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 "Evolution:" Rejected By Jesus Christ I well remember my freshman year of high school – especially the biology class teacher. He was a large framed, tall, white haired individual, who was feared by most of his students. At that time, being a freshman meant that there were no choices of particular teacher and particular classes. If you were a “college prep” student, as I, then you were saddled with the courses that you were automatically assigned.  This particular Biology class abounded with rumors and stories. One of the stories that was true was the difficult semester test that had the students stroll behind the teacher, identifying the various trees along the city streets, late in the autumn. If you happened to remember the scientific name of such and such a tree, you were then awarded more points which translated into a better lettered grade. But most of the students except the most academically endowed, were quite satisfied if they could remember the common [unscientific] name of the tree. I recall that day of the test. I was not able to identify the “Indian Bean Leaf" tree. I gazed into the sky, looking up at the tall tree, attempting to identify it by its leaves. After turning in our identification slips for that tree, and walking to the next, I asked one of my fellow students, “Hey, what was that tree anyway – I couldn’t place it.” His response, to my chagrin, was: “It was the ‘Indian Bean Leaf Tree.’ That was easy – didn’t you see all the dried up beans on the grass?”  The other major thing that I remember about my teacher and that biology class, was that he believed in “Evolution.” He believed that mankind evolved from some lower form of life. For purposes of this message, that is the definition which I intend, as I bring to you some very important Scriptures. A pastor friend pointed these Scriptures out to me one day when the subject of “Evolution” came up and we decried the fact that many people, and even, “so-called” “Christians” are “taken in” by this deceptive and damning belief. I say, “Deceptive” and “Damning,” because I believe, as my pastor friend believes, that if a person embraces the theory of evolution in explanation for his origin, he is thereby rejecting the Savior who died and rose from the dead to save his precious and priceless soul! "Evolution," is not Science: Unequivocally, evolution is not a scientific fact. Far from being scientific, the theory of evolution is more of a dogmatic belief, often held by people who have little or no use for God and His influence in their personal lives. The deception of evolution, is, that it is promoted as “Scientific,” by its proponents. They have great influence with the textbook material of biology and science books, sold to school systems, worldwide. This material, hyped [and, unfortunately, paid for by {some} unwilling taxpayers] as “Science,” is the propaganda that builds formative and permanent impressions upon elementary, junior high, high school, and college youth.  Recently I had a conversation with a woman in her mid twenties. When she heard me speak of evolution and the Scriptures, she brought up something she had been taught as a freshman in high school. Apparently, at such a young educational age, this so-called, “fact” of evolution, “stuck” with her. She said: “What about ‘Lucy?’” “Lucy” was the nickname of a fossil skeleton found in Ethiopia. The discoverer, Donald Johanson, (curator of physical anthropology at the Cleveland Natural History Museum) received grant money from various sources, which no doubt helped him to “engineer a popular impression that they [the bones] were early humans.” (James Perloff; “Tornado In A Junkyard – The Relentless Myth of Darwinism”). Darwinists have always fancied the impression that “like” characteristics of chimps and gorillas are earlier forms of human ancestry. This is quite the stretch and conjecture, and has no basis in fact, or science. “Darwinists began with an assumption then went searching for proof. The missing links are still missing. Why: For a profound reason. They were never there.” Christ's stamp of approval upon the historicity of theScriptures: Now how does all this [the above] relate to the two focus Scriptures of Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22? Please be patient and I will explain. These [following] 2 Scriptures help to explain why Jesus Christ would never suscribe to the evolutionary theory:  “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. “ [Romans 5:12; KJV] “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” [I Corinthians 15:21-22; KJV] Jesus Christ inextricably links Himself with the person of “Adam,” and the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures. The New Testament Scriptures, (continually) are testimony to this recorded reality. There are many examples. Christ quotes many Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures. Christ points to the Old Testament Jewish history in his sayings and in his pointed conversations with the hypocritical religious leaders of his day. [John 3:14 ; John 7:19 ; Matthew 5:17-19] One of these conversations is recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 5. Some of these Jews were present at the healing of the paralyzed man. According to their narrow, strict and sick understanding of the Laws of Moses, Christ violated the Law, by healing the man on the Jewish day of rest. It is, in this recorded chapter, that Christ rebukes these fellow Jews, and makes full opportunity to bear witness to His authority to do what he had just done! Verses 46 and 47 are the remainder of this conversation with Christ, answering his rabid critics, before he travels across the Sea of Galilee. Christ upbraids His critics with these words: “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” [John 5:45-47]  By saying what He said, Christ places Himself in full acceptance of those first 5 books of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures. And guess what? That first book of “The Pentateuch” is the book of “Genesis.” And it is in Genesis, that the Scriptures tell us of God’s creation; His creation of the universe; of the world and His special creation of man. Is there any reason that Christ wouldn’t fully subscribe to the first five books of the Old Testament when He inextricably connected their value and the importance of His Words, with that of the Holy Spirit’s recorded words [2 Peter 1:19-21]of Scripture, penned by Moses? Of course, not. Jesus fully endorsed the Scriptures. Those Scriptures analogize the six days of creation, and God resting on the seventh -- with the six days of work and then, man, resting on the seventh day, the Sabbath! “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” [Exodus 31:17 and, its context] The Scripture says that on the sixth day of creation God, himself, created Adam. Now, follow me with this train of thought. Go look up the New Testament Scriptures of Romans 5:12 and I Corinthians 15:21-22. According to the theory of evolution, (excluding the variation of the ridiculous “theistic” approach) God is a “non-player.” Some “time” ago – millions upon millions of years ago, all that we see, feel and experience as reality, somehow came into existence (by chance). Different theories explain (or attempt) to explain our “natural world and space,” – that world with land, lakes, wind, sun, moon and all the “matter” that is composed of “atoms” and “sub-atomic” material.  And, wouldn't you know -- the evolutionists have an explanation for the existence of the “human.” One popular theory is that the highly evolved human form initiated from the “primeval slime.” Somehow, this one-celled prehistoric form of life took on more complexity, and over millions of years, finally evolved into our present human form. Incidentally, some of these evolutionists and like-minded individuals will accept “life” on other planets if they can find “evidence” of 1 single molecule. But then, (hypocritically), these same people will join forces with pro-choice [pro-death] people who deny that life begins with human conception – the combination of that 1 single cell of egg and sperm! People who subscribe to evolution – that being, that our present existence evolved from some “lower” life form of life, do so, I believe, because they instinctively refuse to give their Creator God, the credit for their existence! The reason for their staunch refusal and denial to give God the credit for their very existence is found in the book of Romans, Chapter 1. We are told that “when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” [verse 21] When a person’s heart is hardened to God and it is bursting with personal pride, there is no way that, that person will admit to the obvious --“…because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…..” [Verses 19-20] Back to the two verses from Romans and 1st Corinthians: Who were the first created humans to die? They were Adam and Eve. Do you understand that there can be no “pre-historic” people then [before Adam and Eve] – at least not in the sense that the evolutionists would have us believe? Adam was the first human created by God. Adam was the first man to sin, which automatically brought death into our world. I don’t understand where the evolutionists come up with their millions and millions of years here! I can only suppose that their theory of human origin is so far “stretched” that they then have to add to this “mix” oodles of time, plus the element of “chance.” Basically, here is their “formula:” Find some skeletal fossilized remains. It doesn’t matter if they are chimpanzee, gorilla or even some human skeletal remains. Then add to these remains, million upon millions of years. Then added to the remains and the umpteen years -- throw in some dashes of “chance.” Their theory is that somehow, (by chance) some very primitive life form evolved (over millions of years) into these skeletal remains that were, what they then, arbitrarily label, “pre-historic man!” Every time I think of this “pseudo-scientific mixture” of these evolutionists, I can’t help but think that they should be awarded the Guinness Book of Record’s all-time favorite for the class of people who possess the most highly over-active imaginations! The historical record of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures are anthema to evolutionists because the created physical existence of Adam and Eve was but a couple of days after the Lord created fish and fowl and one day after the Creator created the [land] animal kingdom. To suggest that all of the universe, sea creatures, land animals and man were all created within 6 successive [normal, 24 hour] days of each other, not only limits and negates the evolutionists' speculative dogma game of millions upon millions of years, but also insults their imaginative "intelligence."  Sorry to say, these evolutionists are highly influential, persuading people world-wide, of their far-fetched theories. They will deride Christians who have faith in God and His historical [written, documented] Word, the Holy Scriptures. At the same time they will bristle with contempt at those people who call into question their “pseudo-scientific” practices and beliefs, who challenge them with true scientific methodology and practice. The sad fact remains, that these evolutionists are successful to a large extent. They pawn off their highly imaginative beliefs that they accept as personal religious dogma. They are “masters of deceit” in having people believe that their theories are true science – when in fact, they are continually masquerading science. Behind the “mask” of evolution, they cling to their flawed and unproven theories. The evolutionist's old earth presupposition: Since I have done some debunking of the evolutionists’ assumption of early human ancestry, I desire to state something about about their assumption of an “old earth.” Regularly, in the media, there is without fail, some evolutionist or, so-called “scientist” claiming that the earth is millions upon millions of years old. They will point as proof to this [supposed] "fact," that radioactive and carbon 14 dating methods have established this as “common knowledge.” What is common knowledge to the Darwinists and evolutionists about a very old earth, doesn’t bode well with other theoretical considerations for charting the earth’s age. [These are calculation losses of the helium content of the atmosphere and the uranium content of the oceans – “Evolution: Possible or Impossible? Molecular Biology and the Laws of Chance in Nontechnical Language, James F. Coppedge, Ph.D.] What is more, evolutionists will discount the permanent geological effects on and in the earth’s surface that a world-wide deluge (Noah’s Flood)no doubt, would have had. Radioactive and carbon 14 dating is far from being an exact science. Evolutionists will interpret data, based on today’s atmospheric and geological conditions and assume that levels of radioactivity and carbon have always remained at the same or similar fixed and decreasing rate levels. James F. Coppedge, author of the aforementioned book, states in the one section: “Evidence Accumulating for a Young Earth:” -- “A universal flood would also doubtless have affected rates and conditions of some or all of the methods of dating the past.” Again, there is no reliable way to fix an estimable age of the earth by these various methods. More reliable would be through written historical records. Coppedge further says, when referring to the “circular reasoning” of certain geologists:  In simple terms, the age of the rock strata is determined by what kinds of fossils they contain. And how is the age of a fossil determined? By the rock stratum in which it is found! Many believe God originally would have created things in operating condition… I remember a story my father told in my church confirmation class. It was about these geologists who were digging down into the rock stratum. They were convinced that in the particular level of strata that they were digging from, was millions of years old. All of a sudden, one of the geologists hit something with his shovel. After abandoning the shovel, he carefully dug around the object with his fine hand tools. After an hour of miticulous digging and dusting with his archaeological brushes, the geologist was chagrined to find, not an artifact or a fossil, but a Schlitz beer can! Evolutionists will believe anything, because they refuse to believe their Creator God. [Genesis 1-2 ; John 1:10 ; Colossians 1:16-17] And, good and well-meaning people have been sucked into their preposterous and whimsical estimations. Somehow “Christians” think that they can adopt an “evolutionistic approach” to their existence! And, with that, they are being most unreasonably and intellectually dishonest. Not only are they being dishonest and intellectually bankrupt, these “so-called” professing Christians do not believe the very Scriptures that form the very basis for their Christian beliefs! If no Adam -- then, no Christ: Now, to that 1st Corinthians Scripture. If there was no Adam, as evolutionists will have everyone believe, then, there is no Christ! It cannot be both ways! You cannot [honestly and intellectually] believe in yourself evolving from some lower primeval slime form, and then embrace Christ as your Savior from sin. You cannot discredit the existence of Adam and then admit that you are a sinner in need of the Savior Christ! The two (aforementioned) Scriptures make it clear that Adam was an actual and genuine person who lived in history – the very beginning of history! Adam and Eve, the first humans, sinned. And then, as a result, death followed as the destiny for every living being. [Romans 5:12] Evolution has no answer to the “death problem!” God does! God shares the answer in the Holy Scriptures. The 1st Corinthians Scripture makes it plain that because of Christ, there will be a resurrection from death. That whole chapter of 1st Corinthians chapter 15 is a conglomeration of Scriptures testifying to the reality of life after death! That is that same “life after death,” that my former biology, evolutionist teacher did not understand. He couldn’t, because he thought that he had a far more superior reason for his existence! And for that he remained a fool. [Romans 1:21-22] Belief and Acceptance of Evolution brings futility:  I suppose the class that I remember most, in high school, was that Biology class; not so much for the reasons that I mentioned at the beginning of this message, but for the following reason. I remember the conversation my father, who was a Christian pastor, had with my biology teacher. The conversation took place at one of Bay City’s funeral homes. Dad and I went to visit my biology teacher, whose wife had passed away. My father with me by his side introduced himself to my teacher and extended his sympathies. My father mentioned in the course of the short conversation to my evolutionist teacher, that the Christian has a firm and sure hope – that even after a loved one has died, there would certainly be a resurrection of the body. In that we can find comfort, because of Christ who rose from the dead. He “paved the way.” In Him and only through Him do we find, hope and comfort -- and a positive future. What was my father to say? All Dad could say was the hope and comfort Christians can have, because Christ “paved the way,” – first, with His holy life and then with His suffering and death sacrifice for humanity’s sin – for each, and, every individual. [John 3: 14-21and Verse, 36] It was, sorry to say, a message that did not resonate with my biology teacher. He was devastated at the loss of his wife. He had no hope. He had no comfort. He had rested his beliefs upon a “theory” that sounded good; a theory that he thought could be “explained” in human and physical terms – so he thought, and so thinks many who believe in evolution.  “Evolution” has no savior! Evolution has no power to deliver a person from the shackles of personal sin and anguish. Evolution has no power to resurrect a lifeless body. Evolution has no future. All evolution has, by the person who tenaciously holds to it, is, a hopeless, disillusioned and damning future. When an individual places his or her trust in a human theory that replaces the Creative, Almighty, Holy and Saving Triune God, then there is nothing to turn to when the “sky falls in” and when the personal woes of life come rushing in like a flood! When a person rejects Christ, the Author of Life, [Colossians 1:16-17] and embraces the lifeless and fallacious theory of evolution, there is no cleansing of personal sin – and hence, no future in Heaven’s Glory, which, is, and must be free from all imperfection. There is no life everlasting, but only death, everlasting. [Luke 16:19-31 ; Matthew 25:31-46] Thank God that Christ is the solution to the sin problem -- that sin problem that loads a person down with guilt and divine condemnation. Only through the Grace of God and the sacrificial merits of Christ, can an individual come to experience the Triune God’s best, and heaven , "to boot!" If Christ could subscribe to the first 5 books of the Hebrew Scriptures -- that’s good enough for me. And, by God's Grace, it will be good enough for you.[John 3:27 ; Ephesians 2:1-10 ; John 1:13]  __________________________________________________________ This Sunday’s Message, Related Scriptures: Old Testament:
Genesis 1-3 -- The beginnings of everything -- including mankind New Testament Gopspel of John, Chapter 5 -- Christ is again challenged. Part of His answer to his critics, is Him suscribing to Hebrew [Old Testament] Scripture
Romans 1:16-32 -- Some major reasons why people reject their Creator Of Whom Does the Prophet Speak" by Victor Buksbazen -- an in-depth view of Isaiah 53 and the prophecy of Christ, hundred of years before his birth.Isaiah 53 underscores the truthfulness of Divine Revelation as exemplified in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. Note for further reference and understanding: ______________________________ Rev. Nathan Bickel -- Bay City, Michigan Originally posted online: 2/26/06 -- "Evolution -- A "Pseudo 'Science' -- Evolution – Rejected By Jesus Christ (Romans 5:12 & 1st Corinthians 15:22,23)" Edited and reformatted -- 5/24/09
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