Something Bigger than All-Out Nuclear War is About to Strike Planet Earth

My father, Paul Clarkin Nugent (1921-1997), was drafted into the armed forces of the United States in August, 1943. He chose to enter the Marine Corps, a very dangerous choice considering their deployment on the front lines in the war. Because he was college educated, he was sent to several USMC training schools in technology, including radar. He shipped out to the Philippines in January, 1945.

 

Not long after arrival in the Philippines his unit was sent to the battle of Okinawa, the last great battle of World War II. At the time, they didn’t know it was the last great battle of the war. They thought they would soon be called upon to invade Japan. No doubt, they said among themselves “The allies invaded Germany and Italy. Surely, very soon, we’ll invade Japan!” It’s been estimated that if the allies: US, Britain, France and the USSR had invaded Japan like we did Germany and Italy, there would have been more than a million men dead and wounded. The war would have lasted into 1946 and possibly 1947.

 

Then came a game changer: the US dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities. Japan surrendered and what could have taken years and a sea of blood took days without allied casualties.

 

Now, let’s fast forward to the present and draw a parallel with the church. The present day church is in the battle of the ages. It’s the war between good and evil just before the second coming of Jesus Christ. How is the church doing in this war? Jesus commanded us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19 NASB). Have we won the nations to Christ? We’ve won a small remnant in the nations. The vast majority of people in the nations remain in rebellion against God.

 

We were commanded to win the nations to Christ but we failed – so far. The failure of the church to win the nations to Christ was actually written in advance in predictive prophecies in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. That’s right, our failure to win the nations was prophesied centuries ago! The book of Revelation, that great New Testament book of predictive prophecy, shows the rising up of an antichrist figure who will lead millions in utter rebellion against God. “Ye have heard that antichrist shall come” (I John 2:18). “And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast . . . and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God . . .  and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Revelation 13:4,6 & 7).

 

We, the church, have been commanded to succeed but predicted to fail!!! What a tragedy! What drama! But then again, have we really failed ultimately in making disciples of all the nations? Consider that the war isn’t over. The battle of the ages rages on!

 

For most of church history, the leaders of the church, in the early church, the medieval church and most of the modern church believed that the church would ultimately prevail in bringing the Gospel to the nations. The church would reform all the social institutions and the church would bring the Kingdom of God into full manifestation throughout the earth and then hand it over to Jesus at His second coming. This was called “postmillenialism” or “triumphalism.” It was an optimistic view of the advance of western Christian culture to reform and transform the world into a holy place. This optimism reached its peak in the 19th century during the height of European colonialism when “Christian” Europe controlled most of planet earth.

 

The twentieth century came and optimism was turned to pessimism. The horrors of World War I, World War II, the collapse of the colonialist empires, the barbarism of the holocaust in which mass murder was carried out with unspeakable brutality, and communism and its mass murders, all caused the optimism of the church to decline. After World War II, a profound pessimism settled into the church. By far the majority position today among Evangelicals is a premillenial position in which the world descends into utter chaos and rebellion against God and Christ Himself comes to do what the church would not do, which is win the nations to Himself. Then the millennium begins and the world enters a thousand year age of peace and submission to God.

 

I’m a premillenialist myself but I don’t believe we should accept failure as our future. The command to make disciples of all nations still stands. I will show you Bible prophecies that predict our success in winning the nations to Christ. The church will fail in some ways and succeed in other ways. There are two streams of predictive end-time prophecies in the Bible, one of catastrophe, the other of glorious victory. Let me explain.

 

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Seven Mountains Mandate. This is the revelation given prophetically to the church principally through two highly esteemed Evangelical leaders named Bill Bright and Loren Cunningham. Both men have publicly stated that God put the Seven Mountains Mandate on their hearts separately and then the two men met with each other and shared what the Lord had put on their hearts.

 

In addition, there was the miraculous death and raising up of Georgia State Senator Michael Crotts. Crotts was dead for 34 minutes after a massive heart attack on October 9, 1990. He was in the presence of the Lord and saw a vision of seven mountains and the Lord gave him the revelation that Christians must exert a godly influence on seven realms of culture. Lance Wallnau has been especially gifted at articulating the Seven Mountain Mandate to people in conferences and church meetings globally.
The seven mountains are seven major categories of social influence. On page 53 of the book, Dead for 34 Minutes by Senator Mike Crotts, Rising Star Publications, Mike Crotts lists the mountains he saw as: “Government, Learning, Outreach [religion], Business, Entertainment, Family and Media”. Those who teach on the Seven Mountains Mandate exhort Christians to hear from God regarding their calling in life. Christians can be called to serve God in business or in the media or in education or any of the mountains of influence. Traditionally many in the church have focused almost exclusively on the mountain of religion as the destination for Christians zealous to make an impact on society for God.

 

Half the Evangelical church has probably not even heard of the seven mountains. The other half is a bit skeptical of it. Many dismiss the seven mountains as “Kingdom Now” or “Dominion Theology.” To them, the church will fail and we’ll watch Jesus climb and conquer the seven mountains alone after He returns.

 

However, when you boil it all down; the Seven Mountains Mandate is just another way of saying: “Make disciples of all nations and do it NOW!!!”

 

In the Gospels and the Epistles there are many commands given to the church regarding what we must do before Jesus returns. One such command is given in Luke 19:13 “Occupy till I come.”

 

Jesus said “whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven” (Mt. 16:19 NASB). We disciples of Christ are commanded to bind and loose things on earth. Binding and loosing was the ancient way of saying “governing planet earth.” In front of 5,000 hungry people, Jesus commanded the disciples: “You give them something to eat” (Mt. 14:16). Jesus said “YOU do it!!!” The disciples passed out the food and the food multiplied in their hands. Jesus led them in the feeding of the 5,000 but the disciples did their part.

 

The Greek word in the New Testament for “church” is “ekklesia” which means “called out ones” or “council” or “legislature.” The church is an elite organization, not a Sunday school picnic. It looks like the church is commanded to invade and take over the world just like my dad and the other brave men of the allied forces were commanded to invade and take over Germany, Italy and Japan.

 

I believe, from my study of the commands of scripture and my study of end-time biblical prophecies in Revelation and elsewhere in the Bible that Jesus is about to drop a bomb that will make nuclear weapons look like firecrackers. The bomb Jesus is about to drop is the manifestation of the sons of God. “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19).

 

It doesn’t say that the creation waits for the second coming of Jesus, glorious as that is. All creation waits for God’s sons, an overcomer company in His church, to come to full maturity and be endued with great power to set all creation free from the bondage of sin and death. “The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Jesus wants the mature sons of God to do the greater works of miracles (John 14:12) in the end-times and do the work of winning the lost and setting all of creation free.

 

That which is called “manifested sons” or “the sonship message” is a message that has been taken to bizarre extremes in the past. This has happened to such an extent that many in the church reject any teaching on the manifestation of the sons of God. But as Arthur Burt of Wales once said “There’s nothing unscriptural about scripture and the manifestation of the sons of God is in the scripture.” I believe the apostolic ministry is being restored to the church now. The manifestation of the sons of God encompasses the apostolic ministry and goes beyond it.

 

I’ve taught extensively on the sonship message in my book titled “The Cross, Self-Denial and the Manifestation of the Sons of God” available on Amazon Kindle. I bring a very conservative theological perspective to the sonship message and connect the message to sanctification and humility. I call it “the consecration message.” Those who grow to full stature in Christ and have the honor of being placed as mature sons are those who humbly deny self and “take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23) and “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth” (Revelation 14:4).

 

In my book I teach on sanctification from Romans chapters six, seven and eight. Romans six teaches about the sanctification of the believer’s spirit. Romans seven teaches about the sanctification of the believer’s soul. Romans eight teaches about the sanctification of the believer’s body. The latter half of Romans eight teaches about our “placing” or “adoption” as mature sons who will be used of Christ to set all of creation free. So we see that the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19) is discussed in the book of Romans in the context of the epistle’s teaching on the sanctification of believers in Christ.

 

Romans chapter six teaches that the believer’s reborn spirit is not adopted but is actually reborn into a sinless state of full sanctification. “Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God” (Romans 6:11). Romans seven teaches that the soul of the believer is still mired in sin and has a sin nature and needs daily sanctification. “I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). Romans eight teaches about the sanctification and redemption of the believer’s physical body at the resurrection of the righteous dead. “We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).

 

In my book, I elaborate on the above scriptures and bring in many other scriptures on sanctification. I discuss how we are to apply the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, which commands us to turn the other cheek. I also discuss the words of Jesus in Luke 22:36 “He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.” I explain the identity of the 144,000 of Revelation 7:3-8 & 14:1-5 and their role in the last days.

 

An Old Testament example of a man of God who climbed one of the seven mountains is Daniel, the prophet. Daniel climbed the mountain of government. Daniel was a sanctified, humble man of impeccable character. God used Daniel in the highest levels of the pagan government of Babylon. Daniel confronted Nebuchadnezzar who was an antichrist figure. God used Daniel during the final downfall of Babylon in the days of Belshazzar when Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall and proclaimed the downfall of the Babylonian empire.

 

I also show what I believe the biblical prophecies of the end-times lay out as the actual unfolding of how the manifested sons of God will climb the seven mountains and be used of God to set all of creation free with Christ as their glorious head just before, during and after Christ’s second coming. This is greater power than any nuclear war!!

 

There will be blood and guts strewn about as the end-time rebellion of the world unfolds. The book of Revelation is clear about that. However, there will also be a glorious end-time harvest of a billion souls (Revelation 7:13-14). More souls will be won to Christ in a few short years than in the 2,000 years up to this point!  These souls will be discipled and will be part of a glorious end-time church that will prevail and be a light to the nations.

 

God must have His overcomers at the tops of the seven mountains to get the Gospel message out and win the billion souls and make disciples of them. The antichrist will not prevail. We shall fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19!

 

 

You may obtain a copy of “The Cross, Self-Denial and the Manifestation of the Sons of God” at the link below which will take you to Kindle. I tried to list it on Kindle for free but Kindle would only allow a minimum price of 99 cents.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Self-Denial-Manifestation-Sons-God-ebook/dp/B07NCL9B82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550282110&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cross+self-denial+and+the+manifestation+of+the+sons+of+God
You can get a free Kindle app from my Kindle book page to read the book on any device.

This Proves Jesus Christ is the Only Way to Heaven

In an English literature classroom in a college in the eastern U.S. in the late 1950s, sat a student named R.C. Sproul. He was barely nineteen years old and he had recently made a commitment to receive Christ as Savior and to follow Him as Lord. It was known around campus that Sproul made a radical commitment to Christ.

 

This young man, R. C. Sproul (a.k.a. Robert Campbell Sproul, 1939-2017), would go on to become one of the greatest conservative theologians of the twenty-first century. His books, articles and daily radio show would have an enormous impact on many lives, including my own.

 

The instructor asked: “Mr. Sproul, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven?” Sproul was completely caught off guard and was flustered and embarrassed with all eyes on him. This was an English class, maybe in a philosophy class such a bold question would be appropriate. Sproul stammered and muttered something like “I believe in Jesus . . . and . . .  Jesus has said in John 14:6 that He is the only way to the Father so I guess that’s why I do, in fact, believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven.” The instructor probed him a bit more, ridiculed his answer and summarily moved on to other matters.

 

On his way out the door after class, the instructor, who was a woman (that too was a bit unusual in the 1950s) took Sproul aside and apologized for confronting him publicly about his personal beliefs. Sproul shrugged it off and accepted the apology. The experience got him to think deeper about his faith and the reasons why he believed in the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ.

 

On hearing this vignette from R.C. Sproul, I too have given deep thought as to what I would say if someone asked me if Jesus is the only way to heaven. To outsiders, it seems simplistic and closed minded to say that Christ is the only way. We live in a plural society where all belief systems are (supposedly) tolerated. In spite of the current postmodern pluralism, there are thought police marching to and fro, trying to bring cultural conformity and enforce political correctness. The thought police are not too fond of Jesus at all, much less His claim of being the only way to a blissful afterlife.

 

I must acknowledge the fact that Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6 NASB). Someone might object and ask: “How could Christ make such an exclusive claim?” If someone asked you if you believe Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, how would you answer?

 

I would start by saying that Christianity is not just another works based religion. In Christianity you don’t earn heaven by doing good deeds like showing kindness to others. In Christianity, good deeds are important but they don’t earn heaven. The Christian Gospel is the claim that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Christ suffered and died while taking the penalty of our sins upon Himself. Christ is the sin bearer. This puts Christianity in a class by itself.

 

If Christianity were just another works based religion, Christians could point to other faiths and just say that if you do good works according to Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam you’ll get to heaven. In Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam there is no savior. Under those faiths you are your own savior. You save yourself by good works. Christianity is the only faith which has a Savior who actually saves you from your sins. Your and my good works are not good enough; only Christ’s work, in dying for our sins, can save us.

 

For the outsider, the question remains: “Why should I believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead to free me from the consequences of my sins?” My answer to that would be to say that Jesus proved that He is the Son of God by coming in fulfillment of over three hundred messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His birth. No one else in all of world history can make this claim. (See J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy, Revell, 1980.) Jesus also worked miracles in front of eyewitnesses.

 

Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel. The Old Testament prophets foretold that the coming redeemer (Christ) would suffer and die and bear the penalty of the sins of the people. “The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

 

In addition to fulfilling prophecies Christ worked miracles in front of eyewitnesses and these are recorded in the New Testament. In the centuries since Christ’s coming, many miracles, dare I say millions of miracles, have happened in Christian gatherings where the Gospel of Christ is preached and honored. This is continuing proof of the divine origin of the Gospel of Christ. A central claim of the Gospel of Christ is that Christ is the only way to God. This is because Christ is the only One who died for our sins.

 

When Jesus first gathered disciples on the hills of Galilee nearly two millennia ago, He didn’t simply say “I’m Jesus, listen to Me, obey Me, follow Me.” On the contrary, He worked dramatic miracles such as healing the eyesight of people who were born blind and healing those who were crippled and even raising the dead. (See John 9:1-11, Luke 7:11-22.) People listened to Him, saw the miracles, and followed Him!

 

Christianity is accredited by miracles! Jesus said: “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38 NASB).

 

Jesus foretold that His followers would also work miracles. Jesus said:“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:12 NASB). In the nearly two thousand years since the time of Christ there have been millions of miracles worked in answer to the prayers of Christians around the world. Every answer to prayer is a miracle. These millions of miracles give further proof of the truth of the Gospel!

 

Christianity spread all over the world because of the miracles worked by the apostles, disciples and missionaries. The miracles, including many miraculous healings, backed up the preaching of the Gospel of salvation. Jesus never led an army or sat on an earthly royal throne. As the poem, One Solitary Life, adapted from a sermon by James Allan Francis, published in 1926, says of Christ in its closing stanza: “all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings who ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.”

 

Christ taught things contrary to the machismo of first century Hebrews. He said to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. These peaceful words were against the worldly thinking of the day, and even our own day. In Latin it’s called  contra mundum (against the world). Christ does permit self-defense in Luke 22:36. Yet, in spite of Christ’s difficult sayings, people believed and obeyed Him because they saw the fulfilled prophecies and the miracles. They knew Christ spoke from God. They believed Christ’s claim to be the Son of God and His claim to be the only way to God. Christ’s gift of salvation and His teachings were accepted far and wide over the centuries so that billions of people claim to follow Christ today.

 

To sum up, I say that Christianity is proven by three hundred prophecies and three million miracles. Three million miracles is a very conservative estimate. No other faith comes close. The religion with the best miracles wins and that religion is the Christian faith. Say to the unbeliever “My religion can beat up your religion!” A central claim of the Christian faith is that Jesus is the ONLY way to receive forgiveness of sins and entrance into heaven. All of the claims of Christ are ultimately backed up by three hundred prophetic fulfillments and three million miracles. Peter, the apostle, reiterated the claim of Christ to be the only way, when he said: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved”  (Acts 4:12).

 

Buddha doesn’t have 300 prophetic fulfillments and 3 million miracles.

Vishnu doesn’t, Shiva doesn’t, Krishna doesn’t, Mohammed doesn’t, Charles Darwin doesn’t, Karl Marx doesn’t have three hundred prophetic fulfillments and three million miracles.

 

We must be aware that there are occultic signs and tricks. The Bible predicts that the antichrist will come with lying wonders and occultic signs. Even in the days of Moses, when Moses stood before Pharaoh, the magicians worked wonders. However, the miracles through Moses were greater than the secret arts of the magicians. (See Exodus 7:10-12.)

 

If someone asks me why I believe Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven I will simply say: “Three Hundred fulfilled Prophecies and Three million miracles!”

 

Someone objects and argues that my analysis is a crude appeal to external proofs. Christianity is a matter of the heart! He says: “I know Christ is real because He lives in my heart!” I agree. Christ lives in my heart also. God revealed Christ to me many years ago and I received Christ as Savior and I follow Him as Lord. God has given internal and external witness to the truth claims of Christ. God has given us the internal witness of Christ in our hearts. God has also given us proof of Christianity in the form of fulfilled prophecies and miracles. We should thank God for that!

 

If you haven’t yet received Christ as Savior, you can do so right now. He’s only a prayer away.“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). I invite you to turn to Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins and everlasting life!

 

Steps to salvation:

 

Jesus said “Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7)
1) Believe that God loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus Christ came to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).
3) Repent of your sins and call on the name of Jesus to ask for forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).
4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).
5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

To receive the salvation which Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: 

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I’m a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask you to forgive me on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.” 

If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart, then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

(C) 2019 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback!
Info and ordering link available at our website: www.bnugent.org
Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on our website. <>{

Love, Motherhood and Patriarchy in the Bible and Nature

Rabi Maharaj (1947-    ) was raised as a Hindu and trained to be a yogi. His ancestry is a long line of Brahmin priests and gurus. He converted to Christianity as a young man in the 1970s. His book, Death of a Guru, published in 1977 and translated into over sixty languages tells the remarkable story of his conversion and ministry.

 

Maharaj has helped rehabilitate drug addicts and he has spoken in thousands of public settings, including churches and college campuses. He delivers a compelling message of the truth of Christianity and the wide chasm of difference between Christianity and paganism.

 

Maharaj has said: “There are over 300 million gods in Hinduism and not one of them loved me and not one of them died for my sins.” This brings us to something unique about the biblical faith. That unique biblical thing is LOVE. We are so often told that God loves us, that we tend to take it for granted.

 

The love of God must not be minimized or sloughed off as a minor doctrine of our faith. The love of God is glorious. Love is God’s motivation for our redemption. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). All of us are familiar with John 3:16 but take a good look at it because the only place you’ll ever see it or anything like it is in the Bible. There’s nothing like the love expressed in John 3:16 in the Hindu Vedas or the Bhagavad Gita or the Buddhist Tripitaka or the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol) or the Muslim Koran or the Hadith or any other sacred writings of nonbiblical faiths.

 

Pagan deities don’t love people. Consider that:

 

Vishnu doesn’t love you.

Shiva doesn’t love you.

Krishna doesn’t love you.

Mohammed doesn’t love you.

Buddha doesn’t love you.

Wodin doesn’t love you.

Thor doesn’t love you.

Satan doesn’t love you.

Darwin doesn’t love you.

Marx doesn’t love you.

 

Only the Judeo-Christian God loves you and me!

 

The story is told – and I believe it’s true – about a man named Bob Jones who died and went to the entrance of heaven. Jesus asked him “Did you learn to love?” Jesus didn’t ask him “Did you learn to lead?” or “Did you learn to accumulate wealth?” We humans tend to measure success in terms of wealth and power. We glory in the ability to lead and have influence over others and tell others what to do. The Bible, however, glories in love.

 

We experience love on the human to human horizontal level as we learn to love people. We experience love from ourselves to God on the vertical direction as we learn to love God. Love is expressed horizontally and vertically. Superimpose the vertical on the horizontal and it makes a cross.

 

This brings us to the greatest experience of love on the human level. I believe I can show from the Bible and by nature that the greatest and most intimate love on the human to human level is motherhood. The Bible exalts motherhood in many places. Mary the mother of Jesus had the most intimate and blessed personal experiences of love as she bore the Christ child and raised Him to adulthood. Consider what Mary said to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist: “from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). Mary is the most blessed of all women because she is the mother of Jesus. Another example of a biblical exaltation of motherhood is “He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children” (Psalm 113:9 NASB).

 

Motherhood has been denigrated in postmodern American society. The Women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and the feminist movement that followed it sought to set women free from the burden of pregnancy, childbirth, dirty diapers, 3 AM feedings and a host of related responsibilities. I read that at one gathering of feminists, a feminist woman who chose motherhood was booed off the stage when she dared to sing a little song about her baby.

 

Think about it for a minute. The unique experience of having another human being inside of you, growing and developing for nine months and then giving birth in a time of trauma. Then there’s the years of nurturing the infant as it goes through the stages of life into childhood, adolescence and to adulthood. Think of the closeness, affection and intimacy. No other human relationship comes close. Yet we often dismiss mothers as ordinary.

 

I’ll also mention that since the 1960s there’s been a stealth movement of what can be called “men’s liberation.” It’s rebellious men setting themselves free from the traditional role of men as being providers and protectors of the family. Many fathers have abandoned their families and this results in millions of single mothers raising their children alone.

 

Maybe by now you’re thinking that I’m a patronizing, prudish, old fashioned church guy who wants women to stay home and make babies. Surely I’m part of the patriarchal conspiracy! But before you flip the page or click delete, just step back and look at the big picture of life and focus on the thing that’s the object of the game of life and that thing is LOVE.

 

It’s not that I look down on childless women or belittle fatherhood. I just want to point out that God has given women a great glory in pregnancy, childbirth and the years of loving and nurturing that follow. The Bible has given men a more prominent role in leadership and power over people. Compared to motherhood, the glories of patriarchy pale in comparison. It’s as if God threw men a bone.

 

God has compensated men with power to give them a degree of social status and God gave men strength to provide for the home and protect the home. “God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part that lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another” (I Corinthians 12: 24-25).

 

Men lack the glory of motherhood so God gave men the glory of leadership. That’s not to say that women can’t serve as leaders. There are many examples in the Bible and in the church down through history of excellent female leaders. The glory of womanhood is motherhood; the glory of manhood is to be a father who is a strong provider and protector of the home. Both motherhood and fatherhood involve learning to love in great and glorious ways.

 

On the vertical plane of learning to love, which is the love from human to God, both men and women have a lot to learn. Learning to love God involves the development of godly character. Learning to lead people, on the other hand, is development of ministry power to reach the most people with the most good. Learning to love God is far more glorious than ministry power. God can use any person at any time to do great works of ministry outreach but loving God from the heart is the only thing that a human being can give to God. Christianity is about love. From start to finish the biblical faith is about love. It’s time we start pursuing love rather than being overly concerned about who has the leadership roles.

 

Some women resent patriarchy. In many cases it’s because they’ve been abused by fathers and husbands. Some nonchristian women blame the Bible for imposing patriarchy on western civilization. The Bible does in fact contain passages that define Christian marriage in a patriarchal way with husbands as head. I will hasten to point out that virtually all nations and communities and civilizations have been patriarchal since the beginning of history.

 

Let’s take a brief look at the concept of Natural Law. Natural Law is the claim that God’s laws are embedded in nature. Plants and animals reveal things about God. “The invisible things of him [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20). The founding fathers of the United States often referred to Natural Law in their scholarly writings.

 

The ancient Romans relied heavily on Natural Law. The ancient Roman deities did not give laws to the Romans. There’s no Ten Commandments of Jupiter and no moral code given by Neptune or Mars. The Romans looked to nature, even to the way animals guarded their own territory. They saw that property rights are so basic that even animals stake out territory. This gave the Romans the basic concept of land ownership and the equivalent of “Thou shalt not steal” as a moral principle. Natural Law under-girded the whole Roman legal system with categories including the ius naturale, the ius gentium and the ius civile. Natural Law was written about and discussed by the ancient Roman jurist, Cicero and many others.

 

Nature has been called “God’s second book.” In nature we can see God’s wisdom and moral sense as expressed in societies that had no specific revelation of biblical Commandments. One such observation is that all cultures of any substantial size and duration are patriarchal. This lends weight to the conclusion that the human mind and heart is hard wired for patriarchy. The patriarchy we witness across all human cultures is not a vast right wing conspiracy but rather the outworking of human nature.

 

The Bible teaches patriarchy in its many passages on church leadership and divine order in the home. “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands” (I Peter 3:1). In this passage the Bible affirms the patriarchal nuclear family which has been the general custom in all cultures all over the world, throughout history. It is only in our postmodern western culture that the patriarchal nuclear family has been seriously and deliberately undermined by university professors and other cultural gatekeepers.

 

In conclusion, we can see that the biblical faith exalts love in a far greater way than any other religion or philosophical system. The religions and philosophies of man exalt power rather than love. We’ve also seen that on the human level, motherhood is the most intimate loving relationship. This is certainly not to deny that fatherhood also involves great love and nurturing. All cultures have been patriarchal throughout all human history. The majority of decisions in public and private life have been made by males. This is fundamental to human nature and the Bible affirms and accommodates male leadership. Postmodern liberalism attempts to abolish gender differences and impose hyper-egalitarianism. Postmodern liberalism regards patriarchy as injustice. The postmodern view is false.

 

The Bible is a divinely inspired book which gives wisdom directly from God. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled down through history. The fulfillment of biblical prophecies serves as proof and accreditation of the divine origin of biblical wisdom. The Bible’s teachings on the patriarchal home and the preponderance of males in leadership roles in the Old and New Testaments should not be rejected to accommodate postmodern gender role experimentation. Of course women can be leaders but why would they want to be? The object of our faith is learning to love. Leadership roles are for those who are called and equipped by God to fulfill those roles. Both men and women can be good leaders in the church and in business and on all the seven mountains of influence.

 

The Bible expresses God’s great love for humanity. The Bible reveals the sinfulness of human beings but also the love of God that provides redemption and forgiveness of sins. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who came in fulfillment of over three hundred Old Testament Bible prophecies. Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel. The prophets foretold that Christ would take upon Himself the penalty of the sins of the people and suffer and die for our sins. Christ rose from the dead to offer forgiveness of sins to all who turn to Him in repentance. I invite you to turn to Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins.

 

Steps to salvation:
1) Believe that God loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus Christ came to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).
3) Repent of your sins and call on the name of Jesus to ask for forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).
4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).
5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

To receive the salvation which Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: 

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I’m a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask you to forgive me on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.” 

If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart, then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

(C) 2019 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback!
Info and ordering link available at our website: www.bnugent.org
Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on our website. <>{

Sigmund Freud and the Roots of the Sexual Revolution

The eighteenth century gave us the Enlightenment age of reason in which Hume, Voltaire and Kant theorized that absolute truth could be discovered by human thought unaided by revelation from God.

 

The nineteenth century gave us Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche and Freud who did prodigious  work to apply rationalism to try to find answers apart from God.

 

The twentieth century gave us Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, Pol Pot and Castro who applied nineteenth century theories to impose rationalistic, modernist solutions on a national and international scale with mass murderous results.

 

The twenty first century has so far given us a Muslim rebellion against modernism coupled with the western societal embrace of postmodernism in the form of social permissiveness and political correctness which also has had mass murderous results in the form of millions of abortions annually across the globe.

 

Sigmund Freud was a major player in the centuries long decline of western civilization. So profound was the work of Freud that his name appears on many, if not most, lists of men who rule the world from the grave. (You’ve all seen those articles that explain how the world is ruled by prominent philosophers and theorists who died long ago.)

 

Freud was born in 1856 in what is now the Czech Republic. His family moved to Vienna when he was four years old and that’s where he would spend almost all of the remainder of his life. A brilliant student and fluent in several languages, he went on to study at the University of Vienna and graduated as a medical doctor in 1881. He started practice as a neurologist but just a few years later changed course after he traveled to Paris and observed the work of French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. Charcot used hypnosis to treat hysteria. Freud turned his practice to what was then called medical psychopathology.

 

Freud was deeply influenced by Darwin and kept a collection of Darwin’s major works on evolution. He was also influenced by Nietzsche and bought a complete collection of Nietzsche’s books when he learned of Nietzsche’s death in 1900. Darwin and Nietzsche were probably major influences in Freud’s atheism and hostility towards God. Freud was Jewish by heritage but lived as a secular Jew.

 

Freud developed seduction theory in the 1890s in which he claimed neurosis was caused by sexual molestation early in life. In the late 1890s, after his father’s death, Freud entered a time of deep introspection and self-analysis. He formulated the bizarre and dangerous “Oedipus complex” theory at this juncture. It was the claim that a male child is jealous of his father over his mother’s sexual affection. Freud shifted his theory to claim that it was not necessarily actual molestation that caused disorders but rather infantile sexual fantasies and repression of those fantasies that was the cause of much neurosis. This opened the door to all kinds of sexual theoretical elaborations. Many of his colleagues, including long-time collaborator, Josef Breuer, parted company with him over this.

 

Freud sought to explain human motivation and neurosis by postulating that the sex drive is the principle force in determining behavior. Freud’s theories were complicated, academic and did little to cure his patients. Freud’s major impact was on the succeeding generations because many of his followers used his theories to promote the idea that sexual repression (sexual abstinence, self-control) was the root of neurosis. Freud’s sexual theories therefore, ultimately helped give rise to the sexual permissiveness, out-of-wedlock births and single motherhood of our time. In short, Freud was a founding father of the new sexuality which is really just the old immorality with its tragic social consequences.

 

Freud pushed the idea of sexual determinism. Karl Marx, a contemporary of Freud, spent his life pushing the idea that economic motives are the principle driver of human behavior and that economic justice (equal distribution of wealth) would save the earth. Darwin explained human behavior in the most basic animalistic terms, that survival of the fittest means that people compete to survive to produce offspring that survive. Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that the principle human motive is the desire to rule over others and he labeled it “the will to power.”

 

These nineteenth century men, Marx, Darwin, Nietzsche and Freud, and their small bands of elite academic followers were like cancerous tumors in the body of western civilization. By the twentieth century the cancer had metastasized to become systemic and produce communism, fascism, atheism, sexual revolution and postmodernism. In twenty-first century America, some states have gone so far as to outlaw gay reparative therapy. These laws are anti-conversion laws forbidding going from gay to straight! This is all part of the end-time falling away from the faith that the New Testament prophetically predicted in the first epistle of Timothy, chapter four, verse one.

 

Social science, including psychology is not objective science. Objective, experimental sciences such as physics and chemistry are able to control their variables in scientific studies and their theories are falsifiable. Social inquiry, by contrast, has too many subjective behavioral variables that can’t be held constant in studies. Social theories can’t be rigorously falsified or proven. Many observers maintain that social and psychological researchers apply the term ‘science’ to their work to give it credibility when really their endeavors are liberal arts, not science.

 

Freud’s theories were highly influenced by anecdotal observations of patients in his clinics. His theories are believed by faith and have little or no scientific underpinning. Freud was really an artist, not a scientist. He formed the International Psychological Association in 1910. The group had very little cohesion and was plagued by resignations, including those of Adler, Stekel and Jung. The fact that brilliant minds in the field of psychology broke with Freud so early, points to the fact that psychology is highly subjective and is art, not science. Freud greatly impacted psychology in spite of the fact that most of his theories are considered obsolete today. In my psychology class in college the instructor said that modern psychotherapy has a very low success rate in actually curing patients.

 

In 1909, Freud went on a lecture tour of the United States and later published a book based on the lectures. For this and his other books, his fame rocketed and he became the best known psychologist worldwide. Unfortunately, toward the end of his life, Freud became hostile to religion and God. His 1927 book, “The Future of an Illusion” is openly blasphemous against God.

 

In 1938 he escaped from Vienna with the help of associates and, ironically, helped by a sympathetic Nazi commissar who shielded Freud’s bank accounts and secured the International Psychological Association’s library. Freud continued to suffer from painful cancer of the jaw while living in London. Freud committed suicide with the assistance of his personal physician who provided a lethal dose of morphine in September of 1939. It was an assisted suicide. (Wikipedia)

 

What can we learn from the tragic life and legacy of Sigmund Freud? His sex motive based theories of neurosis gave great momentum to the free sex, cast off repression attitude that became rampant in the generations after him. We see the evidence all around us that rejection of the Bible’s teaching on sexuality brings a cascade of social problems. By one count there are over thirty sexually transmitted diseases wreaking havoc on human health. One STD, called HPV causes cancer of the uterus and cervix. Out of wedlock births result in single motherhood and absent fathers. Most of the men in our prisons are from broken homes.

 

God has offered a way back and it’s called salvation. Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of Israel, came in fulfillment of over three hundred messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before His birth. The prophecies foretold that Christ would suffer and die, taking upon Himself the punishment we deserved because of our sins and that He would rise from the dead to offer forgiveness and eternal life to all who call upon Him. I invite you to turn to Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins.

Steps to salvation:

Jesus said “Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7)
1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus the Messiah came to die for you and take upon Himself the penalty of your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3) Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5) Follow Jesus as Lord. (John 14:21)

Prayer to receive salvation:

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13)
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for you at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on your behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.” 
If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!
Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina USA
New Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback!
Info and ordering link available on our website: http://www.bnugent.org.

Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on website. <>{
(C) 2019 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

Pagan Altar and Symbols in the European Union Point to the Rise of the Antichrist

“Ye have heard that antichrist shall come . . .” (I John 2:18.) There are several prophecies in the New Testament that predict that in the end times just before the second coming of Christ there shall be a falling away from the Christian faith and the rise of a great dictatorial political figure known as the antichrist.

These prophecies are contained in such passages as First Timothy 4:1-2 which refers to the falling away from the faith on the part of some who give heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

Another passage, Second Timothy 3:1-7, predicts that in the last days difficult times will come because among other things, people will be lovers of self. This could prophetically refer to existentialism which is the philosophy that gave rise to the modern secular concept of the self as the supreme autonomous entity.

Yet another passage, Second Timothy 4:3-4, predicts a time when people will not endure sound doctrine but will turn aside from the truth. This could refer to liberal theology which rejects any concept of the wrath of God and accountability for sin. Unitarian Universalism with its denial of the deity of Christ and its doctrine of universal salvation for all mankind without hell could also be a fulfillment of this prophecy.

The modern and postmodern exaltation of the autonomous self has caused the family breakdown, substance abuse and crime ridden chaos of the postmodern world. The world today is a disordered collision of selves. Some semblance of order is maintained in prosperous economic times but in a financial downturn a demagogue can rise.

Revelation 13:1-10 describes the rise of the antichrist who will function as an oppressive dictator over Europe. Why Europe? Europe is traditionally referred to as Christendom and the falling away from the faith into liberal theology and philosophical existentialism has occurred there. Many Bible scholars have postulated that the nations of the European Union will be the political entity that will be ruled by the antichrist.

The European Parliament Building in Strasbourg, France is a round building that was designed to look like an unfinished tower of Babel. The design was based on the 1563 painting by Pieter Bruegel titled “The Tower of Babel.” The building was completed in December of 2000. We all know of the biblical significance of the Tower of Babel as a defiance against God’s authority. Mere symbolism? I think not, especially after I show you other symbols that are prominent in the European Union.

A second symbol is in Brussels, Belgium at the Council of Europe Building. It is the sculpture of a woman riding a bull. While this symbol vaguely resembles the biblical imagery of the woman, Mystery Babylon, riding a beast in Revelation 17:3 it has a more overt pagan connotation. The sculpture of a woman riding a bull has to do with the ancient Greek myth of the Rape of Europa in which the Greek god Zeus turns himself into a bull and seduces the woman Europa whom he finds on a Phoenician beach in the eastern Mediterranean.

The symbol of a woman riding a bull has been a popular motif in Europe for decades. The symbol has appeared on paper currency and coins issued by various European governments for years. The symbol of the rape of Europe by a pagan deity is a very evil omen.

More bizarre still are two major exhibits at the Pergamum Museum in Berlin Germany. These two exhibits in the huge museum are the Pergamum Altar originally found in Turkey and the Ishtar Gate together with its elaborate processional street originally found in Babylon in Iraq. These exhibits are not mere reproductions but are the actual ancient structures that were dismantled stone by stone and reassembled in Berlin.

Mere symbolism? What’s the big deal about a museum exhibit? The importance of these two exhibits will become apparent when I explain some coincidences that occurred when these exhibits were set up.

Babylon was excavated from 1899 to 1913. The reassembly of the  Ishtar Gate  began in Berlin in 1913. It was followed by the chaos of World War One. The reassembly of the Ishtar gate was completed in 1930, the same year the Nazi party received enough votes in the elections to be a political power.

The head of the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler, who became Chancellor of Germany after the elections of January 1933 was so impressed by that other exhibit at the Pergamum Museum, specifically the  Pergamum Altar that he had a reproduction of it made into the infamous Zeppelin Tribune at Zeppelin Field in Nuremberg in the south of Germany. This infamous platform and grounds where Hitler addressed his followers in fanatical oratory often appears in documentary film footage.

The Pergamum grand altar is believed to have been a center for emperor worship in the days of the early church. Christians were forced to give homage to the emperor and implicitly deny Christ as divine ruler. It is believed that those who refused were sacrificed on the altar. This hideous and cruel practice no doubt provided a point of contact and legal basis for the presence of Satan and his demons. Demons were welcomed to the altar by the blood sacrifices.

Demons tend to remain at a place where they are honored. This is why the Bible teaches us to destroy any occult books or occult objects we may have in our possession (Deut. 7:25-26; Judges 6:25; Acts 19:19.)

The Ishtar Gate and processional with its hundreds of pagan symbols was also a place of rebellion against God and also provided a point of contact for the demonic world.

After the Second World War the Pergamum altar was disassembled and taken to Leningrad but was returned to Berlin in 1959. In 1999 the Reichstag Building in Berlin was officially reopened and the seat of the German government was moved from Bonn to Berlin.

The stage is being set philosophically, culturally, politically and symbolically for the rise of a new dictator, the antichrist of Revelation 13.

Much more detail and excellent videography is presented in evangelist David Hathaway’s DVD titled The Rape of Europe  which provided much of the source material for this article.

Steps to salvation:
1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus Christ came to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).
3) Repent of your sins and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).
4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).
5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

To receive the salvation which Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: 

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I’m a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask you to forgive me on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.” 

If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart, then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

(C) 2019 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback!
Info and ordering link available at our website: www.bnugent.org
Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on our website. <>{

Bill’s book titled “The Cross, Self-Denial and the Manifestation of the Sons of God.”

is now on Kindle! Below is a link to the book on Kindle:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Self-Denial-Manifestation-Sons-God-ebook/dp/B07NCL9B82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550282110&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cross+self-denial+and+the+manifestation+of+the+sons+of+God

Whale Evolution Collides With Findings in Genetics

Evolutionists claim that whales evolved from a doglike creature that dwelt on land. They have put forward an alleged transitional form called “Ambulocetus” based on a few bones and fragments found in Pakistan. An article titled A Whale of a Tale? in Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal 8(1):2-3, 1994 exposes the shallowness of this claim.

The above mentioned article discusses the fossils in the Pakistani find and comments on the incompleteness of the skeleton and the broad assumptions and speculations made by the evolutionists. In this article I will explore two theories of genetic mutational mechanism put forward by evolutionists to try to account for how a land animal could evolve into a whale.

Imagine for a moment the vast design changes that would have to take place to evolve just one feature of a whale such as the ability of a whale to breathe through a blowhole on the back of its head. Think of the amount of design changes encoded in the DNA that would be needed to remodel the skull and reroute the trachea. Imagine this occurring by a blind, random incremental process and you have an idea of the leap of faith that the evolutionists expect us to take.

According to the standard theory of evolution taught in American public schools and colleges, large numbers of small genetic changes (genetic mutations) occurred incrementally over a long period of time. This is the micromutation theory of genetic change. It claims that forelimbs gradually changed into flippers. The nasal passage gradually, over the course of many generations, became a blowhole on the top rear of the head to facilitate breathing when swimming.

Such a major redesign of the animal’s head would require a multitude of favorable mutations. Genetic mutations are rare. Favorable genetic mutations are extremely rare. The overwhelming majority of genetic mutations are disadvantageous or neutral (neither good or bad).

It is not just changes to the DNA that are needed but more specifically the addition of new base pairs to the DNA with new information to remodel the skull of the proto-whale. It is the matter of adding new genetic information to the DNA that presents the evolutionists with perhaps their biggest problem.

Prominent scientist and author Dr. Lee Spetner has stated that no genetic mutation ever studied adds information to the DNA. The DNA molecule is composed of huge coiled chains of nucleotide base pairs. Mutations almost never add base pairs to the DNA. When mutations do add base pairs it is typically a case where a gene is duplicated in the copying process. Such a duplication is not new information but simply a duplicate of old genetic information. Mutations almost always scramble or delete genetic information. Even genetic splicing doesn’t solve the dilemma since it merely transfers preexisting genetic base pairs from one organism to another.

Geneticist Richard B. Goldschmidt rode to the rescue with his macromutation “hopeful monster” theory. The essence of this theory is that mutations occurred in bunches and caused evolution to be not a gradual process but rather a series of dramatic leaps. A lizard lays an egg and out hatches a bird. A semi-aquatic doglike creature gives birth to an offspring that breathes through the top of its head!

In reality Goldschmidt didn’t even begin to solve the central conundrum facing the evolutionist. If micromutations are rare and nearly always detrimental, macromutations are rarer still and nearly always fatal or extremely detrimental! You also run squarely up against Spetner’s objection which is that no genetic mutation — even a macromutation — adds new chemical base pairs to the DNA. A macromutation is simply a major scrambling of preexisting genetic information.

It is impossible to fathom the utter remoteness of the possibility that a major mutation of the genes would result in a superbly designed blowhole on the back of the head of a semi-aquatic animal. Evolutionists are forced to conclude that this infinitesimally remote possibility occurred not once but thousands of times in other animals in the evolution of wings, beaks, feathers, flippers, skunk spray, snake venom,  fangs, retractable claws, canine teeth, tusks, pupae, cocoons, vertebrae, gills, etc., etc.

Evolutionists have great faith in their materialistic theory. They have bet their souls that there is no God. They have also wagered that death results in the abolition of consciousness. I’m thankful that with the advancement of the science of genetics and computer driven probability analyses many people are rejecting evolution and are turning to the God of the Bible. They, like me, have come to realize that evolution is just a whale of a tale.

Steps to salvation:

1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2) Believe that Jesus Christ came to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).
3) Repent of your sins and call on the name of Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).
4) Receive Jesus Christ as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).
5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

To receive the salvation which Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: 

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I’m a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask you to forgive me on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.” 

If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart, then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

(C) 2019 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback!
Info and ordering link available at our website: www.bnugent.org
Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on our website. <>{

Bill’s book titled “The Cross, Self-Denial and the Manifestation of the Sons of God.”

is now on Kindle! Below is a link to the book on Kindle:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Self-Denial-Manifestation-Sons-God-ebook/dp/B07NCL9B82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550282110&sr=8-1&keywords=the+cross+self-denial+and+the+manifestation+of+the+sons+of+God

 

Biochemistry Professor Refutes Evolution With Irreducible Complexity

by Bill Nugent

 

Michael Behe, Ph. D., professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University and author of Darwin’s Black Box has lectured on the fact that single celled organisms such as bacteria are not only complex but their complexity is irreducible. Irreducible complexity means that if just one component of a complex system is missing then that system is nonfunctional.

    

Dr. Behe claims that the first living cell had to form all at once or not at all. He maintains that it is impossible for a cell to form piece by piece because none of the cell’s parts can function without the others. If a cell bio-chemical, such as DNA, somehow formed by random collisions of atoms it would not last long. The DNA would immediately dissolve because it had no other cell structures to protect it. The fruit of all the amazing (and statistically impossible) chemical coincidences that randomly formed a long chain DNA molecule would be instantly lost.

   

Dr. Behe used the illustration of a mousetrap. A mousetrap consists of a small board, a spring, a bar, a lever, a bait holder and bait. If any part is missing, it won’t function. It won’t perform the simple function of catching a mouse. Now try to imagine a mousetrap forming randomly in nature. By a bizarre coincidence erosion from an iron deposit yields a steel spring attached to a curved steel bar. this naturally formed mechanism somehow, by blind chance becomes attached to a piece of wood. Another piece of metal washes up and gets attached to it and acts like a lever to hold the spring open but since there’s no bait holder or bait the system cannot catch any mice and the whole thing simply rusts away into oblivion.

   

A cell nucleus, mitochondria, protoplasm and other organelles are far more complex than any mousetrap. Each of these cellular organelles, along with their unfathomable complexity of proteins, RNA, DNA and other biochemicals must form simultaneously and then be assembled immediately. For any person to teach that this happened by random, unguided processes enters into the realm of unscientific speculation and storytelling.

   

The concept of irreducible complexity is not limited to the analysis of single celled organisms. Every organ system in every living thing is seen to be irreducibly complex. For instance, the wings of an insect, so exquisitely formed as a miniature flying machine with perfect size, surface area and musculature are useless unless all parts are present and fully formed.

 

The principle of irreducible complexity applies to the retractable fangs, venom bladder, venom ducts and mouth musculature of a rattlesnake.  Partial formation of the fang and poison system of the snake would be disadvantageous and such a freakish, partially formed poisonous snake would be eliminated by natural selection. Therefore a very large number of favorable genetic mutations must occur simultaneously to form a complete fang and bladder system. This is a statistical impossibility.

   

Early in the 20th century researchers irradiated fruit flies in order to cause genetic mutations and bring evolutionary change. Fruit flies have short life spans and many generations can be observed in a short period. The radiation only produced deformed fruit flies and the experiment was abandoned. Famous evolutionist, Richard Goldschmidt, irradiated generations of Gypsy moths and only got dead or deformed moths.

   

I chuckle when I read of the excitement at NASA over the recent discovery of the evidence that water once existed on Mars. Some secularists even express faith that life could have formed on Mars because water was there. Knowing what scientists have discovered about the complexity of “simple” microorganisms, any speculation that life could have formed randomly in water on Mars is just wishful thinking on the part of those who reject God as creator.

   

Dr. Behe has shown through his elucidation of irreducible complexity that life could not have formed randomly. The foundation of Darwinian evolution is therefore totally destroyed. This is just one more proof that there is an intelligent designer of life. The intelligent designer is God.

   

God has spoken to humanity. His revelatory words are recorded in the Bible. The Bible has the ring of truth because it is confirmed by archeology, history, science and manuscript evidence. It is also confirmed by the many predictive prophecies contained in its pages that are authentically and verifiably fulfilled. The natural and supernatural backing of the Bible’s claim to be inspired by God is convincing. The Bible is in a class by itself and no other alleged holy book has anything like the mountain of evidence that confirms that the Bible is inspired by God.

 

People Who Flee From Evolution but go on to Promote UFOs

by Bill Nugent

 

In postmodern civilization there are two major pillars of secularism. On the one hand is Darwinian evolution and on the other are UFOs. Darwinism appeals to the analytic scientific minded person. UFOs and UFO cults appeal to people who are more intuitive and abstract in their thinking. Darwinism is crumbling as the facts of microbiology and genetics prove that life did not form by random collisions of atoms. Some evolutionists flee from Darwinism and embrace UFOs to explain life origins and destiny.

 

I personally embraced evolution at a very young age. I went from devout Catholic to atheist when I was in the fifth grade because I was taught evolution when I transferred from a parochial school to a public school. I gradually began to doubt atheistic evolution over the next few years. Then, in the eleventh grade, I got ensnared in UFO-ology and its rejection of God. I made the journey from Catholic to evolutionist to follower of UFO literature. Thankfully, I returned to God when the message of salvation through Christ was explained to me very clearly when I was in college.

 

Evolution is taught in government run schools from K through twelve. Children are indoctrinated in evolution at an early age. Evolution is also taught in natural history museums all around the country and through nature magazines and nature TV shows. UFO-ology is not taught in schools but older children are exposed to it through UFO themed TV shows, motion pictures, sci-fi books and most deceptively through UFO cults.

 

First, let’s take a brief look at why Darwinism is failing as a life origins hypothesis. As the science of microbiology progresses it reveals more and more of the complexity of the simplest of living cells. All scientists know that DNA is an immensely complex molecule containing the design of life. More recently the epigenome which surrounds DNA has been discovered and studied by microbiologists. The epigenome is a myriadly complex microscopic structure that surrounds DNA and transfers information to and from DNA.

 

The job of the secular origin of life biologist just got a lot harder. Up until now he couldn’t explain the origin of the first DNA by random collisions of atoms. Now he has a whole new level of complexity in the epigenome that he can’t possibly explain. Darwinism is crashing on the hard rocks of reality.

 

One would hope that secular people would abandon the Darwinian origins myth and join us at church every Sunday. Unfortunately, the grim reality is that many secularists have held onto their atheistic materialist view of life origins and appealed to guided panspermia allegedly conducted by UFOs as a refuge. Guided panspermia is the claim that ancient astronauts in interstellar spacecraft brought living organisms to earth and supposedly gave evolution a jump start. The eminent microbiologist, Francis Crick, (1916 – 2004), who was co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, took an interest in the origin of life. For several years, Crick promoted the idea of guided panspermia to explain life origins.

 

The promotion of guided panspermia by men of science is a not-so-subtle indication of their frustration at trying to explain the origin of life by evolution. They see the failures of Darwinism! The secular biologists have tipped their hand. They are humiliated as Darwinism unravels. Their skepticism of evolution leaves them unmoored. Some embrace UFOs as a last refuge of the damned. What a tragedy.

 

Some of us may be tempted to laugh at the notion of spaceships carrying life to earth but many people are ensnared by this claim and have rejected God as a result. This is no laughing matter.

 

For an evolutionist to appeal to extraterrestrial spacecraft to explain life origins is something that a debater would call a “regress argument” for the evolutionist position. The evolutionist admits that life could never have arisen by random collisions of atoms on earth so he claims it happened elsewhere, on a distant planet, in a distant star system beyond the observation of us earthlings! I contend that since microbiology and genetics prove Darwinian evolution couldn’t happen on earth, we can be certain it couldn’t happen anywhere else in the universe.

 

In guided panspermia we have the joining of two schools of unbelief: Darwinian evolution and extraterrestrials. These are the twin giants of unbelief. Both of these giants crumble and fall under scrutiny. Darwinism falls under the onslaught of advances in the fields of microbiology, genetics and paleontology. UFOs fail as a life origins hypothesis when we consider the evidence that shows that UFOs are not metal spaceships.

 

The claim of extraterrestrial metal spaceships arriving on earth bringing living organisms falls apart when we examine how the laws of physics prevent interstellar space travel across light years of space. If a spacecraft traveling at near the speed of light were to hit a speck of dust it would cause a blast as large as that of an atomic bomb. There are other physical reasons why we should not expect metal spacecraft from deep space to arrive on earth. I agree that many UFOs are real. However, they are not metal spacecraft. They are spirit beings from the realm of spirit.

 

The reason alleged spacecraft from outer space don’t land on the White House lawn or in front of Buckingham Palace or by the Brandenburg Gate is because UFOs are spirits of another dimension who appear as apparitions. The very secretiveness of the UFOs is evidence that they are from the dimensions of the spirit world. They are from the realm of the paranormal.

 

Also, I’ll mention that the SETI institute hasn’t been able to find any radio or other EMF signals from deep space that would have been sent by intelligent life. SETI spent millions of dollars over decades searching for intelligent life but has come up empty.

 

Let me briefly explain where UFOs come from. UFO researchers are divided into two different viewpoints in explaining UFOs. These viewpoints are the extraterrestrial hypothesis and the interdimensional hypothesis. The extraterrestrial hypothesis is the claim that UFOs are metal spaceships with astronauts from planets in star systems within our own physical universe. The interdimensional hypothesis is that UFOs are nonphysical entities or spirits that travel from different dimensions and enter our universe from the unseen spiritual realm.

 

The interdimensional hypothesis is more consistent  with the Bible and the Christian worldview because it can be inferred that the other dimensions from which UFOs travel are the same as the realm of spirit. The Bible certainly teaches about the spirit world.

 

Christian researchers and some secular researchers reject the extraterrestrial hypothesis and maintain the interdimensional view. Famous secular UFO researcher, Jacques Vallee, holds the interdimensional view. In studying UFOs, I’ve come to believe that we’re dealing with intelligent life not from another planet but from another dimension. It’s not astronauts from outer space but spirit beings from the realm of spirit. Malevolent UFO aliens are demons and they can disguise themselves as humanoid beings or astronauts.

 

I’m open to the idea that good angels can also appear as lights in the sky or as lights on earth. In the Bible, in Acts 12:7, we read of an angel appearing to the apostle Peter in light. Also remember that Ezekiel saw some bizarre but holy phenomena recorded in the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 1:4-28). Angels are good spirits that inhabit other dimensions. The dimensions they inhabit are the dimensions of the spirit world. Both angels and demons live in the spiritual dimensions.

 

I regard demonic UFOs who travel from the spirit dimensions as generally of the same category as poltergeists, hauntings, occultism, shamanism and other manifestations of evil spirits. I hold this view because the teachings that are transmitted from aliens to leaders of UFO cults are antibiblical and often lead to bizarre behavior such as the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide. Also, the horrific animal mutilations attributed to UFOs in which animals have their blood drained and have organs removed with surgical precision is further evidence of the demonic origin of UFOs.

 

Have no fear of demons appearing as flying saucers or disguised as extraterrestrial humanoid beings. Don’t be deceived by cult groups claiming New Age, extraterrestrial connections and phenomena. The Bible teaches that Christ is above all and every knee must bow before Christ who conquered sin through His death and resurrection. There are documented cases in which people have thwarted UFO abductions by calling on the name of Jesus Christ for help.

 

The guided panspermia theory offers great appeal to young people in our present age of rocketry and space exploration. The guided panspermia theory is just one more thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. It must be exposed and vigorously refuted.

 

We must point people to Jesus Christ who came in fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament prophecies written hundreds of years before His birth. No other person in all of history can match this claim! Jesus worked miracles in front of eyewitnesses and this is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. Miracles continue to be worked today by Christians who rely on the power of Christ.

 

Jesus suffered and died to take upon Himself the penalty of our sins, thereby making atonement. He rose from the dead in victory to offer forgiveness of sins to all who turn to Him in repentance. We who receive forgiveness enjoy a one-on-one relationship with God. It is a love relationship with God. Call upon Jesus Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins!

 

Steps to salvation:

Jesus said “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.

2) Believe that Jesus Christ came to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).

3) Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).

4) Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth (John 1:12, Acts 2:38).

5) Follow Jesus Christ as Lord (John 14:15).

Prayer to receive salvation:

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer: 

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask you to forgive me on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.” 

If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart, then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA  Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback!  Info and ordering link available at his website: www.bnugent.org

Back issues of Defending the Faith archived on website. <>{

(C) 2018 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish for Christian outreach.

 

 

Three Major Scientific Issues that Disprove Darwinian Evolution

There were two fleas on the back of a large dog. They were deep in the fur and nestled on the warm skin of the dog. One flea says to the other flea: “Sometimes I wonder if there really is a dog.” (from the cartoon, The Far Side).

 

The evidence for the existence of the dog was all around the fleas. It reminds me of the fact that the evidence for the existence of God is all around people. It seems like we have too much evidence. Sometimes we can’t see the forest because of the trees.

 

Today I’d like to point out three major scientific issues that disprove Darwinian evolution. Why refute Darwinism? Why do I pick on Charles Darwin? It’s because Darwinism is the taproot of secularism. It’s the origins myth of materialistic atheism. Evolution is the cornerstone of the edifice of unbelief. All the errors and brutality of modern society flow out of the rejection of God as creator. Darwinian evolution leads to atheism which leads to lawlessness, fascism, communism, genocide, abortion and sexual immorality.

 

The “Three strikes, you’re out” method of refuting Darwinian evolution focuses on three riddles Darwinism cannot solve. These three riddles are:

1) Due to the extreme complexity of the simplest living cell, the first life could not possibly have formed by random collisions of atoms in the early earth.

 

2) The science of genetics proves that genetic mutations are destructive errors in the DNA and mutations don’t add useful information to the DNA. Mutations degrade and garble genetic coding. New biological structures require new base pairs added to DNA. Evolution has no genetic mechanism to add new structures to living organisms.

 

3) The fossil record shows numerous examples of fossils out of order, including hundreds of examples of modern looking bird and mammal fossils in the Cretaceous dinosaur rock layers.

 

Let’s look closer at each of these three riddles one at a time:

 

Riddle #1:  The first riddle is the fact of the extreme complexity of the simplest living cell. Origin of life biologists can’t even agree on a standard theory of a random process for how DNA, RNA and proteins could have formed by chance and assembled themselves into a living cell. Science works against Darwinism here because the more microbiology progresses, the more it reveals the irreducible complexity and interdependence of structures within the simplest of single-celled organisms.

 

For instance, a single celled algae is able to produce sugars by photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is an extremely complex process involving a multitude of enzymes and co-factors to turn light energy into chemical energy.

 

Seventeen enzymes are required to assemble chlorophyll. Each enzyme is a complex molecule. If one enzyme is missing chlorophyll is not made. There are many other steps in photosynthesis. Darwinists claim photosynthesis came about by accident, by random unguided processes in the early earth. There is, however, no conceivable step by step process that could produce the complex proteins and enzymes and assemble them by happenstance into photosynthesis structures within cells even in a trillion years.

 

Riddle #2:  As the field of modern genetics progresses we learn more and more about mutations to DNA. The DNA molecule is a long string of nucleotide base pairs which contain design information like words in a book. Genetic mutations scramble or delete nucleotide base pairs in the DNA. Darwinism requires the addition of vast amounts of new, precisely ordered information into the DNA. Mutations result in degraded information, garbled information or loss of information but never adding the type of quality information that could have put feathers on a reptile to make a bird. Even mutations that cause duplication of a gene don’t add information but merely duplicate information that was already in the DNA.

 

Mutations are typically caused by radiation or toxic chemicals that interfere with the replication of DNA during cell division. Radiation and toxic chemicals do not bring new nucleotide base pairs into the DNA to add new coding to the DNA. It would take a huge amount of new base pairs added to the DNA, for instance, to add the design of wings to enable a small rodent to evolve into a bat. Not only do thousands of new base pairs have to be added to the DNA but they have to be properly sequenced. Random processes simply cannot do this. The science of genetics is no friend of Darwinian evolution.

 

Riddle #3:  Dr. Carl Werner, in his book Living Fossils gives much evidence, presented in a scholarly, academic way that documents the fact that mammal and bird fossils have been found in the Cretaceous rock layers among dinosaur fossils. Dr. Werner visited sixty natural history museums and ten dinosaur dig sites in seven countries and consulted paleontologists who revealed the finds of owls, ducks, parrots and other modern birds among dinosaur fossils. Mammal fossils have also been found in abundance among dinosaur fossils. The mammal fossils resemble modern squirrels, beavers, primates and many others.

 

Dr. Werner interviewed paleontologist Dr. William Clemons of University of California, Berkeley. Clemons told Werner of the finding of a parrot fossil and many other bird fossils in a dinosaur fossil rock layer. This, of course, is totally inconsistent with Darwinism and refutes the theory. Darwinian evolutionists claim that dinosaurs are the ancestors of birds yet many modern birds are fossilized together with dinosaurs.

 

The fossil record is consistent with the longstanding creationist claim that an intelligent designer, namely the creator God, created all living things in substantially the same forms as they are today. God created life that reproduces “after their kind” (Genesis 1:25). One kind of animal does not reproduce into a different kind of animal.

 

In the three riddles, science is working against Darwinian evolution. New findings in microbiology, genetics and the fossil record are undermining the claims of evolution. The long knives of scientific facts are circling Darwinism and cutting it to pieces. As Darwinian evolution is exposed as inconsistent with documented scientific evidence it is rejected by more and more people. The secularists have no other origins myth to replace the crumbling Darwinian hypothesis.

 

The bottom line is that all people, including scientists, must return to the creator God. I’m pleased and encouraged by the growing number of scientists who have become creationists. Some have affiliated with the  Institute for Creation Research and other creationist organizations. Many secular scientists have become part of the Intelligent Design movement.and have affiliated with The Discovery Institute based in Seattle, Washington.

 

The collapse of Darwinism has caused many people to take a new look at Christianity. When Jesus came to the Jewish people, He worked miracles of healing in the presence of eyewitnesses that proved He was sent by God. Miracles of healing still occur today in meetings held by Christian evangelists and pastors.

 

Jesus came in fulfillment of over 300 Old Testament prophecies. The prophets foretold that Christ would come and live a sinless life and then suffer and die, taking upon Himself the penalty we deserved for our sins, thereby making atonement. Christ rose from the dead to offer forgiveness of sins to all who call upon Him. Those who receive forgiveness walk with God in a personal one-on-one relationship with God. It’s a love relationship with God. Turn to Christ today to receive forgiveness of sins!

 

The Experiment that Shook the World

In 1953 the news flashed around the world that Stanley Miller, Ph. D. had formed amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) by shooting electricity through a simulated early earth atmosphere. This was a bold attempt to try to prove that single-celled organisms such as bacteria could form by random interaction of energy and chemicals.

This experiment was gleefully cited in biology lectures and textbooks all over the world. Secular evolutionists claimed it was proof that life could come from nonliving chemicals. I should point out that Stanley Miller, being a respected biologist, never claimed to have produced “life in a test tube” or anything close. He did claim it was a step in that direction. Miller’s modesty didn’t prevent others from hyping the significance of his experiments.

I remember a discussion of the Miller-Urey experiments in my high school biology class in the early seventies. (They were called Miller-Urey experiments because Miller was assisted by his doctoral mentor, Harold Urey.) Some of the students were persuaded that life could come from nonlife even though it was totally absurd to make such a bold leap of faith.

According to origin of life scientist Walter L. Bradley, Ph.D. and many other learned observers, the experiment contained major flaws that invalidated its results. To begin with, Miller used a simulated atmosphere composed largely of ammonia, methane and hydrogen. It was a very bold assumption on Miller’s part to assume that the early earth atmosphere was composed of these highly reactive gases.

Secondly, Miller isolated the amino acids and protected them from the simulated atmosphere as soon as the amino acids formed. He also formed a large amount of tar or resin. The newly formed amino acids were collected and sequestered. He knew that the amino acids would otherwise be immediately destroyed by the same processes used to form them! Miller stacked the deck very favorably and obtained some very bare chemical building blocks. This did not even remotely prove that life could come from nonlife.

Nevertheless, generations of Americans, indeed, people all over the world, have read in their biology textbooks that this experiment gave some degree of proof to the claim that life could form from random interaction of nonliving molecules. (Life coming from nonlife is also called spontaneous generation or proto-evolution or chemical evolution or abiogenesis.) The Miller-Urey experiment unquestionably served to buttress atheistic materialism and therefore has served to accelerate the secularization of Western Civilization.

As a personal note, I remember talking about God with a young man back when I was in college. The young man resisted my claim that God is creator. He said “Didn’t they form life in a test tube a few years ago?” The young guy was no doubt referring to Miller’s famous experiment.

Miller continued with his experiments but none of his later experiments generated either convincing results or great publicity.

Even if one were to grant that amino acids could form randomly and be preserved, this is still a long, long way from their being gathered together to form a living cell. A living cell is more complex than the computer you’re using to read this! There are about 80 different types of amino acids but only about 20 are found in living organisms. Some amino acids are toxic to living things. The 20 correct amino acids have to be randomly sorted out and then randomly assembled into proteins which are very complex molecules. An average protein is composed of over 400 amino acids arranged in precise order.

A “simple” one-celled organism is composed of at minimum 225 different varieties of proteins, assembled in a structure consisting of cell membrane, protoplasm, mitochondria, nucleus, etc. All of this has to occur by a blind, mindless process in a primordial chemical soup composed of tars and other byproducts that bond more readily to amino acids than amino acids bond to each other!

As the field of microbiology has progressed, the impossibility of single-celled organisms forming by chance is more and more apparent. Microbiologists uncover new layers of cellular complexity with each passing year. There is not even a generally accepted theory in place among origin of life scientists to explain how life could form by chance. Many bizarre theories have been put forward but none has been generally accepted.

Even the illustrious biologist Dean Kenyon of San Francisco State University  repudiated chemical affinity theory. Chemical affinity theory is a theory of life origins that Kenyon once championed. Dean Kenyon had the academic integrity to openly renounce this theory when experiments revealed its flaws.

Finally Stanley Miller himself who, perhaps unwittingly, misled generations of science students, had this to say to Scientific American in the February 1991 issue: “The problem of the origin of life has turned out to be much more difficult than I, and most other people envisioned.” A great understatement indeed!

In order to solve the problem of the origin of life I would exhort Dr. Miller to turn to God. God has created us and God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place to take upon Himself the penalty for our sins so that we can be reconciled to God.

(For much of the material in this article I’m indebted to Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Faith pages 129-151.)

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2

Steps to salvation: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13)

 

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.”  If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

 

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA  New Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic by Bill Nugent available in paperback! Info and ordering link available on his website: http://www.bnugent.org