As in most theories, mathematics is the acid test. Every theory to which mathematics can be applied will be proved or disproved by this acid test.
Mathematics does not lie even at the demand of liars pushing evolution….
Every time I think we have hit bottom, I see us sinking, once again, deeper (as a nation, and world) to a new level of depravity.
For instance, how many of us would have ever dreamed we could send our children to a university, and they would come home atheist and believing in such nonsense as men can have babies?
Now that I am among the elderly at age 75, I often find myself asking what happened to the America I knew as a child?
The strange thing is I also remember the elderly 65 years ago asking the same questions I am asking today.
The children are the foundation of all civilizations… they are our future, and this is where the return to sanity and faith must begin.
When I consider prison reform, which is actually prisoner reform begins when they are children… by changing their direction early.
But…. How do we do that?
The following 5 things represent a good start.
5 Reasons To Teach Apologetics To Your Children
Posted by
By Tatiana
October 25, 2019
5 Reasons To Teach Apologetics To Your Children
Apologetics has become a very important part of my life. I’m the type of person that needs to fully understand the why, behind every because. For ten years I’ve read countless books on Christian theology, attended conferences, and taken classes at church. I can say whole-heartedly say that I know why I believe what I believe, however, it wasn’t until recently that I felt a calling to share not only what I’ve learned, but to urge my family to always be ready.
Studies show we are losing our kids to the world in elementary, middle school, and high school and not in just in college as previously thought.
I want to challenge you into digging into God’s word deeper. I want to encourage you to teach your children more than Bible stories, and I want to help you promote a true desire for knowing God personally through His word and His creation.
If you’re a believer, you’ve either read or narrated the Genesis account of creation to your children. We see it as history, as fact, as truth and we present it as such. When our children are young, they believe every word, until one day they don’t.
When they start to question what we’ve taught them we refer them to scripture and tell them of the love of Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, but we must teach our kids why we believe what we believe.
If we teach them why they will be less likely to fall prey to false teachings.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Every word is inspired, not just the parts we like, the parts we agree with, or the parts that are politically correct. We can trust it completely, and we are to take it literally.
If His love is as deep as the Bible says it is, our sole purpose of living ought to be to please Him.
Coming to a full understanding of who He is, will bring our children and ourselves to true worship.
Why do you believe the Bible is the word of God?
How can a God of love allow suffering in the world?
What if, you had to narrate the creation account to an atheist?
The argument most well-meaning-Christians use against the unbelief of an atheist is: it’s in the Bible. What those same well-meaning-Christians ought to remember is that the Bible holds no authority in an unbeliever’s life. How then will you make a case for Christ, the cross and the resurrection?
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
https://creationtoday.org/apologetics-for-children-be-ready-always/
Foundation world view: Christian apologetics for kids
Apologetics questions every Christian Parent Needs to Learn
Practical Biology has made great advances in revealing the complex chemical and physical processes that permit plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses to function.
Theoretical Biology presents Evolution as the origin and method by which these complex living organisms came into existence.
Where You Came from Determines Who You Are, Why You Are Here, and Where You Are Going.
Are you an evolutionary accident or created in God’s image?
If you are a son of a chimp, you can live by the law of the jungle.
If you are a child of God, you were created in the image of God and have the privilege and duty to live by the law of God!
Did you evolve without purpose or meaning, or were you created with a divine purpose and a heavenly goal?
Micro-Evolution (small evolution) causes variable colors, shapes, and sizes of the same species; it is observed in nature and is accepted as scientific fact by Evolutionists and Creationists.
Macro-Evolution (Big Evolution) is theoretical, not factual, and proposes that non-living material accidentally evolved into plant and animal life and that inferior plant and animal life accidentally evolved into higher forms of life.
Spontaneous Generation: The Basic Premise on Which Evolution Stands
Evolution is based on the premise that life suddenly emerged from non-living material.
Spontaneous Generation Has Never Been Observed
Scientists of the late 19th century believed that maggots were spontaneously generated from the deterioration of garbage.
Louis Pasteur demonstrated in the laboratory that garbage did not produce maggots when protected under a glass covering.
Unprotected garbage attracted flies that laid their eggs on the garbage and later hatched into maggots, which are fly larvae.
He concluded that spontaneous generation is unscientific and that life always comes from previous life, not from non-life.
Yet, modern evolutionist are still advocating the same unscientific view of spontaneous generation that Pasteur refuted.
Miller and Urey, artificially created a few amino acids and other DNA components as well as other organic substances, claiming they created life in the test tube.
These organic substances are not living matter, but only some of the components that make up life.
Even these lifeless amino acids were produced not naturally, as spontaneous generation requires, but in the laboratory under closed conditions.
The process required that water be inserted at one point of the experiment and that the resulting substances be protected from water later in the process.
In an open environment, these organic substances would have been destroyed by rain, wind, etc. as rapidly as they were formed. (The cosmos is a closed system, yet the Earth is an open system)
Miller and Urey also utilized electric shocks to form these substances, on the basis that lightning provides the same shock in nature.
The Miller and Urey experiment showed that intelligent man can produce a few of the components that make up life in a closed atmosphere. They did not demonstrate how nature could produce amino acids in an open atmosphere.
The Complicate Process by Which Non-living Material Could Evolve into Living Plants and Creatures
In order to form by chance a simple plant, the protons and neutrons in the nuclei of non-living substances would have to be miraculously replaced with a DNA molecule of a plant.
Other non-living matter would need to be miraculously combined and their nucei replaced with different DNA so as to produce bacteria, fungi, and other forms of animal life.
Plants would have to undergo dramatic changes in the DNA.
Sea Life must undergo complex DNA changes to become land creatures.
Biologists Claim: Similar Structure in Different Animals Proves Evolution
Similarity of Humans to Monkeys, Chimps, and Apes Proves Evolution
Modern biologists now believe “remarkable biochemical similarities of chimpanzee and human proteins” testify to their “incredibly close biological relationship.”
Since a chimpanzee is the closest animal in similarity to man, we would expect it to have some of the same proteins that humans have.
“Species” is defined by biologists as having “potential in nature to interbreed and produce fertile offspring and possess similar inherited characteristics.”
Different Species of the same genus sometimes can interbreed, but they do not produce fertile offspring.
The horse and donkey, different Species of the same Genus, can interbreed, but their offspring is a mule, that is infertile and cannot reproduce.
In no case can Species of different Genera interbreed and produce a new Genus or a new species.
The Chimpanzee is from the Genus called Pan and from the species called Troglodytes, whereas the Orangutan is from the Genus called Pongo and the species called Pygmaeus, and man is the species Homo Sapiens of the Genus Homo.
No one has ever observed a chimp give birth to a superior species of its own Genus (Pan), much less a species of a superior Genus (Homo). If it ever occurs, it will be miraculous, contrary to scientific observation.
Law of Reproduction: “Cells of each species possess a characteristic number of chromosomes: human cells have 46, cotton plants 52, turkeys 82, and some ferns 1,000. During normal cell division, the two daughter cells must receive the same number of chromosomes.”[iii]
Since two daughter cells must have the same number of chromosomes to reproduce, reproduction cannot occur if either of the parents has a different number of chromosomes.
Chimpanzees have 48 Chromosomes in their DNA.
Humans have 46 Chromosomes with a different number and order of the bands of genes, as well as different genes on each band of each chromosome.
A Chimp of 48 chromosomes cannot produce a fertile offspring of 46 chromosomes because it would violate the scientific Law of Cell Reproduction.
Chimpanzees cannot interbreed with humans and produce any offspring; how much less could two chimps or a chimp and another animal of the same genus produce a human being.
Intelligent scientists cannot cause a chimp to produce a superior species, much less a man.
Since a chimp’s producing a superior species has never been observed and violates the scientific law of cell reproduction, it is anti-scientific.
The Biblical View of the Fixity of the Species is More Scientific Than Evolution
Genesis 1:21,24 says “God created…every living and moving thing…according to their kinds.”
The Bible teaches the fixity of the species or kind, as observed by scientists and in conformity with the law of cell reproduction.
The Biblical law of fixity of species conforms to scientific law, whereas evolution contradicts it.
Homology Indicates a Common Designer, Not a Common Ancestry
Laboratory Experiments Show That Radiation Can Modify (Cause Mutations) In the Molecular Structure Of DNA
95% of mutations are fatal or seriously injure the creature so that it is inferior, not superior.
Mutations might cause a different variation of the same species, but in no case have mutations been observed to produce a new species.
Scientist’ Accomplishments with Modifications or Repair of the DNA
Scientists have learned how to repair defective genes, but they have been unable to modify the DNA to create a superior species.
Scientists have developed better quality plants and animals by cross breeding but have never been able to produce a new species of animal or plant.
Scientists’ Failures in Experimenting with DNA
Scientists have continually experimented with radiation treatments to modify the DNA to produce a new species but have never succeeded.
Scientists have experimented with modifications of DNA of fruit flies by inserting multiple copies of an eye gene into fruit-fly embryos.
14 eyes appeared on the fruit fly’s wings, legs, and antennae.
Scientists produced a Frankenstein fruit fly who is grossly inferior to a normal fly.
Scientists Claim: The Fossil Record Proves Evolution
Many Biology text books leave the impression that only lower forms of life appear in the earliest strata of earth and that the higher forms of life gradually appear in successive strata in later ages of earth’s history.
The evidence actually shows both simple and advance animals suddenly appeared in the Cambrian Age, the first period when life is found.
The famous evolutionist, G.G. Simpson, writes, “All these phyla…begin in the Cambrian…. There is little logical order in time of appearance. The Arthropoda appear in the record as early as undoubted Protozoa, although by general consensus the Protozoa are the most primitive phylum and the Arthropoda the most advances.”
The Encyclopedia Britannica calls this phenomenon “an evolutionary explosion; Yet, it claims it “cannot be” and that life must have existed in Pre-Cambrian Ages, although no evidence of life appeared in earlier ages.
Simpson admits that the absence of Pre-Cambrian fossils is the “major mystery of the history of life.”
Advance and simple life existing side by side in the earliest age of earth confirms the Biblical description of creation, but contradicts evolution.
Life on earth begins with a reptile, who miraculously evolved from a fish, which is cold blooded, has scales, with fins, no legs, no jaw, and lives in water.
Reptiles are: Cold blooded, have scales, 4 legs, and 6 bones in the lower jaw, live on land and have 18 more differences.
The reptile miraculously turned into a bird; birds are warm-blooded, with feathers, 2 wings and 2 legs, with a beak and 18 more differences.
If this reptile’s legs evolved into wings, in the interim he could neither walk nor fly and would have died before he could ever evolve into a bird.
The same reptile miraculously turned into a snake that has scales, but no legs and 18 other differences. In the process of losing his legs, the intermediate would have died before it produced a snake.
This same amazing reptile produced another kind of reptile who miraculously turned into a mouse, which is a mammal, who miraculously evolved into a horse, who incredibly evolved into a monkey.
Mammals are warm-blooded instead of cold-blooded, have fur or skin, give birth to the child out of birth track instead of hatching eggs, have 1 bone in the lower jaw (instead of 6) and have 18 more differences.
Every one of these miraculous creatures of evolution violated the definition of a species and contradicted the molecular law of Cell Reproduction that requires that the DNA of each animal have the same number of chromosomes of the parents.
None of these asserted evolutionary changes have ever been observed, nor have they been scientifically produced in the laboratory.
If evolution is true there should be hundreds of examples of transitional fossils between phyla of insects, spine creatures, and worms, and even more transitional fossils between mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
Simpson, admits, “Transitional types are not invariably lacking in the record. A multitude of them are known between species, many between genera, a few between classes, but none is true, between phyla.
Sir Fred Hoyle, who won the Nobel Prize in Astronomy, says, “The evolutionary record leaks like a sieve.”
If man descended from a chimp there should be thousands of fossils of half-chimp/ half-humans, but there are none.
If modern man evolved from a Chimp the intermediate half-chimpanzee/half-human would be superior in intellectual power to modern chimps, and thus millions of them should still be living in our modern world.
According to the Darwin’s theory of the Survival of the Fittest, these transitional beings should have survived better than the chimp. Yet not one of them survived. Why is the Chimp present in abundant numbers, but his superior evolutionary product is nowhere to be seen?
The Fossil Record Indicates Creation and Fixity of Species, Not Evolution
Embryology: Scientists Claim the Human Embryo Proves Past Evolution
Scientists once claimed that the embryo of a human passes through states of its evolutionary past from fish to animal, to human.
A human embryo first appears with a tail like that of a fish, then loses its tail and produces legs, supposedly demonstrating its past evolutionary history.
Study of the DNA shows that the design of a human is encoded so that its embryo will gradually develop into a full-grown human being.
The DNA in a human has no similarity whatsoever to the DNA in a fish.
Informed scientists no longer use this argument, but many freshman biology textbooks still teach that embryology is proof of evolution.
1960 biology textbooks listed 200 vestigial structures of the human body, including the thyroid and pituitary glands, all as evidence of evolution.
By 1990 modern biology found useful functions for all 200.
Natural selection produces micro-evolution.
Flowers can change colors but not into different plants.
Animals can change shapes and colors, but their species remains unchanged.
Survival of the Fittest also produces only micro-evolution, not macro-evolution.
Mutations can cause a plant to become sturdier, but not to turn into a different species of plant.
Moths of a certain color survive better than other moths because of environment, but don’t produce a different species.
Animals can become stronger and prettier based on survival of the fittest, but do not produce different species.
New discover nullifies Darwin’s main argument about the Giraffe.
Darwin claimed that Giraffes suffered successive famines and that only the ones with long necks survived.
Scientists have discovered that tiny blood pumps cover the entire length of the Giraffe’s neck. Without these pumps the heart could not pump the blood to the head and the Giraffe would die.
Thus, the DNA would have to be altered to add these blood pumps to the Giraffe’s growing neck to circulate the blood all the way to the Giraffe’s head and back to the heart.
Nothing natural could rewrite DNA to include these blood pumps; therefore, Giraffes have always had those blood pumps.
Man’s Homage to Mother Earth and Animals as His Maker is Idolatry.
Romans 1: 21 – 25 says that the “wise” (evolutionistic scientists and philosophers), “became fools” when they rejected God as Creator and worshiped animals as their makers.
Men who believe all life evolved naturally from the dust of the earth worship Mother Earth as their creator.
Men who believe reptiles evolved into chimps foolishly give credit to reptiles and chimps as their father and maker.
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20).
The Gospel of Christ Calls Men Out of Idolatry (Evolution), (Acts 14: 8 – 20).
The scientific evidence contradicts evolution. Only an omnipotent, omniscient creator can satisfy the scientific evidence.
This is only a partial example, and these examples have been seriously altered to make it possible to include in this comment, but references are given for your further study.
As we go through the Bible we will take a closer look at many of these points of reference.
Peter S. Williams examines the historical reliability of the New Testament in the light of the findings of archaeology.
“On the whole … archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the Scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his respect for the Bible increased by the experience of excavation in Palestine. Archaeology has in many cases refuted the views of modern critics. ” — Millar Burrows, Professor of Archaeology, Yale University.
Charlotte Allen observes that “Archaeology, which was then a young science, was by and large ignored by the academic biblical scholars of the [nineteenth] century. For the great German exegeses of the era … a voyage to Palestine was beside the point; as the life of the historical Jesus was for them solely a matter of interpreting texts. “[Today, scholars know that archaeological data can be a valuable aid to interpreting texts, as well as providing independent adjudication of a text’s historical veracity.
As Nelson Glueck states, “It may be staled categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference “, whereas on the other “Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible. “
The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the eighteenth-and-nineteenth centuries, certain phases of which will appear periodically, has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history. Likewise, Joseph Free confirms “Archaeology has confirmed countless passages which had been rejected by critics as unhistorical or contrary to known facts.
notes how: Archaeology can demonstrate that the places mentioned in the Gospels really existed and that customs, living conditions, topography, household and workplace furniture and tools, roads, coins, buildings and numerous other ‘stage props’ correspond.”‘ the Gospels describe them.
It can show that the names of certain characters in the Gospels are accurate, when we find inscriptional references to them elsewhere. Events and teachings ascribed to Jesus become intelligible and therefore plausible when read against everything we know about life in Palestine in the first third of the first century.
Reed observes that “The many archaeological discoveries relating to people, places, or titles mentioned in Acts do lend credence to its historicity at one level; many of the specific details in Acts are factual. “ And as Lee Strobel observes:
In trying to determine if a witness is being truthful, journalists and lawyers will test all the elements of his or her testimony that can be tested. If this investigation reveals that the person was wrong in those details, this casts considerable doubt on the veracity of his or her entire story. However, if the minutiae check out, this is some indication — not conclusive proof but some evidence — that maybe the witness is being reliable in his or her overall account.
Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a rare clay seal mark and a 2,600-year-old stone stamp bearing Biblical names amid the ruins of a building destroyed by the ancient Babylonians.
The amazing finds, which date to the First Temple period, were made in Jerusalem’s famous City of David. The artifacts were discovered in the remains of a structure razed in the 6th century B.C., likely during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., according to experts.
In a statement, Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority, which oversaw the dig, said charred pottery shards were found in the building, indicating that the seal mark and stamp survived a major fire.
Both artifacts feature ancient Hebrew script.
In ancient times, a seal stamp, or bulla, was used to authenticate documents or items.
The Nathan-Melech/Eved Hamelech seal stamp found in the City of David. (Photo Credit: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)
The Nathan-Melech/Eved Hamelech seal stamp found in the City of David. (Photo Credit: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)
The tiny 1 cm seal stamp has been dated to sometime from the middle of the seventh century to the start of the sixth century B.C. Deciphered by Dr. Anat Mendel-Geberovich of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for the Study of Ancient Jerusalem, the stamp features the words: “(Belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King.” In the second book of Kings 23:11 “Nathan-Melech” is described as an official in the court of King Josiah. The seal is described as the first archaeological evidence of the Biblical name.
“Although it is not possible to determine with complete certainty that the Nathan-Melech who is mentioned in the Bible was in fact the owner of the stamp, it is impossible to ignore some of the details that link them together,” said Mendel-Geberovich, in the statement.
A 1 cm stamp-seal made of bluish agate stone was also found in the ruins. The stamp is engraved with the name: “(Belonging) to Ikar son of Matanyahu.” The name “Matanyahu” appears in the Bible and on other stamps and seal marks, but the name “Ikar” has not been seen before.
The Ikar Ben Matanyahu seal found in the City of David. (Photo Credit: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)
The Ikar Ben Matanyahu seal found in the City of David. (Photo Credit: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)
Mendel-Geberovich believes that “Ikar,” which can be translated as “farmer,” likely refers to a private individual, as opposed to a description of the person’s occupation.
Stamp seals, which were often used to sign documents, where often set in their owners’ signet rings. It is unclear who “Ikar” was.
“These artifacts attest to the highly developed system of administration in the Kingdom of Judah and add considerable information to our understanding of the economic status of Jerusalem and its administrative system during the First Temple period, as well as personal information about the king’s closest officials and administrators who lived and worked in the city,” said Prof. Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in the statement.
The excavation took place at the Givati Parking Lot in Jerusalem’s City of David.
Israel continues to reveal fresh details of its incredible history. Archaeologists in the City of David, for example, recently discovered an unusual clay jar fragment depicting a ‘grotesque’ ancient deity for scaring away evil spirits. Experts also recently uncovered the estate of a wealthy ancient Samaritan at Zur Natan in central Israel.
In another project, researchers have been shedding new light on the history of a Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant.
Engravings of ships were also recently found on an ancient water cistern discovered in a city in the Negev desert.
Givati Parking Lot Excavations in the City of David, where the discoveries were made.
Elsewhere, archaeologists confirmed the first full spelling of “Jerusalem” on an ancient stone inscription excavated in the area of Jerusalem’s International Convention Center, known as Binyanei Ha’Uma.
In separate excavations, experts discovered a site that may offer fresh insight into the ancient biblical kingdom of David and Solomon, and a trove of bronze coins, the last remnants of an ancient Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
In February 2018, archaeologists announced the discovery of a clay seal mark that may bear the signature of the biblical Prophet Isaiah.
The Nathan-Melech/Eved Hamelech seal found in the City of David.
Other recent finds in recent years include the skeleton of a pregnant woman, dating back 3,200 years, in Israel’s Timna Valley, at a place once called King Solomon’s Mines.
At the site of an ancient city on the West Bank, archaeologists are also hunting for evidence of the tabernacle that once housed the Ark of the Covenant.
Some experts also believe they have found the lost Roman city of Julias, formerly the village of Bethsaida, which was the home of Jesus’ apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
We will review archaeological evidence under the following three categories:
Here is a selection of finds relating to cultural practices mentioned in the New Testament.
In 1968 an ancient burial site was uncovered containing about 35 bodies. One named Yohanan Ben Ha’galgol had a 7 inch nail driven through both feet. Yohanan’s legs were crushed by a blow consistent with the common use of Roman ‘crucifragium’ John 19:31-32 . This find proves that a victim of crucifixion (like Jesus) could receive a proper Jewish burial.
Some have suggested that there was no ‘leprosy’ (i.e. Mycobacterium Leprae or Hansen’s Disease) in the Middle East in Jesus day:
However, thanks to archaeology there is now dramatic evidence of ifs existence in the early first century. Scientific testing of the burial shroud in the so-called ‘Shroud Tomb ‘ has confirmed [he presence of leprosy… Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radio carbon dating confirmed the first-century date of both shroud and skeletal remains. DNA testing confirmed that the man rapped in the shroud was related to other members whose skeletal remains were recovered in the tomb. This DNA testing also revealed that the man has suffered from leprosy.
In the 1980s, drought exposed a well-preserved first-century fishing boat (measuring 26.5 feet long, 7.5 feet wide and 4.5 feet high) in the mud of the Sea of Galilee:
Under the direction of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, archaeologists began a race against time to carefully extract the boat from the mud before the waters returned… Eventually it was placed in a climate-controlled environment to protect it from aging… Pots and lamps found inside the boat dated it to the first century. Carbon-14 testing further confirmed the dating. The design of the boat was typical of fishing boats used during that period on the Sea of Galilee. In the back of the boat was a raised section like the one where Jesus could have been sleeping, as indicated in the Gospel accounts. The boat could accommodate 15 people including crew. This archaeological discovery confirms the description given in the Bible.
Excavated at Pompeii, the Roman city engulfed in liquid mud when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, were two palindromic inscriptions of:
the famous SATOR or ROTAS square, one scratched on the wall of a private house, the other on a pillar in a public exercise yard. This palindrome appears at sites across the Roman Empire in later centuries… All sorts of ingenious explanations have been offered for this remarkable square. On the principle that the simplest explanation is the best; unraveling it as a Christian text gains first place. With the N at the center, the other letters can be re-arranged in a cross shape to read PATERNOSTER [‘Our Father’] horizontally and vertically, with A [alpha] and O (omega) at each end. If this is correct; there were people in Pompeii “who knew at least the first words of the Lord’s prayer in Latin before 79.
This piece of graffiti, from near the Palatine Hill in Rome and rather roughly dated to late in the second-century AD, was apparently drawn by one Roman soldier to mock the faith of a fellow soldier who was a Christian. It shows a man standing by a crucifixion victim with the head of a donkey. The Greek caption reads: “Alexamenos worships [his] God”.
John Dickson reports that: “Megiddo is the site of the earliest church building yet found. This strategic trade city contains the remains of a Christian prayer hall dating to the third century. It contains three mosaic inscriptions pointing to its Christian use. “One Greek inscription, which refers to the table in the center of the hall that was probably used for communion, states: “The God-loving Akeplous has offered (he table to the God Jesus Christ”. The fish that adorn the center of one of four mosaics in the hall are a Christian symbol — the word ichthys (Greek for fish): “is an anagram of the words lesous Christos Theou Yios Soter: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour” (for video of this find cf. http://youtu.be/a21cDvAMzQ8).
Here is a selection of finds relating to places mentioned in the New Testament.
In May 2012 the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a bulla (a small clay seal) that mentions Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus (cf. links to a photo and video of the bulla):
Theologian R.T. France describes Nazareth as:
so insignificant that its name occurs nowhere in Jewish literature until long after the time of Jesus. It was a small village, largely devoted to agriculture, bypassed by the main roads which ran to the near-by Hellenistic city of Sepphoris, The capital of Galilee… it’s population has been estimated at between 500 and 2, 000, and The remains of its buildings show no sign of wealth in the relevant period.
Lee Strobel notes that “Skeptics have been asserting for a long time that Nazareth never existed during the time when the New Testament says Jesus spent his childhood there. However, Paul Barnett reports that “in 1961 a mosaic dated from the third century in which Nazareth appears was unearthed in Caesarea Maritima. Nazareth … is not mentioned in the Old Testament, nor in Josephus ‘s work. Questions as to its genuineness were resolved by this discovery
The discovery is of the utmost importance since it reveals for the very first time a house from the Jewish village of Nazareth and thereby sheds light on the way of life the time of Jesus. The building that we found is small and modest and it is most likely typical of the dwellings in Nazareth in that period.
There are sixteen references to Capernaum (Caper = ‘village’ of Nahum), by the Sea of Galilee, in the gospels: R. T. France notes that:
The houses excavated at Capernaum were one-story buildings, with an outside staircase giving access to the flat roof. The roof was not of stone, but of wooden beams or branches thatched with rush and daubed with mud This explains Mark’s description of how four men carried a potential patient onto the roof and, literally, ‘uncovered the roof and dug it out ‘ so as to let the man down in front of Jesus (Mark 2:1-4), and [he size of the rooms in such houses (never more than five meters across, and often much smaller) shows how quite a modest crowd could make this the only means of access.
Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum according to Mark 1 :21-22 and Luke 4:31-36. Luke 7:1-10 records how Jesus healed the slave of a Roman centurion posted locally.
Randall Price notes that “Recently the Roman presence was confirmed through the excavation at Capernaun of a number of Roman-style buildings, including a Roman bathhouse. ” As Ian Wilson reports: “In this regard, archaeologists have found evidence of Roman military presence in Capernaum in the form of a long bathhouse, of positively non-Jewish design, that almost certainly belonged to the garrison commanded by Jesus ‘s centurion.
It was pointed out to early pilgrims such as Egeria, the mother of emperor Constantine, who recorded c. AD 380 that: “In Capernaum the house of the prince of the apostles has been made into a church with its original walls still standing. It is where the Lord cured the paralytic. ” Peter Walker affirms “graffiti that referred to Jesus as Lord and Messiah .
provides strong evidence that the room was used as a place of Christian worship — almost certainly because it was believed to be the room used by Jesus, perhaps the home of Simon Peter (Luke 4:38) … Given that The early tradition goes back to the first century, this is almost certainly the very place where Jesus stayed— the home of his chief apostle, Peter.
John 5:1-15 describes a pool in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, called Bethesda, surrounded by five covered colonnades. Until the 19th century, there was no evidence outside of John for the existence of this pool and John’s unusual description “caused bible scholars to doubt the reliability of John ‘s account, but (he pool was duly uncovered in the 1930s — with four colonnades around its edges and one across its middle. Ian Wilson reports: “Exhaustive excavations by Israeli archaeologist Professor Joachim Jeremias have brought to light precisely such a building, still including two huge, deep-cut cisterns, in the environs of Jerusalem ‘s Crusader Church of St Anne.
In the 400s AD, a church was built above a pool attached to Hezekiah’s water tunnel to commemorate the healing of a blind man reported in John 9:1-7. Until recently, this was considered to be the Pool of Siloam from the time of Christ. However, during sewerage works in June 2004 engineers stumbled upon a first century ritual pool when they uncovered some ancient steps during pipe maintenance near the mouth of Hezekiah’s tunnel. By the summer of 2005, archaeologists had revealed what was “without doubt the missing pool of Siloam. Mark D. Roberts reports that: “In the plaster of this pool were found coins that establish the date of the pool to the years before and after Jesus. There is little question that this is in fact the pool of Siloam, to which Jesus sent the blind man in John 9.
Peter Walker writes: “There is no doubting the general location of Bethany. The Arabic village of El-Azarieh preserves in its name the way the Byzantines referred to it — as the ‘Lazarium ‘, that is, ‘the place of Lazarus’. Until recently this was a tiny village… There is a strong likelihood that Lazarus ‘ tomb has been correctly identified and preserved.
Here is a selection of finds relating to people mentioned in the New Testament.
We have a bronze coin minted by Herod the Great. On the obverse side (i.e. the bottom) is a tripod and ceremonial bowl with the inscription ‘Herod king’ and the year the coin was struck,
John McRay reports that:
Before AD 50, an area 62 feet square was paved with stone at the northeast corner of the theater in Corinth, Greece. Excavations there revealed part of a Latin inscription carved into the pavement which reads, ‘Erastus in return for his aedilship laid [the pavement] at his own expense. ‘ The Erastus of this inscription is identified in the excavation publication as the Eraslus mentioned by Paul in Romans, a letter written from Corinth, in which Erastus is referred to as ‘the city treasurer’ [Romans 16:23/ …
“This designation in Acts 18:12-17 M’as thought to be impossible. But an inscription at Delphi notes this exact title for the man, and it dates him to the time Paul leas in Corinth
In Luke 3:1-2 we see references to eight historical figures:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar — when [2] Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch [a governor of a quarter of a province] of Galilee, his brother
Philip tetrarch of lturea and Traconitis [cf. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.106-108], and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene — during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. (Luke 3:1-2 [cf Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18:5.2]
The historicity of all eight figures is assured, and archaeological evidence plays its role here, as the following examples demonstrate:
[l] Tiberius Caesar
The Denarius coin, 14-37 AD, is commonly referred to as the ‘Tribute Penny’ from the Bible. The coin shows a portrait of Tiberius Caesar. Craig L. Blomberg comments: “Jesus ‘famous saying about giving to Caesar what was his and to God what his (Mark 12:17 and parallels) makes even more sense when one discovers that most of the Roman coins in use at’ the time had images of Caesar on them.
[2] Pontius Pilate
“In 1961, in Caesarea Maritima, where Pontius Pilate lived, an inscription was found which, among other things, confirms not only the rule of Pilate in Judea but also his preference for the title ‘Prefect’. The inscription isn’t complete anymore, but there ‘s little question about what it once said. In Latin the inscription reads:
TIBERIEUM
IUS PILATUS
ECTUS IUDA
The original wording was thus:
TIBERIEUM
[PONT]IUS PILATUS
[PRAEF]ECTUS IDUA [EA]
Translated, this reads: “To Tiberius, Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.
[5] Lysanias, Tetrach of Abilene
Scholars used to say that Luke didn’t know what he was talking about, because everybody knew that Lysanias was the ruler of Chalcis, who was killed in 36 BC. But then an inscription was found at Albia near Damascus from the time of Tiberius (AD 14-37) which names Lysanias as Tetrarch just as Luke had written. It turned out there had been two government officials named Lysanias!
In a tomb located to the south of Jerusalem discovered several ossuaries, one of which contains what many scholars believe to be the bones of the former high priest Caiaphas and his family. On the side and back of the ossuary is the inscription: “Yosefbar [son of] Caifa
On July 28th 2010 a team of Bulgarian archaeologists excavated a small alabaster box containing several pieces of bone from under the altar of the fourth century AD St. Ivan the Forerunner Church on Sveti Ivan, a Black Sea island off Sozopol on the Bulgarian coast: “We knew we would find a reliquary there and our expectations came true “, lead archaeologist Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov wrote in an e-mail to CNN: seems rather logical to suggest the founders of the monastery did their best to bring relics of its patron saint. That saint was John the Baptist, after whom the Island of Svetti Ivan (St, John) and St, Ivan (John) the Forerunner Church were named.
Alexander of Cyrene
When Jesus was on the way to be crucified, the Roman soldiers forced a man called Simon from Cyrene to carry his cross-beam (cf. Matthew 27:32• Luke 23:26). Simon had sons called Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21; Romans 16:13). In 1941, Israeli archaeologist Eleazar Sukenik discovered a tomb in the Kidron valley in eastern Jerusalem. the chance that the Simon on the ossuary refers to the Simon of Cyrene mentioned in the Gospels seems very likely.
Modem archaeological findings cast light upon these references to Joseph and Judas Barsabbas. As reported by Jerusalem Christian Review (December 2000 online edition), Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a 1st century tomb in the mountainside off the Kidron Valley, containing ossuaries bearing signs of the cross. The inscriptions identify the cave as the tomb of the Barsabbas family. Historian Ory N. Mazar states that “at least some members of this family were among the very first disciples of Christ. ” The ossuaries included:
Professor Mazar comments:
the impact of these fascinating discoveries is multiplied when we consider the additional evidence found in the tomb such as coins and artifacts, that clearly show the tomb was hermetically sealed less than a decade after the crucifixion of Christ. This is years before any part of the New Testament was written, proving that the Scriptures are consistent with the archaeological evidence.
A July 29th 2011 Biblical Archaeological Society Press Release announced that: “During the course of excavating a Byzantine-era church in the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis (in modern southwest Turkey), Professor Francesco D ‘Andria and his archaeological team have discovered the tomb of St. Philip, one of the twelve apostles
James, the brother of Jesus, was martyred in AD 62. A mid-1st century AD chalk ossuary discovered in 2002 bears the inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” ( ‘Ya’akov bar Yosefakhui di Yeshua’).
The intensively studied ‘Shroud of Turin’ — which bears a superficial, photographically negative image of a flogged and crucified man (an image that also contains three dimensional information) — was formerly dismissed by many on the basis of 1988 carbon dating tests giving the Shroud a medieval date. However, recent peer-reviewed scientific findings show that this carbon dating is unreliable because the dated samples were taken from a medieval patch, On the other hand, a mass of historical and forensic evidence points towards an earlier and even first-century date for the Shroud
A statistical comparison between data from the Shroud and the New Testament’s description of various irregular details of Jesus’ punishment establishes that if the Shroud is a genuine 1 st century artifact then it probably was Jesus’ actual burial cloth.
Archaeology adds to the cumulative case for the historical reliability of the New Testament by empirically verifying references to specific cultural practices, beliefs, places and people. As Paul
Barnett concludes:
archaeology neither proves nor disproves the New Testament. It does, however, endorse the narratives at many points, especially in the case of inscriptions, which by their nature are specific. Here we meet characters secondary to the main story — the Herods, [he high priest and several Roman governors. Moreover, through archaeology we are able to fill in background details that enhance the narratives in both the Gospels and in the book of Acts. Archaeological findings have confirmed that [he texts of the New Testament are from first to last historical and geographical in character.
Archaeological finds that contradict the contentions of biblical minimalists and other revisionists have been listed above. There are many more, however, that corroborate biblical evidence, and the following list provides only the most significant discoveries:
A Common Flood Story. Not just the Hebrews (Gen. 6—8), but Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Greeks all report a flood in primordial times. A Sumerian king list from c. 2100 BC divides itself into two categories: those kings who ruled before a great flood and those who ruled after it. One of the earliest examples of Sumero-Akkadian-Babylonian literature, the Gilgamesh Epic, describes a great flood sent as punishment by the gods, with humanity saved only when the pious Utnapishtim (AKA, “the Mesopotamian Noah”) builds a ship and saves the animal world thereon. A later Greek counterpart, the story of Deucalion and Phyrra, tells of a couple who survived a great flood sent by an angry Zeus. Taking refuge atop Mount Parnassus (AKA, “the Greek Ararat’), they supposedly repopulated the earth by heaving stones behind them that sprang into human beings.
The Code of Hammurabi. This seven-foot black diorite stele, discovered at Susa and presently located in the Louvre museum, contains 282 engraved laws of Babylonian King Hammurabi (fl. 1750 BC). The common basis for this law code is the lex talionis (“the law of the tooth”), showing that there was a common Semitic law of retribution in the ancient Near East, which is clearly reflected in the Pentateuch. Exodus 21 for example, reads: “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot…” (niv).
The Nuzi Tablets. The some 20,000 cuneiform clay tablets discovered at the ruins of Nuzi, east of the Tigris River and date-able to c. 1500 BC, reveal institutions, practices, and customs remarkably congruent to those found in Genesis. These tablets include treaties, marriage arrangements, rules regarding inheritance, adoption, and the like.
The Existence of Hittites. Genesis 23 reports that Abraham buried Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah, which he purchased from Ephron the Hittite. Second Samuel 1 1 tells of David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. A century ago the Hittites were unknown outside of the Old Testament, and critics claimed that they were a figment of biblical imagination. In 1906, however, archaeologists digging east of Ankara, Turkey, discovered the ruins of Hattusas, the ancient Hittite capital at what is today called Boghazkoy, as well as its vast collection of Hittite historical records, which showed an empire flourishing in the mid-second millennium BC. This critical challenge, among many others, was immediately proved worthless — a pattern that would often be repeated in the decades to come.
The Merneptah Stele. A seven-foot slab engraved with hieroglyphics, also called the Israel Stele, boasts of the Egyptian pharaoh’s conquest of Libyans and peoples in Palestine, including the Israelite’s: “Israel — his seed is not.” This is the earliest reference to Israel in non biblical sources and demonstrates that, as of c. 1230 BC, the Hebrews were already living in the Promised Land.
Biblical Cities Attested Archaeologically. In addition to Jericho, places such as Haran, Hazor, Dan, Megiddo, Shechem, Samaria, Shiloh, Gezer, Gibeah, Beth Shemesh, Beth Shean, Beersheba, Lachish, and many other urban sites have been excavated, quite apart from such larger and obvious locations as Jerusalem or Babylon. Such geographical markers are extremely significant in demonstrating that fact, not fantasy, is intended in the Old Testament historical narratives; otherwise, the specificity regarding these urban sites would have been replaced by “Once upon a time” narratives with only hazy geographical parameters, if any.
Israel’s enemies in the Hebrew Bible likewise are not contrived but solidly historical. Among the most dangerous of these were the Philistines, the people after whom Palestine itself would be named. Their earliest depiction is on the Temple of Rameses Ill at Thebes, c. 1150 BC, as “peoples of the sea” who invaded the Delta area and later the coastal plain of Canaan. The Pentapolis (five cities) they established — namely Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gaza, Gath, and Ekron — have all been excavated, at least in part, and some remain cities to this day. Such precise urban evidence measures favorably when compared with the geographical sites claimed in the holy books of other religious systems, which often have no basis whatever in reality.
Shishak’s Invasion of Judah. First Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 12 tell of Pharaoh Shishak’s conquest of Judah in the fifth year of the reign of King Rehoboam, the brainless son of Solomon, and how Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem was robbed of its treasures on that occasion. This victory is also commemorated in hieroglyphic wall carvings on the Temple of Amon at Thebes.
The Moabite Stone. Second Kings 3 reports that Mesha, the king of Moab, rebelled against the king of Israel following the death of Ahab. A three-foot stone slab, also called the Mesha Stele, confirms the revolt by claiming triumph over Ahab’s family, c. 850 BC, and that Israel had “perished forever.” Obelisk of Shalmaneser Ill. In 2 Kings 9—10, Jehu is mentioned as King of Israel (841—814 BC). That the growing power of Assyria was already encroaching on the northern kings prior to their ultimate conquest in 722 BC is demonstrated by a six-and-a-half-foot black obelisk discovered in the ruins of the palace at Nimrud in 1846. On it, Jehu is shown kneeling before Shalmaneser Il! and offering tribute to the Assyrian king, the only relief we have to date of a Hebrew monarch. Burial Plaque of King Uzziah. Down in Judah, King Uzziah ruled from 792 to 740 BC, a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah. Like Solomon, he began well and ended badly. In 2
Chronicles 26 his sin is recorded, which resulted in his being struck with leprosy later in life. When Uzziah died, he was interred in a “field of burial that belonged to the kings.” His stone burial plaque has been discovered on the Mount of Olives, and it reads: “Here, the bones of Uzziah, King of Judah, were brought. Do not open.”
Hezekiah’s Siloam Tunnel Inscription. King Hezekiah of Judah ruled from 721 to 686 BC. Fearing a siege by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, Hezekiah preserved Jerusalem’s water supply by cutting a tunnel through 1,750 feet of solid rock from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam inside the city walls (2 Kings 20; 2 Chron. 32). At the Siloam end of the tunnel, an inscription, presently in the archaeological museum at Istanbul, Turkey, celebrates this remarkable accomplishment. The tunnel is probably the only biblical site that has not changed its appearance in 2,700 years.
The Sennacherib Prism. After having conquered the 10 northern tribes of Israel, the Assyrians moved southward to do the same to Judah (2 Kings 18—19). The prophet Isaiah, however, told
Hezekiah that God would protect Judah and Jerusalem against Sennacherib (2 Chron. 32; Isa. 36— 37). Assyrian records virtually confirm this. The cuneiform on a hexagonal, 1 5-inch baked clay prism found at the Assyrian capital of Nineveh describes Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 BC in which it claims that the Assyrian king shut Hezekiah inside Jerusalem “like a caged bird.” Like the biblical record, however, it does not state that he conquered Jerusalem, which the prism certainly would have done had this been the case. The Assyrians, in fact, bypassed Jerusalem on their way to Egypt, and the city would not fall until the time of Nebuchadnezzar and the Neo-Babylonians in 586 BC. Sennacherib himself returned to Nineveh where his own sons murdered him.
New International Version Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture (Zondervan, 2005)
Paul Barnett, ts The New Testament Reliable?, second edition (IVP, 2003)
Craig A. Evans, Jesus and His World; The Archaeological Evidence (London: SPCK, 2012)
Jack Finegan, The Archaeology of the New Testament; The Life ofJesus and the Beginning of the Early Church, revised edition (Princeton University Press, 1992)
Gary R. Habermas, The Secret of the Ta[piot Tomb: Unravel!ing the Mystery of the Jesus Family Tomb (Holman Reference, 2007)
John C. lannone, The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: New Scientific Evidence (St Pauts, 1998)
John McRay, Archaeology & the New Testament (Baker Academic, 1991)
John McRay, ‘Archaeologica: Evidence for the New Testament* in John Ashton & Michael Westacott (eds.), The Big Argument: Does God Exist? (Master Books, 2006)
Alan Millard, Discoveries From The Time Of Jesus (Lion, 1990)
Randall price, The Stones Cry Out: What Archaeology Reveals About the Truth of the Bible (Harvest House, 1997)
Charles L Quarles,-Buried Hope or Risen Savior? The Search for the Jesus Tomb (B&h Academic, 2008)
Hershel Shanks & Ben Witherington, The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family (Continuum, 2003)
Jeffery Sheler, Is The Bible True? How Modern Debates & Discoveries Affirm The Essence Of The Scriptures (HarperCollins, 2000)
Kenneth E. Stevenson, Image of the Risen Christ: Remarkable New Evidence About The Shroud (Frontier Research, 1999)
Carsten Peter Thiede, The Emmaus Mystery (Continuum, 2005)
Peter Walker, The Weekend that Changed the World: The Mystery of Jerusalem’s Empty Tomb (Marsha!! Pickering, 1_999)
Peter Walker, In The Footsteps of Jesus: An Illustrated Guide to the Places of the Holy Land (Lion, 2009)
Referring to the Tulmud in which every mention of Christ is in a negative sense is use simply to verify that Jesus Christ was a real person, and that He was crucified, being considered a false teacher, and a worker of magic tricks (miractr—d •
Sanhedrin 43a relates the trial and execution of a sorcerer named Jesus (Yeshu in Hebrew) and his five disciples. The sorcerer is stoned and hanged on the Eve of Passover.
Sanhedrin 107 tells of a Jesus (“Yeshu”) “offended his teacher by paying too much attention to the innkeeper’s wife. Jesus wished to be forgiven, but [his rabbi] was too slow to forgive him, and Jesus in despair went away and put up a brick (idol] and worshipped it.”
In Gittin 56b, 57a a story is mentioned in which Onkelos summons up the spirit of a Yeshu who sought to harm Israel. He describes his punishment in the afterEife as boiling in excrement.
Some scholars claim that the Hebrew name Yeshu is not a short form of the name Yeshua, but rather an acrostic for the Hebrew phrase “may his name and memory be blotted out” created by taking the first letter of the Hebrew words.
In addition, at the 1240 Disputation of Paris, Donin presented the allegation that the Talmud was blasphemous towards Mary, the mother of Jesus (Miriam in Hebrew), and this criticism has been repeated by many Christian sources. The texts cited by critics include Sanhedrin 67a, Sanhedrin 106a, and Shabbath 104b. However, the references to Mary are not specific, and some assert that they do not refer to Jesus’ mother, or perhaps refer to Mary Magdalen.Scholars have identified the following references in the Talmud that some conclude refer to Jesus:
Sanhedrin 43a relates the trial and execution of Jesus and his five disciples. Here, Jesus is a sorcerer who has enticed other Jews to apostasy.
Abodah Zarah 2:2/12 — “Jacob … came to heal him. He said to him: we will speak to you in the name of Jesus son of Pandera” (Editions or MS: Venice)
(Editions or MSS: Vatican 291, Oxford 164, Pesaro 1519)
Scholars have identified passages that mention Jesus, as the messiah of Christianity, in the context of a Torah teacher:
Sanhedrin 103a and Berachot 17b talk about a Yeshu ha-Nosri (Jesus of Nazareth) who “burns his food in public”, possibly a reference to pagan sacrifices or a metaphor for apostasy. The passages identified by scholars in this context are:
Passages in Sanhedrin 107b and Sotah 47a refer to an individual (Yeshu) that some scholars conclude is a reference to Jesus, regarded as the messiah of ChristianitySome passages that have been identified by scholars as mentioning Jesus, as the messiah of Christianity, in this context incJude:
In Gittin 56b-57a a story is recorded in which Onkefos, a nephew of the Roman emperor Titus who destroyed the Second Temple, intent on converting to Judaism, summons up the spirits of Yeshu and others to help make up his mind. Each describes his punishment in the afterlife.
— Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 56b-57a
Tombstone of Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera, a soldier who has been claimed to be the “Pantera” named by Talmud.
Some Talmudic sources include passages which identify a “son of Pandera ll (ben Pandera in Hebrew), and some scholars conclude that these are references to the messiah of Christianity.
The Talmud, and other talmudic texts, contain several references to the “son of Pandera ll . A few of the references explicitly name Jesus (“Yeshu”) as the “son of Panderalt : these explicit connections are found in the Tosefta, the Qohelet Rabbah, and the Jerusalem Talmud, but not in the Babylonian Talmud. The explicit connections found in the Jerusalem Talmud are debated because the name “Jesus” (“Yeshu tl ) is found only in a marginal gloss in some manuscripts, but other scholars conclude that it was in the original versions of the Jerusalem Talmud.
The texts include several spellings for the father’s name (Pandera, Panthera, Pandira, Pantirj, or Pantera) and some scholars conclude that these are all references to the same individual, [95] but other scholars suggest that they may be unrelated references.[96] [n some of the texts, the father produced a son with a woman named Mary. Several of the texts indicate that the mother was not married to Pandera, and was committing adultery and — by implication —Jesus was a bastard child. Some of the texts indicate that Maryls husband’s name was Stada.
Some Talmudic sources include passages which identify a ‘Ison of Stada” or “son of Stara” (ben Stada or ben Stara in Hebrew), and some scholars conclude that these are references to the messiah of Christianity.
Two talmudic-era texts that explicitly associate Jesus as the son of Pantera/Pandera are:
Both of the above passages describe situations where Jesus’ name is invoked to perform magical healing. In addition, some editions of the Jerusalem Talmud explicitly identify Jesus as the son of Pandera:
However, some editions of the Jerusalem Talmud do not contain the name Jesus in these passages, so the association in this case is disputed, The parallel passages in the Babylonian Talmud do not contain the name Jesus.
Other Talmudic narratives describe Jesus as the son of a Pantiri or Pandera, in a teaching context:
However, the parallel accounts in the Babylonian Talmud mention Jesus but do not mention the father’s name:
Babylonian Abodah Zarah 17a “One of the disciples of Jesus the Nazarene found me t‘
Babylonian Abodah Zarah 17a “Thus I was taught by Jesus the Nazarene”
The Babylonian talmud contains narratives that discuss an anonymous person who brought witchcraft out of Egypt, and the person is identified as “son of Pandera” or “son of Stada”. The Talmud discusses whether the individual (the name Jesus is not present in these passages) is the son of Stada, or Pandera, and a suggestion is made that the mother Mary committed adultery.
There is no Talmudic text that directly associates Jesus with Mary (Miriam), instead the association is indirect: Jesus is associated with a father (“son of Pandera”), and in other passages, Pandera is associated with Mary (as her lover).
Typically both Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds use the generic minim for heretics. Aside from mentions of the five disciples of “Yeshu ha Notzri,” the plural Notzrim, “Christians,” are only clearly mentioned once in the Babylonian Talmud, (where it is amended to Netzarim, people of the watch) in B.Ta fanit 27b with a late parallel in Masekhet Soferim 17:4. And then “The day of the Notzri according to Rabbi Ishmael is forbidden for ever” in some texts of B.Avodah Zarah 6a.
The Toledot Yeshu (History of Jesus) is a Jewish anti-Christian polemic that purports to be a biography of Jesus. Some scholars conclude that the Toledot Yeshu is an expansion and elaboration on anti-Christian themes in the Talmud. Stephen Gero suggests that an early version of the To!edot Yeshu narrative preceded the Talmud, and that the Talmud drew upon the Toledot Yeshu, but Rubenstein and Schäfer discount that possibility, because they date the origin of the Toiedot Yeshu in the early Middle Ages or Late Antiquity.
The Platonistjc philosopher Celsus, writing circa 150 to 200 CE, wrote a narrative describing a Jew who discounts the story of the Virgin Birth of Jesus. Scholars have remarked on the parallels (adultery, father’s name “Panthera”, return from Egypt, magical powers) between Celsus l account and the Talmudic narratives. In Celsus! account, the Jew says:
. .[Jesus] came from a Jewish village and from a poor country woman who earned her living by spinning. He says that she was driven out by her husband, who was a carpenter by trade, as she was convicted of adultery. Then he says that after she had been driven out by her husband and while she was wandering about in a disgraceful way she secretly gave birth to Jesus. He states that because he [Jesus] was poor he hired himself out as a workman in Egypt, and there tried his hand at certain magical powers on which the Egyptians pride themselves; he returned full of conceit, because of these powers, and on account of them gave himself the title of God . . . the mother of Jesus is described as having been turned out by the carpenter who was betrothed to her, as she had been convicted of adultery and had a child by a certain soldier named Panthera.ll
As we begin our apologetic tour through the bible beginning in Genesis it occurred to me maybe we should first defend the legitimacy of the scripture and describe what it is first.
Revelation means “uncovering” or “revelation” in both Hebrew (galah) and Greek (apocalupsis).
Inspiration of GOD means: breathed into by GOD in both Hebrew (ruwach Shaddai) and Greek (theopneustos).
Job 32:8 But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is GOD -breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD GOD formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
GOD breathed into Scripture and it became the living word of GOD Hebrews 4:12 “The word of GOD is living and active.”
Visions and Dreams: Numbers 12:6 he said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.
Face to Face speaking. numbers 12:7-8 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Taught directly by Christ: Galatians 1:11-12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Angels: Revelation 1:1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which GOD gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
When Moses wrote down the revelation GOD spoke, the Holy Spirit inspired him to remember and write accurately what GOD had said. Thus, Exodus 24:4 says, “Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said.”
Jesus promised in John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
When Paul preached or wrote, the Holy Spirit inspired him to remember precisely what Jesus directly revealed to him, 1 Corinthians 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
When John wrote his gospel, the Holy Spirit reminded John of what he had heard Jesus say and what he had seen Jesus do, just as Jesus promised (14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.)
When John wrote the book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit reminded John of what the angel had said and shown to him (The revelation from Jesus Christ, which GOD gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,)
All Scripture is “GOD -breathed…is Inspired by GOD.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is GOD -breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of GOD may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
All Scripture Includes Old Testament Scripture. When Paul said, all Scripture is inspired, he specifically noted the Old Testament Scriptures.
All Scripture Includes the New Testament Scripture
Paul believed New Testament writing also is inspired Scripture, because Paul quoted Luke 10:7 as “Scripture” in 1 Timothy 5:18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” The first verse is from Deuteronomy 25:4 and the 2nd verse contain the exact Greek words of Luke 10:7. Thus, Paul called both the Old Testament and the New Testament “Scripture.”
GOD -breathed Scripture Includes Both Old and New Testament Writings.
The Old Testament Claims 3,800 Times to Be God’s Word
David in 2 Samuel 23:2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
“This is what the Lord says” (Isiah 66:1).
“The word of the Lord came to me saying” (Jeremiah 1:4).
Ezekiel 1:1 “I saw visions of GOD,” 2:1 and 3:1 “And He said to me”
“There is a GOD in heaven who reveals mysteries (Daniel 2:28).
New Testament Scripture Claims to Be God’s Word
Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. John 7:16
Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. John 14:24
If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 1 Corinthians 14:37
And we also thank GOD continually because, when you received the word of GOD, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of GOD, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of GOD. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. 1 peter 1:23-25
Peter quotes Isaiah 40: 6-8 as God’s word and then claims that his own writing is the same Word of GOD that Isiah taught.
In 2 Peter 1: 20-21, Peter denied that Scripture is of Human Origin.
The Bible claims to Speak Only the Truth
GOD is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19
Yet you are near, LORD, and all your commands are true. Psalm 119:151
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17
Jesus Claimed All Old Testament History to Be True (Matthew 23:35) that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Abel is in Genesis, the first Old Testament book and Zechariah is in 2 Chronicles, the last Old Testament book in the Hebrew Bible.
Jesus Claimed the Old Testament Predictions as God’s Inspired Word.
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:25-27
Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Luke 24:44-45
The Bible Claims to Reveal ALL the Truth That GOD Wants Man to Have
SUMMARY: The Bible clearly claims to be God’s Inspired and Inerrant Word. Since Jesus and the apostles believed the Bible is God’s Inspired and Inerrant Word, how can any true Christian believe less? Do we know more than Jesus?
NOTE: there are records from the past, which we have every reason to believe, are true since both archaeology and contemporary documents from the same time zone have confirmed their general reliability. Whether we believe the Bible is the word of God or not, one thing is for sure. If is is a history book, then these things are true.
NOTE: What Luke claims then is that his book is reliable historical testimony, that it contains the facts as they literally and really happened.
Your New Testament records the events that eyewitnesses like Matthew and John and Peter and Paul and careful researchers like Luke and others, the authors, the writers of the New Testament were able to record.
NOTE: Why do we believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead? Not because of a feeling or an existential experience. We believe because of men like Thomas and Matthew and john and Peter and others who saw and recorded their eyewitness testimony.
Here is the beginning place for an investigation into the genuineness of Christianity. It must begin with a real historic space-time Jesus for apart from his own historical existence neither redemption nor resurrection could amount to any more that pie-i-the-sky-by-and-by.
Belief is the result of an honest evaluation of reliable, convincing evidence. An unwavering faith in God, Christ as the Son of God and the Bible as God’s Word must be grounded on actual documented evidence rather than being inherited from our family or derived from our feelings. The case for belief is not to be found in either science or philosophy.
Christian Evidences seek to confirm the Deity of Christ and the inspiration of the Bible by presenting various evidences to substantiate this. The historical approach of Christian Evidences seeks to confirm that the Christian faith rests upon a reliable foundation of historical facts. These facts of history from the basis of the evidences for belief. It is this kind of evidence, its historical reliability and its weight in relation to the Biblical claim, which we shall investigate during the course.
REMARKABLE SCIENTIFIC FOREKNOWLEDGE
God told Isaiah, “write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness” (Isaiah 30:8)
the mathematical impossibility of Evolution
This is a presentation offering evidence that mathematics that refutes the possibility of evolution.
Remember if we can see that evolution is impossible, we could technically stop right here, because that only leaves creation as the answer we are seeking.
No theory of chance can explain the creation of the world. Before chance can send atoms whirling through infinite void, the atoms have to exist! What has to be explained is the being of the world and matter. It makes no sense to say that chance can account for the creation of being.
Claude Tresmontant, University of Paris
To begin with, according to the statement above, if there was a big bang, what banged? We cannot get to a point where there was absolutely nothing and then suddenly there was something without a Creator, a causing force.
In reality the logical mind would immediately recognize the impossibility of evolution, however apparently our so called “great minds” aren’t necessarily logical minds.
So I want to lay a little ground work here. The basic building blocks of life are DNA and RNA.
Simply put the DNA is the building block, and the RNA is the plans, or instructions for the DNA.
What is DNA made of?
DNA is made of chemical building blocks called nucleotides. These building blocks are made of three parts: a phosphate group, a sugar group and one of four types of nitrogen bases. To form a strand of DNA, nucleotides are linked into chains, with the phosphate and sugar groups alternating
What does DNA do?
DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. To carry out these functions, DNA sequences must be converted into messages that can be used to produce proteins, which are the complex molecules that do most of the work in our bodies.
How are DNA sequences used to make proteins?
DNA’s instructions are used to make proteins in a two-step process. First, enzymes read the information in a DNA molecule and transcribe it into an intermediary molecule called messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA.
Next, the information contained in the mRNA molecule is translated into the “language” of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. This language tells the cell’s protein-making machinery the precise order in which to link the amino acids to produce a specific protein. This is a major task because there are 20 types of amino acids, which can be placed in many different orders to form a wide variety of proteins.
DNA only has 5 different atoms – carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorous. According to one estimation, there are about 204 billion atoms in each DNA ..
So how many “pieces” make up an Atom? Three Easy Pieces. Even though many super-tiny atomic particles exist, you only need to remember the three basic parts of an atom: electrons, protons, and neutrons. What are electrons, protons, and neutrons? Electrons are the smallest of the three particles that make up atoms.
Both the protons and neutrons reside in the nucleus. Protons have a postive (+) charge, neutrons have no charge –they are neutral. Electrons reside in orbitals around the nucleus. They have a negative charge (-).
What are elements?
An atom is the smallest building block of everything that exists. The smallest object you can see under a microscope has more than 10 billion atoms .
There are over a hundred different types of atoms, that we call elements. They form the world we live in.
All matter is made up of elements which are fundamental substances which cannot be broken down by chemical means. There are 92 elements that occur naturally. The elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are the elements that make up most living organisms. Some other elements found in living organisms are: magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium.
By the late 1800’s many elements had already been discovered. The scientist Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, proposed an arrangement of known elements based on their atomic mass. The modern arrangement of the elements is known as the Periodic Table of Elements and is arranged according to the atomic number of elements.
All the above is to demonstrate the complexity of the simplest form of life.
So it means the DNA which is the building blocks of life, is useless without the RNA to tell it what to do.
Which came first the DNA or the RNA? Which came first the chicken or the egg?
When I built my first PHP/ MySQL website, I spent approximately 4 hours a day, for six months working on the PHP, the code to pull information from my database. I just could not get it to work, so finally I told Jody, that I had come to the end, I just couldn’t do it, but I was going to go over the code just one more time, so I printed it out, about 25 pages of coding (and this was a very simple code for a very simple beginner website) and started reading…. And I finally notice one word outside the code that just didn’t belong there, so I removed it, reloaded the code and it worked perfectly. The point is this, if I had added just one extra comma for instance, the site would not work, it was useless. So even with the training I had received, and the ability to recognize and control mistakes, they were still there, now what if I had just started blindly writing stuff? Would I have saved myself all that grief, knowing it would have come together perfectly by chance?
This simple little website that caused me so much grief because of one misplace word is absolutely nothing compared to the billions of pages of information that would be required for one DNA.
And when we consider the number or amount of DNA in a human body the rest of this class will make perfect sense in just how absolutely the thought of life occurring by chance is insulting to our intelligence, yet they push this idea, very aggressively on the people of the world, and crazy as it may seem, most people actually buy into it.
In 2014 the MIT physicist Max Tegmark a believer in evolution, not creation argues in “Our Mathematical Universe” that mathematics is the fundamental world reality that drives the universe. It could be said that mathematics is operating in a god-like fashion. However, Tegmark and others believe this perfectly mathematically ordered universe came from chaos billions of years ago, and not from an intricate planning Creator. What does this really tell us? That this so called “Great Mind” had a wire loose somewhere, blinded to his own statement of fact.
So, can we prove the earth is young, or at least give overwhelming evidence? Can we put creation on trial? Can we present the evidence of a young earth in such a way that only those who insist on believing in evolution will do so?
The reason for this is I am a firm believer that as we attempt to prove there is an absolute truth, we can turn to mathematics, (and several forms of science) and math simply doesn’t lie. Let me qualify that, mathematics in a simple form, used honestly is a form of absolute truth.
There can only be one absolute truth concerning any subject, two conflicting views cannot both be absolutely true.
It is mathematics that makes space travel possible, it is mathematics that is behind computer science. Consider this truth; it is the arrangements of “one’s and “zeros” that are the basis for computer languages. It’s just that simple, two numbers to create the greatest calculator in history. But just get one of those zeros in the wrong spot and see what happens.
Without math being an exact science, space travel and most modern technology would be impossible, and taking that a step further, we couldn’t even purchase accurately sized clothing or shoes.
The theory of evolution proposes that all the highly structured systems of the universe just happened through a series of evolutionary accidents, all by chance starting with a big explosion billions of years ago. I would ask, did the big explosion also create facts such as mathematics? Seems like a silly question doesn’t it, but the truth is mathematics would have to have existed before the big bang, pointing to a creator.
Just as the RNA had to exist first so the DNA would have a purpose, so that it could be used, yet the DNA had to exist first for the RNA to even have a reason to come into existence…. It actually means there had to be a plan in place with a creator behind it, just like me creating a database, knowing full well I would develop a code after I was done so I could access my information.
Diametrically opposed to this philosophy, Biblical creationism maintains that the innumerable, highly complex systems and intricate structures of the universe offer exceptionally strong evidence of an omniscient Creator. It is the creationist’s view that the astounding degree of complexity and order found throughout the universe could never be produced by mere chance but rather represents the handiwork of an Almighty God.
In a nutshell, the evolutionist would have us believe this incredibly ordered universe just happened by a great explosion. It doesn’t take a lot of sense to know that a great explosion destroys, not creates, so in step one, we start realizing that it takes a lot of faith to believe in evolution.
In fact, the order, especially the intricate and irrefutable reliability and truth of mathematics points out that it’s truth proves that some things are impossible, such as 2 + 2 equaling 3. I was in the class of 65 North Hi School in Wichita Kansas, and in that year a song was released by Barbara Lewis – Baby I’m Yours and one of the lyrics in the song is
“And I’ll be yours until two and two is three, Yours until the mountain crumbles to the sea”
Because of the impossibility of that ever happening, it is a known fact, math is an absolute truth, 2 + 2 will always be 4 and that song will always be a great one…
Okay, lets step to the side for a moment, just because I love things like this, when I googled 2 +2 =3 to find the information on that song, one of the options that came up was 2 Thessalonians 2:3 which reads: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction”.
You think maybe God was trying to tell us something?
The man is doomed through the boom?
Well one of the ways they are trying to deceive us is with the big boom theory.
Lighting a stick of dynamite in a shed, blowing it up, and it reassembles itself into a skyscraper is impossible, but that is exactly what the big bang theory expects us to believe. Simply put, it is witness against itself, professing to be the mathematical geniuses they would have us believe, and then asking us to believe the mathematically impossible (mathematics does not equal order).
Let’s take another view, the Bible States that God created the heavens and the earth in one day, which perfectly describes the big bang theory, except it was a controlled big bang, that did come together perfectly because God was and is in control, and agrees with the fact that something, such as mathematical order, existed before the big boom, in other words, it came from something that existed previously, and it was planned to perfection, and executed to perfection, and as we look at the earth and cosmos we can see the mathematics behind that perfection.
And it gives a reason to believe there was nothing, and all of a sudden something…
If you stop and think about it, the idea that an unordered, unplanned, out of control explosion created the mathematically perfect universe is the ultimate insult to our intelligence.
So let’s have some fun with mathematics.
Have any of you tried your hand at gambling? Well, if you have you know if you place a bet on any certain outcome that only has a 1 in 10 chance of coming up you will probably go home broke… yet, mathematicians will tell you there is a chance you might win, in fact it is only until you reach the odds of 10 to the 50th power (1 to 1 with 50 zeros following it) that you reach the point of impossibility so as we move forward keep that in mind just one number less than 1 chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 and you could WIN!!!
Let’s start with the likelihood of the chance of evolution of life utilizing the basic principles of mathematical probability.
For example, the probability of getting hit by lightning is about 1 in 600,000 (fortunately). The probability of winning a lottery grand prize with a single ticket is about 1 in 5.2 million (unfortunately).
First example: evolutionist way of thinking is that if a monkey was set in front of a typewriter, long enough he would eventually type, by pure chance, a perfect unabridged dictionary. Of course, this idea is completely ridiculous, in fact total nonsense, however let’s illustrate this. It is calculated that the probability of a monkey arranging the word evolution by randomly selecting letters from the alphabet is only 1 chance in 26 to the ninth power, in other words, 1 chance in 5,429,503,679,000.
The odds of this monkey writing the first verse of the bible by accident is 1 in 181,479,392 X 10 to the 62nd power; in plain language 1 chance in 181, 497,392 with 54 zeros past it (way past possibility remember the odds above 1 to the 50th power is the limit of possibility).
Let’s take this science of probability a step further. Consider the chance of accidental development of a very simple system composed of only 200 integrated parts (simple compared with living systems) the probability of forming such an ordered system is 10 to 200 factorial, or 1 chance in 788,657,867,364,790,503,552,363,213,932,185,062,295,138,977,687,263,294,742,533,244,359,449,963,403,342,920,304,284,011,984,623,904,177,212,138,919,638,830,257,642,790,242,637,105,061,926,624,952,829,931,113,462,857,270,763,317,237,396,988,943,922,445,621,451,664,240,254,033,291,864,131,227,428,294,853,277,524,242,407,573,903,240,321,257,405,579,568,660,226,031,904,170,324,062,351,700,858,796,178,922,222,789,623,703,897,374,720,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
This colossal number can be written more simply as 1 chance out of 10 to the 375th power of selecting the proper arrangement for a 200-part integrated system on the first trial.
But what if we keep on trying different combinations over and over again? Won’t we eventually achieve the desired result?
Well, to begin with, there are only 10 to the 80th power electrons in the known universe. Assuming this to be the maximum number of parts available to work with, without attempting to go through a lot of numbers here (as if we haven’t already done that) let me put it in a way that we can understand the impossibility of this ever happening.
If we could try various combinations attempting to get the right number for this 200-part integrated system at 1 billion per second, in other words, every second of the day we could try one billion combinations of the parts; how many hours do you think it would take to come up with the right combination?
If we take that number and give scientists 30 billion years (the age some scientists say is the age of the earth), attempting to randomly come up with this number at the rate of 1 billion per second, we would still be far short of enough time for the odds to come through.
Now the scientists might argue, that one part was built upon another part, in other words, evolved, however that makes the numbers even worse. The numbers of probability actually increases, and in short, makes this whole process mathematically impossible. We’re back trying to get a nickel out of our 2 + 2 pennies.
Let’s add to their problems, a 200-part system is a ridiculously primitive element compared with living systems. Modern research by NASA has demonstrated that the most basic type of protein molecule that could be classified living is composed of at least 400 linked amino acids. Each amino acid, in turn, is made up of a specific arrangement of four or five chemical elements, and each chemical element is itself a unique combination of protons, neutrons and electrons. Golay has demonstrated that the chance formation of even the simplest replicating protein molecule is 10 to the 450th power.
Wysong has calculated the probability of forming the proteins and DNA for the smallest self-replicating entity to be 10 to the 167,626 power, even when granting astronomically generous amounts of time and mixtures, who can imagine what the chance formation of a more complex structure or organ such as the cerebral cortex in the human brain would be? It contains over 10,000,000,000 (ten thousand million, 10 billion) cells each of which is carefully arranged according to a specific design, and each of which is fantastically complex in itself!
Schutzenberger of the University of Paris at a conference on “Mathematical Challenges to the Neo-Darwinian Interpretation of Evolution, “concluded that the probability of evolution by mutation and natural selection is inconceivable.
“We believe that it is not conceivable. In fact, if we try to simulate such a situation by making changes randomly at the typographic level…on computer programs we find that we have no chance. (i.e. less than 1/10 to the 1,000 power) even to see what the modified program would compute; it just jams”
(Schutzenberger, algorithms (procedures) and the Neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution, in mathematical challenges to the Neo-Darwinian Interpretation of Evolution.)
Okay guys, I don’t really even need a closing statement, the facts are clear. We serve an awesome God. He created everything in such a complex manner that humans can’t even count high enough to consider the odds, computers can’t count high enough. We were barely able to compute the odds against a simple 200-part organism developing by chance and found it was totally impossible.
God created everything in such a way for modern man. He knew the levels of education mankind would aspire to. He knew earlier generations would live by faith, as we do, but we need to be able to give a logical defense for our beliefs according to 1 Peter 3:15. When we can do this in such an irrefutable way, by proving mathematically all we have looked at had to be creation, it had to come from a higher power than we can even imagine.
We have only touched the surface of proof; we have some exciting studies ahead of us.
This lesson, in part, comes from the book titled “Collapse of Evolution” by Scott M. Huse.
(and by the way the human body is made up of 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (7 octillion) atoms, which make up 37.2 trillion cells in your body, according to an estimate made by engineers at Washington University, there are around 10 to the 14 power atoms in a typical human cell. Another way of looking at it is 100,000,000,000,000 or 100 trillion
Interestingly, the number of cells in the human body is estimated to be about the same as the number of atoms in a human cell. )
It would take 31,709.79 years to count to 1 trillion, so to count to 100 trillion it would take 3,170,900 years (app) that is to just count to that number, now think of the number of years it would take trying to make that right combination at 1 billion attempts per second for a human body to accidently, or through evolution to develop.
There are 24 hours in a day so you would count 24X60x60 = 86,400 in one day. There are 365 days in a year so you would count 24X60x60x365 = 31,536,000 in one year. To find how long it would take to count to a trillion divide 1 trillion by 31,536,000. That is 1,000,000,000,000/31,536,000 = 31,709.79 years @ one billion attempts per second.
So we have moved from a 200-part integrated system to a 100 trillion part system… so I would venture to say that we have moved into the twilight zone if we believe these numbers could happen by chance.
Dr. Kramer is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He holds a B.S. (Hons) from the University of Manitoba, an M.S. in biochemistry from the University of Manitoba, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and completed three years of post-doctoral studies as a Hormel fellow at the Hormel Institute and as an NRC fellow at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Kramer has identified, characterized and synthesized the structure of numerous food, bacterial, and biological components and has published 128 refereed papers and numerous abstracts and book chapters. He was one of the core scientists who evaluated the toxicological, nutritional and biochemical properties of canola oil and demonstrated its safety. He presently serves as associate editor of the scientific journal LIPIDS.
Since completing my PhD in 1968, I have spent 30 years doing lipid research. Although my work has not specifically addressed the “origin of life” or the “age of the Earth,” I believe these issues have far- reaching implications in the area of lipid biochemistry and nutrition research.
Although I had committed my life to Jesus Christ and made a radical profession of my faith at the age of 16, at which time I was baptized, I now faced “my hour of decision.” Should I believe in evolution or God? Having studied this area without the help of any Christian literature on this topic, I came to the firm conclusion that evolution lacked evidence to make it credible. I therefore determined to believe God’s account for the time being and continued looking for evidence, one way or another.
I grew up in a Bible- believing home. Throughout high school I liked the sciences and excelled in these subjects. Therefore, it was natural for me to choose a career in scientific research. It was during my last year in high school that one of the pastors in our church approached me, concerned that I might lose my faith if I proceeded in a scientific career. He encouraged me to view the first chapter of Jesus without a timescale, since in his opinion it was more important to believe that God created all things, irrespective of how long it took. At first, this View seemed rather inconsistent with my interpretation of Scripture. But, I must admit, this thought raised sufficient doubt in my mind that I did not defend either position with much enthusiasm for several years. I was relieved that a critical confrontation never materialized in any of my classes throughout my BSc (Hons) and MSc program in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Manitoba.
In 1964, I transferred to the University of Minnesota for a PhD program in Biochemistry with a minor in organic chemistry. It was there I was confronted with this very issue in my second year in a course in endocrinology. We were asked to write an essay on how life began, based on evolutionary principles. Weeks of reading and studying this subject provided me with no logical mechanism for evolutionary processes. I was looking for the type of evidence familiar to me in biochemistry and organic chemistry. It was obvious to me that life could not form or be sustained in either a reducing or oxidizing atmosphere, never mind the unlikely association of inanimate molecules to form highly ordered structures containing information. Fragile biological cells, and processes were several parts. All need to be working together simultaneously.
While I had to write the essay. I did. I described a possible scenario which I thought would be tested experimentally. However, after rereading the essay several times, I continued to see the weakness of my arguments. in total frustration and confusion, I added a few sentences at the end to the effect that would be easier to believe in a creator who made it all, then in favorable conditions, acting on inanimate matter over time. The low mark on the essay was most discouraging, and all attempts failed to change the score. I realized I was found out!
although I had committed my life to Jesus Christ and made a radical profession of my faith at the age of 16, at which time I was baptized, I now faced “my hour of decision.” Should I believe in evolution or God? Having studied this area without the help of any Christian literature on this topic, I came to the firm conclusion that evolution lacked evidence to make it credible. I therefore determined to believe God’s account for the time being. And continue looking for evidence, one way or another.
It was at this time I came across books by McKay and Morris and Whitcomb which impressed me greatly. On the other hand, I became very disillusioned with Evolutionists who managed to give good science followed by irrational conclusions that complex systems and processes just happened by some unexplained and evolutionary mechanism plus time.
In retrospect, that low mark on the evolution essay was the best thing that happened to me. I learned to critically evaluate the facts, irrespective of outside pressures. It was then that I began to see clear evidence for creation (Rom. 1:19–20). I took every opportunity to study Scripture and read books on beginnings. It was at this time I came across books by MacKay and Morris and Whitcomb which impressed me greatly. On the other hand, I became very disillusioned with evolutionists who managed to give good science followed by irrational conclusions that complex systems and processes just happened by some unexplained evolutionary mechanism plus time. No evidence. No logic. Just wishful dreaming. It also became evident to me that both views were strictly a matter of belief. To me the creation scenario appeared more logical than an explosion followed by self-propelled organization of matter which does not possess these properties.
Read the full text from the source at:
https://creation.com/john-k-g-kramer-biochemistry-in-six-days
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’
And, what about those who wait until the last moment… just before death???
Proverbs 1: Matthew 7:21-23
Amplified Bible
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’
Rejecting the Creator results in moral depravity (Romans 1:20-32). The Bible warns that when mankind rejects the overwhelming evidence for a Creator, lawlessness will result. Since the theory of evolution has swept the globe, abortion, pornography, genocide, etc., have all risen sharply.
And the moral depravity is undeniable as we see leaders of our nation promoting the murdering of innocent babies, mutilating sexually children who survived abortion, people thinking men can have babies….
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.