church my wife and I attend in Rochester, NY, and he had become acquainted with Duncan in his college years when he would return home from Case Western for visits. Wally’s wife Mary would always make him his favorite chocolate chip cookies to take back on the long drive to Cleveland. Wally was somewhat surprised but pleased when Duncan asked if Wally would officiate at his wedding, when a JP would have sufficed. Duncan had expressed - to anyone who would listen - his distaste for “organized religion”, which he felt was full of hypocrites and money-grabbers. His favorite jibe was to mock evangelist Benny Hinn, who was at that time appealing for money for a new corporate jet. We discovered – albeit much too late – that Duncan had been severely damaged emotionally and psychologically by events he saw during the Christian journey we his parents (trying to do our best) took him through. At a Christian school, Duncan was disturbed by the callous treatment by Christians of a much-loved teacher when his adulterous affair was discovered. This teacher was castigated and had to move entirely across the country. Other issues had bothered Duncan, like the evangelist W.V. Grant, to whose meetings we took our family, who turned out to be a crook. Wally tried in vain to persuade Duncan that this is no reason to dismiss God. But he was adamant that God did not and would not figure in his life. So when Duncan became terminally ill, Wally offered to fly to England to visit, and we were heartened when Duncan welcomed seeing him. At that first visit Wally brought a Christian apologetics book “Simply Christian” by N.T. Wright (which Duncan doggedly struggled through even as his disease progressed). The analogy arose of God being “behind a wall” and that what Duncan needed was some holes to be punched in the wall.

"My aim," writes N.T. Wright in ‘Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense’, "has been to describe what Christianity is all about, both to commend it to those outside the faith and to explain it to those inside." To do this he adopts a three-part structure. In part one, which if this were a technical book would be called natural theology, Wright examines human experience and argues that most all people experience four "echoes of a voice." He devotes one chapter to each of these four echoes—the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships, and the delight in beauty. These voices, he believes, "point beyond themselves," and of course he argues that they point to (but by no means prove) a Creator. In the second part Wright introduces the "central Christian belief about God," with two chapters each on the Father, Son, and Spirit. Part three then "describes what it looks like in practice to follow this Jesus," with treatments of worship, prayer, the Bible, and church.

Throughout his book Wright emphasizes that the Gospel is the kingdom of God, where heaven comes down to earth, and God's future invades our present. God invites us to receive this free grace and gift, and also sends us into the world to make it a reality. Thus, we are "not simply 11

beneficiaries but also agents." Wright’s simple book avoids technical jargon and avoids controversial subjects like universalism or the claims of other religions. Nor does he try to refute objections or contrary positions (except for an extended use of pantheism and deism as alternate world views).

Wright’s book may have been suitable for Duncan - he did steadily plough through it. Was it the most convincing book for the moment? I don’t know…. Duncan also asked to have a Bible by his side when he was bed-bound. “Where shall we open it?” my wife and I asked. “How about Ezekiel?” said Duncan. Again, we wondered if that was the best place to commence, but I must admit, there are some amazing revelations of the glory of God in Ezekiel!

The book you are reading now is the one I wished I had to give him….. Maybe you know someone you’d like to give this to? Contact the author for a free copy.

What is proof?

As mentioned previously, Manlius’ statement: “Finis origine pendet” (the end depends on the beginning) means that if one is already biased in his belief that there is no God and no supernatural, then he will selectively look at evidence that supports his view. If a person opposes even the possibility of there being a God, then any evidence can be rationalized or explained away. It is like refusing to believe that men have walked on the moon - no amount of information is going to change this thinking. Photographs of astronauts walking on the moon, interviews with the astronauts, moon rocks...all the evidence would be worthless, because the person has already concluded that people cannot go to the moon.

When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God. On the other hand, for those who want to know God if He is there, He says, "You will seek Me and find Me; when you seek Me with all your heart, I will be found by you." Before you look at the facts surrounding God's existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know Him?

“You can’t prove God exists and you can’t prove God doesn’t exist.” This is the response one often hears when the question of God’s existence is raised. If we are using “prove” in the strict sense of absolute certainty, it is true that we can’t prove or disprove God’s existence. But this does not mean that there is no good evidence or argument for God, which might make belief in God’s existence very reasonable. We know very little (if anything) with absolute mathematical certainty, so certainty is neither a reasonable or necessary standard. Like virtually all of our other knowledge, we can show that it is highly probable that God exists.

It all depends what you mean by “proof”. My opinion is that true proof of these issues is more of the “proof of the pudding” type – testing to see if it’s true, or if it works. “Proof” is the ultimate evidence attesting the true nature of something: The proof of the pudding is in the election results, not the polling.

A dictionary definition of Proof is: “the act or process of proving; a testing or trying of something; anything serving or tending to establish the truth of something, or to convince one of its truth; conclusive evidence; a test or trial of the truth, worth, quality, etc. of something - the proof of the pudding is in the eating. You could argue that one should not seek “proof” when there are evidential “clues” to God’s existence – His fingerprints, if you like. Often, we have to make decisions or judgments based on circumstantial evidences that add up to a conclusion. Maybe each individual item of evidence is not sufficient for a conclusion, but, when added together, an informed decision can be reached.

People will often say that they cannot accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior until they are 100% convinced or certain that He is who He said He is or that the Bible is true. This level of proof is not possible in this universe and is unreasonable. Even in science, a standard level of proof or confidence is often 95%. Requiring that one is 100% certain of the reliability of the Bible is often an excuse for unbelief – or rather an excuse for continuing in some sin or other, or 13

avoiding life-changing consequences. There is a difference between being 100% convinced that the entire Bible is true and being 100% committed1 to Jesus on the basis of what we know is true. We make commitments like this every day of our lives in many areas.

Plato (427-347BC) stated: “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Are you afraid of what might change if you discover God is real? .

You have likely heard that it is impossible to prove that God exists. You have heard wrong. Not only can the existence of God be proven, denying the proof undermines rational thought. It is true that God does not need anyone to prove His existence. The Bible teaches that the existence of God is so obvious that we are without excuse for denying it. No one needs proof that God exists: Romans 1.19ff: … since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

What is proof? High school science teachers put forward this process, and I suggest this is a good method for open-mindedly investigating Eternity:

1. Formulate a hypothesis 2. Gather data 3. Data are deemed consistent with the hypothesis if you're at least 95% sure that it wouldn't have happened if the hypothesis was false 4. Are data consistent with hypothesis? If yes, accept hypothesis. If not, reject.

In his book “Is There a God?” British philosopher Richard Swinburne powerfully argues that a belief in God can be tested and justified (but not proven). The view that there is a God, he says, leads us to expect the things we observe – that there is a universe at all, that scientific laws operate within it, that it contains human beings with consciousness and with an indelible moral sense. The theory that there is no God, he argues, does not lead us to expect any of these things. Therefore, belief in God offers a better empirical fit, it explains and accounts for what we see better than the alternative account of things. No view of God can be proven, but that does not mean that we cannot sift through and weigh the grounds for a most reasonable belief. .

The Anthropic Principle and Fine Tuning of the Universe (if this chapter seems too complex – please move to another one – but this material is fascinating!)

In recent years, the scientific community has been stunned by the discovery of how complex and exact conditions must be in order for the universe to permit life on Earth. The universe appears, in fact, to have been incredibly fine-tuned from the moment of its inception for the production of intelligent life on Earth at this point in time. In the various fields of physics and astrophysics, classical cosmology, quantum mechanics, and biochemistry, many discoveries have disclosed that the existence of intelligent carbon-based life on Earth at this time depends upon a delicate balance of physical and cosmological quantities, such that were any one of these quantities to be slightly altered, the balance would be destroyed and life would not exist.4

The fact that the universe is fit for life demands an explanation – “chance” is no explanation at all. It is far more probable that the universe was initiated by a Being that intended to create a universe that could support life. The fine-tuning of the universe for life can only be explained with reference to a Creator, as the result of intelligent design. The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today. Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.

Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can

4 http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/teleo.html 15

survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.

Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.

Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.

Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.

Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.

The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.

The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently from other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.

The eye...can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages -- simultaneously. The Theory of Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution 16

cannot fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.5

The rate of the expansion of the universe following the big bang is just one instance of apparent design in the universe; other examples, like the strength of the weak force, the strength of the strong force, and isotropy, abound (for explanations and further examples see William Lane Craig’s The Teleological Argument and the Anthropic Principle).6

Each example makes it less likely that the universe was created at random and more likely that it was designed by a Creator that takes an interest in humanity. Once all of this evidence is taken into account, the argument from design concludes, there can be no question as to whether the universe just happens to be fit for life or whether it was deliberately created that way; the universe clearly exhibits the marks of intelligent design.7

CELESTIAL LUCK - A place in space for everything, and everything in space in its place 8

One interesting application of the second law of thermodynamics that has most certainly occurred in a closed system is the settling of the cosmos. According to theory, the Big Bang of some 17.6 billion years ago started it all from a pinpoint explosion of unimaginable force, which first blew atoms into existence, and then blew clusters of matter out into the void of space. This started the expansion of celestial objects one from another that continues to this day. (To get a quick sense of this expansion, get a balloon and with a pen draw a few galaxies and solar systems on the skin. Then blow the balloon up, and as you do, you will see the "universe" expanding.)

Following that immense explosion, particle clouds with sufficient mass began drawing together by increasing gravity and ignited to become stars. Meanwhile, smaller clusters with insufficient mass began losing their heat, cooled, and became planets. (The molten inner core of our Earth is often cited as evidence that our planet was a once hot and violent place that has now been in the cooling process for billions of years.) Besides stars and planets, other big bang curiosities have randomly appeared over time, such as quasars, black holes, comets, moons, and asteroids - all in their respective and expanding locations.

It follows that if the Big Bang is a totally random process, then the resulting layout of the universe has to be completely accidental as well. If intelligence has nothing to do with physics, how could cosmology be anything but unplanned and therefore unintelligent? Of course this

5 http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html 6 http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/teleo.html

7 http://groups.google.co.il/group/alt.religion.christian.baptist/msg/3c654b893cd6716b

8 “Reclaiming Science From Darwinism" by Kenneth Poppe

randomness has to apply to our own little corner of the galaxy as well. And yet anything less than "impossible" is too benign a term for the fact that our Earth exists as it is, and that I am here to write this, or you to read it.

An Explosion of Good Fortune

Many astronomers and physicists who have studied the Big Bang event, people of faith or not have marveled that it happened at all. Hugh Ross is among those who have seriously studied the origin and settling of the universe. In his books, such as “Big Bang, Refined by Fire”,9 Ross gives many factors of physics so finely tuned that it shows the tenuously balanced structure of our universe. On one such list, Ross includes over two dozen "either/or" factors (either it worked or it didn't), such that if any single one were out of balance, the "bang" would have been a nonevent.

Without getting too technical, here is a sampling of the "luck" to which we owe our existence:

If the electromagnetic forces present at the big bang were either a bit stronger or a bit weaker, any elements with more atomic mass than boron (periodic table element #5) could not have been formed. This means 96 percent of the elements, starting with the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in our bodies, would not exist.

If the ratio of the mass of the electron to the proton or neutron were out of balance, either too high or too low, no atoms of any kind would have ever assembled, and obviously no molecular bonding or chemical reactions would have taken, place either.

If the ratio of the number of available protons to electrons was off, either too many of one or too few, electromagnetism would have nullified gravity, and no objects in space would ever have formed.

And once you add to the list the perfect speed of light, the exact subatomic decay rates, the correct distance between stars, and even the proper total mass requirements of the entire universe itself. .. well, you get the idea.

Here is an analogy that seems to help bring home the idea of the fantastic nature of the Big Bang. Who can argue that the flying of the Space Shuttle is a delicate undertaking? Any little prelaunch factor out of place scraps the countdown, and once in flight, NASA, keeps track of a myriad of transmissions, any one of which could indicate impending disaster. It's true - the Shuttle is a flying bomb with seven souls aboard riding on a razor-thin edge of safety. Physicists know that the Big Bang is similarly fine-tuned, miraculously having managed to avoid either fizzling to a stop or incinerating itself.

9 Big Bang Refined by Fire by Dr. Hugh Ross, 1998. Reasons To Believe, Pasadena, CA. 18

"Lucky" Breaks

However, the above list pales in comparison to factors that were necessary to form our own little solar system with our own little planet and its multitude of life-forms. This time Ross has identified 68 separate "either/or" factors, many of which are more easily understood than those governing the universe as a whole. Here are a few phenomena that could lead to either the prevention or extermination of all planetary life. These factors, some simple and some technical, are some of the blessings we take for granted every day.

It's a good thing that through random thermodynamic settling, the Milky Way galaxy attained the right size, shape, and distance from other galaxies. Otherwise, stars like our sun would never have been formed, or would have been incorporated into a different cosmic mass.

It's a good thing our sun is in a single-star configuration. Approximately 70 percent of all stars are binary, ternary, or complex systems that revolve around each other. This causes intense gravitational forces that make stable planetary bodies of any kind nearly impossible. Fortunately, our sun is one of the remaining 30 percent of "lucky" stars that exists as a single body. It is also the right size, age, location, and strength for our solar system - or else planetary orbits would be unstable, heavier elements drawn to Earth from space could have easily been over- or undersupplied, or luminosity could have been too bright or too weak to power photosynthesis. Even the gravitational forces of the other planets are necessary for Earth's stability. For example, the mass and location of Jupiter is especially fine-tuned to balance the orbits of the four inner with the four outer planets.

It's a good thing our planet revolves about the sun in a relatively circular orbit instead of an exaggerated egg-shaped one like most of the other planets. If Earth's path were too elliptical, the temperature extremes at perihelion (closest point to the sun) and aphelion (farthest point from the sun) would make it difficult, if not impossible, for life to have the necessary flexibility to survive.

The variation in orbital extremes of Earth is only about 1.7 percent from the mean, making its path around the sun a near-perfect circle. Compare that to Mars, everyone's favorite planet for extraterrestrial life, with a 9 percent variation (which is close to the average of all nine planets at 8 percent). Because of Mars' orbital elongation variation over five times as great as Earth's, NASA will have to be very careful as they develop the landing date for a manned Mars mission.

Think about it. Because of the alternating extreme closeness and remoteness to the sun in the orbital path of Mars, an astronaut in a space suit or space station would only have windows of nominal temperatures between hot and cold cycles. It should be obvious most types of Earth life would not survive if our planet were unlucky enough to have such an elongated orbit. And these extremes on Mars are exacerbated because of its slow revolution rate, making the annual trip around the sun in 687 Earth days instead of 365. By comparison, our Earth is "lucky" enough to have a near circular orbit and an optimum rate of revolution that avoid such extremes.

It's a good thing the Earth is tilted at precisely 23.45 degrees on its axis, which gives us the 19

perfect balance of true seasons from the Equator to the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and on to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. Imagine if Earth had no appreciable tilt at all, like Mercury at .01 degrees. We would not just lose the refreshing rotation of seasons, but hosts of species would not exist whose life cycles follow the changing climates as you go toward either pole.

What if the Earth were tilted, like Pluto, at 32 degrees past perpendicular, pointing its northern and southern poles almost directly at the sun in their respective summer and winter seasons? If Earth were laid this far over on its side, the annual melting and refreezing of both polar ice caps would play unbelievable havoc with habitats by the wildly fluctuating temperature ranges. And then imagine what would happen to levels of water in the oceans, precipitation rates, and plant and animal life cycles. The violence of seasonal extremes might even negate the possibility of complex terrestrial food webs.

Then there is one other possibility that Earth was "lucky" enough to avoid. It is the "barrel roll" of Uranus spinning on an axis parallel to its orbital plane, rather than perpendicular like the rest of the planets. What difficulties this would present to life here at home can hardly be imagined.

Finally, it's a good thing our Earth is the right size and shape, rotates at the right speed, and is the right distance from the sun. If any of these were out of proportion, a whole host of problems loom. Our atmosphere could be too suffocating or too thin, our day-to-night temperatures could be too hot or too cold, our gravity too intense or too insufficient, our wind velocities too severe or too inadequate, or our air components too heavy on some gases or too light on others.

Also, consider that Mercury completes less than one revolution around the sun for every two rotations on its axis, making one of its "days" (day/night) equal to less than half of its "year” (sun rotation). There is no reason Earth couldn't be like Mercury (though it would be disastrous to life), but instead we properly make 1/365 of our annual journey in close to 24 hours. Overall, you could say we were very "lucky" that the interplay of forces from universe to galaxy to solar system to planet were perfectly fine-tuned. To quote the late Jackie Gleason, "How sweet it is!"

Physics Did It?

Call it a case of "a place for everything in space, and everything in space in its place." I'm impressed. But I know others are not. They say with the possibility of a nearly inexhaustible supply of potential planets in the universe, physics was bound to give us one body with this combination of distance, size, orientation, and motion factors. And in the same manner, life was able to adapt accordingly and settle into this cozy "third rock from the sun." Perhaps, but if so, there are still a host of other "lucky" Earth parameters that still must be perfect. While these did not necessarily govern the physics of planetary origin, they still could severely limit or deny life.

For example, earthquake activity must be within tolerable limits. Imagine if we had the seismology of other planets. Remember how the world properly agonized over the December 26, 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean that instantly wiped out over 200,000 lives? There is no reason why such geologic events couldn't be commonplace on Earth. Yet as devastating as it was, the tidal wave did not affect animal and plant life to a disastrous extent, only human life 20

because of the way we live.

Just as earthquake activity typical of other planets could be knocking down our cities as fast as we build them, there is no reason why violent storms could not also make our planet a scene of constant destruction. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September of 2005 were disasters to Louisiana, Texas, and other parts of the Gulf Coast, and yet the bulk of our country experienced no change at all. However, if Earth had the same ongoing storm as on Jupiter - the red "eye" shown on almost every photograph - we would have a continuous cataclysm cutting a lethal swath across our planet. Instead, we sit rather comfortably here at home. Lucky for us.

Next, consider that Earth's water-to-landmass ratio must not be out of bounds. With the near- complete lack of moisture available on other planets, if anything, shouldn't we be one-quarter water and three-quarters land on the planet's surface instead of the reverse? In fact, we should be nearly, if not completely, bone-dry.

And this list goes on. The minerals in the soil must be optimal for all sorts of biological and commercial reasons, the Moon's tidal effects must not be extreme, ocean salinity and ion concentrations must not be unduly toxic, and ... well, isn't that enough to make the point? Also consider that with respect to tolerance levels, any one of these factors, like those that doomed two Space Shuttle flights, could be so prohibitive to life that the rest become a moot point.

So let's apply a bit of mathematics. If you visit the lottery Web site for multistate Powerball, you will find all the probabilities of winning those multimillions that are sure to bestow peace and happiness. Here, the odds of winning the elusive jackpot are listed as "1 in 146,170,692." You could read this as "one winner for approximately every 150 million tickets sold"-which places you in the ritzy neighborhood of 108 individual purchases to provide hope for success.

By comparison, if we give all 68 of those planetary criteria previously mentioned a 50/50 chance of being in a range tolerable to life-a win or-no-win ticket-and multiply all the 1-out-of-2 odds together, you get a figure upward of 1022. Once again, going back to the strength of exponential numbers, our odds of getting a suitable planet Earth are (22 - 8 = 14): 14 increases of 900 percent beyond what it takes to win a Powerball jackpot. (No wonder they call the lottery a tax on people who aren't good at mathematics.) And then after this, we must face the even more prohibitive odds of getting life to self-organize.

With this lottery example in mind, perhaps now the contrasts in the vocabulary I've been using will make more sense. In case the words went by too fast, let me repeat them. On the random side we have words like unstable, excessive, insufficient, intense, inadequate, difficult, extreme, fluctuating, exacerbating, severe, unbalanced, nonexistent, fragile, erratic, freezing, boiling, prohibitive, noxious, toxic-and, as a fitting end-impossible. And I dare say that if you set foot on any planet outside Earth, one, if not most - if not all - of these factors would negate the possibility of life.

On the other hand, we describe our planetary conditions with words like proper, balanced, refreshing, optimal, flexible, correct, exact, complementary, proportional, and - as another 21

fitting end - perfect. As we stand here on Earth, we easily see how all these supposedly fortuitous accidents allow the miracle of life. In the end, how many times can the word perfect be repeated (perfect this, perfect that, perfect everywhere you turn) until your faith in luck runs out and you admit that Someone was tinkering with Physics?

Nothing to Shrug Off

As lengthy as the list of fine-tuned factors is, Evolutionists shrug them off with the same comment almost every time. As earlier mentioned, they would say that instead of a Designer adapting Earth to accommodate life, Life adapted to the pre-existing conditions it found on our planet. For example, if Earth had a stronger gravitational pull, our creatures would have developed lighter bodies and stronger legs and wings. Or if Earth's air were one-fourth nitrogen and three-fourths oxygen instead of the reverse, animal lungs would be restructured, plant photosynthesis would follow different pathways, and so on. In fact, they say, our present gravity may actually be deadly, and our air toxic, to life evolving under conditions on another planet.

However, such people seldom realize the depth of this assumption. The fine-tuned features in the majority of these factors are not a matter of alterations but eradication - not just conditions to adjust to, but conditions that bring death under any circumstance. First of all, many of the factors from the physics of the universe could completely negate the possibility of carbon-based chemistry, and other conditions on Earth would instantly be lethal to any type of life based on the carbon platform. (The song "Nothing from Nothing Leaves Nothing" comes to mind.) Remember that we are not just talking about whether gravity and air are optimal, but whether we even have a planet, a sun, a solar system, or a universe.

The skeptics also need to realize that some of these factors are more complicated than at first glance. Okay, so the Earth accidentally stopped closer to the sun. Just imagine that birds evolved with Space Shuttle-like heat tiles on their underbellies so they also could fly in the hot sun. If the Earth stopped farther away? Imagine birds with feathers a foot thick.

Yet in what possible location would you place the Earth and still have a water cycle? How far from its present location can you move the planet before precipitation, condensation, and evaporation collapse? (Ask the Life that supposedly used to live on Mars.) The amazing water molecule is so essential to organisms that it is everybody's favorite indicator of possible extraterrestrial life. But how could water complete its inter- or intra-cellular travel if it were continually evaporated or frozen? By one estimate, if the Earth's orbit averaged a half of a percent closer or farther from the sun, we would have permanent vapor or permanent ice. No water cycle, no fluid homeostasis for cellular activities-no life of any kind.

In my opinion, you have to accept Design, even if only by default. But I go even farther and say some "interesting touches" were added. I say there are some amazing displays of technical science included just at the Artist's prerogative. I call it His "personal signature" on a fine piece of creative work. For example, we see only one side of the Moon because the Moon takes exactly as long to orbit the Earth as it takes to rotate once about its own axis.

A Touch of Art

If the Moon's strange synchronous movement does not impress you, here is one you can't chalk up to anything like tidal pull. Who would not admit that solar eclipses are cool? Be in the right place on Earth at the right time and the disc of the Moon interposes itself to be perfectly congruent with the disc of the sun-a total solar eclipse. The alignment is so exact that the massive corona of the sun makes a beautiful halo, and the central darkness gives scientists the best chance to study the effect.

But isn't the perfect overlay a bit odd considering the chance sizes and distances of the two "unrelated" celestial objects? Yet the dazzling display is only possible because of the unbelievable equal ratios of diameters and distances. The Moon has a diameter of 3476 kilometers (2160 miles) and has a distance from Earth of 384,467 kilometers (239,000 miles), for a decimal ratio of .009. By comparison, the diameter of the sun is 1,390,000 kilometers (865,000 miles) at a distance from Earth of 149,600,000 kilometers (93,000,000 miles), a decimal ratio of, you guessed it, .009! In simpler terms, while the sun is about 400 times bigger than the Moon, it is about 400 times farther away - hence the stunning effect of the total solar eclipse, something that to me looks very "planned." the Earth are exactly the same, a precise 27.3217 Earth days for both. (Check it out by going around your family globe with a ball on a stick. If you walk just as fast as you turn the ball, the "Earth" sees only one side of your "Moon.") Now it is true that tidal pull from a larger object on a smaller object begins to mitigate orbits over time, but no such preciseness exists anywhere else in a solar system filled with planets. Call it a bit of curious mystery thrown in just for fun.

A touch of art also extends to a last point. Any map of the Milky Way galaxy will show our sun and solar system to be about three-fourths of the way to the outer edge from the center of the flat spiral disc. From a scientific standpoint, this is a stroke of "luck" that provides the perfect location for our "evolving" life-forms. If our solar system were at the outer tips of the galactic arms, the rotational speed of the "crack the whip" effect would cause a rapid expansion of our planetary orbits, making for rapidly fluctuating conditions on Earth to which life could not adjust. If our sun were toward the center of the Milky Way, the intense gravitational attractions and the constant radiation of supernovae from so many stars in proximity would again make our Earth unlivable.

But the fact is, our sun lies not only at the proper centricity, it also lies in the open area between two spiral arms at the proper co-rotational radius where our speed remains relatively constant and our solar system will not be swept into either adjacent arm. Once again, we should celebrate our good fortune. Yet the artistic piece is that if our solar system could somehow survive in the galactic center or within one of the arms of densely packed stars, the cosmic clutter would prevent us from even looking out into deep space to see those distant wonders. It is as interesting as it is ironic. Darwinists use the beauty afforded to us as we look into the heavens as justification to reduce our existence to "luck."

Tough Customers

Astronomers and physicists have always had a harder time buying into the random-chance scenario. Knowing what they know, they have not made the best Darwinists because of the weak philosophic argument that everything just fell into place without intelligence. Consider the well-known quote from Wernher von Braun, an astrophysicist of no small repute: “I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.”

And to show it doesn't take a "rocket scientist" to have the same opinion, hear the words of astronomer Alan Sandage: “I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God to me is a mystery, but it is the explanation for the miracle of existence, why there is something instead of nothing.”

Or how about Princeton Physics Professor Freeman Dyson, who said, "As we look out into the universe and identify the many accidents of physics and astronomy that have worked together for our benefit, it almost seems as if the universe must in some sense have known that we were coming."*

Here is a man of longstanding reputation who has earned 21 honorary degrees by applying his knowledge of physics in almost every other scientific discipline, such as astronomy. He has also won the prestigious Templeton Award, given to individuals whose achievements in one professional field have simultaneously advanced the humanitarian benefits of religion. Therefore, I would say Dyson's use of the word ‘almost’ in the quote above is a shot aimed at the Darwinists with whom he has debated all his life.

Dr. Hugh Ross in “Fine-Tuning For Life In The Universe”10 states that “for physical life to be possible in the universe, numerous characteristics must take on specific values (listed below). In the case of several of these characteristics, and given the intricacy of their interrelationships, the indication of divine "fine tuning" seems incontrovertible.

1. Strong nuclear force constant 2. Weak nuclear force constant 3. Gravitational force constant 4. Electromagnetic force constant 5. Ratio of electromagnetic force constant to gravitational force constant 6. Ratio of proton to electron mass 7. Ratio of number of protons to number of electrons 8. Ratio of proton to electron charge 9. Expansion rate of the universe 10. Mass density of the universe 11. Baryon (proton and neutron) density of the universe 12. Space energy or dark energy density of the universe

10 http://www.reasons.org/fine-tuning-life-universe 24

13. Ratio of space energy density to mass density 14. Entropy level of the universe 15. Velocity of light 16. Age of the universe 17. Uniformity of radiation 18. Homogeneity of the universe 19. Average distance between galaxies 20. Average distance between galaxy clusters 21. Average distance between stars 22. Average size and distribution of galaxy clusters 23. Numbers, sizes, and locations of cosmic voids 24. Electromagnetic fine structure constant 25. Gravitational fine-structure constant 26. Decay rate of protons 27. Ground state energy level for helium-4 28. Carbon-12 to oxygen-16 nuclear energy level ratio 29. Decay rate for beryllium-8 30. Ratio of neutron mass to proton mass 31. Initial excess of nucleons over antinucleons 32. Polarity of the water molecule 33. Epoch for hypernova eruptions 34. Number and type of hypernova eruptions 35. Epoch for supernova eruptions 36. Number and types of supernova eruptions 37. Epoch for white dwarf binaries 38. Density of white dwarf binaries 39. Ratio of exotic matter to ordinary matter 40. Number of effective dimensions in the early universe 41. Number of effective dimensions in the present universe 42. Mass values for the active neutrinos 43. Number of different species of active neutrinos 44. Number of active neutrinos in the universe 45. Mass value for the sterile neutrino 46. Number of sterile neutrinos in the universe 47. Decay rates of exotic mass particles 48. Magnitude of the temperature ripples in cosmic background radiation 49. Size of the relativistic dilation factor 50. Magnitude of the Heisenberg uncertainty 51. Quantity of gas deposited into the deep intergalactic medium by the first supernovae 52. Positive nature of cosmic pressures 53. Positive nature of cosmic energy densities 54. Density of quasars 55. Decay rate of cold dark matter particles 56. Relative abundances of different exotic mass particles 57. Degree to which exotic matter self interacts 58. Epoch at which the first stars (metal-free pop III stars ) begin to form 25

59. Epoch at which the first stars (metal-free pop III stars cease to form 60. Number density of metal-free pop III stars 61. Average mass of metal-free pop III stars 62. Epoch for the formation of the first galaxies 63. Epoch for the formation of the first quasars 64. Amount, rate, and epoch of decay of embedded defects 65. Ratio of warm exotic matter density to cold exotic matter density 66. Ratio of hot exotic matter density to cold exotic matter density 67. Level of quantization of the cosmic space-time fabric 68. Flatness of universe's geometry 69. Average rate of increase in galaxy sizes 70. Change in average rate of increase in galaxy sizes throughout cosmic history 71. Constancy of dark energy factors 72. Epoch for star formation peak 73. Location of exotic matter relative to ordinary matter 74. Strength of primordial cosmic magnetic field 75. Level of primordial magnetohydrodynamic turbulence 76. Level of charge-parity violation 77. Number of galaxies in the observable universe 78. Polarization level of the cosmic background radiation 79. Date for completion of second reionization event of the universe 80. Date of subsidence of gamma-ray burst production 81. Relative density of intermediate mass stars in the early history of the universe 82. Water's temperature of maximum density 83. Water's heat of fusion 84. Water's heat of vaporization 85. Number density of clumpuscules (dense clouds of cold molecular H2 gas) in the universe 86. Average mass of clumpuscules in the universe 87. Location of clumpuscules in the universe 88. Dioxygen's kinetic oxidation rate of organic molecules 89. Level of paramagnetic behavior in dioxygen 90. Density of ultra-dwarf galaxies in the middle-aged universe 91. Degree of space-time warping and twisting by general relativistic factors 92. Percentage of initial mass function of the universe made up of intermediate mass stars 93. Strength of the cosmic primordial magnetic field

Hugh Ross also points out additional evidence for the divine design of life — and of the earth for sustaining life. Research has identified many dietary essentials, in addition to the familiar one, iron, to be harmful, if not deadly, in certain amounts. Such elements as chromium, molybdenum, selenium, and vanadium, for example, are essential for building proteins, and proteins serve as life’s molecular “factories.” Yet each of these elements is toxic in any but the “just-right” amount.

A finely tuned balance of such elements in organisms’ external environment also proves necessary but risky. Molybdenum, for instance, though it can be harmful plays a crucial and unique role in “nitrogen fixation,” the process by which nitrogen from the atmosphere attaches

to chemicals that can be assimilated by plants. This particular process, without which land life cannot exist, is impossible unless a certain “right amount” of molybdenum resides in the soil.

For many years, we have recognized the devastating effects of iron deficiency or iron overabundance in the diet of humans and advanced animals. Year by year, however, the list of lethal yet essential substances grows. Currently that list includes arsenic, boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, manganese, nickel, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, tin, and zinc, in addition to the four mentioned above.11

At the same time, our astronomy research reveals that the earth’s crust differs significantly from the crusts of other solar system bodies. One difference lies in the relative abundance of various life-essential elements. Earth’s crust contains “just-right” quantities of all the elements necessary for the existence and sustenance of advanced land life. This finding can be viewed as a remarkable (more accurately, an impossible) coincidence or as a wondrous indicator of design. To reach for a sound bite, I would say that the gastronomical and astronomical evidences favor purposeful planning and preparation. .

Fine Tuning?12 (references are at the end of this book)

Skeptics like to say that fine tuning cannot be proven by science, since we have only one universe to study. However, the discovery and quantification of dark energy has puzzled a number of scientists, who realize that its extremely small value requires that the initial conditions of the universe must have been extremely fine tuned in order that even matter would exist in our universe. By chance, our universe would have been expected to consist of merely some thermal radiation.

The recent Nature study popularized in the press regarding the nature of the universe has confirmed some of the original studies involving supernovae type 1.1 The supernovae results suggested that there was a "springiness" to space, an energy density often referred to as "dark energy" or the "cosmological constant," that causes the universe to expand at a faster rate the more it expands. Often described as an "anti-gravity" force, it doesn't really oppose matter, but only affects matter as it is associated with the fabric of space.

The balloon-borne microwave telescope called "Boomerang" examined the cosmic background radiation left over from the Big Bang.2 The angular power spectrum showed a peak value at exactly the value predicted by the inflationary hot Big Bang model dominated by cold dark matter. This model predicts a smaller second peak, which seems to be there, but cannot be fully

11 John Emsley, The Elements, 3rd ed. (Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1998), 24, 40, 56, 58, 60, 62, 78, 102, 106, 122, 130, 138, 152, 160, 188, 198, 214, 222, 230.

12 http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/cosmoconstant.html Extreme Fine Tuning - Dark Energy or the Cosmological Constant by Rich Deem

resolved with the initial measurements. The presence of the second peak would all but seal the reliability of the Big Bang model as the mechanism by which the universe came into existence.

How does this study impact the Christian faith? The Bible says that the universe was created in finite time from that which is not visible.3 In addition, the Bible describes an expanding universe model.4 The Bible describes the Creator being personally involved in the design of the universe, so that we would expect to see this kind of design in His creation.5

How does this discovery impact Atheists? Those who favor naturalism had long sought to find the simplest explanation for the universe, hoping to avoid any evidence for design. A Big Bang model in which there was just enough matter to equal the critical density to account for a flat universe would have provided that. However, for many years, it has been evident that there is less than half of the amount of matter in the universe to account for a flat universe. A cosmological constant would provide an energy density to make up for the missing matter density, but would require an extreme amount of fine tuning. The supernovae studies demonstrated that there was an energy density to the universe (but did not define the size of this energy density), and the recent Boomerang study demonstrated that this energy density is exactly what one would expect to get a flat universe. How finely tuned must this energy density be to get a flat universe? One part in 10120,6 which is:

1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

What do Atheists think about this level of design? Here is a quote from a recent article:

"This type of universe, however, seems to require a degree of fine tuning of the initial conditions that is in apparent conflict with 'common wisdom'."1

Atheists see a conflict because this level of design is something that one would not expect by chance from a universe that began through a purely naturalistic mechanism. "Common wisdom" is common only to those who must exclude a supernatural explanation for the creation of the universe.

Yet another study confirms the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation, left over from the Big Bang. The standard inflationary model predicted that the background radiation should be polarized when it interacted with matter, nearly 14 billion years ago. John Carlstrom, the S. Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, announced the discovery and made the following admission:

"Polarization is predicted. It's been detected and it's in line with theoretical predictions. We're stuck with this preposterous universe."7

In another article entitled, "Disturbing Implications of a Cosmological Constant"8 researchers from Stanford and MIT examined some of the "problems" associated with a cosmological 28

constant. In their paper, they stated that the implications of a cosmological constant "lead to very deep paradoxes, which seem to require major revisions of our usual assumptions." They admit that "there is no universally accepted explanation of how the universe got into such a special state" and that their study, "Far from providing a solution to the problem, we will be led to a disturbing crisis." They also admit, "Some unknown agent initially started the inflation high up on its potential, and the rest is history."

In examining problems with the cosmological constant, the authors are concerned that the ultimate fate of the universe is complete entropy with all the matter and energy distributed over maximally expanded space-time. They cite the ability of the universe to undergo "Poincare recurrences" as a possible "solution" to one of the "problems." There is a certain theoretical possibility that after the universe is maximally expanded that it would come back together again into one point. Think of it like this: Let's say you are in a room with air molecules randomly moving around in the room. There is a certain probability that the random motion of the molecules could cause all of them to travel to one corner of the room, leaving you in a complete vacuum. Obviously, this would not be a good thing to happen, but it is possible, with an interval on the order of once every 1060 years. Since we only live 102 years in a universe that has been around for only 1010 years, it is practically impossible. So, what is the time it would take for a fully expanded universe to come back into a single point? The authors calculate the value as e10120 years, which they comment "seems like an absurdly big time between interesting events, which, by comparison, last for a very short time." Recent evidence suggests that even this estimate is very optimistic. Some scientists believe that the universe will be permanently destroyed within 22 billion years, with no possibility of reassembly. Robert Caldwell of Dartmouth College says that the dark energy of the universe is increasing at a rate that will rip the universe apart and even the atoms themselves.9

However, it is the nature of inflation and the temperature of the universe that deeply concerns these cosmologists. This is what they have to say about the nature of our current universe, among all other possible universes:

"In all of these worlds statistically miraculous (but not impossible) events would be necessary to assemble and preserve the fragile nuclei that would ordinarily be destroyed by the higher temperatures. However, although each of the corresponding histories is extremely unlikely, there are so many more of them than those that evolve without "miracles," that they would vastly dominate the livable universes that would be created by Poincare recurrences. We are forced to conclude that in a recurrent world like de Sitter space our universe would be extraordinarily unlikely."

Appealing to possible alternative ways that the universe might have evolved do not make fine tuning untenable. In fact, the vast majority of possible universes would contain no matter at all - just energy! Here is what Dyson says about the probability that our universe would be the way it is:

"The vast majority of the space consists of states which are macroscopically "dead de Sitter;" that is, nearly empty de Sitter containing only some thermal radiation. A tiny subset of the

states are anthropically acceptable, meaning that they contain complex structures such as stars and galaxies, and a very small subset of those are macroscopically indistinguishable from our universe (MIFOU). Inflationary initial conditions occupy an even smaller fraction of the space. Trajectories which pass through the inflationary patch will almost always lead immediately to the MIFOU region, "mixing" into it in a "porous," phase-space-area-preserving manner. The vast majority of the points in the MIFOU region did not come from inflation, but rather from unstable trajectories originating in the dead region. Finally, any trajectory in the dead region will remain there almost all of the time, but will occasionally enter the anthropically acceptable region, and very much more rarely the MIFOU region, and almost never the inflationary region. Therefore, livable universes are almost always created by fluctuations into the "miraculous" states discussed above."

So the nature of the universe reveals that a purely naturalistic cause for the universe is extremely unlikely and, therefore, illogical. One cannot say that a miraculous naturalistic event is a scientific explanation. Miracles are only possible when an immensely powerful Being intervenes to cause them. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,10 and that He created the universe.11 When a model doesn't work, scientists must be willing to give up their model for a model that fits the facts better. In this case, the Supernatural Design model fits the data much better than the naturalistic random chance model.

1. Zehavi, I, and A. Dekel. 1999. Evidence for a positive cosmological constant from flows of galaxies and distant supernovae Nature 401: 252-254 401: 252-254. 2. de Bernardis, P., et al. 2000. A flat universe from high-resolution maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Nature 404:955-959. 3. The universe was formed at God's command, so that what was seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3) 4. The following verses suggest that God created the universe through an expanding universe - what science has called the Big Bang. In many cases the Hebrew text indicates present tense - a process still continuing. 5. Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea; (Job 9:8) 6. Covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. (Psalms 104:2) 7. It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22) 8. Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk in it, (Isaiah 42:5) 9. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone" ( Isaiah 44:24) 10. "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, And I ordained all their host." (Isaiah 45:12)  "Surely My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand together." (Isaiah 48:13)  That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens, And laid the foundations of the earth; That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, As he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor? (Isaiah 51:13)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 10:12)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 51:15)  The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, (Zechariah 12:1) 11. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. (Psalms 19:1) 30

12. Eli Michael. 1999. How physically plausible is the cosmological constant? from the University of Colorado, Boulder. 13. Discovery Supports Astronomers' Paradoxical Views of the Universe from Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum 14. Dyson, L., M. Kleban, and L. Susskind. 2002. Disturbing Implications of a Cosmological Constant. Reprint from arXiv. 15. 'Phantom menace' may rip up cosmos. 2003. New Scientist. 16. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10) 17. But God made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. (Jeremiah 10:12)

Is the Universe designed?13

"Improbable things happen all the time" is the mantra of the Atheist. So says Richard Deem in “General Introduction for Non-Believers, Part 2: Evidence for Belief in God”.12 It is certainly possible for improbable things to happen. However, it is virtually impossible that all the physical laws would just happen to be tightly constrained in order for stars and galaxies to exist. Although there is no direct evidence for the cause of the universe, we now have a fair amount of knowledge about the early history of the universe and the laws that govern it, which provide us with indirect evidence that a super-intelligent Agent designed the universe. In order to keep this essay brief, much of the supporting information will not be included. However, the links take you to the full-length articles for the details.

The best evidence for design can be seen in the nature of the universe and how it came to be. The process of discovery continues, since one of the fundamental properties of the universe, dark energy (or the cosmological constant), was discovered late in the last century. New studies continue to add to our knowledge about the universe and its extremely unlikely makeup.

The Big Bang theory states that the universe arose from a singularity of virtually no size, which gave rise to the dimensions of space and time, in addition to all matter and energy. At the beginning of the Big Bang, the four fundamental forces began to separate from each other. Early in its history (10-36 to 10-32 seconds), the universe underwent a period of short, but dramatic, hyper-inflationary expansion. The cause of this inflation is unknown, but was required for life to be possible in the universe.

Quarks and antiquarks combined to annihilate each other. One would expect the ratio of quarks and antiquarks to be exactly equal to one, since neither would be expected to have been produced in preference to the other. However, miraculously, quarks outnumbered antiquarks by a ratio of 1,000,000,001 to 1,000,000,000. The remaining small excess of quarks eventually made up all the matter that exists in the universe.

Even so, the universe is enormous compared to the size of our Solar System. Isn't the immense size of the universe evidence that humans are really insignificant, contradicting the idea that a God concerned with humanity created the universe? It turns out that the universe could not have been much smaller than it is in order for nuclear fusion to have occurred during the first 3 minutes after the Big Bang. Without this brief period of nucleosynthesis, the early universe would have consisted entirely of hydrogen.1 Likewise, the universe could not have been much larger than it is, or life would not have been possible. If the universe were just one part in 1059 larger,2 the universe would have collapsed before life was possible. Since there are only 1080

13 http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/atheismintro2.html

baryons in the universe, this means that an addition of just 1021 baryons (about the mass of a grain of sand) would have made life impossible. The universe is exactly the size it must be for life to exist at all.

Cosmologists assume that the universe could have evolved in any of a number of ways, and that the process is entirely random. Based upon this assumption, nearly all possible universes would consist solely of thermal radiation (no matter). Of the tiny subset of universes that would contain matter, a small subset would be similar to ours. A very small subset of those would have originated through inflationary conditions. Therefore, universes that are conducive to life "are almost always created by fluctuations into the[se] 'miraculous' states," according to atheist cosmologist Dr. L. Dyson.3

The laws of physics must have values very close to those observed or the universe does not work "well enough" to support life. What happens when we vary the constants? The strong nuclear force (which holds atoms together) has a value such that when the two hydrogen atoms fuse, 0.7% of the mass is converted into energy. If the value were 0.6% then a proton could not bond to a neutron, and the universe would consist only of hydrogen. If the value were 0.8%, then fusion would happen so readily that no hydrogen would have survived from the Big Bang. Other constants must be fine-tuned to an even more stringent degree. The cosmic microwave background varies by one part in 100,000. If this factor were slightly smaller, the universe would exist only as a collection of diffuse gas, since no stars or galaxies could ever form. If this factor were slightly larger, the universe would consist solely of large black holes. Likewise, the ratio of electrons to protons cannot vary by more than 1 part in 1037 or else electromagnetic interactions would prevent chemical reactions. In addition, if the ratio of the electromagnetic force constant to the gravitational constant were greater by more than 1 part in 1040, then electromagnetism would dominate gravity, preventing the formation of stars and galaxies. If the expansion rate of universe were 1 part in 1055 less than what it is, then the universe would have already collapsed. The most recently discovered physical law, the cosmological constant or dark energy, is the closest to zero of all the physical constants. In fact, a change of only 1 part in 10120 would completely negate the effect.

"Unlikely things happen all the time." This is the mantra of the anti-design movement. However, there is an absolute physical limit for improbable events to happen in our universe. The universe contains only 1080 baryons and has only been around for 13.7 billion years (1018 sec). Since the smallest unit of time is Planck time (10-45 sec),4 the lowest probability event that can ever happen in the history of the universe is:

1080 x 1018 x 1045 =10143

So, although it would be possible that one or two constants might require unusual fine-tuning by chance, it would be virtually impossible that all of them would require such fine-tuning. Some physicists have indicated that any of a number of different physical laws would be compatible with our present universe. However, it is not just the current state of the universe that must be compatible with the physical laws. Even more stringent are the initial conditions of the universe, since even minor deviations would have completely disrupted the process. For

example, adding a grain of sand to the weight of the universe now would have no effect. However, adding even this small amount of weight at the beginning of the universe would have resulted in its collapse early in its history.

Even though many atheists would like to dismiss such evidence of design, cosmologists know better, and have made statements such as the following, which reveal the depth of the problem for the atheistic worldview:

 "This type of universe, however, seems to require a degree of fine-tuning of the initial conditions that is in apparent conflict with 'common wisdom'."5  "Polarization is predicted. It's been detected and it's in line with theoretical predictions. We're stuck with this preposterous universe."6  "In all of these worlds statistically miraculous (but not impossible) events would be necessary to assemble and preserve the fragile nuclei that would ordinarily be destroyed by the higher temperatures. However, although each of the corresponding histories is extremely unlikely, there are so many more of them than those that evolve without "miracles," that they would vastly dominate the livable universes that would be created by Poincare recurrences. We are forced to conclude that in a recurrent world like de Sitter space our universe would be extraordinarily unlikely."7

The newest "solution" to design in the universe is a belief in the multi-universe theory. This theory requires one to believe that there are more universes in existence than the number of all the subatomic particles that exist in our universe. Our universe just happened to be one of the few that is able to support life. Here is what a recent article from Science says about this hypothetical "multiverse" spinning off an “infinity" of other universes:

"Uncomfortable with the idea that physical parameters like lambda [cosmological constant] are simply lucky accidents, some cosmologists, including Hawking, have suggested that there have been an infinity of big bangs going off in a larger 'multiverse,' each with different values for these parameters. Only those values that are compatible with life could be observed by beings such as ourselves."8

What scientific evidence exists to support the multiverse model? None! Not only is there no evidence, the physics of our own universe requires that we will never be able to obtain any evidence about any other universe (even if it does exist). Even secular websites admit that such ideas amount to nothing more than unfalsifiable metaphysics:

"Appeals to multiple or "parallel" cosmoses or to an infinite number of cosmic "Big Bang/Crunch" oscillations as essential elements of proposed mechanisms are not acceptable in submissions due to a lack of empirical correlation and testability. Such beliefs are without hard physical evidence and must therefore be considered unfalsifiable, currently outside the methodology of scientific investigation to confirm or disprove, and therefore more mathematically theoretical and metaphysical than scientific in nature. Recent cosmological evidence also suggests insufficient mass for gravity to reverse continuing cosmic expansion. The best cosmological evidence thus far suggests the cosmos is finite rather than infinite in age."9

According to Paul Davies:

"Whether it is God, or man, who tosses the dice, turns out to depend on whether multiple universes really exist or not….If instead, the other universes are relegated to ghost worlds, we must regard our existence as a miracle of such improbability that it is scarcely credible."

On the other hand, the deist or theist says that God designed the universe with just the right laws of physics. Note that neither the multiverse nor the "God hypothesis" is testable. However, the "God hypothesis" is much simpler. The naturalistic explanation requires the presence of a complicated, unproved super universe that has the capacity to randomly spew out an infinite number of universes with different laws of physics. How does this hypothetical super universe know how to do this? Why would it even want to do this? Ultimately, why should there be any universe at all? None of these questions are logically explained by naturalism. Only an intelligent Being would be motivated and expected to produce any kind of universe such as what we see. If we use Occam's razor, which states that one should use the simplest logical explanation for any phenomenon, we would eliminate the super universe/multi-universe explanation in favor of the simpler God-designed universe model. The evidence for design in the universe and biology is so strong that Antony Flew, a long-time proponent of atheism, renounced his atheism in 2004 and now believes that the existence of a Creator is required to explain the universe and life in it. Likewise, Frank Tipler, Professor of the Department of Mathematics at Tulane University, and a former atheist, not only became a theist, but is now a born-again Christian because of the laws of physics.10

A common objection to the "God hypothesis" is the problem of how God came to be. If everything has a cause, why does God get an exception? The problem with such reasoning is that it assumes that time has always existed. In reality, time is a construct of this universe and began at the initiation of the Big Bang.11 A God who exists outside the time constraints of the universe is not subject to cause and effect. So, the idea that God has always existed and is not caused follows logically from the fact that the universe and time itself was created at the Big Bang. The Bible makes these exact claims - that God has always existed12 and that God created time,13 along with the entire universe,14 being described as an expanding universe.15 Why can't the universe be uncaused? Of course, it is possible that the universe is uncaused. However, there is a tremendous amount of evidence that contradicts that idea (see part 1). So, an atheist who claims to live by logic and evidence cannot arbitrarily assign eternity to a universe that is clearly temporal.

No, God has not left His name etched onto the surface of planets. However, there is abundant evidence that the universe was designed by super intelligent Agent, who purposed that the universe should exist and be capable of supporting advanced life. The design of the universe is just one line of evidence that God created the universe. The design of the earth and solar system is also quite impressive. Likewise, chemistry and physics preclude the possibility that life evolved on earth. In addition, human beings are remarkably different from every other animal on earth, suggesting a departure from naturalistic processes.

God, Design, and Fine-Tuning14 The Evidence of Fine-tuning

Suppose we went on a mission to Mars, and found a domed structure in which everything was set up just right for life to exist. The temperature, for example, was set around 70o F and the humidity was at 50%; moreover, there was an oxygen recycling system, an energy gathering system, and a whole system for the production of food. Put simply, the domed structure appeared to be a fully functioning biosphere. What conclusion would we draw from finding this structure? Would we draw the conclusion that it just happened to form by chance? Certainly not! Instead, we would unanimously conclude that it was designed by some intelligent being. Why would we draw this conclusion? Because an intelligent designer appears to be the only plausible explanation for the existence of the structure. That is, the only alternative explanation we can think of – that the structure was formed by some natural process--seems extremely unlikely. Of course, it is possible that, for example, through some volcanic eruption various metals and other compounds could have formed, and then separated out in just the right way to produce the “biosphere,” but such a scenario strikes us as extraordinarily unlikely, thus making this alternative explanation unbelievable.

The universe is analogous to such a “biosphere,” according to recent findings in physics. Almost everything about the basic structure of the universe -- for example, the fundamental laws and parameters of physics and the initial distribution of matter and energy -- is balanced on a razor’s edge for life to occur. As eminent Princeton physicist Freeman Dyson notes, “There are many . . . lucky accidents in physics. Without such accidents, water could not exist as liquid, chains of carbon atoms could not form complex organic molecules, and hydrogen atoms could not form breakable bridges between molecules” (1979, p. 251)--in short, life as we know it would be impossible.

Scientists and others call this extraordinary balancing of the fundamental physical structure of the universe for life the "fine-tuning of the cosmos." It has been extensively discussed by philosophers, theologians, and scientists, especially since the early 1970s, with many articles and books written on the topic. Today, many consider it as providing the most persuasive current argument for the existence of God For example, theoretical physicist and popular science writer Paul Davies claims that with regard to basic structure of the universe, “the impression of design is overwhelming” (Davies, 1988, p. 203).15

The fine-tuning for life falls into four distinct types, each of which we will briefly discuss below:

(i) The fine-tuning of the laws of physics. (ii) The fine-tuning of the constants of physics. (iii) The fine-tuning of the initial conditions of the universe. (iv) The fine-tuning of certain higher-level features of the universe, such as various

14 http://home.messiah.edu/~rcollins/ft.htm 15 There are many articles and books written by physicists and astrophysicists that discuss the evidence for fine-tuning. Among these are Davies, 1982, Barrow and Tipler, 1986, Rees, 2000, and Leslie, 1989. 36

properties of the chemical elements.

To say that the laws are fine-tuned means that if we did not have just the right combination of laws, complex intelligent life would probably be impossible. For example, according to current physics, there are four forces in nature – gravity, the weak force, electromagnetism, and the strong nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons together in an atom. The existence of each of these forces is necessary for complex life. If gravity did not exist, masses would not clump together to form stars or planets, and hence the existence of complex, intelligent life would be seriously inhibited, if not rendered impossible; if the electromagnetic force didn’t exist, there would be no chemistry; if the strong force didn’t exist, protons and neutrons could not bind together and hence no atoms with atomic number greater than hydrogen would exist; and if the strong force were a long-range force (like gravity and electromagnetism) instead of a short range force that only acts between protons and neutrons in the nucleus, all matter would either almost instantaneously undergo nuclear fusion and explode or be sucked together forming a black hole.16 It follows, therefore, that if any of these force laws did not exist, complex, intelligent life would be much less likely, if not impossible.

Similarly, other laws and principles are necessary for complex life: as physicist Freeman Dyson points out (1979, p. 251), if the Pauli-exclusion principle did not exist, which dictates that no two fermions can occupy the same quantum state, all electrons would occupy the lowest atomic orbit, eliminating complex chemistry; and if there were no quantization principle, which dictates that particles can only occupy certain discrete allowed quantum states, there would be no atomic orbits and hence no chemistry since all electrons would be sucked into the nucleus.

Another particularly important category of fine-tuning is that of the constants of physics.17 The constants of physics are a set of fundamental numbers that, when plugged in to the laws of physics, determine the basic structure of the universe. An example of such a constant is the gravitational constant G that is part of Newton’s law of gravity, F = GM1M2/r2. G essentially determines the strength of gravity between two masses. If one were to double the value of G, for instance, then the force of gravity between any two masses would double. Each of the other forces in nature has its own coupling constant that determines its strength, in analogy to the gravitational constant G. Using one of the standard dimensionless measures of force strengths (Barrow and Tipler, 1986, pp. 293-295), gravity is the weakest of the forces, and the strong nuclear force is the strongest, being a factor of 1040 – or ten thousand billion, billion, billion, billion – times stronger than gravity.

Various calculations show that the strength of each of the forces of nature must fall into a relatively small region for intelligent life to exist. As one example, consider gravity. If, for instance, we increased the strength of gravity on earth a billionfold the force of gravity would be so great that any land-based organism anywhere near the size of human beings would be crushed. (The strength of materials depends on the electromagnetic force via the fine-structure

16 We are assuming throughout this discussion that life requires significant, self-reproducing complexity, especially life of comparable intelligence to ourselves. 17 For an up-to-date analysis of the evidence for the fine-tuning of the constants, with a careful physical analysis of what I consider the six strongest cases, see Collins, 2003. More detailed treatments of the cases of fine-tuning of the constants cited below are presented in that paper, along with more detailed references to the literature. 37

constant, which would not be affected by a change in gravity.) As astrophysicist Martin Rees notes, "In an imaginary strong gravity world, even insects would need thick legs to support them, and no animals could get much larger." (Rees, 2000, p. 30). Now, the above argument assumes that the size of the planet on which life formed would be an earth-sized planet. Could life forms of comparable intelligence to ourselves develop on a much smaller planet in such a strong-gravity world? The answer appears to be no. A planet with a gravitational pull of a thousand times that of earth -- which would make the existence of organisms of our size very improbable-- would have a diameter of about 40 feet or 12 meters, once again not large enough to sustain the sort of large-scale ecosystem necessary for organisms like us to evolve. Of course, a billion-fold increase in the strength of gravity is large in absolute terms, but compared to the total range of strengths of the forces in nature (which span a range of 1040 as we saw above), this still amounts to a fine-tuning of one part in 1031. Indeed, other calculations show that stars with life-times of more than a billion years, as compared to our sun’s life-time of ten billion years, could not exist if gravity were increased by more than a factor of three thousand.18 This would have significant intelligent life-inhibiting consequences.

There are other cases of the fine-tuning of the constants of physics besides the strength of the forces, however. Probably the most widely discussed among physicists and cosmologists – and esoteric-- is the fine-tuning of what is known as the cosmological constant. 19 The cosmological constant was a term that Einstein included in his central equation of his theory of gravity – that is, general relativity -- which today is thought to correspond to the energy density of empty space. A positive cosmological constant acts as a sort of anti-gravity, a repulsive force causing space itself to expand. If the cosmological constant had a significant positive value, space would expand so rapidly that all matter would quickly disperse, and thus galaxies, stars, and even small aggregates of matter could never form. The conclusion is that it must fall exceedingly close to zero, relative to its natural range of values, for complex life to be possible in our universe.

The fundamental theories of particle physics set a natural range of values for the cosmological constant. This natural range of values, however, is at least 1053 – that is, one followed by fifty three zeros – times the range of life-permitting values. That is, if 0 to L represent the range of life-permitting values, the theoretically possible range of values is at least 0 to 1053L. To intuitively see what this means, consider a dartboard analogy: suppose that we had a dart board that extended across the entire visible galaxy, with a target on the dart board of less than an inch in diameter. The amount of fine-tuning of the cosmological constant could be compared to randomly throwing a dart at the board and landing exactly in the target!

Further examples of the fine-tuning of the fundamental constants of physics can also be given, such as that of mass difference between the neutron and the proton. If, for example, the mass of the neutron were slightly increased by about one part in seven hundred, stable hydrogen burning stars would cease to exist. (Leslie, 1989, pp. 39 - 40, Collins, 2003.)

18 See Collins, 2003. 19 The fine-tuning of the cosmological constant is widely discussed in the literature (e.g., see Davies, 1982, 105 -109, Rees, pp. 95 - 102, 154-155.) For an accessible, current discussion, see Collins, 2003. 38

The third type of fine-tuning is that of the initial conditions of the universe, which refers to the fact that the initial distribution of mass-energy must fall within an exceedingly narrow range for (intelligent) life to occur. One aspect of this fine-tuning is the exceedingly low entropy at the beginning of the universe, which requires an extraordinarily precise arrangement of mass and energy. As Roger Penrose, one of Britain’s leading theoretical physicists, has commented, “In order to produce a universe resembling the one in which we live, the Creator would have to aim for an absurdly tiny volume of the phase space of possible universes” (Penrose, 1989, p. 343). How tiny is this volume? According to Penrose, if we let x =10123, the volume of phase space would be about 1/10x of the entire phase space (p. 343). This precision is much, much greater than the precision that would be required to hit an individual proton given the entire visible universe were a dart board! Finally, in his book Nature’s Destiny, biochemist Michael Denton extensively discusses various higher-level features of the natural world, such as the many unique properties of carbon, oxygen, water, and the electromagnetic spectrum, that are conducive to the existence of complex biochemical systems. As one of many examples Denton presents, both the atmosphere and water are transparent to electromagnetic radiation in a thin band in the visible region, but nowhere else except radio waves. If instead either of them absorbed electromagnetic radiation in the visible region, the existence of terrestrial life would be seriously inhibited, if not rendered impossible. (pp. 56-57.

As the above examples indicate, the evidence for fine-tuning is extensive, involving four different types of fine-tuning: that of the laws of nature, the constants of physics, the initial conditions of the universe, and various higher-level features of the world. As philosopher John Leslie has pointed out, “clues heaped upon clues can constitute weighty evidence despite doubts about each element in the pile” (1988, p. 300). Imaginatively, one could think of each instance of fine-tuning mentioned above as a radio dial: unless all the dials are set exactly right, complex, intelligent life would be impossible Or, one could think of the values of the initial conditions of the universe and the constants of physics as coordinates on a dart board that fills the whole galaxy, and the conditions necessary for life to exist as an extremely small target, say less than a trillionth of an inch: unless the dart hits the target, complex life would be impossible. The fact that the dials are perfectly set, or the dart has hit the target, strongly suggests that some intelligent being set the dials or aimed the dart, for it seems enormously improbable that such a coincidence could have happened by chance. Below we will develop this argument more rigorously instead of relying on these sorts of analogies.

A Preliminary Distinction

Many people take the evidence mentioned above, along with the dart-board analogy, as sufficient reason to infer to theism as the best explanation of the fine-tuning. In this paper, however, I will attempt to make the argument more rigorous. To rigorously develop the fine- tuning argument, we will find it useful to distinguish between what I shall call the atheistic single-universe hypothesis and the many-universes hypothesis.20 According to the atheistic single-

universe hypothesis, there is only one universe, and it is ultimately an inexplicable, “brute” fact that the universe exists and is fine-tuned. Many atheists, however, advocate another hypothesis, what I call the many-universes hypothesis. According to the most popular version of this hypothesis, there exists some physical process that could be imaginatively thought of as a “universe generator” that produces a very large or infinite number of universes, with each universe having a randomly selected set of initial conditions and values for the constants of physics. Because this generator produces so many universes, just by chance it will eventually produce one that is fine-tuned for intelligent life to occur.

Given this distinction, we will next attempt to rigorously develop the argument from fine-tuning against the atheistic single universe hypothesis, and then consider four major objections to it. Finally, in section IV we will consider the many-universes hypothesis and some theistic responses to it. The theistic explanation of the fine-tuning is not. But why should testability be epistemically relevant? After all, testability is about being able to find evidence against a theory in the future. What matters for the likelihood of a hypothesis’s truth (or empirical adequacy), however, is the current evidence in its favor, not whether it is possible to find evidence against it in the future.

In order to show inference to design based on the fine-tuning is flawed, skeptics must show that it is based on a manifestly problematic form of reasoning. Indeed, a typical atheist objection against the design argument, going back to the famous Scottish philosopher David Hume, is to cast it as an argument from analogy, and then to argue that arguments from analogy in this context are fatally flawed. As we will show below, however, the argument from fine-tuning can be cast into a form that is very different from the argument from analogy, a form that is difficult to refute. This should go a long way both toward making the argument rigorous and toward answering the criticism of some skeptics that the fine-tuning argument relies on a manifestly flawed form of reasoning.

For our first illustration, suppose that I went hiking in the mountains, and found underneath a certain cliff a group of rocks arranged in a formation that clearly formed the pattern "Welcome to the mountains Robin Collins." One hypothesis is that, by chance, the rocks just happened to be arranged in that pattern--ultimately, perhaps, because of certain initial conditions of the universe. Suppose the only viable alternative hypothesis is that my brother, who was in the mountains before me, arranged the rocks in this way. Most of us would immediately take the arrangements of rocks to be strong evidence in favor of the “brother” hypothesis over the “chance” hypothesis. Why? Because it strikes us as extremely improbable that the rocks would be arranged that way by chance, but not improbable at all that my brother would place them in that configuration. Thus, by the prime principle of confirmation we would conclude that the arrangement of rocks strongly supports the "brother" hypothesis over the chance hypothesis.

Or consider another case, that of finding the defendant’s fingerprints on the murder weapon. Normally, we would take such a finding as strong evidence that the defendant was guilty. Why? Because we judge that it would be unlikely for these fingerprints to be on the murder weapon if the defendant was innocent, but not unlikely if the defendant was guilty. That is, we would go through the same sort of reasoning as in the above case. The evidence of fine-tuning is much

like fingerprints found on a gun: although they can provide strong evidence that the defendant committed the murder, one could not conclude merely from them alone that the defendant is guilty; one would also have to look at all the other evidence offered. Perhaps, for instance, ten reliable witnesses claimed to see the defendant at a party at the time of the shooting. In this case, the fingerprints would still count as significant evidence of guilt, but this evidence would be counterbalanced by the testimony of the witnesses. Similarly the evidence of fine-tuning strongly supports theism over the atheistic single-universe hypothesis, though it does not itself show that everything considered theism is the most plausible explanation of the world.

Finally, several powerful reasons can be offered for its soundness of the principle of indifference if it is restricted in the ways explained above. First, it has a wide range of applicability. As philosopher Roy Weatherford notes in his book, Philosophical Foundations of Probability Theory, "an astonishing number of extremely complex problems in probability theory have been solved, and usefully so, by calculations based entirely on the assumption of equiprobable alternatives [that is, the principle of indifference]"(p. 35). Second, at least for the discrete case, the principle can be given a significant theoretical grounding in information theory, being derivable from Shannon's important and well-known measure of information, or negative entropy (Sklar, p. 191; van Fraassen, p. 345). Third, in certain everyday cases the principle of indifference seems to be the only justification we have for assigning probability. To illustrate, suppose that in the last ten minutes a factory produced the first fifty-sided die ever produced. Further suppose that every side of the die is (macroscopically) perfectly symmetrical with every other side, except for there being different numbers printed on each side. (The die we are imagining is like a fair six-sided die except that it has fifty sides instead of six.) Now, we all immediately know that upon being rolled the probability of the die coming up on any given side is one in fifty. Yet, we do not know this directly from experience with fifty-sided dice, since by hypothesis no one has yet rolled even one fifty sided die to determine the relative frequency with which it comes up on each side. Rather, it seems our only justification for assigning this probability is the principle of indifference: that is, given that every side of the die is macroscopically symmetrical with every other side, we have no reason to believe that the die will land on one side over any other side, and thus we assign them all an equal probability of one in fifty.21

In response to this theistic or intelligent design explanation of the fine-tuning, many atheists have offered an alternative explanation, what I will call the many-universes hypothesis, but which in the literature goes under a variety of names, such as many-worlds hypothesis, the many-domains hypothesis, the world-ensemble hypothesis, the multi-universe hypothesis, and so on. According to this hypothesis, there are a very large -- perhaps infinite --number of universes, with the constants of physics varying from universe to universe.22 Of course, in the vast majority of these universes the constants of physics would not have life-permitting values.

21 A full-scale defense of the principle of indifference is beyond the scope of this paper, but will be provided in the book on the fine-tuning design argument that I am currently working on. Also, see Schlesinger (1985, chapter 5) for a lengthy defense of the principle. A somewhat more in-depth treatment of the justification of premise (2) than offered here is presented in the appendix of Collins, 1999. 22 I define a "universe" as any region of space-time that is disconnected from other regions in such a way that the constants of physics in that region could differ significantly from the other regions. A more thorough discussion of the many-universes hypothesis is presented in Collins, “The Argument from Design and the Many-Worlds Hypothesis” (2002). 41

Nonetheless, in a small proportion of universes they would, and consequently it is no longer improbable that universes such as ours exist in which the constants of physics have just the right values for intelligent life.

Further, usually these universes are thought to be produced by some sort of physical mechanism, which I call a many-universes generator. The universe generator can be thought of as analogous to a lottery ticket generator: just as it would be no surprise that a winning number is eventually produced if enough tickets are generated, it would be no surprise that a universe fine-tuned for life would occur if enough universes are generated.

Some have proposed what could be called a metaphysical many-universes hypothesis, according to which universes are thought to exist on their own without being generated by any physical process. Typically, advocates of this view – such as the late Princeton University philosopher David Lewis (1986) and University of Pennsylvania astrophysicist Max Tegmark (1998) – claim that every possible world exists. According to Lewis, for instance, there exists a reality parallel to our own in which I am president of the United States and a reality in which objects can travel faster than the speed of light. Dream up a possible scenario, and it exists in some parallel reality, according to Lewis. Besides being completely speculative (and in many people’s mind, outlandish), a major problem with this scenario is that the vast majority of possible universes are ones which are chaotic, just as the vast majority of possible arrangement of letters of a thousand characters would not spell a meaningful pattern. So, the only way that these metaphysical hypotheses can explain the regularity and predictability of our universe, and the fact that it seems to be describable by a few simple laws, is to invoke an “observer selection” effect. That is, Lewis and Tegmark must claim that only universes like ours in this respect could support intelligent life, and hence be observed. The problem with this explanation is that it is much more likely for there to exist local islands of the sort of order necessary for intelligent life than for the entire universe to have such an ordered arrangement. Thus, a randomly selected observer from among the many universes should expect to find herself in a universe with a local island of order surrounded by vast regions of disorder. Accordingly, Lewis and Tegmark’s hypotheses do not appear to be able to explain why we, qua supposedly generic observers, live in a universe that is highly ordered throughout. (Among others, George Schlesinger (1984) has raised this objection against Lewis’s hypothesis. This sort of objection was raised against a similar explanation of the high degree of order in our universe offered by the famous physicist Ludwig Boltzman, and has generally been considered fatal to Boltzman’s explanation (Davies, 1974, p. 103). )

One major theistic response to the many-universes generator scenario, whether of the inflationary variety or some other type, is that a “many-universes generator” would seem to need to be “well-designed” in order to produce life-sustaining universes. After all, even a mundane item like a bread machine, which only produces loaves of bread instead of universes, must be well designed to produce decent loaves of bread. If this is right, then invoking some sort of many-universes generator as an explanation of the fine-tuning only kicks the issue of design up one level, to the question of who designed the many-universes generator.

In sum, even if an inflationary/superstring many-universes generator exists, it along with the background laws and principles could be said to be an irreducibly complex system, to borrow a phrase from biochemist Michael Behe (1996), with just the right combination of laws and fields for the production of life-permitting universes: if one of the components were missing or different, such as Einstein’s equation or the Pauli-exclusion principle, it is unlikely that any life- permitting universes could be produced. In the absence of alternative explanations, the

existence of such a system suggests design since it seems very unlikely that such a system would have just the right components by chance. It does not seem, therefore, that one can escape the conclusion of design merely by hypothesizing some sort of many-universes generator.

Further, the many-universes generator hypothesis cannot explain other features of the universe that seem to exhibit apparent design, whereas theism can. For example, many physicists, such as Albert Einstein, have observed that the basic laws of physics exhibit an extraordinary degree of beauty, elegance, harmony, and ingenuity. Nobel Prize winning physicist Steven Weinberg, for instance, devotes a whole chapter of his book Dreams of a Final Theory (Chapter 6, "Beautiful Theories") explaining how the criteria of beauty and elegance are commonly used to guide physicists in formulating the right laws. Indeed, one of most prominent theoretical physicists of this century, Paul Dirac, went so far as to claim that "it is more important to have beauty in one's equations than to have them fit experiment." (1963, p. 47).

Now such beauty, elegance, and ingenuity make sense if the universe was designed by God. Under the atheistic many-universes hypothesis, however, there is no reason to expect the fundamental laws to be elegant or beautiful. As theoretical physicist Paul Davies writes, "If nature is so 'clever' as to exploit mechanisms that amaze us with their ingenuity, is that not persuasive evidence for preferring theism over atheism.

23The fact that the phenomena and laws of physics are fine-tuned for simplicity with variety is highly surprising under the non-design hypothesis, but not highly surprising under theism. Thus, the existence of such fine-tuned laws provides significant evidence for theism over the non-design hypothesis. Another way one could explicate this argument is as follows. Atheism seems to offer no explanation for the apparent fine-tuning of the laws of nature for beauty and elegance (or simplicity with variety). Theism, on the other hand, seems to offer such a natural explanation: for example, given the classical theistic conception of God as the greatest possible being, and hence a being with a perfect aesthetic sensibility, it is not surprising that such a God would create a world of great subtlety and beauty at the fundamental level. Given the rule of inference that, everything else being equal, a natural non-ad hoc explanation of a phenomenon x is always better than no explanation at all, it follows that everything else being equal, we should prefer the theistic explanation to the claim that the elegance and beauty of the laws of nature is just a brute fact.

23 www.robincollins.org 43

Science and God24

The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why?

Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us.

Why do laws of nature never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?

"The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn't have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence."12

Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery...The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."13

The DNA code informs, programs a cell's behavior.

All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. In every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program. As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way 1s and 0s are arranged tells the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billions of these letters in every human cell!

Just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell to do certain things. DNA is a three-billion- lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.14

Why is this so amazing? One has to ask....how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals.

24 http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html

These are chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person's body should develop. It has been estimated that the information in just one human cell would fill 5,000 200-page books (F. Turek). And the human body contains about 75 trillion cells! A coded design implies a Designer.

Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.

An amazing biological construction which points to a Designer is the Bacterial Flagellum.25

Bacterial Flagellum (Irreducible Complexity)

(To view an animation of the bacterial flagellum, see http://www.arn.org/docs/mm/flagellum_all.ht)

The bacterial flagellum is an example of what Michael Behe describes as an irreducibly complex system. In his book, “Darwin's Black Box”, he explains that such irreducibly complex systems could not have arisen by a gradual step- by-step Darwinian process. The fact is that for complex systems like the bacterial flagellum no biologist has or is anywhere close to reconstructing its history in Darwinian terms.

An illustration of irreducible complexity is a mouse trap. A mouse trap consists of several elements: a flat platform, a spring, a trigger, an arm, and some cheese. A mouse trap with all of these elements will work well. A mouse trap that lacks any one of these elements won’t just not work well, it won’t work at all. Because the bacterial flagellum is necessarily composed of at least three parts -- a paddle, a rotor, and a motor -- it is irreducibly complex. Gradual evolution of the flagellum, like the cilium, therefore faces mammoth hurdles. (p. 72)

Behe summarizes the structure of the bacterial flagellum in these terms: Some bacteria boast a marvelous swimming device, the flagellum, which has no counterpart in more complex cells. In 1973 it was discovered that some bacteria swim by rotating their flagella. So the bacterial flagellum acts as a rotary propeller -- in contrast to the cilium, which acts more like an oar.

25 http://www.veritas-ucsb.org/library/origins/GRAPHICS-CAPTIONS/Flagellum.html) 45

The structure of a flagellum is quite different from that of a cilium. The flagellum is a long, hairlike filament embedded in the cell membrane. The external filament consists of a single type of protein, called "flagellin." The flagellin filament is the paddle surface that contacts the liquid during swimming. At the end of the flagellin filament near the surface of the cell, there is a bulge in the thickness of the flagellum. It is here that the filament attaches to the rotor drive. The attachment material is comprised of something called "hook protein." The filament of a bacterial flagellum, unlike a cilium, contains no motor protein; if it is broken off, the filament just floats stiffly in the water. Therefore the motor that rotates the filament-propeller must be located somewhere else. Experiments have demonstrated that it is located at the base of the flagellum, where electron microscopy shows several ring structures occur. The rotary nature of the flagellum has clear, unavoidable consequences ... (pp. 70-72)

The consequences Behe refers to are inferred by the nature of its irreducibly complex components, the discovery of which undermines a Darwinian explanation of origins. Behe concludes: “In summary, as biochemists have begun to examine apparently simple structures like cilia and flagella, they have discovered staggering complexity, with dozens or even hundreds of precisely tailored parts. It is very likely that many of the parts we have not considered here are required for any cilium to function in a cell. As the number of required parts increases, the difficulty of gradually putting the system together skyrockets, and the likelihood of indirect scenarios plummets. Darwin looks more and more forlorn. New research on the roles of the auxiliary proteins cannot simplify the irreducibly complex system. The intransigence of the problem cannot be alleviated; it will only get worse. Darwinian Theory has given no explanation for the cilium or flagellum. The overwhelming complexity of the swimming systems pushes us to think it may never give an explanation.” (p. 73) Behe concludes that such irreducibly complex systems were ultimately the result of intelligent design.

There have been charges that irreducible complexity has been rejected on “empirical grounds.” This is simply false, as there is no empirical evidence whatsoever to indicate an evolutionary path to complex systems. There may be some theoretical ideas and a few nice hypotheses out there, but certainly no experimental empirical evidence. The suggestion that computer simulations have delivered a “fatal blow” to the idea of irreducible complexity is also inaccurate. Invariably these simulations incorporate the very thing they are trying to prove arises through random natural processes: information content and a path to a complex system plan.

The goal of science is to most accurately describe and model the Cosmos. While there may be circumstantial evidence to support either a continuous or discontinuous model of life, it is vitally important to recognize how one's starting assumptions affect one's conclusions. Beginning either with the assumption of intelligent design or philosophical agnosticism (both of which allow the Cosmos to be either continuous or discontinuous) clearly gives the scientist greater freedom of thought than exists within a purely naturalistic paradigm. Along with that freedom comes the responsibility to test what philosophical naturalists simply assume.

There are numerous examples of organisms with systems of highly specialized, interdependent components, all of which must be integrated before they are functional and offer any selective

advantage. Nature abounds in such systems of "irreducible complexity." Although there may be some examples where certain components take on some preadaptive function, these cases may be considered as exceptions to a more general rule. As a rule, any subset of the components would prove to be a burden to an organism and thus be eliminated by natural selection. Take for example the sensory and motor mechanism of the common bacterium, Escherichia coli, a relatively simple unicellular prokaryotic organism.

The sensory and motor mechanism consists of a number of receptors which initially detect the concentrations of a variety of chemicals. Secondary components extract information from these sensors which in turn is used as input to a gradient sensing mechanism. The output of this mechanism is used to drive a set of constant torque proton-powered reversible rotary motors which transfer their energy through a microscopic drive train and propel helical flagella. This highly integrated system allows the bacterium to migrate at the rate of approximately ten body lengths per second. Dr. Robert Macnab of Yale University concluded a major review of this mechanism with these remarks:

As a final comment, one can only marvel at the intricacy in a simple bacterium, of the total motor and sensory system which has been the subject of this review and remark that our concept of evolution by selective advantage must surely be an oversimplification. What advantage could derive, for example, from a "preflagellum" (meaning a subset of its components), and yet what is the probability of "simultaneous" development of the organelle at a level where it becomes advantageous?26

Over the last century, advances in biochemistry have continued to affirm the complexity of life at a molecular level. The most recent studies from genomics indicate that even the simplest bacterium requires close to 2,000 different proteins in the “protoplasm” for it to exist as a living entity. It’s not just that the cell’s chemical systems are complex: these systems display a remarkable degree of order and organization undergirded by an elegant, sophisticated logic. (For more details see the book “The Cell’s Design – How Chemistry Reveals the Creator’s Artistry” by Dr. Fuz Rana). .

Studies in genomics have also identified the essential genes required for an organism to exist as a life-form. Below a minimum number, about 380 genes, life doesn’t appear to be possible.27

26 Macnab, R. (1978), "Bacterial Mobility and Chemotaxis: The Molecular Biology of a Behavioral System," CRC Critical Reviews in Biochemistry, vol. 5, issue 4, Dec., pp. 291-341

27 http://www.reasons.org/tnrtb/2009/02/12/a-case-for-intelligent-design-part-4-of-4/

Good arguments

………… for God’s existence are in abundant supply. Alvin Plantinga, arguably one of the world’s more brilliant living philosophers, recently delivered a paper outlining two dozen or so theistic arguments. Here are two:

Argument #1: God Is the Best Explanation for the Beginning of the Universe Premise 1) Whatever begins to exist must have a cause. Premise 2) The universe began to exist. Conclusion: Therefore the universe has a cause.

Whatever begins to exist needs a cause. Most of us have no problem accepting this principle. We assume its truth in virtually every aspect in our daily lives. Our experience always confirms it and never denies it. But surprisingly, philosophers have been unable to prove its veracity.

Nevertheless, it has always been a fundamental first principle of philosophy and science that “from nothing, nothing comes.” Even the atheist philosopher David Hume, who showed that we could not prove with certainty that the causal principle was true, still believed it to be true and thought so with certainty. Surely it is more reasonable to hold to this premise than to believe that things pop into existence out of nothing and by nothing.

Secondly, we have both scientific confirmation and logical argument for the universe having a beginning. According to the standard Big Bang model, space, time, matter and energy all came into existence simultaneously around 15 billion years ago. Furthermore, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, given enough time the universe will eventually reach a state of equilibrium - a cold, dark, dead, virtually motionless state. Clearly, if the universe is without beginning, then there has been an infinite length of time preceding this present moment. If this is the case, then the universe should already be in a state of equilibrium. This should be a cold, dark, dead, virtually motionless universe. There should be no galaxies, solar systems, stars or planets-not to mention living organisms. Since there is obviously plenty of heat, light, movement and life, the past must be finite. The universe therefore had a beginning (who was the Beginner?)

The third and strongest piece of support for the beginning of the universe comes from the impossibility of an infinite past. This is because an actual infinite number of anything cannot exist in the real world. Mathematicians, who work with the concept of infinity, do so by adopting some arbitrary rules to avoid the absurdities and contradictions that come with an infinite number of anything. And these rules don’t apply to the real world. Infinity only works in the abstract realm and only with some special rules.

To see the absurdity and contradictions of an actual infinite number of things in the real world, imagine a library having an infinite number of black books and an infinite number of green books alternating colors on the shelves and numbered consecutively on the spines. Does it 48

make any sense to say that there are as many black books as there are black plus green books together? Not really, but that is what you would have to say if you want to claim the infinite is possible in the real world.

Suppose we withdrew all the green books. How many books are there left in the library? There would still be an infinite number of books in the library even though we just withdrew an infinite number and found a way to get them home! Suppose we withdrew the books numbered 4,5,6… and so on. Now how many books are left? Three! Something surely is wrong here! One time we subtract an infinite number of books and we’re left with an infinite number; the next time we subtract an infinite number and we’re left with three - a clear logical contradiction. Since our hypothesis leads to a contradiction, the hypothesis must be false - a library with an infinite number of books cannot exist. While we can avoid these contradictions in the mathematical realm by making up rules like not allowing ourselves to subtract or divide when using infinity, we cannot in the real world prevent people from taking books out of libraries.

Therefore, since a beginning-less past would be an actual infinite number of things (events) and since an infinite number of things cannot exist in the real world, it follows logically that the past is not infinite. The universe had a beginning.

Furthermore, an infinite past is impossible, because an actual infinite cannot be formed by adding one member after another. It’s like counting to infinity-you just never get there. Just like we can never finish counting to infinity, we can never begin to count down to a negative infinity. But to have a universe with no beginning, you would have to have an infinite number of past events leading up to the present. But this is impossible, because, by implication, the present could never have come to exist.

Thus the Big Bang Theory, the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the impossibility of an infinite past all support the universe having a beginning. Since whatever begins to exist must have a cause, it follows logically that the universe has a cause. And a Beginning implies a Beginner!

Astrophysicists have been discovering that the Big Bang appears to have been incredibly fine tuned. The numerical values of the different natural forces like gravity, electromagnetism, subatomic forces and the charges of electrons “just happened” to fall into an extremely narrow range that is conducive for life to exist. Minute changes in any one of these forces would have destroyed the possibility for life and, in most cases, destroyed the universe.

Stephen Hawking, probably the best known name in contemporary physics, has written: “The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron….The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.”(A Brief History of Time, 1988, p. 125)

Sir Fred Hoyle, the astrophysicist, well known for his anti-theistic feelings, tells us that, “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with 49

physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question.”(Engineering and Science, Nov 1981, cited in The World Treasury of Physics, ed. By Timothy Ferris, 1991, p. 392)

Consider these examples (and others later): . . 1. If the charge of Proton and Electron not been Exactly Equal, hydrogen atoms would repel one another i.e. no galaxies.

2. If the Relative Strength of the Four Fundamental Forces-gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces-were slightly different, no life would be possible. If the strong force (the force that binds protons and neutrons in the nucleus) was just two per cent less, it would have destroyed all nuclei essential to life. If it was two per cent more, it would have prevented the formation of protons and, therefore, matter.

3. If the Proton/Electron Mass Ratio of 1836 to 1 had been slightly different, there would be no chemistry.

4. If the Balance between the Gravitational Force and the Electromagnetic Force in Stars had been altered by a mere 1 in 1040, it would have produced a universe of blue giants and red dwarfs-stars that don’t support life.

5. Given the second law of thermodynamics, a Big Bang should have produced a universe with zero order (maximum entropy), and yet our universe came out very orderly (Low Entropy).

6. If expansion rate of the universe was slower by 1 part in a million-million, the universe would have collapsed very early. If the expansion rate was greater by 1 part in a million, galaxies stars and planets never would have formed.

7. If the Centrifugal Force did not Perfectly Balances the Gravitational Force, every galaxy and solar system would come crashing in upon itself.

8. If the Resonance (energy) Level of the Carbon 12 Nucleus was slightly lower, carbon would not form. A slightly higher level would instantly destroy it. Carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and the other heavy elements required for life all depend upon this.

If the Big Bang was merely a chance happening it is virtually impossible that all the values of all of these forces would have been exactly right to ensure the survival of the universe and to allow life. Given the potentially infinite number of other values these forces could have taken, it is much more likely that they would have fallen outside the very narrow range that is conducive to life. As John Leslie, the philosopher of science has put it, “Life prohibiting universes are much more probable than life permitting universes.” This is evidence of an intelligent designer behind the Big Bang who ensured that it happened in such a way that the universe could support life.

Taken together, these two arguments tell us that the cause and designer of the universe is an intelligent, immaterial, powerful, changeless being that existed in a timeless, eternal state beyond the beginning of the universe. This, I suggest, is close enough to the traditional Judeo- Christian concept of God that we can justifiably conclude that indeed, God does exist.28

The Moral Argument29

The moral argument appeals to the existence of moral laws as evidence of God’s existence. How can there be such a thing as morality without God? As Sartre attributed to Dostoyevsky, “If there is no God, then everything is permissible.” That there are moral laws, then, that not everything is impermissible, suggests strongly that God exists. If not, Hitler is as good as Mother Theresa! Moral facts aren’t the same as obvious, provable statements. The fact that we ought to do something about the problem of world hunger isn’t a fact about the way that the world is, it’s a fact about the way that the world ought to be. There is nothing apparent in the physical world that makes moral facts true. This is because moral facts aren’t descriptive, they’re prescriptive. If moral facts resemble a command, then who commanded morality?

If someone morally ought to do something, then this supersedes any other consideration. It might be in my best interests not to give money to charity, but morally I ought to, so all things considered I ought to. If someone has one reason to do one thing, but morally ought to do another thing, then all things considered they ought to do the other thing. Morality assumes an ultimate authority. Commands, though, are only as authoritative as the person that commands them. If I were to command everyone to drive 25 mph to save the planet, then no one would have to do it. I don’t have the authority to issue that command. If the government were to command everyone to drive 25 mph, though, then that would be different, because it does have that authority. .

As morality has more authority than any human person or institution, the moral argument suggests, morality can’t have been commanded by any human person or institution. As morality has ultimate authority, as morality over-rules everything, morality must have been commanded by someone who has authority over everything. The existence of morality thus points us to a being that is greater than any of us and that rules over all creation.

Others will state - illogically: “There’s no such thing as truth.” Well, is that statement true? This is an example of a self-defeating argument. “It may be true for you but it’s not true for me.” This is also self-defeating - is that statement true for everyone? “You can’t know truth” - ask yourself - is that true?

28 http://powertochange.com/questions/qna7/

29 http://www.existence-of-god.com/moral-argument.html 51

Fulfilled Prophecy30

Bible prophecy is one proof of God that can be easily verified, and is one method God Himself in the Bible says will prove He is who He says He is. One of the simplest ways to check Bible truthfulness is to examine the accuracy of prophecies pertaining to the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. Many centuries before He was born amazing details about those aspects of His life were revealed to the Hebrew prophets. The exactness and precision of those details powerfully confirm both the truth of Bible prophecy and the existence of the One who inspired it.

The already fulfilled prophecies of Daniel are so detailed and specific that the confirmation of their accuracy also provides us with irrefutable proof of God's existence and truthfulness. Although it is beyond the scope of this book to explain in detail all the precise details of these and other fulfilled prophecies, this information is readily available in a free booklet “Is the Bible True?” (http://www.gnmagazine.org/bibletrue/). Here is just one example:

In Daniel 9:25, Gabriel gives an astounding prophecy to Daniel: "From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven ‘sevens’, and sixty-two ‘sevens’; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times." King Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah official "letters" for the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls on the first day of Nisan in 445BC (=March 14). The prophecy states that the Messiah will come after 69 weeks of years (173,880 days using the 360 day prophetic year) starting from the command to rebuild Jerusalem. Count forward 173,880 days from March 14th 445BC and we arrive at April 6 32AD. In Luke 3, it states that in the 15th year of Caesar Tiberius, Jesus began his ministry. Caesar Tiberius’ reign began on August 19 in the year 14AD. Most scholars believe Jesus was baptized in the fall season and his ministry started with his baptism in the Fall of 28AD, the 15th year of reign of Caesar Tiberius. Jesus’ ministry spanned four Passovers (~3 1/2 yrs). The first Passover of Jesus' ministry would have been in Spring 29AD. The fourth Passover of His ministry was the day of his crucifixion in 32AD. The Passover in that year fell on April 10th. The Sunday before that Passover was April 6th 32AD. The very day that Jesus presents himself as King is exactly 173,880 days after the decree of Artaxerxes! 31

Unlike other books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events in detail many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter, without errors. (The remaining 500 or so are future events which may be seen unfolding soon…) Dr. Hugh Ross argues in “Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible” 29 that, since the probability for any one of these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance averages less than one in ten (figured very conservatively) and since the prophecies are for the most part independent of one another, the odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than one in 102000 (that is 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)!

30 http://www.reasons.org/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-reliability-bible 31 http://www.direct.ca/trinity/king2.html

Here are some examples:

(1) As stated above, some time before 500 B.C. the prophet Daniel recorded that Israel's long- awaited Messiah would begin his public ministry 483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25-26). He further predicted that the Messiah would be "cut off," killed, and that this event would take place prior to a second destruction of Jerusalem. Abundant documentation shows that these prophecies were perfectly fulfilled in the life (and crucifixion) of Jesus Christ. Jesus' crucifixion occurred, and about four decades later, in 70 A.D. came the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)*

(2) In approximately 700 B.C. the prophet Micah named the tiny village of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel's Messiah (Micah 5:2). The fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Christ is one of the most widely known and widely celebrated facts in history. (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)

(3) In the fifth century B.C. a prophet named Zechariah declared that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave—thirty pieces of silver, according to Jewish law-and also that this money would be used to buy a burial ground for Jerusalem's poor foreigners (Zechariah 11:12-13). Bible writers and secular historians both record thirty pieces of silver as the sum paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus, and they indicate that the money went to purchase a "potter's field," used—just as predicted—for the burial of poor aliens (Matthew 27:3-10). (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1011.)

(4) Some 400 years before crucifixion was invented, both Israel's King David and the prophet Zechariah described the Messiah's death in words that perfectly depict that mode of execution. Further, they said that the body would be pierced and that none of the bones would be broken, contrary to customary procedure in cases of crucifixion (Psalm 22 and 34:20; Zechariah 12:10). Again, historians and New Testament writers confirm the fulfillment: Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, and his extraordinarily quick death eliminated the need for the usual breaking of bones. A spear was thrust into his side to verify that he was, indeed, dead. . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1013.)

(5) The prophet Isaiah foretold that a conqueror named Cyrus would destroy seemingly impregnable Babylon and subdue Egypt along with most of the rest of the known world. This same man, said Isaiah, would decide to let the Jewish exiles in his territory go free without any payment of ransom (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; and 45:13). Isaiah made this prophecy 150 years before Cyrus was born, 180 years before Cyrus performed any of these feats (and he did, eventually, perform them all), and 80 years before the Jews were taken into exile. (The famous cylinder of Cyrus in London’s British Museum confirms the bloodless conquest. According to Josephus, Daniel presented Cyrus with Isaiah’s prophetic writing with Cyrus’ own name on it! Being called by name, Cyrus was impressed!) . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1015.)

(6) Mighty Babylon, 196 miles square, was enclosed not only by a moat, but also by a double wall 330 feet high, each part 90 feet thick. It was said by unanimous popular opinion to be indestructible, yet two Bible prophets declared its doom. These prophets further claimed that the ruins would be avoided by travelers, that the city would never again be inhabited, and that

its stones would not even be moved for use as building material (Isaiah 13:17-22 and Jeremiah 51:26, 43). Their description is, in fact, the well-documented history of the famous citadel. (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 109.)

(7) The exact location and construction sequence of Jerusalem's nine suburbs was predicted by Jeremiah about 2600 years ago. He referred to the time of this building project as "the last days," that is, the time period of Israel's second rebirth as a nation in the land of Palestine (Jeremiah 31:38-40). This rebirth became history in 1948, and the construction of the nine suburbs has gone forward precisely in the locations and in the sequence predicted. (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1018.)

(8) The prophet Moses foretold (with some additions by Jeremiah and Jesus) that the ancient Jewish nation would be conquered twice and that the people would be carried off as slaves each time, first by the Babylonians (for a period of 70 years), and then by a fourth world kingdom (which we know as Rome). The second conqueror, Moses said, would take the Jews captive to Egypt in ships, selling them or giving them away as slaves to all parts of the world. Both of these predictions were fulfilled to the letter, the first in 607 B.C. and the second in 70 A.D. God's spokesmen said, further, that the Jews would remain scattered throughout the entire world for many generations, but without becoming assimilated by the peoples of other nations, and that the Jews would one day return to the land of Palestine to re-establish for a second time their nation (Deuteronomy 29; Isaiah 11:11-13; Jeremiah 25:11; Hosea 3:4-5 and Luke 21:23-24). This prophetic statement sweeps across 3500 years of history to its complete fulfillment in our lifetime. . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 120.)

(9) Jeremiah predicted that despite its fertility and despite the accessibility of its water supply, the land of Edom (today a part of Jordan) would become a barren, uninhabited wasteland (Jeremiah 49:15-20; Ezekiel 25:12-14). His description accurately tells the history of that now bleak region. . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)

(10) Joshua prophesied that Jericho would be rebuilt by one man. He also said that the man's eldest son would die when the reconstruction began and that his youngest son would die when the work reached completion (Joshua 6:26). About five centuries later this prophecy found its fulfillment in the life and family of a man named Hiel (1 Kings 16:33-34: In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun. . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 107).

(11) The day of Elijah's supernatural departure from Earth was predicted unanimously—and accurately, according to the eye-witness account—by a group of fifty prophets (2 Kings 2:3-11). (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 109).

(12) Jahaziel prophesied that King Jehoshaphat and a tiny band of men would defeat an enormous, well-equipped, well-trained army without even having to fight. Just as predicted, the King and his troops stood looking on as their foes were supernaturally destroyed to the last

man (2 Chronicles 20). . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 108).

(13) One prophet of God (unnamed, but probably Shemiah) said that a future king of Judah, named Josiah, would take the bones of all the occultic priests (priests of the "high places") of Israel's King Jeroboam and burn them on Jeroboam's altar (1 Kings 13:2 and 2 Kings 23:15-18). This event occurred approximately 300 years after it was foretold. . (Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1013).

Since these thirteen prophecies cover mostly separate and independent events, the probability of chance occurrence for all thirteen is about 1 in 10138. For the sake of putting the figure into perspective, this probability can be compared to the statistical chance that the second law of thermodynamics will be reversed in a given situation (for example, that a gasoline engine will refrigerate itself during its combustion cycle or that heat will flow from a cold body to a hot body)—that chance = 1 in 1080. Stating it simply, based on these thirteen prophecies alone, the Bible record may be said to be vastly more reliable than the second law of thermodynamics. Each reader should feel free to make his own reasonable estimates of remote probability for the chance fulfillment of the prophecies cited here.

Given that the Bible proves so reliable a document, there is every reason to expect that the remaining 500 prophecies, those slated for the "time of the end," also will be fulfilled to the last letter. Who can afford to ignore these coming events, much less miss out on the immeasurable blessings offered to anyone who submits to the control of the Bible's author, Jesus Christ? Would a reasonable person take lightly God's warning of judgment for those who reject what they know to be true about Jesus Christ and the Bible, or who reject Jesus' claim on their lives?

*The estimates of probability included herein come from a group of secular research scientists. As an example of their method of estimation, consider their calculations for this first prophecy cited:

 Since the Messiah's ministry could conceivably begin in any one of about 5000 years, there is, then, one chance in about 5000 that his ministry could begin in 26 A.D.  Since the Messiah is God in human form, the possibility of his being killed is low, say less than one in 10.  Relative to the second destruction of Jerusalem, this execution has roughly an even chance of occurring before or after that event, that is, one chance in 2.

Hence, the probability of chance fulfillment for this prophecy is 1 in 5000 x 10 x 2, which is 1 in 100,000, or 1 in 105. .

Answered prayer

First of all let me state that my view of prayer is not “arguing with God and getting Him to change His mind”. It is also obvious that not all prayer is apparently answered to our liking, and maybe that’s a good thing. Sometimes prayer is answered and we don’t know about it. The Bible declares that God has given mankind earthly license for heavenly interference. Whether you know it or not, you have the authority to change the world through prayer. When God said, "Let man rule over all the earth," He was arranging the dominion of the world so that the partnership of man was essential for the accomplishment of His purposes. He causes things to happen on earth when men and women come into agreement with and hence bring about His will. Prayer is essential for God's will to be done on earth, as is evidenced many times in the Bible. But the fact that at least some prayer changes things demands an answer.

Roger Simms was hitchhiking home when he was picked up by Mr. Hanover. As they drove towards Chicago, Roger felt God urging him to share his faith. When he overcame his fear and asked the man if he would like to receive Christ, Mr. Hanover stopped, bowed his head on the steering wheel, began to cry, and accepted Christ. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," he said.

Shortly afterwards he dropped Roger at his house and went on to Chicago, which was about an hour down the road. Years later, while preparing for a business trip to Chicago, Roger came across the gold-embossed business card Mr. Hanover had given him years earlier. When he arrived in Chicago he decided to look up Hanover Enterprises and found it located in a skyscraper downtown. When he asked the receptionist if he could see Mr. Hanover, she said, "No, but his wife is here."

"You knew my husband?" the woman in her 50's asked. Roger explained that her husband had given him a ride and how he'd led him to Christ. "When was that?" she asked. "May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army." She began to sob. After several minutes she regained control and said, "I prayed for my husband's salvation for years, believing God would save him. But right after he let you out of his car, on May 7th, he was killed in a head-on collision. I thought God had not answered my prayer, and I stopped living for Him five years ago." That day she recommitted her life to Christ.

Scientific Evidence for Answered Prayer and the Existence of God by Rich Deem

The newest prayer study is a meta-analysis that takes into account the entire body of empirical research on intercessory prayer (17 major studies). The new study showed that according to American Psychological Association Division 12 criteria, intercessory prayer is classified as an experimental intervention that, overall, shows a small, but significant, positive effect.1

What scientific evidence do we have that God exists? Most skeptics would say "none." A crucial doctrine of Christianity is that God listens to and answers prayers. So why not test this doctrine scientifically, using a double-blind, clinical trial? This is the exact premise that groups of medical doctors used in double-blind "drug" studies of the efficacy of Christian prayer on healing. .

1. "Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Unit Population"

Methods Cardiac patients from the San Francisco General Medical Center were randomly divided (using a computer-generated list) into two groups. The names of the patients in the "test" group were given to a group of Christians, who prayed for them while they were in the hospital. The intercessory prayer team members were chosen on the following basis:

1. Born again Christians on the basis of John 3:35 2. Led an active Christian life on the basis of a) daily devotional prayer b) fellowship in a local Christian church

The "placebo" group received no prayer. Neither the "test" nor the "placebo" group of patients knew if they were receiving prayer. Likewise, the hospital staff, doctors, or nurses were "blinded" since they did not know which patient belonged to which group.

Results Statistics were acquired from the prayer and placebo groups both before and after prayer, until the patients were discharged from the hospital. There were no statistical differences between the placebo and the prayer groups before prayer was initiated. The results demonstrated that patients who were prayed for suffered "less congestive heart failure, required less diuretic and antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently intubated and ventilated." Statistics demonstrated the prayer group had a statistically significantly lower severity score based upon the hospital course after entry (p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis of all the parameters measured demonstrated that the outcomes of the two groups were even more statistically significant (p < 0.0001). In science, the standard level of significance is when a "p value" is less than 0.05. A value of 0.01 means that the likelihood the result is because of chance is one in 100. A p value of 0.0001 indicates that in only one study out of 10,000 is the result likely to be due to chance. Table 2 from the study is reproduced below. The remarkable thing which one notices is that nearly every parameter measured is affected by prayer, although individually many categories do not reach the level of statistical significance due to sample size. However, multivariate analysis, which compares all parameters together, produces a level of significance seldom reached in any scientific study (p < 0.0001). The author points out that the method used in this study does not produce the maximum effect of prayer, since the study could not control for the effect of outside prayer (i.e., it is likely many of the placebo group were prayed for by persons outside of the study). It is likely that a study which used only atheists (who had no Christian family or friends) would produce an even more dramatic result. However, since atheists make up only 1-2% of the population, it would be difficult to obtain a large enough sample size.

TABLE 2. Results of Intercessory Prayer Intercessory Control Study Variable Prayer Group P Days in CCU after entry 2.0 ± 2.5 2.4 ± 4.1 NS Days in hospital after entry 7.6 ± 8.9 7.6 ± 8.7 NS Number of discharge medications 3.7 ± 2.2 4.0 ± 2.4 NS

New Problems, Diagnoses, and Therapeutic Events After Entry % (No.) % (No.) P Antiarrhythmics 9(17) 13 (27) NS Coronary angiography 9 (17) 11 (21) NS VT/VF 7 (14) 9 (17) NS Readmissions to CCU 7 (14) 7 (14) NS Mortality 7 (13) 9 (17) NS Congestive heart failure 4 (8) 10 (20) <0.01 Inotropic agents 4 (8) 8 (16) NS Vasodilators 4 (8) 6 (12) NS Supraventricular tachyarrhythmia 4 (8) 8 (15) NS Arterial pressure monitoring 4 (7) 8 (15) NS Central pressure monitoring 3 (6) 7 (15) NS Diuretics 3 (5) 8 (15) <0.01 Major surgery before discharge 3 (5) 7 (14) NS Temporary pacemaker 2 (4) 1 (1) NS Sepsis 2 (4) 4 (7) NS Cardiopulmonary arrest 2 (3) 7 (14) <0.01 Third-degree heart block 2 (3) 1 (2) NS Pneumonia 2 (3) 7 (13) <0.01 Hypotension (systolic <90 torr) 2 (3) 4 (7) NS Extension of infarction 2 (3) 3 (6) NS Antibiotics 2 (3) 9 (17) <0.01 Permanent pacemaker 2 (3) 1 (1) NS Gastrointestinal bleeding 1 (1) 2 (3) NS Intubation/ventilation 0 (0) 6 (12) <0.01

NS = P > .05; VT/VF = ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation 2. "A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit" .

Methods Cardiac patients from the CCU at the Mid America Heart Institute (MAHI), Kansas City, MO, were randomly chosen and assigned to control or prayer groups. In this study, patients were not told about the prayer study and doctors did not know which patients were assigned to which groups. According to the paper, "The intercessors represented a variety of Christian traditions, with 35% listing their affiliations as nondenominational, 27% as Episcopalian, and the remainder as other Protestant groups or Roman Catholic. Unlike the Byrd study, the intercessors of the MAHI study were given no details about the medical conditions of the patients, but were only given their first name.

Results The main table of results, reproduced from the study appears as Table 3 below. Because of the small sample size of each individual component, only one of the individual components reached statistical significance. However, the overall effect was statistically significant, with a P value of 0.04, meaning that the result was likely to occur by chance in only 1 out of 25 times the experiment was repeated.

Table 3. Effects of Intercessory Prayer on Individual Components of the Mid America Heart Institute–Cardiac Care Unit (MAHI-CCU) Score* No. (%) of Patients

Usual Care Group Prayer Group MAHI-CCU Score Component P (n = 524) (n = 466) Antianginal agents 59 (11.3) 47 (10.1) .62 Antibiotics 82 (15.6) 77 (16.5) .77 Unstable angina 4 (0.8) 1 (0.2) .38 Arterial monitor 42 (8.0) 32 (6.9) .57 Catheterization 180 (34.4) 162 (34.8) .94 Antiarrhythmics 56 (10.7) 50 (10.7) .94 Inotropes 76 (14.5) 69 (14.8) .96 Vasodilation 78 (14.9) 59 (12.7) .36 Diuretics 112 (21.4) 97 (20.8) .89 Pneumonia 10 (1.9) 12 (2.6) .62 Atrial fibrillation 17 (3.2) 12 (2.6) .66 Supraventricular tachycardia 6 (1.1) 2 (0.4) .29 Hypotension 7 (1.3) 8 (1.7) .82 Anemia/transfusion 66 (12.6) 50 (10.7) .42 Temporary pacer 16 (3.0) 13 (2.8) .95 Third-degree heart block 1 (0.2) 2 (0.4) .60 Readmit to cardiac care unit 22 (4.2) 25 (5.4) .48 Swan-Ganz catheter 172 (32.8) 123 (26.4) .03 Implanted cardiac defibrillator 6 (1.1) 10 (2.1) .32 Electrophysiology study 15 (2.9) 10 (2.1) .61 Radiofrequency ablation 8 (1.5) 2 (0.4) .11 Extension of infarct 2 (0.4) 0 (0.0) .50 Gastrointestinal bleed 12 (2.3) 5 (1.1) .22 Interventional coronary procedure 155 (29.6) 121 (26.0) .21 PTCA alone 69 (13.2) 62 (13.3) .95 PTCA with stent and/or rotablator 86 (16.4) 59 (12.7) .10 Permanent pacer 21 (4.0) 12 (2.6) .28 Congestive heart failure 17 (3.2) 19 (4.1) .60 Ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia 12 (2.3) 10 (2.1) .95 Intra-aortic balloon pump 20 (3.8) 12 (2.6) .36 Major surgery 76 (14.5) 51 (10.9) .11 Sepsis 7 (1.3) 7 (1.5) .96 Intubation/ventilation 27 (5.2) 26 (5.6) .88 Cardiac arrest 6 (1.1) 5 (1.1) .84 Death 46 (8.8) 42 (9.0) .99 * PTCA indicates percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. .

3. Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomized controlled trial. . This study involved 3393 patient subjects whose bloodstream infection was detected at the hospital from the years 19901996. Remote, retroactive intercessory prayer was said for the well being and full recovery of the intervention group. Results were measured through mortality in hospital, length of stay in hospital, and duration of fever. Mortality was reduced in

the intervention group (28.1%) compared to the control group (30.2%) although the difference did not reach statistical significance. However, length of stay in the hospital and duration of fever were significantly shorter in the intervention group than in the control group (P = 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively). According to the author of the study:

"Remote, retroactive intercessory prayer said for a group is associated with a shorter stay in hospital and shorter duration of fever in patients with a bloodstream infection and should be considered for use in clinical practice." .

Implications of the studies . Obviously, science has demonstrated in three separate studies the efficacy of Christian prayer in medical studies. There is no "scientific" (non-spiritual) explanation for the cause of the medical effects demonstrated in these studies. The only logical, but not testable, explanation is that God exists and answers the prayers of Christians. No other religion has succeeded in scientifically demonstrating that prayer to their God has any efficacy in healing. In fact, studies that have used intercessors from multiple religious backgrounds have failed to prove the efficacy of prayer.6 The Bible declares that Jesus Christ has power over life and death and sickness and is able to heal us, both physically7 and spiritually.8 He gave this power to His disciples and those who follow Him.9

2006 American Heart Journal study

A widely publicized study from 2006 failed to show the efficacy of intercessory prayer. However, the design of the latest study was somewhat unusual.10 The researchers used three patient groups. Two groups were advised of the study, but were not told whether they were in the prayer group or placebo group. The third group knew that they were being prayed for. The study was performed at six hospitals. Out of 3295 eligible patients, 1493 (45%) refused to participate, which is very high, although they did not explain the reasons for non-participation. The intercessors were composed of three groups. Two were Roman Catholic and one was a Protestant group (Silent Unity, Lee’s Summit, MO). Unlike in previous studies, the intercessors were not allowed to pray their own prayers. The prayers were given to them by the study coordinators to "standardize" the prayers. The discussion section of the paper suggested that at least some of the intercessors were dissatisfied with the canned nature of the prayers. In attempting to standardize prayer, I believe the study introduced a serious flaw, since most intercessors tend to pray as they are led by the Spirit, instead of praying prepared scripts. Jesus told His followers not to pray repetitiously, since God would not hear those kinds of prayers.11

Ultimately, the results showed that groups 1 (prayer) and 2 (no prayer) were identical, whereas group 3 (those who knew they were being prayed for) did worse than the other two groups. The lack of efficacy of intercessory prayer in this study could be due to theological problems with the study design.

 Scientific Studies that Show a Positive Effect of Religion on Health - Not Convinced? Public and private religious activities significantly improve health and extend longevity in dozens of scientific studies. 32  Online Paper: Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Unit Population33  Rich Deem's radio interview on Scientific Evidence for Answered Prayers34  Prayer and Faith vs. Doctors and Medicine]35

References 36

1. Hodge, D.R. 2007. A Systematic Review of the Empirical Literature on Intercessory Prayer. Research on Social Work Practice 17: 174-187. 2. Byrd, R.C. 1988. Positive Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer in a Coronary Care Unit Population. Southern Medical Journal 81: 826-829. [online paper] 3. Harris, W.S., Gowda, M., Kolb, J.W., Strychacz, C.P., Vacek, J.L., Jones, P.G., Forker, A., O’Keefe, J.H., and McCallister, B.D. 1999. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit. Arch Intern Med. 159:2273-2278. [PDF version ] 4. Leibovici, L. 2001. Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 323, 1450-1451 5. Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) 6. Krucoff, M. W., et al. 2005. Music, imagery, touch, and prayer as adjuncts to interventional cardiac care: the Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomised study. Lancet 366:211-217. 7. And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:23) And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. (Matthew 9:35) 8. "But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," He said to the paralytic. (Mark 2:10) and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47) 9. And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to perform healing. (Luke 9:1-2) 10. Benson H, Dusek JA, Sherwood JB, Lam P, Bethea CF, Carpenter W, Levitsky S, Hill PC, Clem DW Jr, Jain MK, Drumel D, Kopecky SL, Mueller PS, Marek D, Rollins S, Hibberd PL. 2006. Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: a multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer. Am. Heart J. 151:934-942. 11. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. (Matthew 6:7)

32 www.godandscience.org/apologetics/religionhealth.html 33 www.godandscience.org/apologetics/coronary.html 34 www.thethingsthatmattermost.org 35 www.godandscience.org/apologetics/prayer_vs_medicine.html

36 http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/prayer.html

Changed lives

The list of lives that have been changed for the better by the gospel is almost endless (I’m not sure how long the list is for lives that have been changed for the better - alcoholics cured, prostitutes reformed, etc. by becoming an atheist and rejecting God). We can get an inkling that God exists because many people testify that He seems to pursue us, constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.

Most atheists find the issue of people believing in God bothersome. Why do atheists spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that they don't believe even exists? Is it caring for those poor, delusional people...to help them realize their hope was completely ill- founded? I believe that, so often, they are deeply curious to see if they can be convinced otherwise. If they can conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and atheists are free to go about their lives. They can also justify ignoring the Ten Suggestions – sorry – Commandments.

But God has surrounded us with evidence of himself (whether we see it or not) and He keeps the question of His existence squarely before us. Malcolm Muggeridge, the late British philosopher and author, wrote, "I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued." C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England." Lewis went on to write a book titled, "Surprised by Joy" as a result of getting to know God.

David Wilkerson bravely preached – alone - to dangerous, murderous street gangs in New York, and one of the stunning results was the conversion of a drug dealer called Nicky Cruz (The Cross and the Switchblade), who went on to form his own Christian ministry to gangs.37 Cruz had been arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nicky's fate as "headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell."

No authority figure could reach Cruz - until he met this skinny street-preacher named David Wilkerson. He disarmed Nicky - showing him something he'd never known before: relentless love. His interest in the young thug was persistent. Nicky beat him up, spit on him and, on one occasion, seriously threatened his life, yet the love of God through Wilkerson remained - stronger than any adversary Nicky had ever encountered.

37 http://nickycruz.org/about/nicky_story/

Finally, Wilkerson's presentation of the gospel message and the love of Jesus melted the thick walls of Cruz’ heart. Nicky received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom.

He reaches today's youth because they relate to his background, trust his peer authority, and respond to the message of hope he delivers with both passion and conviction. As one kid said after an outreach into his neighborhood, "All I knew was he was an O.G. (original gangster) and he was having this big meeting tonight."

"These kids are young, hardened criminals who don't respond to parents, teachers, or the jail system. They receive a glorified message of gang activity everyday in rap music, television, and films. They need to hear a different message - and they need to hear it now! They come to our 'invasions' looking for an alternative to the hopeless cycle of drug abuse, alcoholism, and violence. We must offer them an alternative source of security than the one they find in the gangs. They won't surrender to authority figures that have let them down all their lives. But, believe it or not, they will respond to a message about God if it comes from others who have survived their same living hell," says Cruz.

The case for Christianity can be observed in very practical terms - there is a pragmatic test: does it work? If Christianity is true, it ought to make a difference in the lives of those who profess it. It should make bad people good, and good people better. The great apologist, Bernard Ramm, said: Christianity “must not only provide us with the materials of a great philosophy, a great theology. It must have a relevancy or tangency to human experience.”

The Bible claims that change is possible when we turn our lives over to Jesus Christ. “If any man be in Christ,” says 2 Corinthians 5:17, “he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” How can you explain the fact that Saul, the greatest destroyer of Christianity, became its greatest defender? How can you explain his metamorphosis, as he gladly endured a lifetime of shame, suffering, and the executioner’s sword to spread the faith he had once labored to despoil? The mind of Saul of Tarsus was brilliant. His training was superb. His passion was unquenchable. His background and heritage flowed with the Jewish blood of a hundred generations. Yet in one moment he was transformed from the greatest enemy the early church ever faced into the greatest missionary the world has ever known. What gave the timid, fearful disciples the courage to face detach for their beliefs? Something – or Someone – changed them with convincing evidence.

The Bible and the Gospel Make Sense

It is evident that evil exists, that we are sinners, and this implies we are not worthy to be in the presence of a Holy God. All other major world religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and even some Catholics teach that we must perfect ourselves in order to be saved. All religions other than the Gospel believe that if people live good lives, and if the good works they do outweigh the bad, then they will have earned their way to heaven. However, this approach has logical errors. For example, if we prepared an omelet with five good eggs and one rotten egg, we do not get an omelet with four good eggs, but get a rotten omelet. Just like this, we cannot mix good deeds and bad deeds, and hope that we will be good enough to enter into the heaven.

God doesn't send people to hell like an evil God. No.... in fact, you choose hell when you reject Jesus Christ, when you refuse God's love gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ you make a choice for an eternity without his presence. .

The Bible says that we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23, Romans 3:13). This means that we have all offended God. Because of this, we are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), are dead in our sins (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:3), cannot please God (Rom. 3:10-11), and will suffer damnation (2 Thess. 1:9). .

So, God himself came up with a solution to this dilemma that would satisfy His holiness and justice. He provided the perfect solution – a sinless Jesus died on the cross as our substitute to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose from the grave to save us (Isa. 53:6). Only the saving faith in Jesus Christ can be the basis for forgiveness of sin and life everlasting (Ac. 16:31). Here is the KEY: it’s not acknowledging some historical religious facts - you have to personally ask him into your life. God makes it very easy to choose him. .

Salvation is found by trusting in what Jesus did on the cross (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Pet. 2:24, John 1:12, Acts 16:30,31, "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." John 3:16)

Why Jesus and not some other? Look throughout the major world religions and you'll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you're looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father.

He said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, "follow my words and you will find truth." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me."

What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can't do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people...blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects...created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature...walked on top of a lake, commanding a raging storm to stop for some friends. People everywhere followed Jesus, because he constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I'm telling you, you should at least believe in me based on the miracles you're seeing.

Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centeredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although God views us as sinners, worthy of his punishment, his love for us ruled and God came up with a different plan. God himself took on the form of man and accepted the punishment for our sin on our behalf. Sounds ludicrous? Perhaps, but many loving fathers would gladly trade places with their child in a cancer ward if they could… The Bible says that the reason we should love God is because he first loved us.

Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus do you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to himself. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, he offers us a new life today. We can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. He says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."18 This is God, in action.

God does not force us to believe in him, though he could – but that would just make us automatons. Instead, he has provided sufficient proof of his existence for us – if you really search - to willingly respond to him. The earth's perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ. If you need to know more about Jesus and reasons to believe in him, please see: Beyond Blind Faith (http://www.everystudent.com/features/faith.html).

Reading the Bible for yourself without prejudice – say, John’s Gospel – can be extremely convincing and convicting. Most people who argue against Christianity have never read what they are arguing against……….

Heaven and Near-death Experiences

After our tragic ordeal, my wife and I bought almost every book that has been written in which near-death and vision-type experiences attempt to give us a better glimpse of what heaven will be like. We were amazed to find how similar the experiences were, over a writing span of more than 150 years – experiences from adults, even to children in China, who could not have seen each others’ writings, and without any ulterior motive. They all describe similar sights, such as flowers you can walk through without damaging them, of heavenly scents, of spectacular colors, of lakes and mountains and trees – as though this earth is a mere foretaste of what is to come; of a beautiful city, with the entrance a single pearl; of knowing people and their thoughts without speech; of thinking about picking flowers and they come into your hand immediately, of knowing who people are that you’ve never met.

38Numerous people have had Near Death Experiences after their hearts stopped, or they have stopped breathing. There have been numerous blind people (blind from birth) who described Near Death Experiences. And for most of these their NDE's are "visual" experiences. How can these be? It is estimated that over 10 million Americans have had Near Death Experiences. How can so many people report nearly the same details in their experience if they were due to drugs chemically acting on brain cells? Most people who undergo NDE's say that they are not "dream- like" events, but instead, very real and structured "visits". Also, for most people, an NDE is a "life changing" experience.

The passage below is from medical doctor Richard E. Eby's remarkable "sneak peek" at Heaven, from his book “A Physician's Amazing Account of Being ‘Caught Up Into Paradise’”.

Richard Eby, then in his 60's, fell out of an upper-story window and was lying on a sidewalk with his skull cracked open when this happened.

“In the twinkling of an eye Jesus took me out of this world. I cannot adequately describe the astonishment, the amazement, the sheer shock of this event. One moment in suburban Chicago, the next moment in suburban Heaven. One moment in the miserable humidity of a Midwest city, the next moment in the most exquisite place "prepared for you, that where I am ye may be also." One moment with a flesh-restricted mind, the next moment with a heaven-released mind whose speed of function was that of light!

My initial gasp ("Dick, you're dead") was as quickly followed by an overwhelming sense of Peace--peace so complete that I instantly knew it was the promised gift of the Spirit from our Lord. I had no memory about my life on earth at this time. I was enjoying a heavenly "body"; I was totally me. Aside from the complete absence of pain and the total presence of peace (neither of which I had ever known on earth), I looked like me, felt like me, reacted like me. I

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was me. I simply suddenly had shed the old body and was now living anew in this fantastic cloud-like body!

I was the same size, the same shape, as the person I had seen in the mirror for years. I was clothed in a translucent flowing gown, pure white, but transparent to my gaze. In amazement I could see through my body and note the gorgeously white flowers behind and beneath me. This seemed perfectly normal, yet thrillingly novel.

All this time I was instinctively aware that the Lord of Lords was everywhere about this place, though I did not see Him. Instantly the sense of timelessness made all hurry foolish, so I resumed my anatomy lesson, knowing that He would appear in His own time. It all seemed so normal in this fantastic anteroom of Heaven.

My feet were easy to see. No bifocals needed. I had instantly noted that my eyes were unlimited in range of vision; ten inches or ten miles--the focus was sharp and clear. ("We shall mount up as eagles," said King David--he was alluding to their pinpoint eyesight perhaps!) There were no bones or vessels or organs. No blood. I noted the absence of genitals. (How unneeded when in Heaven there is no marriage, nor childbearing--His body of believers being already completed!) The abdomen and chest were organ-less and transparent to my gaze, though translucent to my peripheral vision. Again my mind which worked here in Heaven with electric-like speed answered my unspoken query: they are not needed; Jesus is the Life here. He is the needed energy. There was no air to breathe, no blood to pump, no food to digest, nor eliminate. This was not a carnal body of organs, mortal and temporary!

My gaze riveted the exquisite valley in which I found myself. Forests of symmetrical trees unlike anything on earth covered the foothills on each side. I could see each branch and "leaf" - not a brown spot or dead leaf in the forest. ("No death there" includes the vegetation!). Each tree, tall and graceful, was a duplicate of the others; perfect, unblemished. They resembled somewhat the tall arbor vitae cedars of North America, but I could not identify them. The valley floor was gorgeous. Stately grasses, each blade perfect and erect, were interspersed with ultra- white, four-petalled flowers on stems two feet tall, with a touch of gold at the centers. Each was totally alike! (No two earthly flowers can be identical, nor is anything else since the Genesis curse.)

Having been an amateur botanist as a schoolboy, I immediately decided to pick a bouquet. To my amazement the unexpected happened. My thought (to stoop and pick flowers) became the act! Here in Paradise I discovered that there is no time lag between thought and act. A word, spoken or thought, became fact! (I instantly realized how the heavens and earth were so quickly made from nothing that appeared: God had simply thought what He wanted, and there it was. No sluggish man-invented committees were involved).

I found my hand containing a bouquet of identical blossoms. Their whiteness was exciting. I almost had time to ask myself "why so white" when the answer was already given! "On earth you saw only white light which combined the color spectrum of the sun. Here we have the light of the SON!" My excitement was too great to describe in words: of course, I thought He is the light of the world....in the new Heavens no sun or moon will be needed! Then I sensed a strange new feel to the stems--no moisture! I felt them carefully. Delicately smooth, yet nothing like earthly stems with their cellular watery content. Before I could ask, again I had the answer:

earthly water is hydrogen and oxygen for temporary life support; here Jesus is the Living Water. In His presence nothing dies. No need for oxygen and hydrogen. I instinctively looked behind me where I had been standing on dozens of blooms. Not one was bent or bruised. Then I watched my feet as I walked a few more steps upon the grass and flowers; they stood upright inside my feet and legs! We simply passed through one another. (My Lord had passed through closed doors and a heavy stone over the tomb centuries ago--with the same kind of body!)

The illumination fascinated me--not a shadow anywhere. There was no single light source as on earth. I realized that everything seemed to produce its own light. Again the answer coincided with my query: the Heavens declare the glory of God; know ye not that His is the Honor, and Glory, and POWER? He is the Light of the world!

The Sounds of Paradise

I stood overwhelmed with the sights of Paradise. God had shown me incontrovertible evidence of His planning and preparing a place just for me, as He had promised. But He had more--it was music.

All this "time" (since there is no sun, there actually was no time reference) I had been aware of the most beautiful, melodious, angelic background music that the ear of man can perceive. I was now ready to concentrate on it. It was truly a new song, such as St. John must have heard from Patmos. Not instrumental, not vocal, not mathematical, not earthly. It originated from no one point--neither from the sky nor the ground. Just as was true of the light, the music emerged apparently from everything and every place. It had no beat--was neither major or minor--and had no tempo. (In eternity, how could it have "time"?) No earthly adjectives describe its angelic quality. Poets have said "music of the spheres." God has said, "A new song will I give them." I heard it--it had to be His composition--every note. Hallelujah! Music by Jesus. No wonder the cherubim and seraphim and multitudes sing around His throne!

The Perfume of Paradise

I was not prepared for the sweetest revelation of all: the all-pervading aroma of Heaven. No one on earth, minister or Bible teacher, had mentioned to me this heady perfume! Like the sight and the sounds, it was everywhere. I bent again and smelled the flowers--yes it was there - the grasses also. The air was just the same. A perfume so exotic, so refreshing, so superior, that it was fit only for a King! Even the special formula given by Jehovah to his priests in the wilderness could not have matched this "sweet savor". Earthly ingredients would fall short of perfection. I simply stood quietly and let it bathe my being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Jellyfish Man39

Ian McCormick was diving for lobster off the small Island of Mauritius, and reports the following: “I was stung on my forearm by five Box-Jellyfish, which the local Creole fishermen

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called "invisibles”. A sting from a Box-Jellyfish often proves to be fatal - as exemplified in Australia where 70 people are known to have died from their stings. Many books quote this particular type of Jellyfish to be among the most venomous creatures in the world.

By the time an ambulance arrived my body was totally paralyzed and necrosis had begun to set into my bone marrow. On route to the hospital I began to see my life flash before me. At this point of my life I was an atheist - but I knew I was nearly dead and I didn't know if there was life after death or whether there was just nothing. As I lay there dying, I saw my mother in a vision praying for me, encouraging me to cry out to God from my heart and He would hear me and forgive me (my mother was the only Christian in our family.) I didn't know what to pray and cried out that if God was real, could He help me to pray. Immediately God showed me the Lord’s Prayer, and for the first time in my life I prayed from my heart and gave my life to the Lord.

Death & Hell

The ambulance stopped and they placed me in a wheel chair and raced me into the hospital. The nurse took my blood pressure twice but could not find a pulse as my veins had collapsed. The doctors tried to save my life by injecting anti-toxins and dextrose into my body, but seemingly to no avail. Within a few minutes I seemed to slip away (apparently life ceased from my body for approximately 15 minutes).

During this time I found myself in a very dark place, not realizing where I was. So I tried to find a light switch, thinking I was still in the hospital - but as I reached out into the dark I couldn't touch anything. Reaching to touch my face I found my hand go straight through it. It seemed so bizarre, as I knew I was standing there but couldn't touch any part of my physical body.

As I stood there I began to sense that this wasn't just a physical darkness but that there was something else there. I could feel a cold eerie feeling as though something or someone was looking at me - a spiritual darkness. From the darkness I began to hear men’s voices screaming at me telling me to "shut up" - "that I deserved to be there" - "that I was in Hell". I couldn't believe it, but as I stood there a radiant beam of light shone through the darkness and immediately began to lift me upward. I found myself being translated up into an incredibly brilliant beam of pure white light - it seemed to be emanating from a circular opening far above me (I felt like a speck of dust being drawn up into a beam of sunlight).

The Journey

I entered this opening to find myself inside a long narrow passageway or tunnel - at the far end of the tunnel I could see the source of the light - it was so radiant that it looked to be the centre of the universe. As I continued to look towards this light it seemed to draw me towards it at an incredible speed - I wasn't walking but was being translated along this tunnel towards the source of this light. I watched as a wave of light broke off the source and moved up the tunnel towards me - as it passed through me I could feel a wave of warmth and comfort flood my soul … it was incredible. This light wasn't just physical, but was giving off a living emotion … Halfway down another wave of light - this time it gave off pure peace - followed by another wave - of pure joy. Coming out of the end of this tunnel I found myself standing in the presence of

awesome light and power - it seemed as though even the constellations in the universe must find their energy source from this focal point.

As I stood there I wondered to myself if this was just an energy source in the universe or if perhaps there could be someone standing in the midst of this light! A voice immediately responded to my thought and asked me "Ian, do you wish to return?" Return, I thought! Where am I? As I looked over my shoulder I could see the tunnel going back into darkness.

The Light

I thought - darkness - hospital bed - am I out of my body? - is this real? - am I standing here? - or am I in a coma having some bizarre dream? Am I in my body or out of my body?? (I could cognitively think of the two alternatives.) As I looked back towards the light, it was still there ... I responded "I don't know where I am, but if I am out of my physical body I wish to return." The voice responded "If you wish to return - you must see in a new light." "New light", I thought, "I'm seeing the light." "Are you the true light?" Words appeared in front of me "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)." I had never read a Bible before in my life so I didn't know this was straight out of the scriptures. God is light, I thought - that is pure light - I see no darkness here, I have just come from darkness - I see no evil, no shadows - this is pure light - am I standing in the presence of God? He knows my name and I didn't tell Him, only God could do that - He knows what I am thinking before I even speak, only God could do that. Then he must be able to see everything I have done wrong in my life ... no ... I don't want God to see that. I felt totally exposed and wanted to move away from the light and go back into the darkness where I belonged. I thought someone had made a mistake and brought the wrong person up. As I drew back towards the darkness a wave of light swept through me ... I felt pure unadulterated Love flow over me. Love I thought, how could God love me - I've taken his name in vain - I've slept around - I'm not a good man … but no matter what I said, waves of His unconditional Love continued to flow over me. I found myself weeping uncontrollably in His Presence. It was so amazing that He had totally forgiven me and accepted me as I was.

The waves of Love ceased and I wondered if I could possibly step into the light and see what God looked like. I was so close. I asked if I could step in. I heard no response but thought if God could love me so much, He wouldn't mind …. As I stepped into the light I found myself disappear into it as it was so radiant - it had the intensity of laser light, yet you could look directly at it. The light seemed to absorb me into it - the centre seemed to be very bright so I aimed for it - I could feel a healing presence coming off this light that was healing my broken heart ... it was touching me deep inside my heart of hearts where no one gets to see … so beautiful.

God

Suddenly it opened up in the centre and standing in front of me was the most awesome sight - I could see a man standing in front of me, but he was not like anyone I'd ever seen before in my life. His garments were shimmering white in color - garments of light - I could see His bare feet and His hands were outstretched towards me as if to welcome me. I knew I was looking upon God … as I looked toward His face the intensity of the light seemed to increase 7-fold - you couldn't make out the form of his face as the light was so bright - such purity, such holiness,

such beauty. I asked God if I could step closer. I felt I could, I wanted to see His face. Moving closer waves of more Love began to flow towards me, and I felt very safe. Standing, now feet away, from the Lord I tried to see His face - but I didn't know that no man can see the face of God and live. And so, as I moved my face into the radiance that surrounded His face, He moved - and all His Glory moved with Him. Directly behind Him it opened out into a brand new World - green pastures, a crystal clear stream, rolling green hills to my right, mountains in the distance, blue skies above, to my left fields interspersed with trees and flowers. As I looked at the grass in front of me I could see the same light that was on the presence of God was radiating throughout this entire creation - totally untouched by man - perfect creation. And in my heart I knew I belonged here, that God had created me to live here - I knew I was home. .

Return?

I was just about to enter in and explore, when God stepped back in front of me, and asked me this question. "Now that you have seen - do you wish to step in or do you wish to return?" I thought, "I don't want to return. I wish to step in. I have no one to go back for and no one has ever loved me, all they've ever done is manipulate me and try to control me ... I have no one to go back for, I wish to step in." But God didn't move, so I looked back behind me to say "goodbye, cruel world", and standing behind me in a vision in front of the tunnel was my mother. And as soon as I saw her I knew that there was one person in my life that had shown me love, and that was my mother, and that she had prayed for me every day and tried to show me that this was the way. In my mind I thought, "If I am dead and I did choose to step into heaven, what would my mother think? Would she know I made it or would she think I went to Hell - because she knew I had no Faith? … I realized that it could break her heart and that she would have no reason to believe that God had heard my prayer in the ambulance and forgiven my sins. … I thought, "How can I do that to my Mum, it would be so selfish" … and decided I wished to return.

God then spoke to me and said, "If I wished to return - I must see things in a new light." I understood that to mean that I must begin to see through his eyes of Love, Peace, Joy, Forgiveness, from His Heavenly perspective, not my temporary earthly perspective. Looking back towards the tunnel again I now could see a vision of all my family, and thousands and thousands of other people. I asked God who all these people were, and He told me that if I didn't return then many of these people would not get a chance to hear about Him….

I told God that I didn't know most of them and I didn't love them, but that I loved my mother and wished to return for her. God spoke to me and told me that He loved those people and wanted them all to come to know Him. I asked God how could I possibly return back down the tunnel and back into my hospital bed. He spoke and said "Son, tilt your head, now feel the liquid drain from your eye. Now open your eye and see." And I was immediately back in my physical body.

Back to earth

As I opened my eye, I was lying back on a hospital bed with my right leg elevated, cupped in the hands of the young Indian doctor who had been trying to save my life. He had a scalpel or some

sharp instrument in his hand and he was prodding the base of my foot like a dead piece of meat. He wasn't aware that I was looking at him. I thought, "What’s that man doing with my foot, what is he doing with that knife!” At the same time something seemed to spook the doctor and he quickly turned his head to see my right eye open, looking at him… Terror struck his face and I got the distinct impression that he has just seen a dead man looking at him… My eye wasn't moving much and I could see the doctor thinking to himself that perhaps he had hit a nerve in my foot and caused the corpse to twitch, and that he had the evil eye looking at him or something. As for me, I was trying to grapple with what I had just seen. … Did I just see God, has He just given my life back? As I lay there I heard the voice of God say "Son, I have just given you your life back." I said if that is true God, could you help me to tilt my head to the left and look out of the other eye, as I was getting sick of looking at the doctor’s terrified face. Strength came back into my neck and I opened my left eye to see a whole bunch of nurses and orderlies standing in the doorway looking at me as if the dead had just risen … As my eye locked onto their eyes they began to jump backwards out of the doorway. From what I can ascertain I had been dead for a period of some 15 minutes. I prayed to God that night and asked him to heal me and enable me to walk out of the hospital. That night God completely healed me and enabled me to walk out of the hospital the next day.

I asked God what I had become, as I found my entire life was changing for good. God told me I was a Re-Born Christian and that he wanted me to read His Bible. I had never read a Bible and had never heard about being Born-Again. Over the next 6 weeks I read the entire Bible. I have never been the same, and believe that I saw our Lord Jesus Christ in His Glorified form (Rev. 1 : 13 -18)

---

Many others have had a vision of hell. B. W. Melvin had a Near Death Experience, described in A Land Unknown: Hell’s Dominion (Xulon Press). July 1980, Tucson Arizona: I contracted Cholera by drinking contaminated water someone had left in a thermos while I was working at a local construction site. The progression on this disease left me in a severe dehydrated state which became terminal.

I was at home and lying in bed when it happened. My breathing was becoming a series of protracted wheezing gasps. Looking around the room, I was amazed that I could see so pristine clear without my glasses. The alarm clock ticked. It was ten minutes till noon. Everything became surreal. With a sudden swoosh, I floated above my body. Hovering there, I fully realized I had died. At that time, I was not a Christian and fell into a naturalistic agnostic atheistic belief system. Despite growing up in a loving Southern Baptist family, I did not believe in the Christian concept of God. I knew very little about Jesus, the afterlife, and God. All this was about to radically change.

I floated above my body and felt no more pain from the effects of cholera. While gazing at the room, I turned and faced the ceiling. Suddenly, I felt myself drift through the ceiling’s textured drywall and was engulfed in an extremely peaceful blackness. In this pleasant darkness I heard the most astounding humming/singing sounds. I was floating in this pitch blackness listing to the resonances while slowly moving toward a speck of light that was slowly growing bigger and bigger as I neared.

Soon this dazzling brilliant light began dispelling this pleasant darkness in hues of colors never before seen. The light was being emitted by an individual standing upon what appeared to me to be a huge rock suspended in space. This person wore beautiful whitish robe like garments and seemed to be sitting on a chair carved out from the rock. I landed below this person. He stood up and walked down several steps to where I had landed. I wept and fell like a heavy sack of wheat. Someone touched my shoulder. I stood up.

This marvelous person showed me my life course, which revealed I was without excuse. It was then I knew I was being judged and deserved my fate. You could do nothing but stand directly before him, whose robe’s drooping hood concealed his face, and receive your sentence.

As I looked at him, I noticed that he bore terrible trauma to his hands and feet. Around the wrist were gnashes deeply cut. The bones clearly showing that the very joints had been ripped apart by bearing a great weight. He just stood there. I felt ashamed.

He began to speak to me by the agency of thought and told me I was to see another land for an appointed time. After arriving there, I was to speak his name and title and see what I would see. He went on and revealed that it was prearranged once for a person to die but returning is an option decided by his Father’s will. Children were raised; others were raised, for God’s glory and purposes when it was not their hour. He stated that I would return the way I had come, and then he pointed towards an entrance of a tunnel off to his left.

Seeing it, I was lifted by some gentle force and floated toward it, feet first. When this occurred, I noticed I was wearing robe like garments. I entered the tunnel and was engulfed within a violently spinning vortex heading toward a yellowish dint of light. Reaching it, I found myself falling from its sky and landed with a thud upon the ground.

I stood up and looked around. I saw a house on a hill, smelled horrible odors, and heard strange sounds. People came from the house and neared me with joyous shouts of welcome. Where was I? Heaven? Hell? At first, I thought I was in a paradise but the sounds and smells were all wrong.

Something was not right about these people either. For some reason they began appearing translucent. With this, I began to see them for what they really were – strange foul creatures emitting the illusions of people. Upon seeing this, two words erupted from my mouth like the staccato of a machine gun: Jesus Christ. I said these two words non-stop till I left this place. I was in a state of stark terror as the reality of where I was hit home.

One creature began to speak to me in a heavy unknown accent and told me to follow it. What choice did I have? It walked to the horizon’s skyline, which appeared painted on a wall, reached out, and parted the yellowish sky. It walked through the torn hole it had made, bidding me to follow.

I followed the rank creature and immediately emerged on the other side of the horizon. A wide, dirty, flat, barren expanse of land gently sloped downward, betraying an endless circular spiral of misery. On the left side of the coiled grade were rows and rows of cubes with more cubes columned high, forming a wall of ten-by-ten foot partitions mirroring the events displayed inside.

Each cube was stacked six high, marring each ascending and descending spiraling level’s wall like a dirty mirror. The wide expanse was a road. Strange entities were traveling on it. This wide dusty road ended at a circular void, highlighting the center of this hellish domain.

The cubes appeared encompassed by thin smoke-tinted, gelatin-like walls. Each cube appeared to be about ten feet by ten feet square. You could see into these but not out of them. Within every chamber resided an individual person, trapped, unable to escape as I had.

Looking through the torn wall of the cube I had just stepped out of, the house and tree within were hauntingly calling my name to return. Perplexed, I stepped back for another glance at this cubicle. I was surprised that it was so small. Inside it had seemed so large!

Turning, I saw the lizard-like entity a few feet from me, reaching its ugly, greenish-yellow arms as if to drag me away to a desperate fate. Boxer style, I blocked the attempt. This fiend stepped back, grinning ear to ear.

What I saw is best described in the Holy Bible within the pages of Ezekiel 32:17-32. This chapter describes hell as a circular burial pit where the dead are buried within the walls of a pit in accordance to his or her deeds. Each individual is placed in a chamber described symbolically as a bed chamber (Ezekiel 32:24-25) where the resident restlessly rest experiencing recompense for his or her deeds (Note context of Ezekiel 32:30) performed on earth.

Inside each cube, I spied individual people in various stages of boredom, anguishes, and hideous various torments. Ghoulish entities were inside these cubes giving the illusions of people, places, and things to each trapped soul enacting the scenes from each person’s life. I also traveled between these cubes to more cubes that lay behind as the journey continued.

The creature before me began speaking to me again with such foul language and curses that I cannot record what it really said for you. I began understanding its speech and could sort out the general theme it was speaking from its cursing. It then began showing me around this domain.

Out from the cubicle wall’s was a large dusty plain or road. Both ugly and beautiful beings roamed in lose packs on this plain. During the duration of my stay, many of these entities attempted to engage me in conversation. I was too terrified to respond but only spoke out the words, “Jesus Christ” non-stop.

I was taken on a hellish tour of this place by the ghastly creature in front of me. We descended to the lower levels of the spiral road as well as observed what was happening inside the cubes to each lost soul we passed. This hellish journey seemed to last forever. I wanted to wake up so bad, but could not.

Each trapped soul reaped in full measure whatever they had sown during their lives. Many entered this pit and into the cubes by means of spinning vortexes. I also noticed another entrance. All those people trapped resided totally alone and were not aware of each other. The only thing each was aware of, were the creatures residing with them and the scenes enacted within their own personal square nightmarish abode.

I would say that each person trapped there felt a peculiar separation from God in the form of feeling banished forever from the loving nature of God and true life. Each knew fully that they deserved his or her fate because each chose to walk away from God and now resided in place without God as they desired during his or hers life lived on earth. God, in his great justice, fairness, and unfathomable love gave them what they desired: a place without God and where each was receiving the fruits of his or her own doings.

When many of these individuals entered their private abodes, they were first deceived into thinking they had arrived in a paradise. As eternity passes – the real nature of this place was fully revealed to them. Others entered into instant anguish. It is truly a place of doom, despair, and unending nightmares.

I felt greatest fear when the beastly guide tried to entrap me inside a unique cubicle. It is here, I was rescued while screaming out the words, Jesus Christ. I felt someone coming for me and arrive behind me and then lift me up.

One arm was under my shoulders and the other under the bend of my knees. Oh! A sensation of love, mercy, authority, power, justice, and righteousness overwhelmed me. I no longer had any need to speak the two words that I previously spoke without ceasing. I turned my head into the cleft of the being’s shoulder and wept profusely against the white garb.

The Person who held me fast said not a word. I glanced at the hand gripping my shoulder. There was an ugly gash near the wrist close to the hand as though a great pulling weight had made this mark and separated the bones above the wrist. A hole went straight through, then the tear. You could easily have placed a finger through the gash, with your fingertip protruding to the other side, but to do so would have been very disrespectful and inappropriate at a time like this.

I wept as the redeemer carried me back to the cube I arrived in and then through the vortex back to the rock. He set my feet upon that Huge Rock where I was granted a glimpse of Heaven and was told that none can enter Heaven unless they come through the gate which was the robe clad personage standing before me.

Many things were revealed to me there, on that rock, too numerous to record. I was told it was time to leave and return. I floated back the way I had come. I was soon in my room above my body looking at the scene below. I glided back into my body and awoke with a start. I could not regain my breath until someone began hitting me on my back. I was rushed to a Hospital for further treatment and recovery.

The duration of my NDE, was about four hours. I remember seeing a clock when I first left my body stating the time was 11:50 AM and when I returned, it was close to 4 PM. I still suffer several health effects from this. My heart makes a nice clicking sound. My short term memory suffered as well. Afterwards, my speech was slurred a bit but has returned to normal with the passage of time.

My experience has left me a deep appreciation for the work of Jesus Christ and His salvation. I became a born again Christian because of it. I have renewed understanding of God’s profound love, justice, righteousness, grace, and mercy. Jesus came to save that which is lost. You see, heaven is real and hell is real. Eternity is without end. Do you really want to spend eternity

without God? Or with God? That choice is yours alone – the decision is yours? What will it be? What will it be?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jim Wilhelm's "Heaven Testimony" .

It was the summer of 1991 and I had been trying to sell a home for 2 years, so one summer morning I decided to go to the home and spend a few hours cleaning it up. I noticed a large wasp nest in the ceiling of our utility room in the garage. I closed myself into the room and proceeded to spray the wasp nests with wasp spray I had purchased. I felt the spray coming down over my arms and face, but I decided to just finish spraying until the can was empty. I then left the room and wiped my hands and face on some rags in the garage. .

I had packed myself a lunch earlier in the day, but with no water available, I was unable to wash my hands prior to eating because the water had been turned off at the house. I remember how bitter that sandwich tasted because of my dirty hands. After eating lunch, I spent a few more hours cleaning up the house, I then returned home, washed up and called it a day. During the evening hours, I began to run a fever and felt generally sick all over. I assumed it was the flu coming on, so I decided to take a shower and go to bed early. Sometime during the night I woke up feeling very sick. My body was trembling all over. I tried to move and get out of bed, but then realized I could barely move. It felt like I was partially paralyzed. I recall screaming for help, but my voice was so weak I guess no one could hear me.

I recall rolling off the bed, but when I hit the floor, I did not know where I was in the room, or where the door was. I could not open my eyes to look around. I recall screaming for help for what seemed like an eternity. I felt helpless. Eventually, somehow I managed to crawl to a wall and felt what I had remembered to be a dresser and mirror, which I knew was near the door. . .

Somehow I pulled myself up far enough to pull the mirror off the dresser and it came crashing down on top of me. The light then came on as my wife came running in. I asked her to call 911. Then the next thing I remembered was the experience of feeling completely weightless as I was being drawn into a beautiful & loving bright light. The further along I went, I began to realize there was another person or image in front of me. I find it difficult to explain the joy I felt. It's just too amazing for words. .

As I was traveling through the light, I was laying flat on my back and could see the faint outline of this image, which appeared to be very softly speaking to me, but I could not understand any of the words, but somehow I was profoundly comforted by him. My trip through this light seemed to be very short, then suddenly I found myself lying in the tallest bright green grass I had ever seen. As I looked around I noticed that all the colors were absolutely pure and very bright. I was lying down, as I noticed the blades of grass were at least four feet high and about six inches wide. .

I recall standing up and pushing the blades of grass to the side, revealing a river right in front of me, running from my right to my left, and I was amazed that I could see right to the bottom of this beautiful river. The river was very deep. I was amazed at how clearly I could see the bright shiny stones at the rivers bottom. They looked like clear, shiny jewels. Never had I ever felt this happy, and music was everywhere, and it sounded so beautiful it defies description. I JUST KNEW THIS WAS HEAVEN. .

Everything we see on earth is dull in comparison to the colors that are in Heaven. The music is so beautiful in Heaven, and I know we are not capable of even coming close to making music on Earth that compares. The music in Heaven is too beautiful to describe with words. I felt so happy in Heaven, my Spirit was completely filled up with joy, love, and peace, which was indeed the Holy Spirit filling me up with ultimate purity. It was in Heaven when I learned this deeper meaning of God's beauty and love. Throughout my entire Heaven experience, I continually had the distinct feeling that someone was close by, as I experienced this intense feeling of love.

Looking to my right where the river came from, there was a beautiful stone built wall that was about one half mile high. It was about 200 yards away from where I was standing by the river. Beautiful music appeared to be coming from behind the wall. It reminds me of how it sounds directly outside Yankee Stadium during a sold out baseball game, only, behind the Heavenly wall there were people talking, and also people worshiping, and the sound of people speaking and worshiping in Heaven is much more pure than anything here on earth. The colors everywhere were extremely magnificent (I cannot stress that enough) and beyond any description one could ever believe. I approached the wall but could not see inside of it. It sounded like thousands, maybe even millions of people were worshiping within these walls, so I knew I was not alone. .

Then came the return trip through that same bright light. I did not want to return to earth and kept asking that God please not send me back. I don't recall receiving an audible answer, but I felt assured from the love and peace and happiness around me that this was just a trial for me and that God was not finished with me yet. The next thing I remember is waking up in an Ambulance with a nurse yelling to someone “Step on it, he is not going to make it”. I next awoke on an aircraft and later learned they had air lifted me to Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. .

The whole time, I continued to feel that heavenly feeling, a feeling of absolute love. I recall the nurses on the plane taking my vital signs and one nurse telling the other, I would never make it. They thought I was unconscious but I did hear many of their conversations. I could not respond to them and tell them just how wonderful I felt. .

One of my daughters, who is a nurse and was on the night shift at the hospital, told me later that she had been outside the hospital waiting for me and watched them bring me in from the aircraft. She never recognized me until she was told who I was. You see, my head had swollen up so badly, as a result of the poison from that wasp spray, that I couldn't be recognized. .

The next few days I began to gradually improve. I was told I never stopped smiling during my stay in that Hospital. I just felt so wonderful from my experience, and I just knew I had been in Heaven. Praise the Lord and thank you Jesus. That feeling of joy, love and peace that defies my own understanding would not leave me and I was so grateful for that. .

A week or so later they flew me back home on one of the same little airplanes, and I just knew I was not the same person. I felt so clean and pure and happy and had the ability to love like never before. .

As time went on during that summer, I tried to tell everyone about my experience, but each time I attempted to share Heaven with others, I became so frustrated because I would just sit and weep with joy. I found there was just no way I could describe my experience. I simply could not put it into words. .

A few years ago, I was invited by my Pastor to speak at a men's breakfast. I was very hesitant to do so, as I still, after approximately 17 years, could not do the Lord justice by describing what Heaven was really like. Somehow, and with the help of God, I got through that morning, but did not feel I had completed my mission. .

Some weeks later, my Pastor spoke one Sunday morning about Don Piper's book--90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN. That immediately aroused my interest. Shortly thereafter, the Pastor mentioned my name during a Memorial service. A young lady contacted me after the service and requested that I tell her about my experience in Heaven. I just starred at her and froze, and immediately realized I could not answer her as there was just no way I could describe it in heavenly terms--- frustration again, only this time I was determined to think clearer and I prayed to God to please give me the words, so that I could minister to others. .

When I read the first few chapters of Don Piper's book, I just wept with joy. I knew that God had answered my prayer. Our experiences were very closely related, and the best part was when Don described his own personal frustration by waiting many years, before he was able to describe and talk about his experience in Heaven. The only difference I noticed was that Don reunited with his deceased family and friends, and actually saw people and talked to them. I did not. But, yes, he also talked about the beautiful colors he would not believe existed, just as I had earlier described. Reading Don’s book completely reinforced my own experience in Heaven and although I still find it difficult to talk about it, I feel that God is moving me along in his direction now. .

Yes, there really is a Heaven, I know, and I would encourage everyone to prepare for it. It is really authentic and real, just as our Holy Bible describes it. I have some good news for you: The Bible says that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but will have everlasting life. What that simply means is this: God loved you enough that he made a way for your sins to be forgiven - washed away. So at that moment you take your last breath, and you are standing before God your creator, it's not God casting you away for all eternity into a place called Hell. But it’s God ushering you into his holy presence for all of eternity. In a place called Heaven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heaven and hell - Dr. George Ritchie's near-death experience .

In December 1943, during World War II, twenty year old Dr. George Ritchie died of pneumonia. Nine minutes later, miraculously and unaccountably, he returned to life to tell of his amazing near-death experience in the afterlife. His near-death experience was the one that profoundly moved Dr. Raymond Moody to begin seriously investigating the near-death experience. Since Dr. Moody is considered to be the "father of the near-death experience" this near-death experience is in a class of its own. You will find this experience to be one of the most profound near-death experiences ever documented. The following is Dr. George Ritchie's awesome near-death experience excerpted from his ground-breaking books, Return From Tomorrow and My Life After Dying. .

His out-of-body experience

The men let go of my arms ... I heard a click and a whirr. The whirr went on and on. It was getting louder. The whirr was inside my head and my knees were made of rubber. They were bending and I was falling and all the time the whirr grew louder.

I sat up with a start. What time was it? I looked at the bedside table but they'd taken the clock away. In fact, where was any of my stuff? I jumped out of bed in alarm, looking for my clothes. My uniform wasn't on the chair. I turned around, then froze. Someone was lying in that bed.

I took a step closer. He was quite a young man, with short brown hair, lying very still. But, the thing was impossible! I myself had just gotten out of that bed! For a moment I wrestled with the mystery of it. It was too strange to think about - and anyway I didn't have the time.

I went back past the offices and stepped out into the corridor. A sergeant was coming along it carrying an instrument tray covered with a cloth. Probably he didn't know anything, but I was so glad to find someone awake that I started toward him.

"Excuse me, Sergeant," I said. "You haven't seen the ward boy for this unit, have you?"

He didn't answer. Didn't even glance at me. He just kept coming, straight at me, not slowing down.

"Look out!" I yelled, jumping out of his way.

The next minute he was past me, walking away down the corridor as if he had never seen me, though how we had dept from colliding I didn't know.

And then I saw something that gave me a new idea. Farther down the corridor was one of the heavy metal doors that led to the outside. I hurried toward it. Even if I had missed that train, I'd find some way of getting to Richmond!

Almost without knowing it I found myself outside, racing swiftly along, traveling faster in fact than I'd ever moved in my life.

Looking down I was astonished to see not the ground, but the tops of mesquite bushes beneath

me. Already Camp Barkeley seemed to be far behind me as I sped over the dark frozen desert. My mind kept telling me that what I was doing was impossible, and yet ... it was happening.

I was going to Richmond; somehow I had known that from the moment I burst through that hospital door. Going to Richmond a hundred times faster than any train on earth could take me. Almost immediately I noticed myself slowing down. Just below me now, where two streets came together, I caught a flickering blue glow. It came from a neon sign over the door of a red- roofed one-story building with a "Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer" sign propped in the front window. "Cafe," the jittering letters over the door said, and from the windows light streamed onto the pavement.

Staring down at it, I realized I had stopped moving altogether. Finding myself somehow suspended fifty feet in the air was an even stranger feeling than the whirlwind flight had been. But I had no time to puzzle over it, for down the sidewalk toward the all-night cafe a man came briskly walking. At least, I thought, I could find out from him what town this was and in what direction I was heading. Even as the idea occurred to me - as though thought and motion had become the same thing - I found myself down on the sidewalk, hurrying along at the stranger's side. He was a civilian, maybe forty or forty-five, wearing a topcoat but no hat. He was obviously thinking hard about something because he never glanced my way as I fell into step beside him.

"Can you tell me, please," I said, "what city this is?"

He kept right on walking.

"Please sir!" I said, speaking louder, "I'm a stranger here and I'd appreciate it if - "

We reached the cafe and he turned, reaching for the door handle. Was the fellow deaf? I put out my left hand to tap his shoulder. There was nothing there.

I stood there in front of the door, gaping after him as he opened it and disappeared inside. It had been like touching thin air. Like no one had been there at all. And yet I had distinctly seen him, even to the beginnings of a black stubble on his chin where he needed a shave.

I backed away from the mystery of the substance-less man and leaned up against the guy wire of a telephone pole to think things through. My body went through that guy wire as though it too had not been there.

There on the sidewalk of that unknown city, I did some incredulous thinking. The strangest, most difficult thinking I had ever done. The man in the cafe, this telephone pole ... suppose they were perfectly normal. Suppose I was the one who was - changed, somehow. What if in some impossible, unimaginable way, I lost my ... hardness. My ability to grasp things, to make contact with the world. Even to be seen! The fellow just now. It was obvious he never saw or heard me.

And suddenly I remembered the young man I had seen in the bed in that little hospital room. What if that had been ... me? Or anyhow, the material, concrete part of myself that in some unexplainable way I'd gotten separated from. What if the form which I had left lying in the

hospital room in Texas was my own? And if it were, how could I get back to it again? Why had I ever rushed off so unthinkingly?

I was moving again, speeding away from the city. Below me was the broad river. I appeared to be going back, back in the direction I had come from, and it seemed to me I was flashing across space even faster than before. Hills, lakes, farms slipped away beneath me as I sped in an unswerving straight line over the dark nighttime land. I was standing in front of the base hospital.

And so began one of the strangest searches that can every have taken place: the search for myself. From one ward to another of that enormous complex I rushed, pausing in each small room, stooping over the occupant of the bed, hurrying on.

I backed toward the doorway. The man in that bed was dead! I felt the same reluctance I had the previous time at being in a room with a dead person. But ... if that was my ring, then - then it was me, the separated part of me, lying under that sheet. Did that mean that I was ...

It was the first time in this entire experience that the world "death" occurred to me in connection with what was happening.

But I wasn't dead! How could I be dead and still be awake? Thinking. Experiencing. Death was different. Death was ... I didn't know. Blanking out. Nothingness. I was me, wide awake, only without a physical body to function in.

Frantically I clawed at the sheet, trying to draw it back, trying to uncover the figure on the bed. All my efforts did not even stir a breeze in the silent little room.

Meeting Jesus Christ

Suddenly I was aware that it was brighter, a lot brighter, than it had been. I stared in astonishment as the brightness increased, coming from nowhere, seeming to shine everywhere at once. All the light bulbs in the ward couldn't give off that much light. All the bulbs in the world couldn't! It was impossibly bright: it was like a million welders' lamps all blazing at once. 'I'm glad I don't have physical eyes at this moment,' I thought. 'This light would destroy the retina in a tenth of a second.'

No, I corrected myself, not the light. He. He would be too bright to look at. For now I saw that it was not light but a Man who had entered the room, or rather, a Man made out of light, though this seemed no more possible to my mind than the incredible intensity of the brightness that made up His form.

The instant I perceived him, a command formed itself in my mind. "Stand up!" The words came from inside me, yet they had an authority my mere thoughts had never had. I got to my feet and as I did came the stupendous certainty: 'You are in the presence of the Son of God.'

If this was the Son of God, then his name was Jesus. This person was power itself, older than time and yet more modern than anyone I had ever met.

Above all, with that same mysterious inner certainty, I knew that this man loved me. Far more even than power, what emanated from this Presence was unconditional love. An astonishing love. A love beyond my wildest imagining. This love knew every unlovable thing about me - the quarrels with my stepmother, my explosive temper, the sex thoughts I could never control, every mean, selfish thought and action since the day I was born - and accepted me just the same.

The life review

When I say He knew everything about me, this was simply an observable fact. For into that room along with his radiant presence - simultaneously, though in telling about it I have to describe them one by one - had also entered every single episode of my entire life. Everything that had ever happened to me was simply there, in full view, contemporary and current, all seemingly taking place at the same time. Every detail of twenty years of living was there to be looked at. The good, the bad, the high points, the run-of-the-mill. And with this all-inclusive view came a question. It was implicit in every scene and, like the scenes themselves, seemed to proceed from the living Light beside me.

"What did you do with your life?"

Desperately I looked around me for something that would seem worthwhile in the light of this blazing Reality. But there was only an endless, short-sighted, clamorous concern for myself. Hadn't I ever gone beyond my own immediate interests, done anything other people would recognize as valuable?

And all at once the question itself built up in me. It wasn't fair! Of course I hadn't done anything with my life! I hadn't had time. How could you judge a person who hadn't even started?

The answering thought, however, held no trace of judgment. 'Death,' the word was infinitely loving, 'can come at any age.'

'What about the insurance money coming when I'm seventy?' The words were out, in this strange realm where communication took place by thought instead of speech, before I could call them back.

If I'd suspected before that there was mirth in the Presence beside me, now I was sure of it: the brightness seemed to vibrate and shimmer with a kind of holy laughter - not at me and my silliness, not a mocking laughter, but a mirth that seemed to say that in spite of all error and tragedy, joy was more lasting still.

And in the ecstasy of that laughter I realized that it was I who was judging the events around us so harshly. It was I who saw them as trivial, self-centered, unimportant. No such condemnation came from the Glory shining around me. He was not blaming or reproaching. He was simply ... loving me. Filling the world with Himself and yet somehow attending to me personally. Waiting for my answer to the question that still hung in the dazzling air. 'What have you done with your

life to show me?'

The question, like everything else proceeding from Him, had to do with love. How much have you loved with your life? Have you loved others as I am loving you? Totally? Unconditionally?

Hearing the question like that, I saw how foolish it was even to try to find an answer in the scenes around us. Why, I hadn't known love like this was possible. Someone should have told me, I thought indignantly!

"I did tell you."

But how? Still wanting to justify myself: how could He have told me and I not heard?

"I told you by the life I lived. I told you by the death I died. And, if you keep your eyes on me, you will see more ... "

Seeing spirits among the living

With a start I noticed that we were moving. I hadn't been aware of leaving the hospital, but now it was nowhere in sight. The living events of my life which had crowded round us had vanished too: instead we seemed to be high above the earth, speeding together toward a distant pinprick of light.

The distant pinprick resolved itself into a large city toward which we seemed to be descending. It was still nighttime but smoke poured from factory chimneys and many buildings had lights burning on every floor. There was an ocean or a large lake beyond the lights; it could have been Boston, Detroit, Toronto, certainly no place I had ever been, but obviously I thought as we came close enough to see the crowded streets, one where war industries were operating around the clock.

I noticed a certain phenomenon repeatedly - people unaware of others right beside them. I saw a group of assembly-line workers gathered around a coffee canteen. One of the women asked another for a cigarette, begged her in fact, as though she wanted it more than anything in the world. But the other one, chatting with her friends, ignored her. She took a pack of cigarettes from her coveralls, and without ever offering it to the woman who reached for it so eagerly, took one out and lit it. Fast as a striking snake the woman who had been refused snatched at the lighted cigarette in the other one's mouth. Again she grabbed at it. And again ... With a little chill of recognition I saw that she was unable to grip it. Like me, in fact, she was dead.

In one house a younger man followed an older one from room to room. 'I'm sorry, Pa!' he kept saying. 'I didn't know what it would do to Mama! I didn't understand.'

But though I could hear him clearly, it was obvious that the man he was speaking to could not. The old man was carrying a tray into a room where an elderly woman sat in bed. 'I'm sorry, Pa,' the young man said again. 'I'm sorry, Mama.' Endlessly, over and over, to ears that could not hear.

Several times we paused before similar scenes. A boy trailing a teenaged girl through the corridors of a school. 'I'm sorry, Nancy!' A middle-aged woman begging a gray-haired man to forgive her.

What are they so sorry for, Jesus?' I pleaded. 'Why do they keep talking to people who can't hear them?'

Then from the Light beside me came the thought: 'They are suicides, chained to every consequence of their act.'

Gradually I began to notice something else. All of the living people we were watching were surrounded by a faint luminous glow, almost like an electrical field over the surface of their bodies. This luminosity moved as they moved, like a second skin made out of pale, scarcely visible light.

At first I thought it must be reflected brightness from the Person at my side. But the buildings we entered gave off no reflection, neither did inanimate objects. And then I realized that the non-physical beings didn't either. My own unsolid body, I now saw, was without this glowing sheath.

At this point the Light drew me inside a dingy bar and grill near what looked like a large naval base. A crowd of people, many of them sailors, lined the bar three deep, while others jammed wooden booths along the wall. Though a few were drinking beer, most of them seemed to be belting whiskies as fast as the two perspiring bartenders could pour them.

Then I noticed a striking thing. A number of the men standing at the bar seemed unable to lift their drinks to their lips. Over and over I watched them clutch at their shot glasses, hands passing through the solid tumblers, through the heavy wooden counter top, through the very arms and bodies of the drinkers around them.

And these men, every one of them, lacked the aureole of light that surrounded the others.

Then, the cocoon of light must be a property of physical bodies only. The dead, we who had lost our solidness, had lost this 'second skin' as well.

And it was obvious that these living people, the light-surrounded ones, the ones actually drinking, talking, jostling each other, could neither see the desperately thirsty disembodied beings among them, nor feel their frantic pushing to get at those glasses. (Though it was also clear to me, watching, that the non-solid people could both see and hear each other. Furious quarrels were constantly breaking out among them over glasses that none could actually get to his lips.)

I thought I had seen heavy drinking at fraternity parties in Richmond, but the way civilians and servicemen at this bar were going at it beat everything. I watched one young sailor rise unsteadily from a stool, take two or three steps, and sag heavily to the floor. Two of his buddies stooped down and started dragging him away from the crush.

But that was not what I was looking at. I was staring in amazement as the bright cocoon around the unconscious sailor simply opened up. It parted at the very crown of his head and began peeling away from his head, his shoulders. Instantly, quicker than I'd ever seen anyone move, one of the insubstantial beings who had been standing near him at the bar was on top of him. He had been hovering like a thirsty shadow at the sailor's side, greedily following every swallow the young man made. Now he seemed to spring at him like a beast of prey.

In the next instant, to my utter mystification, the springing figure had vanished. It all happened even before the two men had dragged their unconscious load from under the feet of those at the bar. One minute I'd distinctly seen two individuals; by the time they propped the sailor against the wall, there was only one.

Twice more, as I stared, stupefied, the identical scene was repeated. A man passed out, a crack swiftly opened in the aureole round him, one of the non-solid people vanished as he hurled himself at that opening, almost as if he had scrambled inside the other man.

Was that covering of light some kind of shield, then? Was it a protection against ... against disembodied beings like myself? Presumably these substance-less creatures had once had solid bodies, as I myself had had. Suppose that when they had been in these bodies they had developed a dependence on alcohol that went beyond the physical. That became mental. Spiritual, even. Then when they lost that body, except when they could briefly take possession of another one, they would be cut off for all eternity from the thing they could never stop craving.

An eternity like that - the thought sent a chill shuddering through me - surely that would be a form of hell. I had always thought of hell, when I thought of it at all, as a fiery place somewhere beneath the earth where evil people like Hitler would burn forever. But what if one level of hell existed right here on the surface - unseen and unsuspected by the living people occupying the same space. What if it meant remaining on earth but never again able to make contact with it. I thought of that woman who wanted that cigarette. To want most, to burn with most desire, where you were most powerless - that would be hell indeed.

Not 'would be,' I realized with a start. Was. This was hell: And I was as much a part of it as these other discarnate creatures. I had died. I had lost my physical body. I existed now in a realm that would not respond to me in any way ...

There were two other things distinctly unique about the beings of this realm. Since hypocrisy is impossible because others know your thoughts the minute you think them, they tend to group with the ones who think the same way they do. In our own plane of the existence, earth, we have a saying, "Birds of a feather flock together." The main reason that they stick together is because it is too threatening to be with beings with whom you disagree when they know it.

One of the places we observed seemed to be a receiving station. Beings would arrive here oftentimes in a deep hypnotic sleep. I call it hypnotic because I realized they had put themselves in this state by their beliefs. Here were what I would call angels working with them trying to arouse them and help them realize God is truly a God of the living and that they did not have to lie around sleeping until Gabriel or someone came along blowing on a horn.

The plane of hell

We were moving again. We had left the Navy base with its circumference of seedy streets and bars, and were now standing, in this dimension where travel seemed to take no time at all, on the edge of a wide, flat plain. So far in our journeying we had visited places where the living and the dead existed side by side: indeed where disembodied beings, completely unsuspected by the living, hovered right on top of the physical things and people where their desire was focused.

Now, however, although we were apparently still somewhere on the surface of the earth, I could see no living man or woman. The plain was crowded, even jammed with hordes of ghostly discarnate beings; nowhere was there a solid, light-surrounded person to be seen. All of these thousands of people were apparently no more substantial than I myself. And they were the most frustrated, the angriest, the most completely miserable beings I had ever laid eyes on.

'Lord Jesus!' I cried. 'Where are we?'

At first I thought we were looking at some great battlefield: everywhere spirits were locked in what looked like fights to the death, writhing, punching, gouging. No weapons of any sort, I saw as I looked closer, only bare hands and feet and teeth. And then I noticed that no one was apparently being injured. There was no blood, no bodies strewed the ground. A blow that ought to have eliminated an opponent would leave him exactly as before.

If I suspected that I was seeing hell, now I was sure of it. These creatures seemed locked into habits of mind and emotion, into hatred, lust, destructive thought-patterns.

Even more hideous than the bites and kicks they exchanged, were the sexual abuses many were performing in feverish pantomime. Perversions I had never dreamed of were being vainly attempted all around us. It was impossible to tell if the howls of frustration which reached us were actual sounds or only the transference of despairing thoughts. Indeed in this disembodied world it didn't seem to matter. Whatever anyone thought, however fleetingly or unwillingly, was instantly apparent to all around him, more completely than words could have expressed it, faster than sound waves could have carried it.

And the thoughts most frequently communicated had to do with the superior knowledge, or abilities, or background of the thinker. 'I told you so!' 'I always knew!' 'Didn't I warn you!' were shrieked into the echoing air over and over. With a feeling of sick familiarity I recognized here my own thinking. In these yelps of envy and wounded self-importance I heard myself all too well.

Once again, however, no condemnation came from the Presence at my side, only a compassion for these unhappy creatures that was breaking His heart.

What was keeping them here? Why didn't each one just get up and leave? I could see no reason why the person being screamed at by that man with the contorted face didn't simply walk away. Or why that young woman didn't put a thousand miles between herself and the other one

who was so furiously beating her with insubstantial fists? They couldn't actually hold onto their victims, any of these insanely angry beings. There were no fences. Nothing apparently prevented them from simply going off alone.

Unless - unless there was no 'alone' in this realm of disembodied spirits. No private corners in a universe where there were no walls. No place that was not inhabited by other beings to whom one was totally exposed at all times. What was it going to be like, I thought with sudden panic, to live forever where my most private thoughts were not private at all? No disguising them, no covering them up, no way to pretend I was anything but what I actually was. How unbearable. Unless of course everyone around me had the same kind of thoughts - Unless there was a kind of consolation in finding others as loathsome as one's self, even if all we could do was hurl our venom at each other.

Perhaps this was the explanation for this hideous plain. Perhaps in the course of eons or of seconds, each creature here had sought out the company of others as pride and hate-filled as himself, until together they formed this society of the damned.

Perhaps it was not Jesus who had abandoned them, but they who had fled from the Light that showed up their darkness.

There were beings arguing over some religious or political point, trying to kill the ones who did not agree with them. I thought when I saw this, "No wonder our world is in such a mess and we have had so many tragic religious wars. No wonder this was breaking Christ's heart, the One who came to teach us peace and love."

The Temple Of Wisdom

We were moving again. First He had shown me a hellish realm, filled with beings trapped in some form of self-attention. Now behind, beyond, through all this I began to perceive a whole new realm! Enormous buildings stood in a beautiful sunny park that reminded me somewhat of a well-planned university. As we entered one of the buildings and doorways, the air was so hushed that I was actually startled to see people in the passageway.

I could not tell if they were men or women, old or young, for all were covered from head to foot in loose-flowing hooded cloaks which made me think vaguely of monks. But the atmosphere of the place was not at all as I imagined a monastery. It was more like some tremendous study center, humming with the excitement of great discovery. Everyone we passed in the wide halls and on the curving staircases seemed caught up in some all-engrossing activity; not many words were exchanged among them. And yet I sensed no unfriendliness between these beings, rather an aloofness of total concentration.

Whatever else these people might be, they appeared utterly and supremely self-forgetful - absorbed in some vast purpose beyond themselves. Through open doors I glimpsed at enormous rooms filled with complex equipment. In several of the rooms hooded figures bent over intricate charts and diagrams, or sat at the controls of elaborate consoles flickering with lights. Somehow I felt that some vast experiment was being pursued, perhaps dozens and dozens of such experiments.

And something more ... In spite of His obvious delight in the beings around us, I sensed that even this was not the ultimate, that He had far greater things to show me if only I could see.

And so I followed Him into other buildings of this domain of thought. We entered a studio where music of a complexity I couldn't begin to follow was being composed and performed. There were complicated rhythms, tones not on a scale I knew. 'Why,' I found myself thinking. 'Bach is only the beginning!'

Next we walked through a library the size of the whole University of Richmond. I gazed into rooms lined floor to ceiling with documents on parchment, clay, leather, metal, paper. 'Here,' the thought occurred to me, 'are assembled the important books of the universe.'

Immediately I knew this was impossible. How could books be written somewhere beyond the earth! But the thought persisted, although my mind rejected it. 'The key works of the universe,' the phrase kept recurring as we roamed the domed reading rooms crowded with silent scholars. Then abruptly, at the door to one of the smaller rooms, almost an annex: 'Here is the central thought of this earth.'

'Is this ... heaven, Lord Jesus?' I ventured. The calm, the brightness, they were surely heaven- like! So was the absence of self, of clamoring ego. 'When these people were on earth did they grow beyond selfish desires?'

'They grew, and they have kept on growing.' The answer shone like sunlight in that intent and eager atmosphere. But if growth could continue, then this was not all. Then ... there must be something even these serene beings lacked. And suddenly I wondered if it was the same thing missing in the 'lower realm'. Were these selfless seeking creatures also failing in some degree to see Jesus? Or perhaps, to see Him for Himself? Bits and hints of Him they surely had; obviously it was the truth they were so single-mindedly pursuing. But what if even a thirst for truth could distract from the Truth Himself, standing here in their midst while they searched for Him in books and test tubes ...

I didn't know. And next to His unutterable love, my own bewilderment, all the questions I wanted to ask, seemed incidental. Perhaps, I concluded at last, He cannot tell me more than I can see: perhaps there is nothing in me yet that could understand an explanation.

It is this realm which removes forever the concept that we stop learning or progressing in knowledge when we die. I could call this realm the realm of research, or the mental realm or the realm of intellectual, scientific and religious knowledge. All would be correct.

This is the realm where I believe the souls go who have developed the greatest interest in a particular field of life's endeavor, the ones who want to keep on researching and learning more in their particular fields. This gives hope to all people who want to keep learning and have established enough wisdom to realize we have just begun to scratch the surface in any field when we are on the Earth's level of development.

I became aware that the Christ was watching some souls in their study of the universe's religions and saw He did not judge any of them. They too were not judging the religions which

they were studying but were interested in the many different ways the beings of the universe had attempted to come to understand their Creator. I suddenly realized how wrong it was for any of us on earth to judge another's approach to God or to feel we have the only answers. The moment that realization came into my mind it was followed by His thought placed in my mind:

"You are right, for if I, LOVE, be lifted up, I shall draw all humanity unto Me. If you come to know the Father, you will come to know Me. If you come to know Me you will come to know that LOVE includes all beings regardless of their race, creeds or color."

The City of God

The central fact, the all-adequate one, remained this Personality at my side. Whatever additional facts He was showing me, He remained every moment the real focus of my attention.

Up until this point I had had the impression that we were traveling - though in what manner I could not imagine - upon the earth itself. Even what I had come to think of as a 'higher plane' of deep thoughts and learning, was obviously not far distant from the 'physical plane' where bodiless beings were still bound to a solid world. Now however, we seemed to have left the earth behind.

And then I saw, infinitely far off, far too distant to be visible with any kind of sight I knew of - a city. A glowing, seemingly endless city, bright enough to be seen over all the unimaginable distance between. The brightness seemed to shine from the very walls and streets of this place, and from beings which I could now discern moving about within it. In fact, the city and everything in it seemed to be made of light, even as the Figure at my side was made of light.

At this time I had not yet read the Book of Revelation. I could only gape in awe at this faraway spectacle, wondering how bright each building, each inhabitant, must be to be seen over so many light-years of distance. Could these radiant beings, I wondered, amazed, be those who had indeed kept Jesus the focus of their lives? Was I seeing at last ones who had looked for Him in everything? Looked so well and so closely that they had been changed into His very likeness? Even as I asked the question, two of the bright figures seemed to detach themselves from the city and start toward us, hurling themselves across that infinity with the speed of light.

Now this was surprising because this was the first realm in which the inhabitants could see the Christ and me. Even more amazing, they exuded light almost as brilliant as the Christ. As the two beings approached us, I could also feel the love flowing from them toward us. The complete joy they showed at seeing the Christ was unmistakable.

Seeing these beings and feeling the joy, peace and happiness which swelled up from them made me feel that here was the place of all places, the top realm of all realms. The beings who inhabited it were full of love. This, I was and am convinced, is heaven. As marvelous as I thought the previous realm was, after glimpsing this new realm we were seeing, I began to understand for the first time what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 13 when he wrote: "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing".

I do not infer that the wonderful souls of the fourth realm did not have love because they did but not to the degree that the souls of this realm had reached.

But as fast as they came toward us, we drew away. Desperately I cried out to Him not to leave me, to make me ready for that shining city, not to abandon me in this dark and narrow place. From that loneliest moment of my existence I had leapt into the most perfect belonging I had ever known. The Light of Jesus had entered my life and filled it completely, and the idea of being separated from Him was more than I could bear.

Then He did a startling thing. He opened a corridor through time which showed me increasing natural disasters coming upon this earth. There were more and more hurricanes and floods occurring over different areas of our planet. The earthquakes and volcanoes were increasing. We were becoming more and more selfish and self-righteous. Families were splitting, governments were breaking apart because people were thinking only of themselves. I saw armies marching on the United States from the south and explosions occurring over the entire world that were of a magnitude beyond my capacity to imagine. I realized if they continued, human life as we have known it could not continue to exist.

Suddenly this corridor was closed off and a second corridor started to open through time. At the beginning they appeared very similar but the further the second one unfolded, the more different it became. The planet grew more peaceful. Humanity and nature both were better. Humanity was not as critical of himself or others. He was not as destructive of nature and he was beginning to understand what love is. Then we stood at a place in time where we were more like the beings of the fourth and fifth realm. The Lord sent the mental message to me, "It is left to humanity which direction they shall choose. I came to this planet to show you through the life I led how to love. Without OUR FATHER you can do nothing, neither could I. I showed you this. You have 45 years."

He then gave me orders to return to the human plane and mentally said, "You have 45 years." I had no understanding at that moment what he meant by 45 years.

My throat was on fire and the weight on my chest was crushing me.

(Here George Ritchie's death experience ends and he returns to earthly life.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Chinese Woman Went to Heaven and Returned

Another person who died, went to heaven, saw much of the glories of the golden city and returned to tell of its splendor, was a Chinese woman of Shan Tung Province, North China. This experience occurred in connection with the missionary activities of Miss Louisa Vaughan and is related in her book of remarkable miracles, "Answered or Unanswered", pages 42-46, from which I quote:

"In the year of 1904, I held a meeting of several day's duration in the city of Wang Kia Kwan Dswang. My audience consisted of the most stupid and ignorant of Chinese women. Some of them were converts, but most of them came to hear the Gospel for the first time. Among these last was a Mrs. Jang, who seemed, if possible, a little more stupid than the rest. She was one of our number, not because of any interest she felt in Bible truth, but because her husband, formerly a Confucian scholar, had accepted the Savior and wished her to know something of the fundamental principles of Christianity. Her two little children, who were always with her, consumed much of her time and strength. There were some twenty others in the class to be taught, and I had little chance to give individual attention. The prospect of her learning enough truth to be converted was not encouraging.

"My one method of work, however, was prayer with complete reliance upon the power of God through the Holy Spirit to fulfill His promise in John 14 :13,14: 'And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it'. In the course of these meetings the Father was glorified in the conversion of Mrs. Jang; for after four days of simple instruction she returned to her home a new creature in Christ Jesus.

"About six months later, when I was holding services in a neighboring village, Mrs. Jang appeared again. This time she brought three children and the family dog. (She had given away the chickens.) Again she stayed four days, absorbed as much truth as she could under the trying circumstances, and again returned home.

"Soon after, she contracted tuberculosis and suffered intensely for a year. Her physical pain was only a part of her distress. Her family realized that a great change had taken place in her life, but they would not accept her testimony. They were especially bitter because she unbound her feet. Disregarding such a time-honored custom was a serious disgrace to them. They tortured her in all sorts of little meannesses. She would be refused a drink when she was too ill to get it for herself, and she was frequently told that she was to be buried with her feet bare. A modest Chinese woman has only her face and hands uncovered, even in death.

Visions of Other Parts of the Heavenly City

"In the midst of all her pain and trials Mrs. Jang maintained a bright clear testimony. She grieved only because her dear ones would not receive the message of life that so thrilled and comforted her own soul.

"The dreadful disease had about done its work, when I again found myself in her vicinity. The pastor of the church in which I was speaking came to tell me of her year of suffering.

" 'Miss Vaughan', he said, 'the only prayer she has offered for herself during all these months is that she may see your face again.'

The Body in Death Chamber

"Needless to say I went to her immediately. I was received with a welcome of such apparently boundless affection that I felt I had never before known what love was. A few days passed. It was evident that it was God's will to take Mrs. Jang home, and we who loved her ceased to pray

for her recovery. We asked only that God would give her great peace in going, and lift from her heart the burden of grief that it carried because her testimony had not been received by those nearest her.

"I made what I supposed was my last visit to her.’We will never see our friend on earth again', I said to my class.’She is very near the heavenly home, and cannot possibly live through the night.'

"Early the next morning her father called upon me.’Your daughter is now at rest and in the Savior's presence,' I said.

"He smiled.’Oh, no, no!' he said excitedly. 'The Lord has performed a wonderful miracle. She is alive again.

"Then he explained. Mrs. Jang had died at three o'clock the afternoon before, and her family, in accordance with Chinese custom, had immediately prepared her body for burial. At about sunset they heard a noise in the death chamber. They supposed that the children or pigs or chickens (they have equal freedom in the houses of the poor) had gotten into the room. But when they opened the door they could scarcely believe their eyes. Mrs. Jang sat erect on the kang. She had removed her grave clothes and put on those she had been wearing before her death!

"I never taught Revelation in China and nothing had ever been told Mrs. Jang of the glories of Heaven as described in that book. She had instruction for only eight days in her life.

Visions of Other Parts of the Heavenly City - Mrs. Jang Inside the Golden City

"This is her story as she related it to me: 'I remember seeing all the family around me crying. Then the Lord Jesus came into my room and took me by the hand and said, 'Come with me!' In a short time we were before a gate of pearl. It was the gate of Heaven. Angels opened it and we went in. I saw many beautiful houses all of pretty colors. I walked beside the Lord on the golden streets. Miss Vaughan, I was so glad you had told me to unbind my feet; I would have been so ashamed to walk beside my Savior with little feet.

"Then we went on and I saw thousands of angels in a circle, singing and playing lovely music. In the midst was the throne of glory. The Heavenly Father sat upon it, and when I saw Him I was afraid. I hardly dared to lift my eyes'.

" 'You have come', He said.

" 'Yes, Lord.'

" 'You may go back for a while, but you must return to me here on the twelfth of the month'.

Sent Back to Earth .

" 'Miss Vaughan, here I am, and now they'll have to accept my testimony, for I have walked on the golden streets and I've seen the Father. They'll have to believe me now.'

"Did her relatives and neighbors believe her?

"People flocked in from miles around to hear the wonderful story. She spoke as an eyewitness and they could not reject her testimony. God's mighty power was upon it, and hundreds were converted. Even today, missionaries in that vicinity find an eager reception for the Gospel message because that is the 'Jesus doctrine' believed by Mrs. Jang who went to heaven and came back again to tell what she saw.

"The days passed until the twelfth of the following month. When that day came the family tried to convince Mrs. Jang that she had reckoned the date incorrectly, but her eager heart was not to be deceived. Late in the afternoon she asked her mother for her grave clothes. Under strong protest they were folded and put on the bed. At sunset while the family were at their evening meal in an adjoining room, she dressed herself quietly in her burial garments then lay down, and her beautiful soul went back to her God".

It can be seen that the testimony of this simple eye witness of heaven's glories is in accord with the Word of God, and with the present day visions of heaven given his children through the Holy Spirit.

Visions of Other Parts of the Heavenly City

This woman had never heard of the Heavenly City nor its golden street. There is no natural explanation for her accurate description of the New Jerusalem in heaven, its "pearly gate", its "beautiful houses of pretty colors", "the golden street", "thousands of angels singing and playing lovely music", "the throne of glory", and "the King of Glory". There is most simple explanation to the child of the Lord—while Mrs. Jang's body lay a corpse in the death chamber from three o'clock to sunset her spirit was enjoying the bliss of the celestial city, where is "the throne of glory" and "The King of Glory."

The testimony of this ignorant Chinese woman, as believed by her friends and community, is the testimony to be believed by all of the children of men, that there is a golden city in the heaven far above the stars, the city eternal where "thousands of angels sing and play music" around the throne of God and where the King walks the golden streets with his humblest child amidst the glories of the city of glory, the crown of the universe, the pyramidal capstone of all God's creation.

Books about Heaven

Over a span of more than 100 years, these stories from people who did not know each other present remarkable similarity.

1 Within the Gates Rebecca Springer CFNI ISBN 0-89985-095-2 http://books.google.com/books?id=bINiHsrbzzcC&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=rebecca+springer&source= bl&ots=SBsRlSswMg&sig=6BUGdbMtE_WqIzfmOezJVqlIHPw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1& ct=result

2 A Divine Revelation of Heaven Mary K Baxter Whitaker House ISBN 0-88368-524-8 http://spiritlessons.com/Mary_K_Baxter_A_Divine_Revelation_of_Hell.htm

3 Heaven – Close Encounters of the God Kind Jesse Du Plantis JDM ISBN 0-9743829-4-9 http://vodpod.com/watch/189431-close-encounters-of-the-god-kind-jesse-duplantis-ministries

4 90 Minutes in Heaven Don Piper Revell ISBN 0-8007-5949-4 http://www.90minutesinheaven.com/

5 Heaven Randy Alcorn Tyndale ISBN 0-8423-7942-8 http://epm.org/artman2/publish/eternity/index.shtml

6 Heaven Made Real Tim Sheets Treasure House ISBN 1-56043-276-4 http://www.timsheets.org/store.htm

7 Visions Beyond the Veil H.A. Baker Sovereign World ISBN 1-85240-278-4 http://spiritlessons.com/Documents/HA_Baker/Visions_Beyond_the_Veil_HA_Baker.htm

8 Angels on Assignment Roland Buck Whitaker House ISBN 0-88368-697-X http://www.angelsonassignment.org/

9 Caught Up Into Paradise Richard Eby Revell ISBN 8007-5066-7 http://bibleprobe.com/dreby.htm

10 To Heaven and Back Rita Bennett Zondervan ISBN 0-310-21078-X http://www.heaventour.org/testimony.html

11 Heaven Is So Real Choo Thomas Charisma House ISBN 1-59185-789-9 www.choothomas.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu0Tkp8MFJw http://spiritlessons.com/hisr_video_transcript.htm

12 We Saw Heaven Roberts Liardon Albury 1-88008-975-0

13 One Minute After You Die Erwin Lutzer Moody 0-8024-6305-3

14 John Bunyans' Vision of Heaven and Hell John Bunyan Sovereign Grace 1-58960-365-6 http://www.hissheep.org/messages/visions_of_heaven_and_hell.html

Angels, Dreams, and Visions

It is not popular nowadays to talk of modern-day encounters with angels, or of God speaking through dreams. However, if the Bible speaks of these encounters, then we should at least investigate them sincerely.

In fact, there are reports that large numbers of Muslims are seeing dreams of Jesus, and are converting to Christianity in areas of world where it is a death sentence to convert to Christianity. Yet, these are having the same dream of someone they identify as Jesus coming to them in their dream. Millions have converted to Christ, even though it could cost them their life.

This article40 describes what is increasingly happening:

More and more Muslims are having dreams and visions of Christ, Christian ministries say. There is increasing evidence that the supernatural is playing a role in drawing Muslims to Christ.

Campus Crusade for Christ has received thousands of letters from Muslims, many of whom claim to have had a similar dream of Christ, according to the ministry's radio broadcast office in northern Africa. In the dream, Jesus appears and tells people, "I am the way," Campus Crusade founder and president Bill Bright said. Moved by the dreams, they contact the radio ministry and "freely respond" to the gospel message, he said. In Algeria, an imprisoned Muslim political radical said Jesus appeared to her in her cell. The woman now is a Christian and works with Campus Crusade ministering to Muslims.

In one African Muslim country, a young man violently tore up a Bible tract and threatened the life of the Every Home For Christ worker going door-to-door with the literature, Dick Eastman of Colorado Springs-based EHFC told NIRR. The next afternoon as the worker sat in his home, he was shocked to see the man knock at his door. "I must have another booklet," the Muslim told him. He explained that the previous night two hands awakened him, and when he turned on the light and asked who was there, a voice said, "You have torn up the truth." The voice instructed him to acquire another booklet, directing him to the EHFC worker's home, the young man said. There, the Muslim read the booklet and became a believer. He has since been expelled from his wealthy family, lives with EHFC's Africa director, and is preparing for ministry to Muslims.

In another incident, several EHFC workers were distributing literature in a marketplace. A man who received a booklet gasped and said he had a vision of the person pictured on the cover in his dream the night before, Eastman said. In the dream, the man was in a deep pit when a rope was thrown to him and two strong hands pulled him up. Upon climbing out, he looked into the face of the man who helped him: Jesus. The workers explained the meaning of the dream and

40 http://www.epm.org/artman2/publish/missions_true_stories/Dreams_Visions_Move_Muslims_To_Christ.shtml

the man was converted on the spot. Later, three other people recounted the same dream and two of them became Christians, Eastman said. God is preparing Muslims, and Christian workers follow through, he said.

In Kawuri, Nigeria, a Christian was beaten nearly to death by his tribe for leaving Islam, according to Open Doors With Brother Andrew. As the man lay close to death, he asked God to forgive his attackers, unaware that they were listening in the next room. That night, two Islamic priests who participated in the beating had visions. One said Jesus showed him his three greatest and most private sins. The next day, the two mullahs repented and let 80 followers to a church, the Santa Ana, Calif.-based group said.

Muslims who have such dreams or visions of Christ usually have had a Christian contact and are looking for spiritual answers, said one Assemblies of God missionary and anthropologist who has worked for 10 years in the Middle East and Northern Africa. "It all takes place in context-- dreams are one step, a link in the chain" that leads to conversion, he said. God is using people as well as the supernatural to draw people to Him, he said.

As for angels, there are many wartime stories of angelic intervention. The following account was published in the All Saints (Clifton, UK) Parish Magazine: .

Last Sunday I met Miss M., daughter of the well-known Canon M., and she told me she knew two officers both of whom had themselves seen the angels who saved our left wing from the Germans when they came right upon them during the retreat from Mons. .

They expected annihilation, as they were almost helpless, when to their amazement they stood like dazed men, never so much as touched their guns: nor stirred till we had turned round and escaped by some crossroads. One of Miss M's friends, who was not a religious man, told her that he saw a troop of angels between us and the enemy. He has been a changed man ever since. The other man she met in London. She asked him if he had heard the wonderful stories of angels. He said he had seen them himself and under the following circumstances: .

While he and his company were retreating, they heard the German cavalry tearing after them. They saw a place where they thought a stand might be made, with sure hope of safety; but before they could reach it, the German cavalry were upon them. They therefore turned round and faced the enemy, expecting nothing but instant death, when to their wonder they saw, between them and the enemy, a whole troop of angels. The German horses turned round terrified and regularly stampeded. The men tugged at their bridles, while the poor beasts tore away in every direction from our men. This officer swore he saw the angels, which the horses saw plainly enough. This gave them time to reach the little fort, or whatever it was, and save themselves."

Angels on Assignment41

This remarkable account which my wife Carol and I encountered in the early ‘80s really moved us at the time, and has since become an “anchor book” for us. Here’s an excerpt:

41 “Angels On Assignment” by Roland Buck and Charles Hunter Whitaker House 2005

‘Pastor Roland Buck was a pastor in Boise for twenty-nine years. In a deep sleep, he was suddenly grasped by two giant hands. Although he was an unusually strong man, the grip on his shoulders was so powerful, he couldn't even move. Pastor Buck's heart was beating like a sledgehammer. Was he awake or asleep? The two strong hands sat him up in bed. Against the faint light coming thru the window, he could see the outline of a huge form. A voice boomed out, "Pastor, I have a message for you from the Father - a message that He will help you bring to the whole world!"

The angel went on, "The Father has noticed your concern, and He is happy with you. He wants you to tell people that He has heard their prayers for their families, and He is sending a host of angels over the whole earth to push, prod, and do whatever is necessary to bring people to a point of accepting Him."

The sun had risen when the angel finally left. He had illuminated many beautiful truths from God's Word to Pastor Buck's heart during this visit. The angel told him to bring the message of God's care to his congregation that Sunday morning.

Pastor Buck had already prepared a good message for his congregation. He shared with his wife what had happened to him. He said to her, "I've been here for twenty-nine years and I have built up credibility in this community. How can I share this?"

He finally decided to wait, and he gave the message he had already prepared.

Two weeks passed and, once again, he was awakened by the same big hands sitting him up in bed. "Pastor," the angel said, "you haven't given the message that the Father told you to give!" Pastor Buck said, "Oh, but I will, I will!" He expected the angel to chide with him, but instead he said, "The Father knows how you feel, and He will be with you, and help you to obey Him!"

Again that night the angel shared with Pastor Buck for many hours about the beautiful nature of God. Both times the angel had been there, pastor was overwhelmed by the presence of God that radiated from him. It was so awesome that he could hardly talk about this experience for some time.

The next morning, Pastor Buck and Charmian looked up the Scripture references that had been given by the angel to let them know who he was. They were overwhelmed as they read Luke 1:19, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news."

That Sunday, Pastor Buck laid his credibility on the line, along with the twenty-nine years he had ministered in Boise, and obeyed God by sharing the message given by divine messenger. It was entitled, "Good News for You and Your Family!"

In the two years that followed, Pastor Buck had twenty six more visits from the angels. Many of these are described in his book, Angels on Assignment (you can read this amazing story online at www.angelsonassignment.org). Here’s another excerpt:

“One Saturday night in January of 1977, at about 10:30 PM, I was seated at my desk, meditating, praying, and preparing my heart for Sunday. I had my head down on my arm at the desk, when

suddenly, without any warning, I was taken right out of that room! I heard a voice say: "Come with me into the Throne Room where the secrets of the universe are kept!" I didn't have time to answer; space means nothing to God! It was like a snap of the fingers - boom - and I was right there! Only then did I recognize that the voice I had heard speaking to me was Almighty God!

I was nervous, and God told me to relax. He said, "You can't prove anything to me, because I already know you. I began to relax even though it was so awesome I had difficulty comprehending what was happening. He came right to the point and said, "I want to give you (and this is HIS expression) an 'overlay' of truth." In a split second of eternity, we went from Genesis to Revelation, looking first at God's plan for his people. Throughout all of the Bible, God discussed his character, stating, I will do nothing in conflict with my nature or my character. My plan for you is good and it will be accomplished."

He referred me to Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." In giving me these thoughts, God wanted me to see how he really felt about man; that he had man in mind before he made the earth; and he made the earth so man would have a place on which to live. When he looks at man, he does not look at the evil which has taken place, but he looks at the very heart of man.

During this visit, God truly gave me a glorious glimpse of the hidden secrets of the universe; of matter, energy, nature and space, all bearing the same beautiful trademark. As he gave me this dazzling overlay of truth, it added a new beauty and unity to the entire Bible which I previously did not have. Certain biblical truths which I had seen darkly were now perfectly clear, and I could see how all the pieces fit together in what God was doing!

Then God said I could ask questions! My mind was whirling! How does a human ask questions of God? It was so awesome being in his presence I could hardly think. Finally a thought came into my mind to find out whether or not he actually made individual plans for each and every life, because for some reason or other, I felt this gigantic task would be too big even for God!

In answer to my question, God let me see the vastness of his heavenly archives! My head swam! There was no way my finite mind could understand how God could keep track of these files. There must be billions of them! He said, "Since you are overwhelmed by this, and it staggers you, let me pull out one that you can relate to." And he immediately pulled out mine! He would not let me see the contents of it, but mentioned a few of the future items listed which I could use as confirmation of this visit.

Then he did another very surprising thing! He wrote down 120 events which he said would happen in my life in the future. It wasn't like you and I write; the information just suddenly appeared! I did not even need to read it, but right now, I can tell you EVERYTHING that was on that paper, because it was instantly impressed on my mind like a printing press prints on paper. The press doesn't have to read what is imprinted. It's there! In the same way, every single notation was burned into my mind, and it's still there! Even though I had this knowledge, God also let me know that he did not want me to reveal any of these things until such times as he would release me to share them.”

He goes on to describe some of these 120 events, which all eventually came to pass as predicted.

“Event number four on the list related to a man who was to accept Christ on February 4, 1977, and who would die on May 30 in an airplane crash! God saved him on the exact day he said he would!

He was in our services on the Friday before he died, and asked to have lunch with me, saying, "There are some things I just have to talk to you about." As we ate together he said, "Pastor, I have a strange feeling that I might be going to die. Will you tell me everything you can about heaven?" I had to bite my lip because I KNEW what was going to happen, but couldn't tell him. God had said I could not because of the impact it would have on other lives! However, I did tell him everything I could about heaven! Just exactly as God had said over four months before, he went to be with the Lord on May 30, 1977, when he was killed in an airplane crash!

Item number 63 was another one which God actually allowed me to see and witness in detail before it happened. It concerned a family who were having serious marital problems. While I was in heaven, I saw them coming into my office and noticed the date was on the paper when this was to occur.

When the date arrived, these particular people didn't show up. I wondered what had happened, so I decided to stay a little while longer at my office. A short time after my normal closing hour, the telephone rang and a person who didn't identify himself, said, "Pastor Buck, will you be in your office for a little while?" I said, "Yes." He didn't tell me who he was.

When they came to the door, I greeted them BY NAME! This really shook them up! Then I asked, "What brought you here?" They said they had been having terrible marital problems and decided they would have to go someplace to clear the air. They didn't know why, but they had decided to come to Boise, Idaho.

"We drove up here, rented a motel room, and when we got inside the room, we noticed the telephone book was lying open to the spot where you have your ad which reads, 'Counseling by appointment.'"

Instantly I knew that one of those angels had been there ahead of time and had opened the directory to the right place, and had also arranged at the front desk for them to get the right room. As we conversed, the lady said, "We have had a good time driving up here together, things are all straightened out, and everything is going to be all right, so we won't waste your time. We'll be leaving now!"

I said, "No, you had better stay here, because that isn't the way it is." I told them that God had let me see this event happening months before. I said to the wife, "You have a gun in your purse, and you are planning to shoot your husband as soon as you get back to your motel."

He was really alarmed, and exclaimed, "You'd better not shoot me!" She was shaking all over. I said, "Open your purse and give me that gun!"

She opened her purse and handed me the gun exactly as I had seen it happen before. Then her very soul cried out to God! She knew there was no way I could have known anything about the gun unless God had told me, and he had let me know about it almost six months before it happened! Both of them immediately fell down on their faces before God. He washed their sins

away and instantly put their marriage back together. I have had one beautiful letter from them since then. They are going to a good church in California, happy in the Lord and serving God!

Number 113 of the 120 events which God entered on this paper from my book in heaven on January 21, 1977, was the selection of a new pope. God told me the pope has no more influence with him than the least of his saints, and has no greater privileges, but because his influence with man is great, his choice is God's concern. Therefore, in order to help in the restoration of his fragmented body, God had chosen a man named Karol Wojtyla of Poland. This prophecy was fulfilled October 16, 1978, when he began his reign as Pope John Paul II.”

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Dreams and Visions

Jane Hamon is a pastor from Florida whom Carol and I heard speak in Rochester a short while ago. She tells the story of speaking at a home for troubled girls, and as she hugged one of them to say goodbye, she felt impressed to say to the girl “You are not forsaken”. The girl immediately burst into tears and rolled up her sleeve. She was a “cutter” and had carved into her arm “FORSAKEN”. Coincidence?

42 Jane Hamon evidently hears from God, both in dreams and during her waking hours. Her interest in dreams grew out of a personal experience while she was away at college. One night, she dreamed in great detail about her younger brother. In the dream, her brother became very ill and ultimately died. Jane awakened and was concerned. She tried to tell herself it was only a dream and that there was probably no reason to be alarmed. When she couldn’t shake her gloomy feelings, she decided to pray for her brother that he was and would remain healthy and that God would look out for him. After a time, she was able to go back to sleep.

Jane realized the significance of her dream when she received a phone call from her mother the next morning. Her mom wanted to tell her of a family emergency during the night involving Jane’s brother. Her brother’s appendix had burst while he was out on a camping trip. By the time he got to a hospital, he was very ill and, in fact, could have died. Jane realized that God had been speaking to her in her dream. This specific event prompted her to begin a serious study of Scriptures to determine the validity of hearing God through dreams. This would not be the last time God would reveal life-threatening information to Jane in a dream. Jane had a second dream regarding her younger brother that more completely convinced her that God does reveal important information to His children through dreams. Jane dreamed in vivid detail that her brother was in a car wreck. The car rolled three times, and her brother was crushed and killed. When she awoke from this dream, she prayed earnestly for her brother’s safety. The very next day, her brother’s car was hit while he was crossing an intersection on his way to school, just as it had occurred in the dream. His car did roll three times, but her brother was miraculously

42 http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/jane_hamon_011405.aspx

saved. Jane is sure that God sent the dream and awakened her to pray so that her brother’s life would be spared.

Jane wrote a book called Dreams and Visions as a result of her personal study. Though this book has been around for nearly eight years, she says it is highly relevant today as we enter the age spoken of by the prophet, Joel, and quoted in Acts 2:17-18: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." This Scripture says God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh – not just Christians. In the Bible, God gave dreams to His servants Daniel and Joseph. He directed Jesus’ father, Joseph, to protect his son on four different occasions using dreams. He also gave dreams to the unrighteous King Nebuchadnezzar and Pilate’s wife as well. Men of God were often called upon to interpret dreams given to the unrighteous.

Jane says it is the same in this age. Christians need to be able to interpret their own dreams and visions and also help the unsaved. Jane says God does speak in these ways and anyone can gain understanding about a dream or a vision. Jane is also careful to caution that not every dream is necessarily from God. She says, "There are pizza dreams or natural dreams, and there are also dreams inspired by the enemy. There are also dreams in which our own subconscious minds play out matters that our conscience minds may hold at bay during our waking hours." Jane says that in order to accurately interpret dreams and visions, you must be able to recognize whether a dream comes from God, from your own soul, or from the enemy. Ask yourself: is the message of the dream consistent with the Word of God; is the message consistent with the nature and character of Jesus; does the message lead to righteousness?; is the receiver of the dream/vision saved?

Jane uses the example of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, to show how these questions should have told him immediately the source of his supposed dream from Gabriel. The speaker in the dream told Muhammad, “You are as Jesus, a prophet to the people.” Thus the supposed angel praised Muhammad and denied Christ. Answering these simple questions shows that God would be lying, a flagrant violation of His own character, if He had really sent the dream. Jane says the best way to sharpen skills of discerning dreams is to practice by comparing dream content to the Scriptures and by praying and listening to God’s Voice.

Miracles - Modern Day.

Most of us are astonished by stories of modern-day miracles, and many people try to explain them away. But there is a body of evidence that is hard to refute. Here are some examples:

Heart Surgeon tells of Resurrection from the Dead43 07.19.2007

Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall IV: "We quickly rushed the gentleman down to the intensive care unit, and the hospital was by now buzzing about the fact that a dead man had been brought back to life. After a couple of days he woke up. He had an amazing story to tell after I had asked him, 'Where have you been and where were you on that day that you had that massive heart attack? You were gone and we prayed you back to life in Jesus name.'"

The audience of 120 doctors from 50 countries sat in stunned silence as a renowned heart doctor produced evidence of how, after he had prayed for a patient who had died and was being prepared for the morgue, was brought back to life after prayer. Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall IV, who serves at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, made his dramatic presentation on July 13th at the 4th Annual World Christian Doctors Network Conference in Miami, Florida. He produced dramatic evidence that was shown on the screen and then, afterwards, agreed to tell the story to Assist News Service in an interview.

Dr. Crandall began by saying that the dramatic incident took place almost a year ago in West Palm Beach, Florida. "We had a fifty-three year old man who came to the emergency room with a massive heart attack and actually his heart had stopped," he said. "The medical people had worked on him for over forty minutes in the emergency room and then declared him dead.

"They called me in to evaluate the patient towards the end of his treatment where they had unsuccessfully tried to revive him. The nurse was preparing his body to be taken down to the morgue when the Holy Spirit told me to 'turn around and pray for that man.' When the Holy Spirit talks to you, you have to respond. It's sometimes a quiet voice and this was a quiet voice and to honor the Lord I did turn around and I went to the side of that stretcher where his body was being prepared. .

"There was no life in the man. His face and feet and arms were completely black with death and I sat next to his body and I prayed, 'Lord, Father; how am I going to pray for this man? He's dead. What can I do?' All of a sudden, these words came out of my mouth, 'Father, God, I cry out for the soul of this man if he does not know You as his Lord and Savior, please raise him from the dead right now in Jesus name. .

"It was amazing as a couple minutes later, we were looking at the monitor and all of a sudden a heart beat showed up. It was a perfect beat; a normal beat; and then after a couple more minutes, he started moving and then his fingers were moving and then his toes began moving and then he started mumbling words. .

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"There was a nurse in the room—she wasn't a Believer—and she screamed out and said 'Doctor Crandall, what have you done to this patient?' And I said, 'All I've done is cry out for his soul in Jesus name.' .

"We quickly rushed the gentleman down to the intensive care unit, and the hospital was by now buzzing about the fact that a dead man had been brought back to life. After a couple of days he woke up. He had an amazing story to tell after I had asked him, 'Where have you been and where were you on that day that you had that massive heart attack? You were gone and we prayed you back to life in Jesus name.' .

"He said, 'Doctor Crandall, it's the most amazing thing. I was in a dark room and there was no light. It was complete darkness and I felt I was in a casket and I kept repeating that I was so disappointed.' He said the disappointment came from the fact that none of his family, friends or colleagues, had come to visit him. Then he told me, 'All of a sudden, these men came in and they wrapped me up and they threw me in the trash.' .

"Dan, he was in hell that day and as he told me that story, I cried out, 'Lord, this gentleman needs to accept You as Lord and Savior.' I then explained the salvation message to this man as he sat in that bed and I held his hand and I cried out, 'Father God, in the name of Jesus, I pray that this man accepts you as his Lord and Savior right here in the intensive care unit.' He held out his hand and accepted Christ as his Savior with tears rolling down from his eyes and now he's a child of God. .

"I told him, 'You never have to be thrown in the trash into total darkness now. The life of Christ is in you and the light of the kingdom of Heaven is on you now." .

I asked Dr. Crandall if there had been any brain damage to the patient. .

"No there was no brain damage at all; his brain was completely normal," he said. "I was most concerned about his hands because his fingers were completely black and he had some numbness in his fingers and his feet, but now that is totally resolved." .

I asked Dr. Crandall if he could give the name of the man and he said he couldn't as the patient had requested that it would not be revealed. .

"All I can say is that he was fifty-three years old and he was a car mechanic," he said. "He had a family who were Believers, but he left them twenty years ago because he didn't believe in the Lord. His family continued to pray for twenty years for his salvation, and his ex-wife was on her hands and knees praying for the salvation of her ex-husband, who came to know the Lord that day." .

I then asked the doctor if he had seen other similar miracles in his practice. .

"I've been witness to three cases of people being raised from the dead," he said. "One other case was when another patient came to the hospital with a massive heart attack. It was on the very day that I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and I'd been praying for weeks that I would receive this mighty baptism that the Lord can give us. We were working on this patient that came in again with a massive heart attack and who didn't survive in the operating room.

"All of a sudden, that Baptism of the Holy Spirit hit me and I started speaking in a spiritual language and crying over this patient who, in the operating room theater, had passed away. And then, within five or ten minutes, the heartbeat came back and life came back to this patient. Once again, the nurses who are not Believers looked at me as if to say, 'There goes Doctor Crandall on another case." .

I concluded the interview by asking Dr. Crandall what he would like to say to doctors who do not believe in supernatural healing. .

"I would just like to say to my colleagues and physicians out there, that the Lord is real. We've seen many miracles and we pray for our patients daily. There is not one week that goes by that we don't see a mighty miracle in our office. The people need this; they need the power of Christ in their life and they need the power of Christ for healing.

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Faith to Raise the Dead44

Joseph "Jody" Hogan is a missionary in Mexico, the son of the flamboyant but extremely effective Mexican missionary David Hogan. Here’s his story:

“I must tell you about my failures first. My deepest successes have come out of my deepest failures. Nobody likes that kind of preaching (laughter). Monsoons came. I was fresh in Mexico. I didn’t have any work at all. I had a lot of time off. When you don’t have any work you have lots of free time. I’m not the kind of person who likes that much free time. I like to be busy, busy, busy. I had a small group of street people, probably 25 of them. They didn’t have daddies. I was just preaching Jesus to them. I was taking them to the river for fishing and messing around with them, just doing stuff. Monsoons came. I didn’t understand monsoons then, but I understand them now.

There was a tap at my gate and one of the fellows from the group came and said you need to get your flippers on because one of the guys from the group fell in the river.

Monsoon rivers swell up really fast and they are real treacherous and are very bad. He was in there. He’d been in there an hour. The young man asked if I would please help. I grabbed my flippers and ran down to the river. I stripped down, put my flippers on, and dove right in.

The water was muddy murky and there was a whirlpool. There were four of us in the water. They were sure that the boy was down in there somewhere. Every time I came up for air there was over a thousand people on the bank. They were screaming orders at us. I’ve learned lots of lessons in this stuff over the years. Don’t tell me where to go unless you get in the water with me! If you get in the water with me, and you’re going to suffer, and you’re going to let it beat on

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you then I’ll listen to you. If you’re going to stay on the bank and we don’t know but a little but we’re willing to try and you’re not… shut up.

When I was in the water I was caught up in a willow. You know what they are with long skinny limbs. When you’re in water they’re like tentacles and they wrap you up and they won’t let you go and it’s scary. Well it caught me up and thank you Jesus I was able to break all those limbs and get away. It marked me up a little bit, but that’s okay. When I was reaching out trying to get away I touched a body, broke him loose and brought him up. We put him up in the boat and we were trying to decide what to do. All these people on the bank were trying to tell us all these things. We got him out and laid him on the thing. Right in the middle of all that mass confusion… the mother was screaming, the dad was wailing, and the family… it was rough, it was rough. I don’t like being around it but you have to sometimes. We laid him down. Right in the middle of all of that Jesus spoke to me to pray for him. “I will raise him from the dead.”

You’re right. It was an awesome moment but I disobeyed. I was standing in the midst of all this confusion and pain. Do you understand what I am at that moment? I am a doorway of power, but because of what was before me in the faces of men fear gripped me at the same time as faith did, doubt and unbelief. My King was asking for fruit. Let me tell you I was bent over like this. I walked off. Oooh, that’s a bad feeling. I wouldn’t suggest that you do that either. It doesn’t go very well with you in a few minutes. I can still feel the hurt and the emotions of the moment because I disobeyed God Almighty. Listen to this. I live with this every day. I condemned that 14 year-old boy to eternal damnation. He was not born again.

By the time I made it home the demon riding my back had made his job pretty complete. I was useless. I began to blubber and go into confusion and doubt and condemnation was huge and all sorts of other demons and deceptions had settled in. There was a cloud I could not see through and could not sort out the emotions that had gotten hold of my spirit, because I had submitted to it because of one thing – the fear of man. You can take your intimidation and go back to the hell you came out of with it. Not any more for me. No sir. No sir.

I won’t eat that any more. It’s a bad and sour pill. It’s not for me. That’s why I seem aggressive to you. That’s why I can seem overpowering and intimidating. I won’t allow certain things that have eaten my lunch in the past to even get at the table. They’re not even allowed to sit up with me. They can go to hell. Right now is fine.

I went through a month of the most miserable days of my life. And finally thanks be to God for a good woman. My wife is really tiny but she’s really feisty. She’s a good lady. She comes marching in there. She grabbed me by the collar and she said” now then listen to me”. I didn’t want to because I was rolling in the mire of it. I didn’t want to hear her. I didn’t want to hear anybody. She said “this is what you’re going to do.” I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t the king anymore. She said “you will either go out there and win souls like Jesus told you to do and you will let the devil fall off of you and you will forgive yourself and you’re will let God forgive you or let’s go home.” That was God talking to me. She was the only one strong enough to tell me. I looked at her and said “okay”. So I got up and got a few tracks and I went out fired up that big ol’ four wheel drive and I went out and felt a little bit better. Then the next day she helped me get in the truck again and I was a little bit better. Finally after awhile, probably another month, I was running at full speed again. But now I have the most valuable lesson of all. I am failure without obedience to the name of Jesus. That makes me powerful because I know what the

bowels of failure and hell are all about – total destruction for the human body and soul. Total annihilation of what little ministry there is. You must realize that Jesus is your source. Jesus is your mainstay. Without Him you are nothing but with Him you can do anything.

A couple of months later I was in a small village in Mexico. A little Indian fellow ran up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and said “Brother David, my son is about to die.” I said I have to go first to preach the gospel and after I preach I will go and lay hands on the sick. Does your Bible say something like this in Psalm 107 it says “God sent His word to heal” - around verse 19 or 20. The Word has to go first, that’s just my opinion. It isn’t always that way but this time that’s the way it was. I went to church and cranked up my little Coleman lantern. You’ve got to get this – grass roof, dirt floor, a brand new fledgling church. See this – you’re winning. You’ve got a few converts here in an area that for who knows how many millenniums that the demons have controlled it. There’s a gospel light there with an ability to take over everything that it touches. Yes there’s oppression and the pressures are very real and it doesn’t feel good, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t stop the power of God. You get it?

Church was good. It was wonderful. After, I was putting up my little light. I’d done my thing. I’d preached the gospel. It was what I was supposed to do. The man sat on the bench. When I got up to preach he listened. Now he says to me “Brother David, you’ve got to come and pray for my son.” I got my backpack. The scene is awesome. There aren’t any Americans within several hundred miles. There isn’t any way of telling. I’m in this jungle scene. The trees are humungous. The smells of the jungle, houses here and there. The only way you can tell there’s a village is that every once in a while a dog will bark. That’s the only way you can tell that it’s there. Everything is black – it’s like being under a canopy with all the trees. My little lamp isn’t throwing much light. I’m thinking “God this is awesome”. Darkness is all around us and we have this little light. This is God. The Gospel is power. It helps people to see how to walk down the trail. It’s wonderful.

I’m walking with these guys and I’m going by different houses and I heard this lady over there wailing. Ooooo Oooooo. I thought “I wonder what that is, man?” The closer we get the louder it gets. We’re headed to the noise. I get a little closer and the Indian brother walks up into the house. It’s his house. He walks back out. Now responsibility hits you. Are you ready? Because he got right up in my face, little bitty Indian fellow. He said “my son is dead and you are going to do something about it.” Woops. How many of you have read the latest book on how to raise the dead? There isn’t one.

Responsibility, severity, scripture verses are running through my mind. Fear is gripping me again. Doubt, unbelief. Guess what I don’t have this time? What I don’t have is the direct commandment from Jesus to me “raise the dead.” I didn’t hear it this time.

Things are going to get more complicated and I’m going to go after some your pet religious clichés. I go in this hut. The hut is small. They don’t waste things there. I walked in to go into the door. When I walked in their house is made up of sticks wrapped up with vines out of the jungle. I get inside and there are two or three candles burning. The first thing I see is a woman in the middle of the floor, rocking back and forth and just screaming. There’s a little body stretched out – her son, nine years old. He’d been dead for four hours. I look to her right and there are two black magic warlocks standing there. Standing beside them are two spiritist healers. You have two elders from the town that are anti-Christ. They are against Jesus. You’ve got the warlocks

and the spiritists - plenty of demons there. The sister was born again. When she looked up and saw me… I don’t have to tell you how concerned I looked. You have this dead boy there, you have these warlocks, you have these anti-Christs, you’ve got the spiritist healers there. It’s time to be serious. So what do you do? Pray, believe, receive “all things whatsoever”. Is this true? Are you starting to see how I think there because it’s in the Bible, that’s why. The scriptures in the both the Old and New Testaments began to go through my mind about how people had been raised from the dead. I didn’t know what to do. There was no other book than the Bible. I’ve come to find out that’s the only book. I literally did not know how to go about what I was doing. I did not have a direct word from God come into my spirit. I did not have an angelic visitation or manifestation. I did not have a finger on the wall. I didn’t even have a bird peeping….

I had two spiritist healers, two black magic warlocks, and two anti-Christs and all were chanting evil spells on me. Now if I was an American I would think “well the spiritual airways aren’t clean so I can’t pray – praise the Lord.”

For us to wait on the spiritual airways to be clean I would never pray. I’m working what’s called pioneer work. There has never been anyone praying there before so all the airways are contaminated by the demon forces. What do you think we have the Holy Ghost for? Let me say something that’s really remarkable. There isn’t a devil big enough to stop Jesus. That’s really the truth. Your emotions don’t have anything to say about what is going on. Don’t you listen to your emotions, you’ll always be in trouble.

What the devil says, whether it’s in your mind or your spirit, whether it’s what you’re seeing, feeling, tasting, touching, has nothing to do with what the Word of God says. What those warlocks are saying has nothing to do with power of God. They cannot… CANNOT… stop heaven. In remembered what Jesus did. I’m a simple fellow. I’m sitting there and scriptures are running through my brain. I figured Jesus probably did it right.

I’ll show you. Ready? This hand was on the little boys head. Then I decided to see if he’s only half-dead. Maybe I can find a faint heartbeat. That surely would be easier. I looked all over the little boy for a heartbeat or a faint pulse. It wasn’t there. So I said “Oh well, he’s all the way dead” So I started praying.

Now people always have questions about this raising the dead. What did you pray? How did you pray? How long did you pray? What does it matter? The name of Jesus is what matters. The particular method I used was probably wrong, but there’s this thing called grace and mercy. It comes from heaven. You throw yourself on that all the time so as to give Him all the glory and everything will work out usually. So I started praying for him. I prayed in English and that didn’t work. I prayed in Spanish and that didn’t work. So I prayed in Indian, that didn’t work. I prayed in tongues, that didn’t work. I was fresh out of languages. So what could I do? I told you I could not attribute it to anything but the name of Jesus. As I was sitting there I was frantically going from one language to another, a few syllables in one end then the other. In every language the name of Jesus was prevalent and that’s what matters. How long… I don’t have any idea. I know I began to sweat pretty hard, but it was a hot night – about 100 degrees there at 10 or 11 o’clock at night. I was praying and sweating, and holding onto the little boy’s arm.

He’d gone stiff on me and lost all his color. All of a sudden - now listen to this - it’s pretty fun! I’m praying and the little boy had on a little t-shirt and the dad and I saw that it bounced. It went

to-to. I looked up and the daddy’s eyes were as big as mine because he saw it too. Now the devils are still chanting and they’re still cursing God and me and everybody else. For some reason it didn’t bother the Holy Ghost, what do you think about that? That Mighty Holy Ghost came in there and thumped that heart on that little boy and kicked it all off again. In just a few minutes the little arm got limber. And the color came back. He got warm again. Wow! Today is the same day of salvation as it was then. Today is the day of power and resurrection. Today is the day of Glory. Today is the day of visitation.

You see I don’t know why God would let me touch that little boy. I don’t feel like the right person. I feel underqualified. I feel lots of things. I feel under-studied. I feel lots of things, but it doesn’t seem to bother the Holy Ghost how I feel. As long as I call out to Jesus in faith. As long as you believe “whatsoever you ask in prayer believing” you shall receive. That’s what I believe – okay? That’s what the Bible says.

Listen, I didn’t know what to do next. His little eyes opened and looked at me. Almost all the little children are afraid of me because I’m big to them and I’m little itty bitty. This little boy had such peace. I reached down and got him. I picked up this boy who had been dead for over 4 ½ hours. You remember what the bible says that Jesus did with the children. He always brought them to their mother. Most of the time he said to them “give them something to eat”. I was able to take that child over to his mother. I laid it in the mother’s arms. She was as astounded as I was. Jesus came there because of His compassion for that lady (and he helped me too).

I was so astounded that it worked. It really, really works. It’s wonderful. Here’s what I told that lady. “Ma’am, here’s your son back from the dead by the power and the Glory and the Blood through the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” In my opinion as a man who has been around the world several times, been in some of the greatest services that there will ever be. I have personally been where 21 people have been raised from the dead. That’s awesome but it pales compared to your ability to be in His presence. He ordained His disciples first to be with Him. You’ve been called and you’re obedient, but the most important thing you can ever do is spend time with Jesus.

I may be the simplest man you’ve ever met but you’ve never met any man in our generation that have touched as many dead man and had them get up as I have. You might not like the way I dress or talk but spending time with Jesus is number one. Don’t ever forget that. After people spent time with Jesus then He sent his disciples forth. Don’t go unless Jesus sends you. Get with Him and he’ll send you to preach.

After that they healed the sick and cast out devils. The most valuable thing you have is to seek Jesus. It’s not how well you speak. It’s not how well you pray. It’s not how well you heal the sick. It’s not the number of demons you can cause to flee when you walk in. It’s how well you can speak “I love you, Jesus. I need you Jesus. Absorb me Jesus. Possess me Jesus.”

Excerpt from “Faith to Raise the Dead”. To hear the entire sermon go to http://www.fathersglory.com

The Voice of God

There are numerous examples of people hearing the voice of God – and heeding it to their great advantage. How do explain this without God? Wednesday, August 1st, seemed to be a day like any other in the St. Paul, Minneapolis area. But at 6:05 pm—in the midst of rush hour traffic— the busy Interstate Bridge that joined I-35 with the city of Minneapolis suddenly broke apart and fell into the Mississippi River.

There have been many accounts already, which have pointed to the grace and protection of God in the midst of such tragedy.... Due to the construction on the bridge, the traffic was not at the normally full flow, or speed. There was a train riding underneath the bridge at the time, which may have stopped some of the collapse. And then the school bus, filled with 50 children that rode the concrete on the way down during the collapse, and didn't tip over—all the children were saved. What happened to Matthew (last name withheld) on the day of the bridge collapse is nothing short of miraculous and amazing! .

"I was coming home to take a shower, and then pick up my friend across the I35W Bridge," Matthew recalled. "I was headed into the city [of Minneapolis], it was bumper-to-bumper." .

"I was praying and talking to the Lord, and the next minute the Lord gave me this vision. In the vision [the bridge was] shaking—it started to snap and broke through. I saw two cars go off the edge into the Mississippi. Then, [after the vision] I said, 'What is that all about Lord? You need to talk to me.'" .

"God told me to 'STOP!'" (I was 100 feet away from the bridge). "He said, 'You need to stop right there.' I said, 'Lord, there are cars behind me,' (There were about 100 people in the line of traffic behind him, and many had begun honking their horns at him). But God said, 'That's okay, you need to stop.' So I stopped. And then the Lord said, 'Look.'" .

"People were going around me—about 20 feet away from the bridge. That's when it snapped— [the bridge] broke down and crashed. I saw 2 cars go off the bridge, and I was like...'wow!'"

"At first I was sitting in the car waiting, thanking the Lord, because it could've been me on that bridge. Then people came up to me and said, 'Thank you.'" .

"I got out and looked from the side [at the collapse]...it was traumatic seeing what happened. And then the police told me to go back in my car and turn around." .

I asked Matthew what he was thinking at the moment he saw the bridge begin to break... "I was realizing that the Lord is awakening [His people] and saying, 'Listen to Me, you need to listen to Me.' I realized that if I [hadn't] listened to Him, I would've gotten on that bridge and took a ride." .

"After that I called my friend and told him I couldn't pick him up because the bridge broke through. Then I went to the Holy Spirit conference [that was happening nearby] and worshipped the Lord!" I then asked Matthew, "As you look back at what God spared you from that day, and at what happened with the bridge, what immediately comes to mind?"

"When I look back," said Matthew, "I realize the Lord has a calling [for me], and He's preparing me to be obedient and ready, and to know it is 'time to roll'...and to know who Jesus is."

----

Heidi and Rolland Baker in Mozambique also hear God, and they see miracles – in fact, they expect them. During more than a decade of service in Mozambique, Heidi and Rolland Baker have witnessed countless miracles. In “Expecting Miracles: True Stories of God's Supernatural Power and How You Can Experience It (Rolland & Heidi Baker Publisher: Chosen 2007) are recorded extraordinary true stories of healing, provision and the raising of the dead with biblical insights and practical teaching. The Bakers work in astounding poverty in Mozambique. And this reads like a contemporary book of Acts. They walk with contagious passion for Jesus and equally contagious compassion for the hurt, lost and poor. Having faced overwhelming need, the Bakers now watch God provide miraculously for more than 2,000 children at their centers. Iris Ministries has expanded to more than 5,000 churches all over Mozambique and neighboring countries. (http://www.irisministries.com/latest_news.cfm).

Rolland writes: “I want to share with you some of the highlights from my Mozambican Christmas week. Bouncing down a road, dust flying as we hit incredibly huge potholes, my heart was filled with intense joy as I sang and prayed with our Mozambican children in the truck. We were on our way to share the love and power of Jesus with another village. We performed our impromptu drama and preached a message. Before long, people were clapping all through the crowd, receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I went around to the back of the crowd with friends to pray for the blind and those too sick to make it to the front. After the first blind lady was healed, they started bringing more blind people to us. God healed them all! I will never grow tired of this! What a privilege to be alive right now.”

45 “It is late Saturday night, and again we are meeting in the moonlight among the poor in a far corner of Mozambique. A crowd is gathered at the front of our unfinished mud, stick and rock church watching the Jesus film. Children are sitting in the dirt in front of the screen, squeezed in by adults straining to see over each other. This is Pemba, a strongly Moslem town on the northeast coast, but everyone we talk to is hungry for Jesus once they hear about Him. The film goes on and the people are completely absorbed. They have never seen anything like this.

But I am sitting in the dark off to the side under a tree talking with one of our pastors, Antonio Tanuekue, from Nampula to the south. He is telling me about two more resurrections from the dead. A lady from far out of town was taking her malaria-stricken three-year-old girl to the hospital. On the way the girl died. The mother knew Pastor Antonio, and she carried her daughter to his house, which was nearby. For three hours Antonio's wife Florinda rocked this child's cold, dead body in her arms and prayed for her as the mother sobbed. Then the girl's head began to get warm, and Florinda and Antonio began to pray more excitedly. Soon the girl was alive and restored completely. But the mother was so afraid she would lose her daughter again that she stayed in the pastor's house for three days.

On another recent occasion a mother lost her one-year-old baby girl to malaria also and brought her to Florinda wrapped in the folds of her African skirt. And again after about three hours of prayer, this child began to warm up and came alive too. I find out that many people come to

45 http://www.irismin.org/news/15.php

Pastor Antonio for prayer from all around. They come at any time of day or night, sometimes at three in the morning, and many are healed. Antonio is very understated, like our other pastors, not at all anxious for publicity, and concerned that too much talk will detract from his anointing. But we do want the world to know that our Jesus does raise the dead, that it is not any more difficult for him than healing malaria or any other disease, and that it should not be considered incredible. It is the normal life of God poured out in revival. Such miracles bring wonderful church growth, and greatly increased devotion among the families and friends of those involved.

Antonio is our provincial pastor of Nampula Province, also a Moslem area. It is far from our center in Maputo and we only had our first conference there last year in a small mud church. Yet in this short time twenty-five churches have been added around the city of Nampula, and the people are crying out for more teaching and conferences. All over Mozambique the poor in spirit want the presence of God more than food or clothes, even in their extreme poverty.

We are often asked what brings about church growth here. Is it our Bible teaching, Bible school structure, bush conferences, strategy, what? Many things may be involved, but our own pastors tell us that it is miracles that bring the people. They go where Jesus heals them, loves them and does things for them. We might say those things shouldn't be necessary, but our people are very simple. They don't want to go where they can't feel or appreciate the presence of Jesus, even if the place is a beautiful, traditional church. They don't want to exchange their powerful witch doctors for a powerless church. They want a living God involved with their lives who can be trusted in everything, and who has more power than any opposition.

Back in Maputo at our main center we send out a revival team that comes back every week with the most wonderful reports. Churches are planted through miracles. Last week they went up to Xai-Xai, about three hours' drive north of Maputo. Two years ago the people along the Limpopo River there experienced the horror of record-breaking floods, but this year they have been suffering from drought. Our team preached, but the people cried out, "Give us rain! Pray for rain! Can your God bring rain?" And so the team prayed. That night an amazing deluge poured down on all of southern Mozambique. The heavy rain continued for six hours through the night. And the next day 1,200 people showed up at the start of our new church. That's how the Holy Spirit plants churches...”

Is the Resurrection Reasonable?

As apologist William Lane Craig has well-stated: “As long as the existence of God is even possible, it’s possible that He acted in history by raising Jesus from the dead.” As long as the existence of God is acknowledged, the possibility for miracles is also allowed. The biggest miracle, after all, was Creation!

Evidences for the Resurrection46

For nearly 2000 years there has been the historical phenomenon of Christianity. In spite of the fact that the church throughout its early years suffered intense persecution at the hands of both the Jews and the Romans, it flourished. Many of the first missionaries of the Christian faith died a martyr's death because of their belief in Jesus Christ.

Why were these early Christians willing to face death for their belief in Jesus Christ? It was because they were convinced of the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that this proved without a doubt that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the one and only Savior of the world. And, so for them, death was not the end. The resurrection is a historical fact--not just some philosophical ideal or idea.

Historical Background

The message of the early church was always centered around the historical fact of the resurrection. And this was not just a theological myth which began circulating 20 or 30 years later among the followers of Jesus Christ. It was a message proclaimed immediately beginning with the morning of the third day. It was a message based upon incontrovertible evidence.

Luke 24:9-11; 33-35 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. . . . 33 And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, "The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon." 35 And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Acts 1:21-22 "It is therefore necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us-- 22 beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us-- one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection."

Acts 2:23-24; 31-32 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 "And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in

46 http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=639 by J. Hampton Keathley, III , Th.M. (Bio)

its power. . . . 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

Acts 3:14-15 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.

Acts 10:39-41 "And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And they also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 "God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

Acts 13:29-39 "And when they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. 30 "But God raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. 32 "And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'Thou art My Son; today I have begotten Thee.' 34 "And as for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' 35 "Therefore He also says in another Psalm, 'Thou wilt not allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.' 36 "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay; 37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. 38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

Acts 17:30-31 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. "

Acts 26:22-23 "And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

Notice how the book of Acts begins:

Acts 1:1-3 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Without the resurrection it would have ended with verse 1. Death would have been the conclusion. But notice what verses 2 and 3 have to say:

"Convincing proofs" in verse 3 is the Greek tekmerion which is related to the Greek word tekma, meaning "a fixed boundary, goal, end." Tekmerion means "a fixed and sure sign, evidence, or proof." The word was used of demonstrable proof and evidence in contrast to mere philosophical superstition or in contrast to fallible signs. Galen, a medical writer of the second century A.D. so used this word. Here Luke, the historical physician, one practiced in gathering evidence, chooses this special word for sure historical proof, the strongest type of legal evidence.

In addition to this Luke adds to this word "many." So Luke tells us that he had carefully examined the evidence. Dr. Luke, who lived in the time of Jesus Christ and who had personally talked to many eye witnesses, tells us there were many demonstrable and incontrovertible proofs, not merely one or two, but many. (Cf. Luke 1:1-2)

From the beginning there have been those who have rejected the resurrection as a hoax, a tale, a lie or fiction. A number of theories have been advance to disprove the resurrection, but all of these have been solidly discredited by one historical scholar after another. So, interestingly, not one shred of solid evidence has ever been given to support these claims. Then why do people make these claims? It is because they have never examined the evidence, or because of their prejudice, their philosophical bias, and unbelief in the miraculous.

The silence of Christ's enemies and the lack of historical evidence against the resurrection is almost as strong evidence as the positive evidences for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A book covering a debate between Gary Habermas and Anthony Flew is entitled, Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?, the Resurrection Debate. The debate was held in Dallas and was judged by a panel of judges organized into two panels of experts in their respective areas of specialty to render a verdict on the subject matter of the debate. One panel consisted of five philosophers who were asked to judge the content of the debate and render a winner. The second panel consisted of five professional debate judges who were asked to judge the argumentation technique of the debaters. All ten participants serve on the faculties of American universities and colleges such as the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Virginia, Western Kentucky University, James Madison University, and George Mason University.

The decisions of the judges were as follows. The panel of philosophers judging content cast four votes for Habermas who argued for the fact of the resurrection, none for Flew, and one draw. The panel of professional debate judges voted three to two, also in favor of Habermas, this time regarding the method of argumentation technique. Note what one judge said:

I am of the position that the affirmative speaker [Habermas] has a very significant burden of proof in order to establish his claims. The various historical sources convinced me to adopt the arguments of the affirmative speaker. Dr. Flew, on the other hand, failed, particularly in the rebuttal period and the head-to-head session, to introduce significant supporters of his position. Dr. Habermas placed a heavy burden on Dr. Flew to refute very specific issues. As the rebuttals progressed, I felt that Dr. Flew tried to skirt the charges (Habermas and Flew, p. xiv).

Another professional debate judge said:

I conclude that the historical evidence, though flawed, is strong enough to lead reasonable minds to conclude that Christ was indeed raised from the dead. Habermas has already won the debate. . . . . By defeating the Hume-inspired skeptical critique on miracles in general offered by Flew and by demonstrating the strength of some of the historical evidence, Habermas does end up providing "highly probably evidence" for the historicity of the resurrection "with no plausible naturalistic evidence against it." Habermas, therefore, in my opinion, wins the debate (Ibid., p. xv) .

A Theological and Philosophical Absurdity

There are always those who say the historical fact of a physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is not important. "It is sufficient" they say, "that one believes in a spiritual resurrection," or as . . . "the late Norman Perrin, a highly esteemed New Testament scholar of the University of Chicago, remarked not too long ago that the really important thing about the resurrection of Jesus is not the historical reality of that event, but the theological truths that it expresses" (William Craig, Knowing the Truth About the Resurrection, Servant Books, p. xiii). Others have advocated "you do not need to believe in the resurrection. If this stands in the way of your rationale, just accept Jesus as a great leader and as an example of love, kindness and peace." This kind of thinking is pure nonsense, illogical, and contrary to the facts of the life of Christ.

We need to see clearly that there can be positive theological implications of the resurrection only insofar as its historical reality is affirmed. While many theologians may find such a conviction hopelessly antiquated, the man in the street knows better. His common sense tells him that there is no reason why a dead man should be decisive for his existence today. Once doctrinal teachings are detached from their historical realities, we have entered the arena of myth. And there is simply no good reason to prefer Christian myths over other myths or, for that matter, secular philosophies. The resurrection is only real for our lives today if it is a real event of history (Craig, p. xiii).

If we take away the resurrection, then Jesus Christ was not even a good human leader, but a human monstrosity who was on the level with a man who thinks he is Captain Marvel. Either he was the world's greatest deceiver and deserved to die, or He was who He claimed to be, the God-Man Savior of the world. And it is the resurrection which makes the difference.

It is not my intention to give all the evidence, but to concentrate on some of the more remarkable and important evidences. .

The Evidence of the Stone

Matthew 28:1-4 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; 4 and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

Mark 16:1-4 And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one

another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.

Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

John 20:1-9 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2 And so she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." 3 Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb. 4 And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. .

The Seal on the Stone

The seal set on the stone (Mt. 27:62-66). As claimed by the Pharisees, this was requested of Pilate to guard against any kind of fraud or lies by the disciples of Jesus Christ. In doing this, however, they provided two more excellent evidences for Christ's resurrection. Unwittingly, they prepared an unanswerable refutation to their own claims in their attempt to discredit the account of the resurrection (cf. Mat. 28:11-15).

The seal included two things: (1) a Roman guard, and (2) a seal consisting of a cord set in wax around the stone where it was connected to the tomb.

Matthew 27:65, "You have a guard: go, make it as secure as you know how."

Some have claimed that Pilate was refusing the request for a Roman guard and telling them to use their own temple guard. But the verb used can be an imperative, "take a guard, make it as sure as you know how." It can also mean he was giving them permission to have a Roman guard.

The word "guard" is the Greek word kustodia, from the Latin or Roman custodia. The use of this particular word would indicate a Roman guard and not the Jewish temple guard. This is further verified by the fact they ask Pilate for a guard. If they could have used their own guards why go to Pilate? Also, if only the temple guards were involved, the statements of verse 14 would have been unnecessary. No one would have to talk to the governor nor bribe anyone.

Why was this important? Because the presence of Roman soldiers at the tomb and the Roman seal over the stone door made the possibility of the religious leaders' claims many times more difficult, if not impossible. The likelihood that these timid, fearful Galilean disciples could or would steal the body of Jesus out from under the noses of a guard of highly disciplined and skilled Roman soldiers is not only ridiculous, but impossible. Even had the soldiers been asleep, think of the noise the disciples would have made trying to remove the huge stone covering the tomb entrance!

The Stone Rolled Away

The tombs in Palestine were somewhat like a cave hewn out of the rocky side of a mountain or hill. They consisted of a rectangular opening into a main room or central chamber with a niche carved into the side of one of the inner walls where the body was placed. At one end was a special elevated place for the head.

The opening of the central chamber was covered by a large circular stone or heavy disc of rock set in a slanting groove so that when the stone was released it would roll by its own weight and cover the entrance. Because of its enormous weight (possibly several tons) it would require the combined efforts of several men to move the stone back up the groove and block it. But who would roll away the stone?

 The enemies would not for it was their purpose to keep His body there and the door sealed (Matt. 27:62-66).  If the disciples had done it and had removed the body, they did so without the knowledge of the women, for they came expecting to find the body (John 20:1-2). Besides the guards were present.  The women themselves would have been unable to remove the stone. As they came to the tomb the morning of the resurrection, they were wondering, who would role away the stone for them (Mark 16:2-8).  Matthew 28:2-4 tells us it was an angel of the Lord. This shows divine intention.

It was not rolled away so Christ could leave because he could pass through the walls in His glorified body. By divine purpose it was removed to call attention to the testimony of the empty tomb. The tomb had been opened not to let Jesus out--but to let people in. Why did people need to get in? Because within the tomb itself lay some astounding evidence to the fact of the resurrection of Jesus, the witness of the grave cloths.

The Evidence of Empty Tomb

John 20:2-9 .. she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb. And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again. .

Mary's Response

Upon seeing the stone removed, Mary's immediate reaction is that thieves, perhaps the Jews, have taken the body. Without entering as the other women did, she returns to Peter and John. Her conclusion--"they have taken the Lord" (probably referring to the Jews) .

The Response of the Disciples

John arrived first and saw the linen wrappings. The verb used (the Greek blepo) describes the simple exercise of sight, a single look or glance. At just a casual glance what caught John's eye were the undisturbed wrappings, lying in their natural position as when around the body. The word order makes this evident, "lying" is first. Even a casual glance caught this.

Then Peter arrived and, in his impetuous way, entered immediately. The word "Beheld" is theoreo. This word denotes a purposeful and careful look, one which observes details, not just a casual look. What Peter observed were the linen wrappings.

The Evidence of the Grave Clothes

Peter observes the linen wrappings lying undisturbed. He noticed the face napkin rolled up separately, as it had been when the body was prepared, suggesting that the head wrapping had partially retained its annular form – like a cocoon. Had a thief stolen the body he would have taken the body--linen wrappings and all.

Had the wrappings been removed from the body they would not have been in an undisturbed fashion. As previously described, there was a place for the body with an elevated ledge for the head. The head was wrapped separately from the body. If someone had removed these from the body, they would not have been lying as originally placed--the napkin separate in the place where the head had been and the other wrappings where the body had been--undisturbed. Peter continued to ponder in his heart all he had observed.

John's Observations

When John enters the tomb, what he sees brings immediate understanding, intelligent comprehension of the facts. The word for sight in this verse denotes mental perception resulting principally from the vision.

Peter is pondering all he has observed, but not John. Having now seen the witness of the empty tomb, he understands that His Lord has risen from the dead. In verse 9 we are told he understands and believes. Now he understands the Old Testament Scripture and Christ's own words concerning Messiah being cut off, but returning and reigning by means of the resurrection. (Cf. Ps. 16:10; Dan. 2; Dan. 7; Dan. 9:6) Before they had not understood the Scripture or Christ's words. But now sight comes to John (cf. Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).

The Evidence of Christ's Appearances

The personal appearances of Christ following His resurrection are another overwhelming historical proof. The women and the disciples saw, heard, and even touched the Lord. In fact, 500 brethren saw him at one time (1 Cor. 15:6). Various explanations have been given concerning the resurrection, but none of them honestly and fairly deal with the record and are clearly prejudicial attempts to deny the evidence.

R. T. France in his book, The Evidence for Jesus, writes about the typical theories regarding Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection and the various attempts to get at the so-called real Jesus through the various theories regarding His life, death, and resurrection, whether in magazine articles, books, or television series. He shows how these invariably give prominence to the theories of skeptics and, by and large, do not treat the Gospels as historical evidence. At the end of the book, after discussing both non-Christian and biblical evidence, he made the following statement: "In the earlier chapters we have noticed the tendency of some recent writers to try to go behind the NT portrait of Jesus, in search of a more `recent' Jesus who even by the time the New Testament documents were written had been largely forgotten and replaced by a semi-mythical figure, the `Christ of faith'. We have seen repeatedly that the evidence on which such reconstructions are based (when they are not mere unsupported speculation) is in fact later in date than the NT writings, and can generally be identified with what by the second century were regarded as heretical movements, deviations from the original Christian message, usually in direction of a faith more appealing to the philosophical or religious climate of the day." (The Evidence for Jesus, R.T. France, The Jesus Library, Michael Green, series editor, pp. 165-166)

The Evidence of the Transformed Disciples

The disciples had seen their master die. And because of this, they had lost all hope. Christ had told them he would die and be raised. In fact, it was an integral part of His claims. Yet they were down-trodden, utterly disheartened, and meeting in obscure places. But after the resurrection, we find the disciples joyous, fearless, and bearing public testimony. They were even willing to die--and it is not likely they would be willing to die for a lie. (Cf. Schaff, Vol. I, p. 173f.) Peter, who denied the Lord when confronted by a young girl, boldly proclaimed the word at Pentecost in front of the same religious leaders who crucified Christ.

When we consider the transformation of the disciples in connection with the silence of the Jews and their inability to produce the body of Christ or any evidence to the contrary, the events of Pentecost become another proof of Christ's resurrection.

The Evidence of Pentecost (Acts 2-4)

Only 50 days following the death and resurrection, Peter preached the doctrine of the resurrection and thousands gathered to hear him. But the important point is he was preaching to people who had access to the tomb. The resurrection was not a new fact, and he was preaching its meaning from the Old Testament Scriptures (Ps. 16:8-10).

No one offered him a rebuttal. The Jews were silent--a silence which is as significant as the boldness of the speech of the disciples. Three thousand people who were in a position to know the facts about the resurrection of Christ believed and were saved. (Acts 2:41; 4:2-14).

There are other tremendous evidences for the resurrection of Christ such as:

 Old Testament prophecy.  The prophecies of Christ himself.  The existence of the church.  The observance of Sunday, the first day of the week.  The transformation and witness of Paul

The evidences mentioned in this study are more than sufficient to show the validity of the resurrection. To deny it, in view of the evidence, one must not only deny rational processes, but you must deny Christianity and the Scripture as valid and providing salvation for mankind.

The Doctrinal Significance of the Resurrection

The theology of the resurrection is vitally important to the Christian for it affects his salvation and his sanctification. In 1 Peter 1:3 Peter points out that “we are begotten unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” There are several reasons for this.

 The resurrection authenticates Christ as the Son of God (Rom. 1:4)  The resurrection proves the atoning value of Christ's work (Rom. 4:25). "Raised because of" means it proves the sufficiency of His atonement for our justification. The resurrection did not provide our justification, it proved Christ's death was sufficient to bring justification by faith. Therefore, having been justified (as proven by the resurrection) we have peace (Rom. 5:1).  The resurrection ensures our salvation (1 Cor. 15:17-19). It provides assurance for the fact of our salvation and affords comfort with regard to our deceased loved ones (I Thess 4:13f ). There is an inscription found in Thessalonica which reads, "After death, no reviving, after the grave no meeting again." The resurrection guarantees such a belief is false.  It is the basis of our sanctification (Rom. 6). As Christ was victorious over sin and death, so we may be victorious by our identification with him.  Christ's resurrection as the first fruits from the dead is the guarantee of our own resurrection and of the glorified body we will receive at the resurrection of saints (Phil. 3:20- 21).

Thus we can see that by the resurrection, man is provided with a living hope because it depends on a living Savior. All other religious leaders are dead, Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius. The founders of religious cults are all in their tombs, their bodies rotting in the dust. Their followers have a dead hope, but they also have something else.

Conclusion

In Acts 17:31 we read: ". . . according as He hath appointed a day in which he shall judge the inhabited earth by One whom He hath marked out having provided conviction for all men because he hath raised Him from the grave."

While the resurrection can provide assurance of salvation, a living hope, it also provides assurance of judgment because the resurrection marks Jesus Christ out as God's Son and God's provision of grace for our sin. For those who reject Christ (God's manifested provision for salvation) there is nothing left but to look fearfully for a day of judgment. It assures the unbeliever of a second death just as it assures the believer of resurrection unto life.

The important question is: have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

God's Solution for Man's Problem

God is perfect holiness (whose holy character we can never attain to by our own works of righteousness) but He is also perfect love and full of grace and mercy. Because of His love, grace and mercy He has not left us without hope and a solution.

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us."

This is the good news of the Bible, the message of the gospel. It's the message of the gift of God's own Son who became man (the God-man), lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sin, and was raised from the grave proving both the fact He is God's Son and the value of His death for us as our substitute (Rom. 1:4; 4:25).

2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

1 Peter 3:18: "For Christ also died for sins once for all, {the} just for {the} unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

The All-Important Question

How then do we receive God's Son that we may have the eternal life God has promised us? What becomes the issue for us today?

John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, {even} to those who believe in His name."

John 3:16-18: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in

Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, the Bible states that "He that has the Son has life." We can receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior by trusting in the person of Christ and His death for our sins.

This means we must each come to God the same way--as a sinner who recognizes his sinfulness, repudiates any form of human works for salvation, and relies totally on Christ alone by faith alone for our salvation.

You can trust in Christ today as your personal Savior. Just tell God that you know you need God to take over your life and welcome the Savior, Jesus Christ, receive God’s Son by faith.

Evidence for the Resurrection47

Even in Jesus’ time, some of those who faced the Lord, Liar, or Lunatic question decided that Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic. So staggering were Jesus’ claims about his role in God’s salvation plan that they were sometimes hard to accept even for those that knew him and witnessed his ministry. This is ultimately why he was put to death. How, then, are we to decide who Jesus really was?

The Christian position is that this question was settled at the Resurrection. Whatever we might have thought about Jesus before he was raised from the dead, when God raised Jesus from the dead he put an end to all speculation. The Resurrection was God’s endorsement of Jesus’ teachings, a vindication of Jesus’ claims that got him crucified, a declaration that he was and is Lord. Whatever evidence there is for Jesus’ resurrection, then, is evidence for the truth of the claims that he made about himself.

The basic sequence of events surrounding Jesus’ death at the birth of the church, Christian apologists remind us, is uncontroversial. Theologians and historians are generally agreed on the kinds of claims that Jesus’ made, and that it was because of these claims that he was crucified. It is also generally accepted, the apologists continue, that following his crucifixion Jesus’ followers, who now included some who had not followed him previously, claimed to have seen him, risen from the dead. These followers preferred to die rather than to retract this claim, and it is on this testimony that the church was founded. This much is taken to be uncontroversial: the crucifixion, the claims to have seen the risen Jesus, and the willingness to face persecution for making this claim. The question is what we make of it.

47 http://www.existence-of-god.com/resurrection-evidence.html

The Swoon Theory

One attempt to explain this data, sometimes called the "swoon theory", denies Jesus’ death. On this theory, Jesus didn’t really die at all. Yes, he was crucified—that much is undeniable—but he survived the crucifixion. When he was laid in the tomb he was unconscious, but alive. He then resuscitated, escaped from the tomb, and appeared to the disciples, who mistakenly thought he had been resurrected. This theory thus neatly explains the resurrection appearances without having, implausibly, to deny the crucifixion.

Apologists dismiss the swoon theory for a number of reasons. First, people didn’t survive crucifixion. Crucifixion was a brutal form of execution, one well-practiced by the Romans. The Romans knew what they were doing; Jesus could not have made it through the crucifixion alive. Second, even if he had made it through the crucifixion alive, Jesus would not have been in a fit state to escape from the tomb. The tomb in which he was laid, according to the Bible, was enclosed by a large boulder, and guarded by Roman soldiers. Even if he had survived crucifixion, Jesus would have been too weak to move the boulder, and wouldn’t have got past the guards. Don’t forget, Jesus had succumbed to the almost-fatal flogging even before the crucifixion. Third, even if Jesus had survived the crucifixion and escaped from the tomb, there’s no way that he would have been mistaken for resurrected. The rigors of crucifixion would have left him in an appalling state, yet Jesus appearance before his disciples was such that they thought he was in a glorified, resurrection body. The swoon theory, apologists conclude, therefore cannot seriously be maintained.

The Hallucination Theory

A second attempt to explain the historical data, the "hallucination theory", denies that Jesus appeared to his disciples. Jesus’ disciples would have been emotionally fraught having seen their leader executed; what more natural than that they should imagine that they had seen him come back from the dead?

Again, apologists argue that this explanation of the resurrection appearances doesn’t quite fit the historical data.

First, the claim that Jesus had returned from the dead wasn’t natural at all. Some of the Jews of the time believed that there would be a general resurrection, a resurrection of everyone, at the end of time, but none of them expected an individual to be resurrected in the present.

Second, some of those to whom Jesus appeared certainly weren’t expecting him to come back from the dead because some of those to whom Jesus appeared weren’t even disciples of his. Some were converted to Christianity by their experiences of the risen Jesus; those experiences cannot have been produced by their faith, because they didn’t have any faith until they saw him.

Third, and most conclusively, they add, the appearances of Jesus that were claimed just aren’t of the kind that can result from hallucinations. Hallucinations are individual affairs, but the appearances of Jesus were before groups of people. Group hallucinations do not happen, there must have been something else going on than this. Again, then, it is concluded, the naturalistic theory doesn’t do justice to the historical data.

The Conspiracy Theory

A third attempt to explain the historical data surrounding Jesus death and the birth of the church is the "conspiracy theory". According to this theory, there were no appearances of the risen Jesus at all, whether hallucinatory or not; the disciples made it all up. This theory explains away the resurrection appearances as a fiction, and so again neatly solves the historical problem.

The conspiracy theory, apologists argue, is more a desperate attempt to explain away the evidence than a genuine attempt to explain it. Still, though, they take the time to criticize it.

First, the disciples’ claim would have been easily disproved at the time had it been false. All that would have needed to be done to silence them would have been to produce Jesus’ body. This, though, was not done. Second, it is again difficult to account for the testimony of those who had not followed Jesus prior to the resurrection on this theory. Why would those who rejected Jesus when he was alive buy into Christianity when he was dead? Third, the disciples’ commitment to the cause counts strongly against the idea that their claims were made up. Jesus’ followers faced great persecution for their claims about Jesus, yet, after his death, not one of them retracted those claims. Before Jesus’ death this was not the case; famously, Peter denied Jesus three times. Something transformed the early Christians into fervent witnesses to the resurrection. What could have done that other than a genuine resurrection?

The Appeal to Common Sense

The historical evidence surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion and the birth of the church, then, is perplexing. None of the naturalistic explanations of that evidence, it is argued, does justice to it; we are pushed towards a supernatural explanation, to the conclusion that Jesus really was raised from the dead and so really is Lord.

At this point, it can be tempting to say that any naturalistic explanation, no matter how far- fetched, is better than this supernatural explanation. Sure, the odds of someone surviving crucifixion are tiny, but isn’t that explanation more likely to be true than the Christian alternative? Sure, it is almost impossible that the disciples simultaneously hallucinated a risen Jesus, but isn’t it more likely than that they saw the real thing?

If we rule out the possibility of miracles from the beginning, then of course the answer to these questions will be "Yes". If we assume from the outset that miracles cannot happen, that God does not exist, that Christianity is false, then of course any other explanation of the historical evidence will be preferable to that offered by Christianity. To make these assumptions, though, is simple prejudice. There is a genuine historical puzzle here, and each of us must look for an explanation that we find genuinely satisfying. For my part, none of the naturalistic explanations satisfies me. I find it much more plausible to set aside my prejudice against miracles, and conclude that God raised Jesus from the dead, than to believe any of the alternatives outlined here. Once you allow that God exists, you cannot exclude any miracle – even resurrection from the dead.

Historical Evidence for Jesus48

No serious person can dismiss Jesus as a just fictional character – there is too much evidence to the contrary. You also have to explain away an enormous amount of history.

ANCIENT NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD), "the greatest historian" of ancient Rome:

"Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed."

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillas, chief secretary of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD): "Because the Jews of Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, [Claudius] expelled them from the city."

"After the great fire at Rome [during Nero's reign] ... Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief."

Flavius Josephus (37-97 AD), court historian for Emperor Vespasian: . "At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders." (Arabic translation)

Julius Africanus, writing around 221 AD, found a reference in the writings of Thallus, who wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean around 52 AD, which dealt with the darkness that covered the land during Jesus's crucifixion:

48 http://www.westarkchurchofchrist.org/library/extrabiblical.htm

"Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away the darkness as an eclipse of the sun-- unreasonably, as it seems to me." [A solar eclipse could not take place during a full moon, as was the case during Passover season.]

Pliny the Younger, Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor around 112 AD: "[The Christians] were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind." Pliny added that Christianity attracted persons of all societal ranks, all ages, both sexes, and from both the city and the country. Late in his letter to Emperor Trajan, Pliny refers to the teachings of Jesus and his followers as excessive and contagious superstition.

Emperor Trajan, in reply to Pliny: . "The method you have pursued, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those denounced to you as Christians is extremely proper. It is not possible to lay down any general rule which can be applied as the fixed standard in all cases of this nature. No search should be made for these people; when they are denounced and found guilty they must be punished; with the restriction, however, that when the party denies himself to be a Christian, and shall give proof that he is not (that is, by adoring our gods) he shall be pardoned on the ground of repentance, even though he may have formerly incurred suspicion. Informations without the accuser's name subscribed must not be admitted in evidence against anyone, as it is introducing a very dangerous precedent, and by no means agreeable to the spirit of the age."

Emporer Hadrian (117-138 AD), in a letter to Minucius Fundanus, the Asian proconsul: "I do not wish, therefore, that the matter should be passed by without examination, so that these men may neither be harassed, nor opportunity of malicious proceedings be offered to informers. If, therefore, the provincials can clearly evince their charges against the Christians, so as to answer before the tribunal, let them pursue this course only, but not by mere petitions, and mere outcries against the Christians. For it is far more proper, if anyone would bring an accusation, that you should examine it." Hadrian further explained that if Christians were found guilty they should be judged "according to the heinousness of the crime." If the accusers were only slandering the believers, then those who inaccurately made the charges were to be punished.

The Jewish Talmud, compiled between 70 and 200 AD: . "On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practised sorcery and enticed Israel to apostacy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover." Another early reference in the Talmud speaks of five of Jesus's disciples and recounts their standing before judges who make individual decisions about each one, deciding that they should be executed. However, no actual deaths are recorded.

Lucian, a second century Greek satirist: . "The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day--the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account. ... You see, these misguided

creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property." Lucian also reported that the Christians had "sacred writings" which were frequently read. When something affected them, "they spare no trouble, no expense."

Mara Bar-Serapion, of Syria, writing between 70 and 200 AD from prison to motivate his son to emulate wise teachers of the past: . "What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime. What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burying Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand. What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? It was just after that that their kingdom was abolished. God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea; the Jews, ruined and driven from their land, live in complete dispersion. But Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the teaching of Plato. Pythagoras did not die for good; he lived on in the statue of Hera. Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given."

GNOSTIC SOURCES

The Gospel of Truth, probably by Valentius, around 135-160 AD: . "For when they had seen him and had heard him, he granted them to taste him and to smell him and to touch the beloved Son. When he had appeared instructing them about the Father. ... For he came by means of fleshly appearance." Other passages affirm that the Son of God came in the flesh and "the Word came into the midst. ... it became a body."

"Jesus, was patient in accepting sufferings. . . since he knows that his death is life for many. . . . he was nailed to a tree; he published the edict of the Father on the cross. ... He draws himself down to death through life. ... eternal clothes him. Having stripped himself of the perishable rags, he put on imperishability, which no one can possibly take away from him."

The Aprocryphon of John, probably by Saturninus, around 120-130 AD: . "It happened one day when John, the brother of James,--who are the sons of Zebedee--went up and came to the temple, that a Pharisee named Arimanius approached him and said to him, `Where is your master whom you followed?' And he said to him, 'He has gone to the place from which he came.' The Pharisee said to him, 'This Nazarene deceived you with deception and filled your ears with lies and closed your hearts and turned you from the traditions of your fathers.'"

The Gospel of Thomas, probably from 140-200 AD: contains many references to and alleged quotations of Jesus.

The Treatise On Resurrection, by uncertain author of the late second century, to Rheginos: "The Lord ... existed in flesh and ... revealed himself as Son of God ... Now the Son of God, Rheginos, was Son of Man. He embraced them both, possessing the humanity and the divinity,

so that on the one hand he might vanquish death through his being Son of God, and that on the other through the Son of Man the restoration to the Pleroma might occur; because he was originally from above, a seed of the Truth, before this structure of the cosmos had come into being."

"For we have known the Son of Man, and we have believed that he rose from among the dead. This is he of whom we say, 'He became the destruction of death, as he is a great one in whom they believe.' Great are those who believe."

"The Savior swallowed up death. ... He transformed himself into an imperishable Aeon and raised himself up, having swallowed the visible by the invisible, and he gave us the way of our immortality."

"Do not think the resurrection is an illusion. It is no illusion, but it is truth. Indeed, it is more fitting to say that the world is an illusion, rather than the resurrection which has come into being through our Lord the Savior, Jesus Christ."

". . . already you have the resurrection ... why not consider yourself as risen and already brought to this?" Rheginos was thus encouraged not to "continue as if you are to die."

LOST WORKS QUOTED IN OTHER SOURCES

Acts of Pontius Pilate, reports sent from Pilate to Tiberius, referred to by Justin Martyr (150 AD): . "And the expression, 'They pierced my hands and my feet,' was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in His hands and feet. And after he was crucified, they cast lots upon His vesture, and they that crucified Him parted it among them. And that these things did happen you can ascertain the 'Acts' of Pontius Pilate." Later Justin lists several healing miracles and asserts, "And that He did those things, you can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate."

Phlegon, born about 80 AD, as reported by Origen (185-254 AD), mentioned that Jesus made certain predictions which had been fulfilled.

ANCIENT CHRISTIAN SOURCES (extra-biblical)

Clement, elder of Rome, letter to the Corinthian church (95 AD): . "The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was sent forth from God. So then Christ is from God, and the Apostles are from Christ. Both therefore came of the will of God in the appointed order. Having therefore received a charge, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth with the glad tidings that the kingdom of God should come. So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons unto them that should believe."

Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, letter to the Trallians (110-115 AD): . "Jesus Christ who was of the race of David, who was the Son of Mary, who was truly born and

ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died in the sight of those in heaven and on earth and those under the earth; who moreover was truly raised from the dead, His Father having raised Him, who in the like fashion will so raise us also who believe on Him."

Ignatius, letter to the Smyrneans (110-115 AD): . "He is truly of the race of David according to the flesh, but Son of God by the Divine will and power, truly born of a virgin and baptised by John that all righteousness might be fulfilled by Him, truly nailed up in the flesh for our sakes under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch (of which fruit are we--that is, of his most blessed passion); that He might set up an ensign unto all ages through His resurrection."

"For I know and believe that He was in the flesh even after the resurrection; and when He came to Peter and his company, He said to them, 'Lay hold and handle me, and see that I am not a demon without body.' And straightway they touched him, and they believed, being joined unto His flesh and His blood. Wherefore also they despised death, nay they were found superior to death. And after His resurrection He ate with them and drank with them."

Ignatius, letter to the Magnesians (110-115 AD): . "Be ye fully persuaded concerning the birth and the passion and the resurrection, which took place in the time of the governorship of Pontius Pilate; for these things were truly and certainly done by Jesus Christ our hope."

Quadratus, to Emperor Hadrian about 125 AD: . "The deeds of our Savior were always before you, for they were true miracles; those that were healed, those that were raised from the dead, who were seen, not only when healed and when raised, but were always present. They remained living a long time, not only whilst our Lord was on earth, but likewise when He had left the earth. So that some of them have also lived to our own times."

(Pseudo-)Barnabas, written 130-138 AD: . "He must needs be manifested in the flesh. ... He preached teaching Israel and performing so many wonders and miracles, and He loved them exceedingly. ... He chose His own apostles who were to proclaim His Gospel. ... But He Himself desired so to suffer; for it was necessary for Him to suffer on a tree."

Justin Martyr, to Emperor Antoninus Pius about 150 AD: . After referring to Jesus's birth of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem, and that His physical line of descent came through the tribe of Judah and the family of Jesse, Justin wrote, "Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judea."

"Accordingly, after He was crucified, even all His acquaintances forsook Him, having denied Him; and afterwards, when He had risen from the dead and appeared to them, and had taught them to read the prophecies in which all these things were foretold as coming to pass, and when they had seen Him ascending into heaven, and had believed, and had received power sent

thence by Him upon them, and went to every race of men, they taught these things, and were called apostles."

Justin Martyr, in Dialogue with Trypho, around 150 AD: . "For at the time of His birth, Magi who came from Arabia worshipped Him, coming first to Herod, who then was sovereign in your land."

"For when they crucified Him, driving in the nails, they pierced His hands and feet; and those who crucified Him parted His garments among themselves, each casting lots for what he chose to have, and receiving according to the decision of the lot."

"Christ said amongst you that He would give the sign of Jonah, exhorting you to repent of your wicked deeds at least after He rose again from the dead ... yet you not only have not repented, after you learned that He rose from the dead, but, as I said before, you have sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that 'a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but His disciples stole Him by night from the tomb, where He was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that He has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.'"

"For indeed the Lord remained upon the tree almost until evening, and they buried Him at eventide; then on the third day He rose again."

For more details of the historical and scientific evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ: Habermas, Gary R. Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984.

Problems – pain, evil, etc?

I recently heard a very thought-provoking story on the radio. A tourist was visiting the Swiss Alps and saw a flock of sheep with a shepherd. One of the sheep had a bandage on one leg. “What’s wrong with your sheep?” asked the tourist. “Broken leg” said the shepherd. Sympathy oozed from the visitor who asked how it had happened. “I broke it” said the shepherd to the stunned visitor. She was shocked at hearing this, but the shepherd quickly explained: “Don’t worry, this leg will soon heal. I had to do it for the sake of the sheep itself and the others too. You see, this sheep was the most wayward in my flock. It would lead all the other sheep astray, and even over dangerous cliffs. When the leg heals, this sheep will be the most docile, obedient one in my flock.”

Many people have a stumbling-block problem as to why there is evil and why doesn’t God take it away? The Bible says in 1 Jn. 5.19, surprisingly to even many church folk, “The Devil is in control of the earth.” Wow, I though God was in charge! But 1 John 3:8 says “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work”. So the situation is that it’s US + GOD in a battle with Satan. We forget – or are completely unaware - that we are in a war!

Philosopher J.L. Mackie says in his book “The Miracle of Theism”: IF a good and powerful God exists, he would not allow pointless evil, but because there is much unjustifiable, pointless evil in the world, the traditional good and powerful God could not exist. The major flaw in this argument is that if evil appears pointless to me, then it must be pointless. Many assume that, if there were goods reasons for the existence of evil, they would be accessible to our minds. But look at the biblical Joseph: this apparently arrogant young man was sold as a slave and spent many years in prison (falsely accused). This resulted in years of suffering which changed him into a powerful agent for change in the right place at the right time. Evil and suffering is not evidence against God, but somehow He uses them to promote His kingdom.

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus Lk 7 18-23 NKJV

Another example which puzzled me for ages is the story of John the Baptist, who, while in prison, sent a message to Jesus to ask if He really was the Messiah (Lk. 7.18ff): 18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus,[b] saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 20 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. 22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

The message sent back was, basically, look at the miracles and that should tell you the answer. But then He adds the puzzling “And blessed is he who does not take offence at Me.” What on earth does that mean? That wasn’t part of the question. Here was John in prison, when Jesus had the power to get him out. But, as Bill Johnson, the pastor from Redding, CA, points out, Jesus was saying, in effect: “Yes, I know you’re in prison, and you won’t get out. In fact you’ll be

beheaded. And, yes, I am the Messiah, but I’m not getting you out of prison. Don’t be offended that my actions don’t fit in with your needs or requests.” Soon afterwards John was beheaded. Jesus’ statement was thus meant to convey: ”John, don’t be upset with Me that I don’t do things the way you want them, taking away the suffering. Don’t fall away because you’re getting disillusioned”

There is Too Much Evil and Suffering For God to Exist? by Rich Deem49

Is there a purpose for Evil?

Most atheists assume that a personal God would only create a universe that is both good morally and perfect physically. However, according to Christianity, the purpose of the universe is not to be morally or physically perfect, but to provide a place where spiritual creatures can choose to love or reject God - to live with Him forever in a new, perfect universe, or reject Him and live apart from Him for eternity. It would not be possible to make this choice in a universe in which all moral choices are restricted to only good choices. One cannot choose between good and bad if bad did not exist. It's an amazing simple logical principle.

Atheists often claim that the presence of evil is an argument against the existence of God. The Christian God is supposed to be both loving and all-powerful. Despite these characteristics, God seems to be unable or unwilling to prevent the vast amount of evil and suffering in the world. The atheist concludes that either God is not loving or not all-powerful or that God does not exist, because if He did exist, He could stop all the suffering. Even the assumption that evil and suffering are bad for us must be questioned in light of what the Bible says.

The atheists' logical argument

Atheists produce generic arguments against a generic God whose characteristics and creation do not match those that are described in the Bible. Atheists may not accept what the Bible says, but they cannot say the God of the Bible cannot logically exist and then ignore what the Bible has to say about the characteristics of God. If the atheist states that the God of the Bible is logically impossible, he cannot pick and choose which arguments from the Bible to accept in order to "prove" his point. Let's formalize the atheist's arguments:

1. God is all-powerful, loving, and perfect. 2. A perfect, loving God would create a universe that was perfect, with no evil or suffering. 3. The universe is not perfect but contains evil and suffering. .

Therefore, God does not exist.

The Bible's Response

The Bible does state that God is "all powerful." In the Old Testament, one of God's titles is "El Shaddai," which is translated "God Almighty." The Bible also states that God is loving.3 In fact,

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the Bible indicates that God is love.4 The Bible also indicates that God is perfect. So, we can agree that the first statement is a correct interpretation of what the Bible says about the characteristics of God.

The next statement indicates that a perfect, loving God must create a universe that is perfect. This is the statement that is false and invalidates the argument. Nowhere does the Bible state that the universe was created to be perfect. God Himself called it "good" and "very good," but never "perfect." In fact, God Himself stated that part of the original creation was "not good." The Bible states that the current universe is not perfect, but was designed to be temporary10 and will be replaced with a perfect universe that will be permanent.12 Science also tells us that the universe was designed to be temporary.

Why two creations instead of one?

Why would God create an imperfect, temporary universe only to replace it later with a perfect one? Why wouldn't God have created a perfect universe in the first place? One can find the reason for the creation of the universe in the first few chapters of the Bible. God created humans in order to have a personal relationship with them, which He had with Adam and Eve before they sinned (Genesis 2). Jesus said that the first and foremost commandment was to "Love the Lord your God..." A personal relationship, characterized by the possibility of love, is only possible if created beings are given free will. If God had created the universe with no possibility of evil or sin, then the created beings would have had no free will, and, as such, would essentially be programmed computers. Such beings would be incapable of love, since love involves making a choice - which requires the ability to choose not to love. For example, I can program my computer to say "I love you" when it starts up. Does this mean that the computer really loves me? Of course not! Likewise, God could have programmed humans to say that they loved Him, without the possibility of rejecting Him or performing evil deeds. However, these programmed beings would exhibit about as much true love as my computer - not a very satisfying relationship. Therefore, God created the universe for the express purpose of allowing free will spiritual beings the opportunity to have fellowship with Him (and likewise, reject Him).

What does God want?

God's purposes in creating the universe go beyond merely creating free will beings that love Him in this temporary universe. Jesus explained the ultimate goal of God in the parable of the banquet. Jesus replied: "A certain man [representing God] was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' Then the master

told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. (Luke 14:16-23)

This parable tells that God wants not only a relationship with humans in this universe, but a relationship with billions15 of these creatures in His future, perfect creation. If God's purpose is to have relationships with free will beings in a future creation, then there must be a means by which these beings can make a choice to enter or not enter into this relationship. The means by which we make this choice is exactly the message of the Bible.

Therefore. the Bible says that God allows temporary, bounded evil16 in order to allow free will beings to have the ability to love and to make choices. I am going to propose something which seems to support the atheists' arguments regarding evil. I agree that there is a lot of evil in the world. In fact, there is too much evil in the world from what would be expected from chaos theory or the laws of physics. Evolution does not explain the vast amount of evil done by mankind. None of the other creatures on our planet have the capacity for evil that mankind have. No other mammals kill arbitrarily. They only kill to eat and survive - but not mankind. Just watch the nightly news or read your newspaper. Look at all the evil perpetuated in the last century alone - 6 million Jews killed by Hitler, 40 million Russians killed by Stalin, 2 million Cambodians killed by their own government in the 1970's. In fact, the Pol Pot regime specifically preached atheism and sought to exterminate all religious expression in Cambodia. In addition to these atrocities, there have been hundreds of massacres committed in virtually every nation of the world. The Bible says that the presence of evil is due to the spiritual component of our nature - something that animals do not possess. God endowed His spiritual creatures (humans and angels) with free will to love God or to oppose Him. The most powerful created being (the angel Satan) rebelled and led one third of the angels into opposition against God. Those humans who oppose or ignore God follow Satan into rebellion - either consciously or unconsciously. Some people blame the evil on "society." However, society is composed of individuals who make individual choices. Most of the evil is committed by people who oppose the will of society. .

Why pain is necessary

The atheist also makes the assumption that all pain, suffering, and death are bad or evil. In fact, physical pain is absolutely vital to our survival. If we felt no pain, we would do things to ourselves that could be very destructive.18 For example, if we didn't feel pain when we touched a hot object, we would not react until we saw our flesh smoking. This is obviously not a good thing to do. Pain tells us we need to react to a situation before serious damage occurs.

Evil as a means of spiritual growth

Many things that people consider to be bad are, in fact, useful in our spiritual growth. The Bible says that trials in our lives produce perseverance, which helps make us mature and complete.19 These trials also increase our faith - a "refining by fire."20 The Bible tells us that "all things to work together for good to those who love God."21 The trials people have experience often make them sensitive to the needs of others in similar situations, in ways that only they can understand. I know through the trial my wife Carol and I have been though has made me search for answers, and has brought about this book. In talking to other Christians about sufferings,

you find that it is through trials that they grow in their character and their faith. During the "easy" times, we become complacent. For the non-Christian, he sees the trials as mere annoyance or pointless suffering, often resulting in bitterness. .

Conclusion

1. God did not design this universe to be perfect, but as a temporary creation where free will beings make choices about where they want to spend eternity (in the new creation, which will be perfect). 2. The new creation will be perfect, but will not have absolute free will for its inhabitants. We must agree in this life to give up some of our free will in the next life. Those who are unwilling to give up their own free will choices will not be forced to do so in the next life. However, they will have to be separated from the new creation, since God is unwilling to compromise His character. 3. All people will suffer at least somewhat because of bad choices that others make. In addition, because of the temporary nature of the universe, some bad things will happen to us due to "bad luck" or chance. However, these things will teach us to be more sensitive to the needs of others, and will prepare us to show God's love to others when they suffer through similar things. God want us to learn from this life, not just have a party.

A Loving God Would Not Send Billions of People to Hell, Would He? 50

Atheists often claim that Christianity couldn’t be true because a loving God1 wouldn’t send billions to hell.2 Although this seems logically valid at first glance, it makes some assumptions that are not true for the God of the Bible.

The first false assumption is that love allows the object of that love to do whatever he or she wants. However, this permissive kind of "love" isn't really love at all. Any parent will recognize that allowing your children to do whatever they want to do is not loving at all. If you were to do this, your children would grow up to be spoiled selfish brats, incapable of loving other people. Permissive gods, who are caught up in their own intrigues, and so allow humans to do whatever they want without repercussion, are found in the pagan religions. However, the God of the Bible wants us to love Him and other people above everything else we do.3

The Creator God of the universe is obviously a God of order. The laws that govern the physical universe are so precise that we can calculate the positions of planets, stars, and galaxies thousands to millions of years into the future. Would a God of this kind of precision design moral laws that are random or changing? It doesn't seem likely or consistent with the character of the Creator that we know from the reality of the creation. Therefore, it seems likely that unchanging moral laws are consistent with the God of creation. The Bible says that the moral laws are consistent with the character of God.4 The purpose of the moral laws are to teach us what God requires for us to enter into His kingdom. The moral laws also allow us to live with each other on earth without hurting each other. In fact, if we all perfectly fulfilled the moral

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laws of God, we would be in perfect harmony with each other. Our failure to fulfill God's moral laws leads us to seek Him as the source of our salvation.

Since God created spiritual beings for the purpose of expressing love, those beings must have complete free will in order to express that love. Of course, free will allows for the possibility of those beings rejecting God and His plans. Unfortunately, most people do not agree that God's rules are good and do not want to live by them. In fact, the vast majority of people want to run their own lives without submitting to God at all. Somehow, they feel that God will just let them into heaven because they have behaved about as good, and maybe even better, compared to the rest of the people on earth. The problem with this idea is that God does not ‘grade on the curve’. All who enter God's kingdom must be absolutely holy, since no sin is allowed in God's presence. In addition, people must be willing to allow God to prevent them from sinning ever again, since there is no sin in heaven. This means that people must be willing to submit fully to God's will in order to get into heaven. Of course, all humans fall short of God's moral requirements. Therefore, God has made a provision to erase all sins that we have committed in this life and to perfect us so that we cannot sin in the next life. That provision for sin is through the sacrifice of God's son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve and gives us the reward that we do not deserve - eternal life. In accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, all our sins are erased, and Jesus works to change us into His image (if we allow Him to do so).

So why doesn't God make everyone into perfect beings and allow them all into heaven? It would actually be more cruel if God were to do this, since many people prefer hell to the alternative (complete submission to God). All the people who end up going to hell will have done so because they actually prefer hell to being forced into the presence of God for all eternity. People like to live in their favorite sins and answer to no one else. They know that if they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior that God will want them to change their lives and they might have to give up some of their autonomy. The good news of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He offers is a free gift. Although the gift is "free," it will ‘cost’ you your sin, selfishness, and pride. Since none of these character traits are allowed into heaven, those who insist upon holding onto these traits cannot enter into heaven, but must be separated from God in a place called hell. Therefore, those who go to hell do so voluntarily, preferring hell to complete submission to a holy and just God.

Six Days of Creation?51

Today, we view time looking backward. We’re told we see 15 billion years. Looking forward from when the universe is very small - billions of times smaller - the Torah says six days of creation. In truth, they both may be correct. What's exciting about the last few years in cosmology is we now have quantified the data to know the relationship of the "view of time" from the beginning, relative to the "view of time" today. It's not science fiction any longer. Any

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one of a dozen physics text books all bring the same number. The general relationship between time near the beginning and time today is a million million. That's a 1 with 12 zeros after it. So when a view from the beginning looking forward says "I'm sending you a pulse every second," would we see it every second? No. We'd see it every million million seconds. Because that's the stretching effect of the expansion of the universe.

How would we see the Torah’s six days? If we're sending information for six days, would we receive that information now as six days? No. We would receive that information as six million million days. Because the Torah's perspective is from the beginning looking forward. Six million million days is a very interesting number. What would that be in years? Divide by 365 and it comes out to be 16 billion years - essentially the estimate of the age of the universe. The way these two figures match up is extraordinary. Let's look at the development of time, day-by-day, based on the expansion factor. Every time the universe doubles, the perception of time is cut in half. Now when the universe was small, it was doubling very rapidly. But as the universe gets bigger, the doubling time gets exponentially longer.

(This exponential rate of expansion has a specific number averaged at 1012. That is the temperature of quark confinement, when matter freezes out of energy: 10.9 x 1012 Kelvin degrees divided by the temperature of the universe today, 2.73 degrees. That's the initial ratio which changes exponentially as the universe expands.)

The calculations come out to be as follows: * Biblical Day 1 = 24 hours, viewed from the "beginning of time perspective."; from our perspective = 8 billion years. * Biblical Day 2 = 24 hours. From our perspective it lasted half of the previous day = 4 billion years. * Biblical Day 3 = 24 hours, also lasted half of the previous day = 2 billion years. * Biblical Day 4 = 24 hours - one billion years. * Biblical Day 5 = 24 hours - one-half billion years. * Biblical Day 6 = 24 hours - one-quarter billion years.

When you add up the Six Days, you get the age of the universe at 153/4 billion years- the same as modern cosmology. Is it by chance? But there's more. The Bible states what happened on each of those days. Now you can take cosmology, paleontology, archaeology, and look at the history of the world, and see whether or not they match up day-by-day. They match up close enough to send chills up your spine.

Why does God “hide”?

Many people argue that God should make Himself more obvious so we can believe in Him. Bertrand Russell, the British philosopher, famously once said that if he met God, and God asked him why he did not believe in him, Mr. Russell would reply, "Not enough evidence!" But if we had no choice but to acknowledge Him, how would that allow us a free choice? Bill Johnson says that God does not hide things from us, He hides things for us. He waits for us to discover new things, much like a father takes delight in encouraging his child on an Easter egg hunt.

The Bible in Proverbs says “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” (Pr.25v2) Yet Jesus’ mission on earth was to reveal what God is like. His disciples said: ”Show us the Father and we’ll be satisfied”. But he said: “If you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father.” John 14.8-9. If you want to see the face of God, look at Jesus – he is the understandable revelation of God.

But why isn’t God showing Himself? The Bible itself describes a God who hides: Isaiah 45:15 reads “Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel.” And in Matthew 11.25-6: “Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: ‘Thank you Father .. you have concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work.’” (The Message)

God Has Not Revealed Himself to Me, So He Must Not Exist52

Is God's lack of direct revelation to humans a good proof that He does not exist? Consider the following:

A teacher is using the "scientific method" to teach the class about evolution...

TEACHER: Tommy do you see the tree outside? TOMMY: Yes. TEACHER: Tommy, do you see the grass outside? TOMMY: Yes. TEACHER: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky. TOMMY: Okay. (He returned a few minutes later) Yes, I saw the sky. TEACHER: Did you see God? TOMMY: No. TEACHER: That's my point. We can't see God because he isn't there. He doesn't exist.

A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed and the little girl questioned the boy.

LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the tree outside? TOMMY: Yes. LITTLE GIRL: Tommy do you see the grass outside?

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TOMMY: Yessssss (getting tired of the questions this time). LITTLE GIRL: Did you see the sky? TOMMY: Yessssss. LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the teacher? TOMMY: Yes LITTLE GIRL: Do you see the teacher's mind? TOMMY: No. LITTLE GIRL: Then according to what we were taught today in school, she must not have one!

The above joke is a good lesson in the problem of trying to prove the existence of God using the scientific tools available to us. A Creator God, if He exists, must, by definition, exist beyond the limits of the universe in order to have created it. The laws of physics tell us that we cannot make measurements beyond the limits of this universe. Therefore, scientists can conclusively determine that we cannot ever detect God using any of our instruments.

However, God is not restricted to our limitations and could choose to reveal part of Himself to us. God could not reveal His entirety to us without causing major problems in our universe. The sudden appearance of dimensions and possibly matter from outside the universe would destroy anything in the vicinity and maybe even destroy the entire universe. The Bible says that nobody can see God and live, implying that we would be consumed by the energy or power.1 However, God could reveal His nature by communicating with humans and sending an incarnated version of Himself. This is exactly what Christianity claims - that God gave messages to humans (through the prophets) and sent an incarnation of Himself (His Son), who took on the form of a human2 in order to interact with humans directly.

Although you cannot see God directly in this life (but you will see Him in the next), you can experience Him through your spirit. This is the claim and promise3 of Christianity that accounts for its popularity. When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,4 you enter into a relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which you will directly experience when you come to faith, confirms both the existence and the power of God to the believer. It is through this relationship that we can enter into the joy of the Lord and experience the fullness of the Christian life.5

If you are not a Christian, you will not believe what I just told you. The Bible explains this in 1.Cor 1.18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” .

You may say that God should reveal Himself and then I’ll believe, but that’s the wrong way round. You’ve got it backwards! The God of the Bible clearly states: “Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you!” (James 4:8) .

The Hidden God - Does God hide Himself from His people?53

There are aspects of God which remain hidden from our eyes because we are finite beings. God is infinite and we cannot possibly understand everything about Him. We seem to always forget about the hiddenness of God. The term "hidden" is more of a collective thought than an individual attribute of God. It is primarily aimed towards looking at what God does, and then seeing this strange description of hiddenness about Him. Probably the only time we ever use the idea of the hiddenness of God is when we talk about those people who are lost who "seek after Him." This always present God reveals Himself in His own time and in His own way. And, strangely enough, God does not reveal Himself to everyone.

Why does God remain hidden? Why doesn't He do everything right out in the open for all to see? In Matthew 11:25-28, Jesus thanks the Father for hiding things from some people, the wise and prudent and then the word carries over to thank the Father, in the same sense, for revealing them to the babes. The wise and prudent are those people who think they can learn and know about God simply through studying, and through worldly wisdom. But we know from reading texts such as 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, John 3:3, and others, that this is impossible.

Why did God hide these things from people? Doesn't God want to show all people His salvation? Doesn't He send His Son for each and every individual? You would search the Bible in vain to find a text that states that God loves and desires to save "each and every individual." Rather, God hides Himself in almost everything He does. The reason Jesus gives for "why" is verse 26, "Even so Father, for it seemed good in Your sight." It is good to hide salvation from some and give it to others. It is good and glorifies God to do such a thing, for God never does anything which would not bring Him glory.

The word hidden, in Greek "kruptos" means, "to conceal or hide." And this particular usage of the word is in a tense that signifies that this is something God began to do at a specific point in time in the past, and continues it into the future. The particular starting point of hiding God's Word from people can be seen with Adam and Eve. (By the way, if you have a problem with Adam & Eve, just put it on the “back-burner”; and remember that God is a God of miracles, so it IS possible!) After the Fall of Man and the expulsion from the garden for His disobedience, God only revealed a portion of his Word to Adam (just like He did before the Fall because God did not give him all revelation). He revealed more of His plan to Noah, concerning the flood; He revealed more to Abram (Abraham) concerning the coming Seed, of which Abram would be a blessing; He revealed more to Moses, concerning the Law; He revealed more to Joshua concerning the Land; He revealed more to David concerning the temple, etc. all the way up to Christ. Each time, God revealed more of His plan to each individual. It is like turning pages in a book; the more you turn and read, the more information you receive about a specific subject.

53 http://www.apuritansmind.com/Tracts%20and%20Writings/HiddenGod.htm The Hidden God by. Dr. C. Matthew McMahon

God was revealing bits and pieces to each of His chosen people, and each time He did this it built upon the former and established the Covenant of Grace progressively. And this revelation was completely revealed when Jesus came. But even when Christ came, God was still hiding other things as well. He chose Mary and Joseph to watch over the babe--them and them alone. The shepherds were informed in the fields, and they were only able to witness to a few people in the city about what had happened. A few Magi came from the East and worshipped the child in secret. There was no cosmic billboard. There was no huge advertisement, just a glimmer here and there to a few chosen people. Even when Jesus Christ began His ministry He repeatedly told people to keep quiet about Him (Mark 1:44). Even the demons, who knew who Jesus was, were commanded by Him to keep silent (Mark 1:23-25). God was still hiding things for a reason.

When Jesus taught, He commonly taught in parables. Many times people will tell us that parables were "aids" in teaching. But a careful study of the parable shows that Jesus is teaching profound theological ideas coupled inside the parables. And these parables were always a mystery to many. Matthew 13:10 (and Mark 4:1-11) tells us specifically why Jesus taught in parables. "And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do you speak in parables?" He said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given... Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, "hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive."" Jesus speaks to people in parables so they cannot understand. A parable serves two purposes: 1) it helps those who seek and to whom salvation is given to understand the things of the kingdom of God, and 2) it condemns and hardens the hearts of those who are not chosen for salvation. Parables save and parables condemn, depending upon who is listening. God is a God who is hidden in the mystery of salvation and in the cryptic messages of Jesus' parables.

To finish Matthew 11, we come to see how someone can understand the Kingdom of God. There are two prerequisites: 1) the Son must reveal the Father to the person, and 2) these people must "come" to Jesus. When Jesus says "Come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest," He is not saying, "all you who have figured these things out come to me." What the context of the text shows us that no one will come to Jesus unless Jesus reveals the Father to that person (Jesus' words are "the one whom the Son wills to reveal Him..."). People must be "able" to come to Jesus before they can come to Him. Jesus makes them able. He reveals the Father to them and then they are able. From the Father and the Son the Holy Spirit is sent (John 14:26; John 3:1-8). When the Father is revealed, these people are enlightened by the power of the Spirit to understand.

He is the God who has "clouds and darkness surrounding Him (Psalm 97:2), " "He makes darkness His secret place...(Psalm 18:11)." And He revealed to Solomon that "The Lord said He would dwell in a dark cloud (1 Kings 8:12)." He surrounds Himself in His cloud of glory and He allows only a few to enter in to see Him.

God is the hidden God who may have already revealed Himself to you. If He has, how much are you thanking Him for showing Himself to you? For God has no obligation to reveal Himself to anyone. If He has not revealed Himself to you, do you cry out to Him? Do you cry out like the leper of Mark 1:40 and say, "if you are willing Jesus, You can make me clean." Do you recognize that you are a sinner? The Bible says you are (Romans 3:10ff). Do you want to be cleansed? The

Bible says you need to be (Titus 3:5). If so, then God has already begun working in your heart. If you desire this, God has already sent His Spirit to call you, and His Son to reveal Himself to you. Call to Him and ask for His mercy, and the dark clouds of concealment will disperse. Then you will see the light of the Word, the living Word who is Jesus. And He will say back to you, "I am willing, be cleansed." And you will be clean.

God hides for a reason - so that He can develop you on the inside and train you to see with the eyes of faith. In ‘manifestation’ – or obvious works of God like miracles, you can already see what God is doing. In ‘hiddenness’, you learn to look inward and recognize that God is still at work, relying purely on your faith."

In the natural world, we pass through many seasons. The same is true in the spiritual realm. There are seasons in our lives where God is showing himself to us through blessing and feelings of His presence. This reminds me of spring where the birds begin to sing, flowers start to grow, and the trees begin to flourish with new leaves. There are also seasons in life when God seems to be hidden or far away. This reminds me of winter when everything seems to die, the days are shorter, and life seems to go into seclusion. From a spiritual perspective, a less mature believer in this season may feel he has done something wrong or that God is angry because he doesn't feel His presence. But for those who have learned to walk with God, there is a realization that though God may appear absent, He has not forsaken them. He is always there. He just is hidden.

Most of us don't fully appreciate these times when God seems absent. We don't fully grasp the true blessings of this time. We always want God to show Himself to us. We want to experience God, to feel good. We don't like walking by faith instead of by sight. If we don't understand these times, we may miss out on all that God wants to do internally. This is God's training ground. This is the time when God wants to teach us wisdom in the inmost place. He is now raising up strong and consistent intercessors who know how to pray whether He appears absent or present. They will not be shaken or faithless when He is hidden from their sight. They will know in their spirit that He is always there. They will take advantage of these times to grasp hold of wisdom in the inmost place. They will submit their will to God in this season. They know that in times of hiddenness they are able to process deep truth.

The Benefits for a Christian of Experiencing the Hiddenness of God

We receive so many benefits during the times when we experience the hiddenness of God. "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." (Psalm 51:6) We must look at these times as extremely valuable when we go deeper with God and receive treasures in the secret place. God has a goldmine of blessing if we handle this time in the right way. The following are some of these benefits:

 Hiddenness is a time for building - God is building internally in your life. There are times of manifestation when you feel the joy and presence of God, but hiddenness is when God is doing internal work in your life.

 Hiddenness teaches you God's wisdom - God wants to reveal wisdom to you. He wants to have you all to Himself, and He will tell you many secret words of wisdom if you learn to listen.

 Hiddenness develops your inner man - God is building you into a man or woman of the spirit. During this time, you learn to live in the spirit and not in the soul. You learn to submit your soul to your spirit.

 Hiddenness teaches you to live inwardly - God is teaching you consistency inwardly. You learn to turn inward to find out what God is like. He reveals His love and character in the inward place.

 Hiddenness reveals deep truth - God uncovers wrong perspectives and ways of living. You learn about His ways. He answers your questions and gives you new insight.

 Hiddenness teaches you to live above the enemy's attacks - You can learn to live far above the enemy's ability to destroy or defeat you. You learn to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:2) 54

 Hiddenness changes you radically - God changes your heart towards Him and towards people.

During times when God seems absent you just need to understand the ways of God. He is working deeply within you. God is stripping away the externals in your life and building deep, spiritual consistency within you. He is teaching you to walk by faith, depending on your understanding of His nature alone. He is always faithful and good.

54 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:2;&version=31;

Why Christianity?55

Many people think that religious claims are beyond our ability to test for truthfulness. Although many claims cannot be directly tested (such as claims about morality), nearly all religions make claims about the nature of our world (the creation). Don't throw your hands up in the air in defeat. Test the claims!

Many skeptics assume that one cannot determine which god (if any) is correctly described by any of the world's religious traditions. The failure of many to identify the Designer is frequently due to a lack of diligent research. .

How does one test religious claims?

Atheists haven't lined up to become Christians since The Big Bang became accepted (Carl Sagan's Cosmos specials on PBS were instrumental)1 but instead have invented their own form of metaphysics (i.e., religion). Extreme Fine Tuning has to be explained away!2 The multiverse sounds scientific, but it is really philosophical wishful thinking, since there is no evidence supporting the idea. If one really thinks about it, the multiverse is impossible over the entire period of eternity (which is what atheists would propose for the age of the "invisible" part of our universe - if such a thing exists at all). The problem is that our part of the multiverse has managed to make itself completely inaccessible to contraction and future expansion. If it were possible for one part of the multiverse to become thermodynamically dead, it would be expected to be possible for others. Even if entry into such a state is extremely unlikely, eternity is a very, very long time. Certainly by now (over all eternity), the entire multiverse would have entered into one of these thermodynamically dead zones. So, one would expect the entire multiverse to have suffered thermodynamic death by now. Therefore, it makes absolutely no sense that the universe is eternal with the characteristics that we observe. We are left with - God did it. Atheists like to say that there is no evidence for God's existence and pretend it doesn't exist. However, science can judge between religious claims. .

More religious claims

The example of distinguishing between Hinduism and the Judeo-Christian-Islamic creation account is one of many ways to examine the truth claims of the world's religions. Since most of the world's religions developed hundreds to thousands of years ago, it is a fairly trivial matter to examine their material for scientific and other errors. It would not be expected that ancient peoples would be able to accurately describe all modern scientific principles. Only those individuals who were given divine revelation would be expected to give an accurate account of our world. .

55 http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/atheismintro3.html General Introduction for Non-Believers, Part 3: Why Christianity? by Rich Deem

Science and the Quran

The Quran3 says that the heavens and the earth were once joined together as one unit before it was split into two parts.4 This creation model could never be applied to any kind of Big Bang theory. But in contrast, the Bible clearly presents the creation of the universe as an expanding universe model in which God spreads out the stars. The Quran says that Allah created seven heavens6 and that the stars are found in the lowest heaven.7 In addition, the Quran says that earth is like a carpet that is held in place by the heavy mountains, described as being like tent pegs, so that it won't move or shake. In contrast, the Bible associates the mountains with shaking and says that, instead of placing the mountains on the earth, God caused the mountains to rise up. So, the Bible accurately describes the mountains as being associated with tectonic activity and volcanism whereas the Quran says that the mountains were placed on the earth to prevent shaking. The Quran says that the Sun "sets in a spring of murky water." In contrast to the Bible14 the Quran presents a flat earth model for the earth and universe, which is clearly at odds with the facts of science. .

Science and Mormon scriptures

When dealing with more modern religious traditions, tests of scientific accuracy are more difficult to deploy, since those religions have the advantage of scientific revelation since the Enlightenment. Surprisingly, even some of the more modern religious traditions make claims that can be disproved through the discoveries of modern science. A prime example of this principle can be found in the religious writings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Although calling themselves "Christians," LDS theology is radically different from historic Christianity15 and contains its own set of religious writings (in addition to the Bible). Even though written in the 19th century, LDS religious writings make numerous scientific errors, including astronomical errors, archeological and historical errors, and genetic/hereditary errors for people groups.18 Because of these problems, the LDS religion can be safely discarded from accurately representing the true nature of God, having been shown to not be divinely inspired. .

Christian truth claims

For the age in which it was written, the Bible makes some rather surprising claims regarding the nature of the universe and how it was created. For example, the Bible says that time was created by God when He created the universe.19 Stephen Hawking, George Ellis, and Roger Penrose extended the equations for general relativity to include space and time, demonstrating that time began at the formation of the universe. Of course, the biggest coup of the Bible was to declare that the universe had a beginning through an expanding universe model. The New Testament even declares that the visible creation was made from what was not visible and that dimensions of length, width and height were created by God.23 In addition, the Bible refuted steady-state theory (saying that the creation of matter and energy has ended)24 long before science made that determination. The Bible also states that the universe is subject to decay and will wear out. The existence of the second law of thermodynamics, coupled with recent

discoveries indicating that the universe is expanding at an increasing rate, with an insufficient amount of matter to stop contraction, guarantees that the Bible is correct on this claim, also.

Besides these stunning revelations about the nature of the universe, the Bible describes several properties of the earth that were not confirmed by science until hundreds of years after the Bible first made the claim. Examples include the claim that air has weight, the existence of valleys and vents on the bottom of the sea, ocean currents,29 and the fact that winds blow in circular paths. These are remarkable claims that could not have been directly observed by a bunch on nomadic sheep herders. Where did this information come from? .

Christian worldview

A worldview is a set of constructs by which we interpret how the world operates. The Christian worldview operates on the basis of the theology presented in the Bible. Below is an example comparison between a purely naturalistic worldview and the Christian worldview. Christian vs. Naturalistic Worldview Premise Christianity Naturalistic Materialism The purpose of the universe is to provide a The universe has no purpose. It began as some Purpose of the temporary habitation for human beings to random quantum variation and will likely end in universe choose to love or reject God. thermodynamic heat death. Human beings are more valuable than any Human beings evolved from other species, so they Value of the other species of life, since they were created have no more intrinsic value than any other species of human species in the image of God. life on earth. The purpose of human life is to bring glory There is no ultimate purpose to human life. We live Purpose of to God through loving Him and our fellow and we die and it doesn't matter what we do with our human life human beings. life. Value of All human beings are valuable to God37 and Those who contribute more to society are more individuals none has any more value than any other. valuable than those who contribute less. The most valuable work a person can do are The work of "He who dies with the most things wins." Wealth and spiritual service to God (worship) and to individuals fame will bring you happiness. Rich celebrities win! humans (good works). Morality is determined by society and can be changed Moral laws are given by God, and like the at any time to reflect current practices. Immoral Morality laws of physics, do not change. Immoral behavior can be justified to bring about a "greater behavior is not justified by circumstances. good."

Worldviews can be tested using the following criteria43:

1. Logical consistency 2. Balanced (not too simple or complex) 3. Explanatory power and scope 4. Correspondence to well-established facts 5. Verifiable (truth claims can be verified or falsified) 6. Applicable to real life 7. Fills existential needs

Using the above criteria, it can be seen that Christianity and naturalism exhibit different strengths.

1. Although both Christianity and naturalism are logically consistent within their own spheres, they come to radically different conclusions. 2. Both worldviews are reasonably balanced, although naturalism must resort to extremely complex hypotheses to explain the origin of the universe and the origin of life. 3. The explanatory power and scope of Christianity and naturalism tend to lie in different areas. Naturalism's strength lies in its explanation of the history of the earth and how living organisms function on a physical basis. It has failed to adequately explain the origin of the universe, the origin of life on earth, and the development of human consciousness, altruism and morality. Christianity fails to explain the details involved in much of how the physical world works (although it was never intended to do so). However, much of this information was unavailable to naturalism until the last 50 years. Christianity does address the big questions of origins (the origin of the universe, the origin of life on earth, and the development of human consciousness, altruism and morality), which naturalism inadequately addresses. 4. As demonstrated above, Christianity provides some surprisingly accurate explanations of our physical world, even though it was written thousands of years before actual proof of those claims could be experimentally verified. In addition, it is historically accurate, and its prophecies go far beyond what would be expected by chance. 5. Scientific naturalism has always claimed to provide explanations that are verifiable. However, there has been a recent change in the explanations of those espousing the naturalism- only worldview. As atheists attempt to answer the "big questions," explanations have become more metaphysical and complicated in nature (such as the multiverse.) 6. One of naturalism's big failures is in its ability to provide application to real life issues for human beings. Explanations of human romantic love and need for interpersonal relationships, our need to create beautiful works of art and music, and our desire to help others (altruism) seem to defy naturalistic explanation. Attempts to fit these realities into the Darwinian evolutionary box have failed miserably. Even the evil side of our natures seems extreme from an evolutionary standpoint. Christianity provides a far superior explanation for why we behave the way we do. 7. The largest problem for naturalism is a failure to provide for the existential needs of human beings. People have a need for meaning, a purpose for living, and a hope for the future. Naturalism provides for none of this. In fact, naturalism destroys the idea that humans have a purpose, and leaves individuals only with the prospect of aging, suffering and eventual death and non-existence. In addition, naturalism says that there is no hope for the human species, since we will be eventually destroyed by an asteroid collision, a nearby supernova event, global warming, or solar expansion. Even if we manage to escape from our solar system to another, the eventual collision of our galaxy with the much larger Andromeda galaxy will cause chaos throughout most of the galaxy. After this time, we can expect that the accelerating expansion of the universe will eventually rip apart the entire universe into its elementary particles as the universe suffers permanent heat death - the end of all life. So much for the "hope" from naturalism. The human need for a spiritual connection causes even most naturalists to go into meditation, study Buddhism, etc. to attempt to fulfill this need. For agnostics, the lack of purpose in life is frequently disturbing - something seems to be missing – an ultimate purpose?

I have found the Christian worldview to be a far superior explanation for human life. For more information on testing the Christian worldview, please see A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Worldview Test.56 .

56 http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1148461&item_no=68228

Worldviews and moral choices

Three recently published studies show that worldview beliefs influence moral behavior. The first study showed that atheists were less likely to consider certain moral choices as being "very important", especially patience, forgiveness, and generosity. A second study showed that teens who were not exposed to religious teaching were significantly more likely to be involved in negative behaviors than those who attend church. A third study showed that belief in the atheistic concept of determinism is correlated with an increased tendency to cheat. Even a short reading of a passage denying free produced more cheating behavior among randomly-selected subject groups. These studies show that the promotion and prevalence of atheism in society can be expected to result in negative consequences to societies. .

Conclusion

Yes, many religious truth claims are testable. Those who are truly interested in whether a religion represents truth should test the claims to see how they stand against the evidence. Modern cosmology destroys the Hindu model for the universe, but affirms the Judeo-Christian model. Cosmology and earth sciences destroy the strange assertions of the Quran. Archeology, cosmology and molecular biology destroy the claims of the LDS Book of Mormon, but confirm many claims from the Bible. For an ancient document written thousands of years ago, the Bible makes some remarkable scientific claims - many of which were not verified until this century. However, the Bible was never written to serve as a science textbook, but was given as guide to having a relationship with God and our fellow human beings. The Bible answers the "why" and "what" questions that naturalism says are unanswerable:

 Why does the universe exist?  Why do human beings exist?  What is my purpose?  Why do I do things I know I shouldn't do?  Is this all there is?

What is the Gospel?5758

What is God's plan for our lives? . God created man with the intention of having a direct, personal relationship with Him. Genesis describes this direct, personal relationship with God for a short period of time, but rebellion against God forced a separation. Because God is holy, and cannot stand in the presence of any sin (3). Therefore, mankind lost a personal relationship with God.

Please don’t reject the Bible just because you can’t accept the Adam and Eve story. Firstly, ask yourself – is this story possible, given a miracle-working God? Secondly consider the following diversion about Y-Chromosomal Adam and Mitochondrial Eve. . (http://www.gotquestions.org/Chromosomal-Adam-Mitochondial-Eve.html)

Y-Chromosomal Adam” and “Mitochondrial Eve” are popularly-published science-based theories that we are all descended from a single man and a single woman. .

Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. One of those pairs, known as the sex chromosomes (because they determine gender), consists of two X chromosomes in females, and one X- chromosome, one Y-chromosome in males. Girls receive one of their X-chromosomes from their mother and the other from their father. Boys receive the X only from their mother and the Y only from their father. Therefore, the Y-chromosome is passed directly from father to son. Because of this, scientists are able to trace male ancestry. .

In 1995, the journal Science published the results of a study in which a segment of the human Y- chromosome from 38 men from different ethnic groups were analyzed for variation (Dorit, R.L., Akashi, H. and Gilbert, W. 1995. “Absence of polymorphism at the ZFY locus on the human Y chromosome.” Science 268:1183–1185). The segment of the Y-chromosome consisted of 729 base pairs. To their surprise, the researchers found no variation at all. Their conclusion was that the human race must have experienced a genetic bottleneck sometime in the not too distant past. Further research concluded that every man alive today actually descended from a single man who scientists now refer to as “Y-Chromosomal Adam.” .

Mitochondrial Eve takes it a step further. While Y-chromosomes are only passed down from father to son, mitochondrial-DNA is passed down from mother to both daughter and son. Because mitochondrial-DNA is only passed on by the mother and never the father, mitochondrial-DNA lineage is the same as maternal lineage. Knowing this, scientists have found that every human alive today can trace their ancestry back to a single woman who they now refer to as “Mitochondrial Eve.” While Y-Chromosomal Adam is believed to be the ancestor of every living man, Mitochondrial Eve is believed to be the mother of all living humans, male and female. .

It is important to note that this does not prove that Y-Chromosomal Adam was the only man

57 (Questions on Salvation: What is the Gospel? by Rich Deem)

58 http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics

alive before he started having children. This only proves that his descendents are the only ones to have survived. Likewise, Mitochondrial Eve was not necessarily the only woman alive before having children. Rather, all we know for sure is that she is at least one of the ancestors of all living humans. While other contemporaries of her may or may not figure into the ancestry of living humans, we can at least say that none of their mitochondrial-DNA has survived.

Scientists who share the Darwinian bias naturally presume that these two were not the only humans alive during their pre-child bearing lifetimes, while Biblical creationists naturally presume that they were. As for determining when these two actually lived respectively, the conventional perspective is founded upon uniformitarian assumptions which many creationists reject, and with fair reason. So there is disagreement there too. Naturally, the Darwinian timeframe is much longer (tens to hundreds of thousands of years), presuming an Old-Earth scenario, while the Young-Earth perspective is much shorter (less than ten thousand years). What we can say with fair certainty is that regardless of time frames and alleged contemporaries, every man alive today descended from one man while every human alive today descended from one woman.

But back to our theme: the presence of sin forced God to make laws by which mankind was commanded to live. Those people who chose to live by God's laws were declared righteous by God. However, even the righteous people would, on occasion, commit sin (for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23). Sin, according to God's laws could only be exonerated by a blood sacrifice, as described in detail in the Old Testament. The Old Testament also foretold of the coming of the Messiah, or the anointed one of God, who would take away the sin of those who accepted the sacrifice He would make. Jesus Christ, in coming to Earth, living a sinless life, dying on the cross for the sins of the world, and rising from the dead fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies. By accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are declared righteous in the eyes of God through His atonement for our sin. .

Can I really have a personal relationship with God?

A personal relationship with God may seem out of reach to people who have not committed their lives to Jesus Christ. But if the Holy Spirit is “knocking at the door of your heart”, open the door and let Jesus into your life. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. .

Is it necessary to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6). Jesus wants you to have a personal relationship with Him on Earth and live forever with Him and fellow believers in heaven ("For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16). .

How do you enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

You can enter into this personal relationship at this very minute through believing prayer to God. Tell Him you have sinned and led your life apart from His direction and will. Tell God you repent of your selfishness and that you desire to enter into a personal relationship with Him.

Tell God you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and ask Him to forgive your sins. Invite the Holy Spirit into your life to direct you from this time until you die.

If you have sincerely prayed to accept Jesus Christ into your life, congratulations! You are now a child of God, destined to spend eternity in heaven. In order to establish an ever-increasing relationship with Jesus, you need talk to Him through prayer and seek His will for direction of your life. Get a Bible and read parts of it on a daily basis. Try the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29). The gospel of John is an excellent place to begin learning more about Jesus.

What do I do now that I have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

It is also important to enter into fellowship with other believers. If you know some other Christians ask them for advice about attending a specific church in your area. Picking a church is very important. The church you select should preach from the Bible only, under the headship of Jesus Christ. Be aware there are many non-Christian cults, which claim to be Christian, but are not. Most cults will tell you theirs is the only true church and the only way to gain salvation. There are also many churches that could equally be Elks Clubs, without strong Bible teaching – just social clubs, doing good works. Avoid these churches or religions. Remember that Christ Himself is the only way, and anyone who has a personal relationship with Him is part of His church. If you are not ready to make a commitment to Christ, I encourage you to continue learning more about Jesus. .

Why did Jesus have to suffer and die a cruel death on the cross?

This most important question is: was the necessity of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation. In order to understand the reason for Christ's crucifixion, we must know the plan of salvation revealed from the Old Testament. Since the fall of mankind, every person has had a problem with sins they have committed. God, in contrast, is holy, and He will not have in His presence anyone who has sinned. In the Old Testament, God provided a means of eliminating sin through a blood sacrifice. Why did God choose to use a blood sacrifice? No one can say for certain, since none of us have the mind of God. However, I believe God wanted to make sure that we knew how costly sin is to Him.

God stated very explicitly that the daily sacrifice for sin, performed by the priests, would be replaced through the establishment of a new covenant and foretold what He would do to satisfy His requirement for a blood sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice was to be done by His Servant, who is His Son, both man (descended from David) and eternal God simultaneously. Only a sacrifice by a holy God, who is Jesus Christ, could pay the penalty for our sin. His sacrifice would be costly and would require death by crucifixion, which would pay the penalty for our sin. Crucifixion is one of the most cruel and tortuous ways to die. When we think how Jesus died on the cross for us, it is to remind us of the cost of our sin, and God's love for us, in His willingness to personally die for us, so that we can commune with a holy God. God, in His mercy, has reduced the plan of salvation to simple faith, so that all people can be saved by believing God's promises and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. .

What is this gospel stuff?

Gospel merely means "good news." The good news is that God has provided a means to re- establish a relationship with Him through His Son. The gospel of Christ is defined by the four "spiritual laws" stated below:

1. God is Holy (without sin, and will not tolerate the presence of any sin). 2. I am a sinful person (I cannot live up to God's holy standards). 3. Jesus is God's only provision to cleanse me of all my sin (He died for my sins). 4. I am declared righteous by faith alone if I accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

A person is saved by faith through the grace (free gift) of God, not by works or belonging to any particular church. Any system of religious works righteousness, similar to that of the Pharisees, cannot save a person from the righteous wrath of God. Jesus did not come to Earth to establish a religion, but to restore the personal relationship between a holy God and sinful mankind. You and any other person can establish this relationship through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray you will consider the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible.

Why do we have to die?

God has made us mortal, with a limited life span so that we will be forced to face our mortality and ultimate reliance upon Him, instead of our own strengths. We are created for the purpose of having a relationship with God. However, being filled with pride, we tend to rely upon our own abilities to get through life. We ignore God and do things in my own strength. Jesus will gently knock at the door of your life even if you have ignored Him, or turned to rely on human institutions or religions. Jesus may knock a little louder on the door, but He will never break it down ("Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20). Jesus wants to come into your life, but He will not come in uninvited. Mortal life is not the ultimate purpose of the universe. This short mortal life was designed to allow people to choose or reject God's love. Those who choose God will live forever with Him in a far superior life. .

Isn't loving my fellow man good enough to get to heaven?

Many people feel they have fulfilled the second commandment of God, in loving other people, but to a large degree, they have ignored the first and most important commandment - to love God with all your heart. We are created in the image of God to love God and love one another. If we choose to ignore God and not love Him, we are rejecting Him, and as such will not be forced to live with Him in heaven, but will be eternally separated from Him and His children (those who love Him). Many churches do good things, and many people do good works in their church and in their community. However, without a personal relationship with Christ, these works are "dead works," often done to glorify ourselves and gain esteem within the church:

“How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14) .

Can't I have a relationship with God without Jesus?

The main problem in having a relationship with God is that a gap exists between us. God is completely holy and cannot tolerate the presence of any sin, whereas we are selfish sinners. God, recognizing this problem, sent Jesus as God's only provision to cleanse us of all our sin (He died for our sins). By accepting Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf and committing to follow Him we are declared righteous by God on the basis of our faith. Therefore as new creatures, declared righteous, we are able to come before the throne of God blameless and cleansed, reestablishing our relationship with God.

The Bible says we are justified by the grace (free gift) of God not by works but by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said regarding doing the works of God:

They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:28-29) .

Can't I go to heaven on the basis of being a good person?

Jesus says no! Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6). In a parable referring to Himself, Jesus said, "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." (Matthew 21:44). Jesus is the stone upon which we must fall and "be broken" (humble ourselves). If we fail to do this, He will fall on us and "grind us to powder" (obviously not a good alternative). .

What is in it for me in this life if I accept Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Coming to faith in Jesus Christ will change your life and your attitude toward life. You will no longer have to worry about the future, since Jesus has promised to be with us forever. Knowing with certainty that we will spend eternity in heaven produces a peace in our spirit, which you will not have experienced before. The Bible says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7). Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Besides this peace, fellowship with God (in which we talk to Him on a daily basis) produces a joy in one's life that is difficult to describe. Each day, though not promised to be without difficulty, is an adventure with God, as we walk together in life. Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:11)

What is the true church?

The Bible defines the church as "those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus" and those who call Jesus Christ their Lord:

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”(1 Corinthians 1:2)

The church is simply a gathering of individuals as opposed to an organization, as indicated by Paul: “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part, I believe it.” (1 Corinthians 11:18)

The church is equivalent to the "body of Christ," as Paul used the terms interchangeably: “Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” (1 Corinthians 12:27-28)

In Ephesians and Colossians, Paul even defines the church as the body of Christ: “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23) for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. (Ephesians 5:29-30)

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. (Colossians 1:18)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions. (Colossians 1:24)

In conclusion, a church is an assembly of professed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, living for the most part in one locality, who meet together in His name for baptism, the Lord's Supper, worship, praise, prayer, fellowship, testimony, the ministry of the Word, discipline, and the furtherance of the Gospel (Acts 13:1-4; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 5:4-5; 14:26; Philippians 4:14-18; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; Hebrews 10:25).

What about Christians who commit evil?

Jesus Himself addressed the issue of "Christians," performing evil deeds in a rather chilling prophecy:

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Matthew 7:22-23)

One should note that Jesus said that "many" people who think they are His followers will be rejected by Jesus when at the judgment when they attempt to claim that they are His disciples. Not all who claim the name of Jesus are actually His disciples. Possibly even in the best of Christian churches only about half of the people have been truly born again (see John chapter 3).1 Christianity should be judged on the basis of what Jesus said and did, not on the basis of the actions of people who merely claim to be Christians. Foxe's Book of Martyrs details the deaths of Christians who were killed because of their faith in Christ, in many cases by people claiming to be Christians. .

How do you know if a person is a Christian or not?

We cannot know for certain whether a person is or is not a true Christian (only God can makes such a determination).2 However, the Bible describes the nature of a person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit3 (which happens at the point a person accept Jesus as Lord and Savior): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

In addition, the true believer does what is right and demonstrates love toward others.4 Even non-believers can readily see who the true Christians are. Ultimately, the behavior of those who claim to be Christians but practice evil should not be a consideration in determining if the claims of Christ are true or not.

An intellectual belief that God exists is not enough, since judgment is based upon what is in one's heart.5 Pretending to believe or going through the motions of some church service is not going to be looked upon very favorably by God.6 In fact, Jesus said that many would do all those religious things, but still be condemned:

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" (Matthew 7:22-23)

Jesus had a very interesting exchange with Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Pharisees (the Jews' religious ruling group).7 In this conversation, Jesus told him that he had to be born again (which is where the term "born again Christian" comes from). He explained that being born again was accomplished by believing in Him:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (John 3:16-21) .

Conclusion

Yes, "Christians" have committed atrocities against religious and non-religious people. However, atheists have committed far more atrocities than all religious groups combined. Even so, the key factor in these atrocities has been totalitarian power, rather than religion, which has resulted in these hundreds of millions of murders. The Bible says that people are evil (and the statistics on this page support this claim), but that they can become transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit to live lives of love, joy and peace.

References for this chapter

1. Carl Sagan (Author), Ann Druyan (Editor). 2006. The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. Penguin Press HC. 2. See Extreme Fine Tuning - Dark Energy or the Cosmological Constant. 3. The English Meanings of The Holy Quran Translator: Abdullah Yusuf Ali (from islam 101.com) 4. Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe? (Surah 21:30) 5. The following verses suggest that God created the universe through an expanding universe - what science has called the Big Bang. In many cases the Hebrew text indicates present tense - a process still continuing.  Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea; (Job 9:8)  Covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. (Psalms 104:2)  It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22)  Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk in it, (Isaiah 42:5)  Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone" (Isaiah 44:24)  "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, And I ordained all their host." (Isaiah 45:12)  "Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together." (Isaiah 48:13)  That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens, And laid the foundations of the earth; That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, As he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor? (Isaiah 51:13)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 10:12)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 51:15)  The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, (Zechariah 12:1) 6. It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge. (Surah 02:29) The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most Forgiving!

(Surah 17:44) Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme?" (Surah 23:86) God is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar number. Through the midst of them (all) descends His Command: that ye may know that God has power over all things, and that God comprehends, all things in (His) Knowledge. (Surah 65:12) He Who created the seven heavens one above another: No want of proportion wilt thou see in the Creation of (God) Most Gracious. So turn thy vision again: seest thou any flaw? (Surah 67:3) "'See ye not how God has created the seven heavens one above another, And made the moon a light in their midst, and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp?'" (Surah 71:15-16) 7. Lord of the heavens and of the earth and all between them, and Lord of every point at the rising of the sun! We have indeed decked the lower heaven with beauty (in) the stars,- (Surah 37:5-6) So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge. (Surah 41:12) He Who created the seven heavens one above another: No want of proportion wilt thou see in the Creation of (God) Most Gracious. So turn thy vision again: seest thou any flaw? Again turn thy vision a second time: (thy) vision will come back to thee dull and discomfited, in a state worn out. And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire. (Surah 67:3-5) And (have We not) built over you the seven firmaments, And placed (therein) a Light of Splendour? (Surah 78:12-13) 8. (Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out, and has made for you roads (and channels) therein, in order that ye may find guidance (on the way); (Surah 43:10) "'And God has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out), That ye may go about therein, in spacious roads.'" (Surah 71:19-20) 9. Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, And the mountains as pegs? (Surah 78:6-7) 10. And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them, and We have made therein broad highways (between mountains) for them to pass through: that they may receive Guidance. (Surah 21:31) Or, Who has made the earth firm to live in; made rivers in its midst; set thereon mountains immovable; and made a separating bar between the two bodies of flowing water? (can there be another) god besides God? Nay, most of them know not. (Surah 27:61) He created the heavens without any pillars that ye can see; He set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds. We send down rain from the sky, and produce on the earth every kind of noble creature, in pairs. (Surah 31:10) And the earth, moreover, hath He extended (to a wide expanse); He draweth out therefrom its moisture and its pasture; And the mountains hath He firmly fixed;- (Surah 79:30) And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm?- (Surah 88:19) 11. "And with the best things of the ancient mountains, And with the choice things of the everlasting hills, (Deuteronomy 33:15) "It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger; Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its foundations tremble; (Job 9:5-6) Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry. (Psalms 18:7) Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. ( Psalms 46:3) He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. (Psalms 104:32) On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this His anger is not spent, But His hand is still stretched out. (Isaiah 5:25) "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10) Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence --

(Isaiah 64:1) I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro. (Jeremiah 4:24) 12. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. (Psalms 104:6-8) Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. (Psalms 90:2) 13. Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways and the means to all ends. One (such) way he followed, Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness." (Surah 18:84-86) 14. See False Teachings in the Bible? 15. See Why the LDS Church is a Cult: Theological Differences Between Christian and LDS Doctrines. 16. See Are the Standard Works of the LDS Church Inspired Scripture? and LDS Cosmology 17. See Archeological/Anthropological Problems in the Book of Mormon. 18. See DNA Evidence and Molecular Genetics Disprove the Book of Mormon. 19. God created time and was acting before time began:  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1)  No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. (1 Corinthians 2:7)  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9)  The hope of eternal life, which God... promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2)  To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority before all time, and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:25) 20. "The conclusion of this lecture is that the universe has not existed forever. Rather, the universe, and time itself, had a beginning in the Big Bang, about 15 billion years ago." Stephen Hawking The Beginning of Time. Penrose, R. 1966. An analysis of the structure of space-time. Adams Prize Essay, Cambridge University. Hawking, S.W. 1966. Singularities and the Geometry of space-time. Adams Prize Essay, Cambridge University. Hawking, S.W. and G.F.R. Ellis. 1968. The cosmic black-body radiation and the existence of singularities in our universe. Astrophysical Journal 152: 25-36. Hawking, S.W. and R. Penrose. 1970. The singularities of gravitational collapse and cosmology. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A: 529-548. 21. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invi sible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17) The universe was formed at God's command, so that what was seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11) 22. The following verses suggest that God created the universe through an expanding universe - what science has called the Big Bang. In many cases the Hebrew text indicates present tense - a process still continuing.  Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea; (Job 9:8)  Covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. (Psalms 104:2)  It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22)

 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk in it, (Isaiah 42:5)  Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone" (Isaiah 44:24)  "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, And I ordained all their host." (Isaiah 45:12)  "Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together." (Isaiah 48:13)  That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens, And laid the foundations of the earth; That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, As he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor? (Isaiah 51:13)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 10:12)  It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 51:15)  The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, (Zechariah 12:1) 23. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) 24. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. (Genesis 2:3-4) 25. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalms 102:25-27) that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:21) 26. "When He imparted weight to the wind, And meted out the waters by measure" (Job 28:25) 27. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils. (2 Samuel 22:16) 28. "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? (Job 38:16) First discovered in the 1970's. See Exploring the deep ocean floor: Hot springs and strange creatures 29. ... and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. (Psalms 8:8) 30. Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns. (Ecclesiastes 1:6) 31. Materialism refers to the atheistic belief that only material things exist (e.g., there is no spiritual realm at all), and does not necessarily refer to the desire to acquire material goods. 32. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, ( Deut.30:19) "And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. (Psalms 25:12) Because they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the LORD. (Proverbs 1:29) Do not envy a man of violence, And do not choose any of his ways. (Proverbs 3:31) "He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. ( Isaiah 7:15) For thus says the LORD, "To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, (Isaiah 56:4) I will destine you for the sword, And all of you shall bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight, And chose that in which I did not

delight." (Isaiah 65:12) So I will choose their punishments, And I will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight, And chose that in which I did not delight." (Isaiah 66:4) 33. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man." (Genesis 9:6) "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Matthew 6:26) 34. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. (1 Chronicles 16:24) Therefore glorify the LORD in the east, The name of the LORD, the God of Israel, In the coastlands of the sea. (Isaiah 24:15) Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." (Isaiah 43:7) "The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people. (Isaiah 43:20) "Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. (Isaiah 60:21) "I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. (Isaiah 66:19) "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." (John 11:4) Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6) For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME." (Romans 15:8-9) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. ( 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention whic h He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:8-12) Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15) Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. ( 1 Pet. 2:12) Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11) but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. (1 Peter 4:16) and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters." (Revelation 14:7) 35. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5)

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'" (Mt: 22:37) 36. 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.' (Leviticus 19:18) "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44) "This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'" (Matthew 22:38-39) For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (Galatians 5:14) 37. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40) This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. (1 Timothy 4:10) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, (Titus 2:11) 38. "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. (Deuteronomy 10:17) "Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice... Who says to a king, 'Worthless one,' To nobles, 'Wicked ones'; Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands? (Job 34:12-19) Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, (Acts 10:34) For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:11) But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)--well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. (Galatians 2:6) And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. (Ephesians 6:9) 39. Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array. (Psalms 29:2) 40. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10) 41. "The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. (2 Kings 17:37) The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (Psalms 19:7) Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20) "For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17) 42. Samples, K.R. 2007. A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Worldview Test. Baker Books. http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/atheismintro3.html

Duncan’s Response

During the whole ordeal in England, Duncan listened to our position, and said he could not dismiss it because of the example of our lives as his parents. As he was being treated and recovering temporarily, he seemed to become more open to God. His sister Pippy (Philippa) came over from her home in Maine for two weeks to England to teach Duncan to walk again, and her input to him was invaluable. Previously at loggerheads due to tensions when they were growing up, they were closely reconciled at this time – a real blessing. She would witness to him, not in a judgmental way (a fact which he much appreciated), saying “let me tell you how it is in PippyWorld,” explaining her faith-based worldview. But as he gained a modicum of health and normalcy, he started to drift from things Christian again to his old self-reliance.

Wally Fleming wrote this to us:

“My last conversation with Duncan took place late on a Sunday afternoon in late May or early June 2007. I remember that I was in the basement of the parsonage in Brighton, NY, reading a novel by Tony Hendra entitled The Messiah of Morris Avenue, a book that a friend of mine who worked at the local Barnes and Noble had recommended.

The phone rang and it was Kris, his wife, calling from the hospital in Oxford. After a brief exchange, she passed the phone to Duncan. We began the conversation with our now customary bantering back and forth. Although his voice was weak and his speech slow and deliberate, Duncan’s wit was clearly in play as we talked. I mentioned to him that I had just been reading a book I thought he would appreciate, as Hendra’s novel is a satirical portrayal of the evangelical Christian movement in America. We talked about the book for a few minutes and then, abruptly in the midst of the book discussion, Duncan casually mentioned, “By the way, I’m on the other side of the wall now.”

I was afraid I had misheard him, so I responded, “Did I just hear you say what I think I heard you say?” He quickly replied, “Yes.” Still fearful that I might be misunderstanding things, I then said, “Did you just tell me that you are now on the other side of the wall.” Again, Duncan patiently, but firmly, replied, “Yes!”

I felt the tears begin to fill my eyes. The news, to be honest, was too good to be true! For months all of us had been praying that Duncan would profess faith in Christ and invite the Lord to fill his life. Throughout our discussion of faith, Duncan and I had employed the image of a wall, a wall on which God was on one side and Duncan the other. Duncan felt unable to profess Christian faith because of this unyielding and seemingly insurmountable wall, composed of innumerable bricks that had been laid over the years. To hear Duncan him acknowledge that he was on the other side of the wall was nearly unbelievable!

I recall jumping up on the cushions of the couch in the basement as the ramifications of what I was hearing became clear. Duncan was affirming his faith in Christ.

I don’t recall much of the remainder of the conversation. I think I was so stunned by his profession of faith that I went into a bit of shock! I do recall at one point saying something to the effect: “So now we are brothers in Christ!” To this, once again, Duncan firmly replied, “Yes!”

Before ending the conversation I remember telling him that I loved him and that I celebrated his arrival to the other side of the wall. Hanging up the phone, I could hardly stand still at my excitement of the news. For although I knew, as my friend did, that death was imminent, I knew that new life was already at work.

I will remember my conversation with Duncan on that Sunday afternoon for as long as I live. And I will be eternally grateful to God for privilege of hearing his affirmation of faith: “By the way, I’m on the other side of the wall now.”

--Wally Fleming (March 6, 2009)

Conclusion

I wish that I had put my Christian apologetics act together better earlier in my life. And I wish I had made sure my son did not mix in circles that would lead him away from God. But then, even King David’s son Solomon went astray, so maybe life is ultimately all a matter of personal, individual choices. What happened to Duncan was certainly not God’s best. God does not send cancer. He can’t send what He does not have. Satan took the opportunity to steal away Duncan’s life, but God allowed it for reasons we still do not know or understand. God does not save us from pain but does save us in pain. Somehow, God is using all this to His advantage.

What consolation or understanding have we gained? Maybe just a glimmer. My wife Carol, who sometimes hears the “soft, still voice of God”, heard Him say of Duncan “I have not kept him from you, I have kept him for you.” By that we imply that this may have been the only way to insure Duncan made it to heaven, without being led further astray. God took him at the optimum time. We also know that “better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10) – so even though Duncan did not live out a fulfilled life on earth, his existence now is far better. And this journey set Carol and me on an aggressive path to get our faith solidly based and to go after God’s ways better, seeking to understand more of how prayer and healing in the kingdom works. It’s almost as if the devil ‘wacks’ you like a pool or snooker ball, knocking you off course, only to find that God has made all the other balls line up with the pockets, and to hit other balls with profound success.

Proof?

So, have we proved that God does exist? Looking at all these facts, one can rationally conclude that the magnitude of evidence points conclusively to that fact that a loving God does exist and can be known in an intimate, personal way. I find it ironic in the extreme that scientists will set up elaborate schemes to detect extra-terrestrial communications (for example, the SETI project - http://www.seti.org) yet ignore or dismiss the obvious, unbelievably sophisticated intelligent codes in DNA. SETI researchers are looking for a signal which contains a recognizable pattern – e.g. a series of pulses which encode the first 10000 prime numbers, or a signal which has the mathematical characteristics of a symbolic language. As the example of SETI demonstrates, scientific methods and arguments can be used to help build a strong case for design.

To say that the human eye, or the incredible intricacies of human reproduction occurred “by chance”…! To live in a body that is amazingly self-healing, yet deny a Designer God’s existence – well the Bible has an opinion of that person in Psalm 14 v.1: The fool says in his heart “There is no God”. Although Albert Einstein didn't believe in the God of the Bible, he wasn't a fool. He knew that there was a Creator. He said, "Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which our modest powers must feel humble." (The Quotable Einstein, p. 152).

Thomas Edison once famously stated that “We do not know one-millionth of one percent about anything.” If we make statement like "There is no gold in China" it implies we know everything about China that there is to know and can categorically state that gold is nowhere to be found. So making an absolute statement like "There is no God" is an absolute statement that implies we know all there is to know about the universe in which we live – absurd!

If a circle represents all the knowledge in the universe, what portion would you fill in that represents known information? Is it possible, in the 99% of the knowledge you haven't yet come across, that there is ample evidence to prove that God exists? If you are reasonable, you will be forced to say, "Yes, it is possible…so I really don't know." Therefore you may say, "With the limited knowledge I have at present I've come to the conclusion that there is no God, but I really don't know" - but you cannot in all honesty state that there is no God.

Perhaps you have found that some of the arguments and testimonies listed in this book convincing, allowing you to conclude that there is a God and that He loves you. You may never have thought about it before, or just assumed all was well “because you live in a Christian country”; or that “your parents were Christians”; or that “I’m a good person so God should let me into heaven”; or “I go to Mass (sometimes) so that’s good enough isn’t it?”

There are as many ideas of who God is as there are world religions, but Christianity is not just another world religion. Christian faith is a living personal relationship made real through the Holy Spirit. No other prophet, guru, potentate, angel, or visitor from an alien planet has made such a bold claim as Jesus has. No salvation offered by any other self-proclaimed spokesman for god is remotely similar. Mohammed claims Allah has no sons and no companions, nor has any need of them. Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, etc. are all dead. None of them claimed to be a sin offering in exchange for our sins. Few of them gave any hope of salvation without heavy burdens of religious regulations.59

Regardless of how much you think God might be mad at you for whatever you’ve done or not done, He is still glad to receive you. “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17). Most people won’t even consider the existence of God because it would have moral implications on their lives – He might even interfere with their plans, or stop them from living in what they know deep down is a sinful lifestyle.60.

“For us to gain eternal life, Jesus had to die to satisfy God’s justice. It may be difficult to think of the God of love as a God of wrath, but Scripture tells us this is so (Rom. 1.18). So the cross makes it possible for God simultaneously to take our sin seriously and to extend His love to us. God’s justice demands our death as punishment for our sin, yet His love desires that we be saved from the judgment of hell. At the Cross, God demonstrated His justice for sin, and the One who justifies (“just if I’d never sinned”) those who have faith in Jesus (Rom. 3.26) since the penalty has been paid. God’s love cannot operate apart from the Cross, for forgiveness cannot come except through the Cross.

59 Mahesh Shavda “The Hidden Power of Watching and Praying” p24 60 John Wimber “Power Evangelism” Hodder & Stoughton

Two terms capture how much the Cross cost God. The first is atonement. Hebrews 2.17 says that Jesus came ‘that He might make atonement for the sins of the people’. The word ‘atonement’ means ‘a making at one’. It points to the process by which God brings us into union with Himself. The atonement makes us one with God through turning aside God’s wrath and making Him favorably inclined towards us. The key to God’s turning aside is that Christ uniquely takes our place (He is our substitute Jn.11.50; 1Tim.2.6), enduring God’s wrath for us. Jesus also represents us on the Cross (2Cor 5.14), so that as we identify with Him, the benefits of His death apply to us. The second term is justification – a legal term meaning acquittal or declaring righteous, and is the opposite of condemnation. 2.Cor 5.21 says “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. When we put our faith in Christ (Acts 10.43) we become so closely identified with Him that His righteousness is credited to us, and we are declared righteous.

If you want to begin a relationship with God now, you can.

This is entirely your decision - no coercion here, but do not let it pass you by – you do not know what tomorrow may bring, or even if you have a tomorrow. If you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with him, you can do so right now by asking him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her]."20 If you want to do this, but aren't sure how to put it into words, this may help: "Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. I want to know you in a real way. Come into my life now. Thank you that you wanted a relationship with me. Amen."

God views your relationship with him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in him, Jesus Christ said of us, "I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand."21 The Bible says "Everyone has sinned and come short God’s glory" and "the wages of – or punishment for - sin is death, but the free gift of God is Eternal Life because of Jesus Christ our Lord". The Bible also says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved". And you are a "whoever" - right? All of us are.

My prayer is that you would make a decision to trust Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, and that He would make Himself real to you. Why not pray this prayer now: “If You really are there, Lord Jesus, come into my life. Forgive me of my sin. Wash my sins away. Set me free. Jesus, thank You that You died for me. I believe that You rose from the dead and I’m now forgiven and on my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart.”

Appendix:

Strange?

An odd occurrence happened in England as we were leaving the funeral home after Duncan’s passing. We got in our car to leave the grounds of the establishment, and turned the corner to the driveway leading out to the main road. There on the ground in the middle of the road stood a white dove staring at us, not letting the car pass. We were amazed at this sight and Duncan’s wife Kris took a picture on her cellphone. After a few minutes the bird turned round and led us up the driveway at a slow pace, turning round occasionally, but not letting us pass. Later we asked the funeral director where the white doves were kept. He said they don’t have white doves, and no-one had ever seen a white dove there before.

Not to put too much emphasis on this event, we took it to mean that God was sending a message of comfort to us. We have read of many other instances which refer to this kind of sign being given, almost as though “heaven is breaking through to earth”.

We still are terribly grief-stricken with our loss, but we have been comforted by Rev. Wally Fleming’s statements, this apparent sign, and for other reasons. God will turn this for good somehow.

Back in the USA

On returning to America, we have traveled to various Christian conferences and venues to try to get a deeper understanding of these shattering events. At one conference in Phoenix, we had a chance to discuss our loss briefly with one of our favorite Christian speakers, Bill Johnson of Redding, CA, who shared a similar loss of his father to cancer, despite – again - a lot of believing prayer. He wisely said that we should put aside the need to understand why, and realize that this is the only opportunity we will have to offer a sacrifice of praise to God. That will not be possible in Heaven.

In Johnson’s book “Strengthen Yourself in the Lord”, he writes about the need to protect ourselves from things that can discourage, or take us away from the Word of God and His promises, using especially the Psalms to lift our souls in desperate times, as well as recalling God’s goodness in times past. We need a healthy sense of "denial". Logic and reasoning cannot be held higher than God. My job is to trust my heavenly Father with the problems and situations I don't understand, and focus on what I know to be true. “God is good, all the time.” My success in watching over my heart determines the measure of Kingdom breakthrough I will experience in life (pg. 34). David endured tests that that directly contradicted God's Word over his life (pg. 39). God never sets us up to fail - only to grow (pg. 41). God not only prepares us for conflict, He leads us right into it (pg. 46). Difficulty has a way of exposing the degree to which our lives and

minds have been truly transformed by a heavenly perspective for certain responses to be habitual (pg. 52-3). Try to live in such a way that nothing ever gets bigger than our consciousness of God's presence (pg. 60). It becomes really hard to stay depressed about your circumstances when you're filled with the awareness of the love and goodness that surrounds and infuses your life (pg. 61). By lining my physical body up with what the Word said, I brought my whole being into agreement with the truth (pg. 69). Desperation is not always an expression of faith (pg. 88). Every generation that stopped walking in their covenant with God did so because they forgot His works (pg. 111). Strengthening ourselves begins with our choice to listen to God's voice more than any other (pg. 122). Can we say with Job: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!”? (Job 13.15NKJV)