Genesis 1:3-31

Notes compiled with my BSF group

Genesis 1:3–31


GOD BRINGS LIGHT INTO OUR LIVES

Genesis 1:3–5
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Psalm 18:28
God turns spiritual darkness into light.

Psalm 36:9
In God’s light we see light. That is, through God, we gain clarity of all things.

Psalm 119:105, 130
God’s Word is a light for our path. God’s Word gives us understanding.

John 1:4–8
God’s light is life. It defeats darkness. This life, this light, is Jesus.

John 3:19–21
Evil dwells in the dark. Through God, there is light. There is understanding. There is hope. There is redemption. However, those who love darkness, those who love things of this world, they are called earth-dwellers and will choose to stay in the dark so that they can continue to live selfishly according to their own will, so that they can continue to enjoy life in sin.

John 8:12
Jesus is the light of this world. Whoever follows Him will leave darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:4–6
Those who are spiritually blinded cannot see the light of the Gospel or the glory of Christ. God’s light is our way out of darkness. When we allow God’s light to shine in our hearts, we receive knowledge of His glory and of Christ.

1 Peter 2:9
We are called out of darkness to enter into God’s light.

1 John 1:7–10
When we choose to walk with God, we walk in the light with Him. We will be bonded as brothers and sisters through the blood of Jesus, and we will be clean. If, however, we refuse to admit our sin, we deceive ourselves, we call God a liar, we refuse the Truth, and the Truth has no place in our lives. 

God cannot save us if we do not want to be saved. God cannot save us if we choose to keep walking in the dark. God gave us free will so that we may choose. He does not force Himself upon us. Therefore, in order to walk in His light, we must first ask Him to come in. We must first admit that we need help. We seek His face and admit our sin and ask Him to take us out of darkness. And once we take this first step, He will do the rest. He will cleanse and purify us from all unrighteousness. He will bring us peace, because we will walk in the light with Him.


GOD'S LIGHT SEPARATES US FROM SPIRITUAL DARKNESS

Matthew 6:22–23
2 Corinthians 6:14–17
Ephesians 5:8, 11–12
Philippians 2:15
1 John 1:5–7
Revelation 21:23–27
God’s light separates us from spiritual darkness by allowing us to SEE our inadequacies. What are blind spots? Blind spots are things that we cannot readily see about ourselves. We often need other people to point them out to us so that we can change and be better. This is what God’s light does for us.

When we refuse to accept advice from people, we often end up being the only person who thinks we are amazing, while other people think we’re the worst kind of person to be around. The same thing happens when we refuse to accept God’s guidance, to accept God’s light. Without Light, we will never be able to see our spiritual blind spot. We will remain in the dark. We may think we are spiritually awesome, when in reality, we continue to head down the wrong path. The only way to know if something is "dirty" is to shine light on it.


LIGHT OF GENESIS 1:3 vs. GENESIS 1:14
The lights on the fourth day refer to the sun, the moon, and the stars The sun governs the day. The moon governs the night. The sun, moon, and stars give light on earth to govern both the day and the light, to separate light from darkness (Genesis 1:14-18).

How are these lights different from the light of Genesis 1:3? 

This is advanced teaching, and I am not completely what the difference is. Hence, read on with a HUGE grain of salt!

Many scholars believe the fall of Satan took place between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. That is, when God first made the world and the angels, everything was perfect. With their free will, however, Satan and 1/3 of the angels rebelled against God, introducing darkness and void (Genesis 1:2). To separate good from evil, God allowed His light to shine through the darkness.

Again, the above is my understanding, and I have not yet found solid evidence to support my theory. So, take it with a grain of salt.


GOD'S CREATIONS POINT US TO HIS GLORY

Psalm 8:3–4
God made the moon and the stars. What is man in comparison to God? Why does God care so much for us?

Psalm 19:1–6
The heavens declare the glory of God and the knowledge of God.

Jeremiah 8:7
Even animals know and follow the guidance of God. Yet, what about us? We have been given authority over all living things, but we behave like we do not know any better. The Israelites have turned their back on God, and today, so many of us choose to live in darkness.

Matthew 2:2
Stars point to Jesus. Jesus is the King of Jews.

Acts 2:19–20
Revelation 8:12
God is in charge of the sun, moon, and stars. He gave them light. He can take that light away just as easily.


THEORY OF EVOLUTION IS A THEORY--NOT FACT

Genesis 1:20–25
God filled the earth with water and land, creatures of the sea, birds, and living creatures on land. That is, according to the Bible, God created ALL living things. Nothing was left to chance, aka evolution.

As I stressed in my previous Genesis note, any theory, at the end of the day, is still just a theory. It is not the truth--Otherwise, we wouldn't call it a theory!

The theory of evolution is a THEORY! It is called a theory because it has NOT been proven to be correct. In fact, theories can be prove WRONG. Many theories in the past have been proven WRONG. Here's a famous example: People used to believe the sun revolved around Earth. Copernicus and Galileo both proposed that it's actually the opposite, that Earth revolves around the sun. Their theory was so controversial at the time that they were forced to hide their findings. However, modern day technology can PROVE that they were right. An old theory has been proven WRONG by FACTS. This is the ONLY way a theory can either be proven right or wrong: WITH FACTS.

Coming back to the theory of evolution, we have no technology right now to prove it right or wrong with facts. This is why this theory is still just a theory. It is not right. It is not wrong. It is just a theory. It is not a fact. Therefore, to the people who think evolution is the answer to how we all came about, I'd like to say, "Please understand what theories mean. And please, please, please, don't believe in things not substantiated with FACTS." Honestly, I don't know how much clearer I can get: Theory is just another word for "opinions," except these opinions are held by scientists. Opinions are not facts. Are we good?

What is the theory of evolution? This theory states that we all came from goo. That billions of years ago, somehow, simple life was able to form, simple life-forms like a brainless cell. And from that cell, other life-forms evolved. And ultimately, those life forms became monkeys, which then became us.

The above is an over-simplified statement, but that's the gist of the theory.

There are many problems with this theory. For one, scientists have not been able to prove how that first cell came into being. DNA, RNA, proteins -- These are all basic molecules of life. And these are not simple molecules. These are so complex, scientists have been studying them for decades and still haven't figured much of anything out. (Yes, we have made great breakthroughs. Can you imagine how much more information we still do not understand if I said these breakthroughs are only the tip of the iceberg?) And yet, evolutionary biologists wave their hands and say that by chance, all these complex processes just all happen to occur at the right place, at the right time, under all the right conditions.

Am I the only person who has a problem with this hand-waving? The same people who think it is preposterous to believe God created the world happily embrace the impossibility that this world came about just because a series of complex events all happened at the right place, at the right time, under all the right conditions? I say "impossibility" because if these people would use the SAME logic and criteria that they conclude that God is an impossibility, they would see that biological statistics would conclude this theory to be "statistically insignificant," aka a scientific conclusion that means "not important," or "impossible" in layman terms.

In fact, let me make a bold statement right here: It take more faith to believe in the theory of evolution than God.

I also want to point out a common misunderstanding. Many people think that Darwin promoted the theory of evolution. Uh, no. He did not. He promoted the theory of speciation. Simply put, speciation talks about how the same animal--say, a bird--can develop different characteristics (aka, "speciation") if given different living conditions. Darwin does not say that this bird can then go on to become a whole different animal. This bird is a bird is a bird is a bird. It may develop into a different kind of bird with a completely different set of characteristics, but the darn bird is still a bird. Darwin's theory is about speciation. Darwin's theory is NOT about evolution, nor should it be used as the basis of evolution! (Unfortunately, evolutionary biologists do. But hey, that's the nature of science, and I'm okay with that. But if they're going to go down this road, then at least remember that the whole basis of the theory is based on yet another theory. That is, the scientific assumption behind the theory of evolution is NOT a fact. And as I have mentioned in my previous post, if the assumption is not based on facts, then it can be wrong. And if it can be wrong, then the assumption itself is not a fact, and the theory itself is not a fact until that assumption can be proven to be a fact. I digress, but I hope you get my point here. Scientific conclusions are ALWAYS based on assumptions. To determine whether those conclusions are sound, we must ALWAYS understand what those assumptions are!)

Bottom line, there is very little scientific data that support the theory of evolution. There is a lot of scientific speculation and experimental models to test those speculations. But people, no matter how we spin it, this theory is not backed by FACTS.

And so, I will make my bold statements again: There are more scientific data that support that God created all animals than there are that support the theory of evolution. If we are true Truth seekers, then let us seek facts.

As science and technology advance, we have been able to prove the words of the Bible to be true more than we have been able to prove anything else. Today, it takes more faith to believe that evolution is true than it takes to believe in God.

To those who mock Christians about being so stupid that we're willing to believe in anything, ahem, let us sit down over a pot of coffee, and allow me to point out all the FACTS. And while we're at it, why don't you show me your facts, too?

To Christians who do not know how to defend our positions when faced with these mockeries, I encourage us all to studying the Bible. Match the fulfillment of prophecies with historical, archaeological, and scientific evidence. Discover the facts that support Biblical scriptures. This is an incredible journey, because not only do we have the faith that God is almighty, we will also have the FACTS to back it all up!


GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS IMAGE

Genesis 1:26–28
- Man is made in God’s image.
- Man is made in God’s likeness.
- Man rules over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
- Man is blessed by God and commanded to be fruitful and increase in number.
- Man is given control also of every seed-bearing plant earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

Note that God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). God is referring to the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:26–27
Psalm 139:13–16
Acts 17:26–28
We are made in the image of God. We are made to resemble God. We are not like all the other animals. We are special. We are unique. WE ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD! And God has a plan for us. I’m very excited, and I want to be a part of God’s plan. I want to discover what He has in mind for me, and I am eager to accomplish His will!

Revelation 15-16

Bible study with Drs. Chuck Missler and Hal Lindsey

Revelation 15 & 16
http://www.god.tv/node/2605


THE SEVEN BOWLS OF WRATH

Revelation 15 shows us the purpose of the 7 last judgments from the divine view point. Revelation 16 shows the onset of the 7 judgments.

Revelation 15
This is the last interlude of God's Grace; after the 7 Bowls, it would be the end of mercy, the end of Grace, the end of Salvation.


JUDGMENTS ARE FOR THE EARTH-DWELLERS
What is the purpose of these judgments? To judge "those who dwell on the Earth," those who reject Christ.

The following verses showing why the judgments are for the Earth Dwellers--these people are so concerned about the things of this world that they choke out the Word of God.

Revelation 3:10
This passage also shows the promise that the Church will be raptured because the judgements are for the earth-dwellers.

Revelation 6:10

Revelation 8:14

Revelation 11:10
This is what Hal Lindsey calls, "satanic Christmas," where people are so happy that the two witnesses are killed, they will give each other gifts.

Revelation 13:8

Revelation 13:14

Revelation 17:8

1 John 2:15
John warns us not to love the world and the world system. We are to be in the world (so that we can be witnesses of the Word) but not of the world (because then we become snares of the Will of God).

1 John 5:19 
The world system is controlled by Satan, which is why it is dangerous to be taken by the things of this world.


GOD IS EXALTED AND SEVEN ANGELS BRING OUT THE SEVEN PLAGUES

Revelation 15:1
Filled up (KJV) = finished

Revelation 15:2
Sea of glass = Word of God (The 24 elders were standing on the Word of God earlier in Revelation; we see that the Word of God is mingled with fire, signifying judgment)

Revelation 15:3
“Song of Moses” – Sung before the giving of the Law

Revelation15:4
God is not feared by all today. This is to be fulfilled.

Revelation 15:5
The Temple is mentioned 15 times in Revelation, but not even once until Revelation 4, while the Church is still on Earth. God dwells in the Church (via the Holy Spirit) while we’re still here. Once we’re gone, things go back to the Jewish timeline, and God dwells once again in the Temple.

The earth-dwellers KNOW that these judgments are coming directly from God, because they curse God! Sadly, no one can enter Heaven during this time because the Temple will be closed. Not that it matters anyway, because they would refuse to accept God, despite them knowing God! This shows how hard people's heart can become. These judgments also happen to only those who bear the mark of the beast.


Numbers 1:50
The Tabernacle has always meant to be the testimony of the Israelites rejecting Jesus. This is to remind them that the reason these judgments are taking place is because they refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah, the one who came to wash away their sins forever.

Hebrews 8:5
The Tabernacle on Earth is a shadow of the corresponding things in Heaven.


Revelation 16
This chapter documents chronologically the events of the last days on Earth -- things have been brought to total destruction. If Jesus doesn't return soon, nothing would be alive due to these events, as Jesus elaborated in Matthew 24.


THE SEVEN BOWLS OF JUDGMENT

BOWL 1
Revelation 16:1
The sores are often an outward sign of an inward problem.

BOWL 2
Revelation 16:3
All sea life dies

BOWL 3
Revelation 16:4-7
There is no water, as all water turns to blood, since they have shed so much blood. We also see again and again that the Lamb is worthy and God is just. Not once do we ever get the hint that the judgment is undeserved.

BOWL 4
Revelation 16:8-9
Earth-dwellers are burned and yet they continue to refuse to repent. They will curse God, even though they will come to know that God is the one pouring out the Wrath. Yet, instead of repenting, they would rather curse God.

BOWL 5
Revelation 16:10-11
The world is plunged into darkness.

Unexplained examples of physical darkness
5/19/1780: New England, “The Dark Day”
3/19/1886: Central Wisconsin (10 minutes)
12/1904: Memphis, Tennessee
3/1911: Louisville, Kentucky

Spiritual darkness
In a cultural war, truth is the first casualty. There is no commitment to truth at all.

BOWL 6
Revelation 16:12
The River of Euphrates is dried up to prepare for the way for the kings of the East.

EUPHRATES
- The cradle and grave of man’s civilization (Zechariah 10:11; Isaiah 11:15-16)
- The eastern boundary of Israel and the Roman Empire (Genesis 15:18)

Revelation 16:13-14
Demon spirits are being drawn to help the satanic trinity.

Revelation 16:15
A sudden change of subject. A breath of air.

Jesus will “come as a thief”—To us, who are children of the day, He does not need to come as a thief; to the earth-dwellers, who are children of the dark, He thus comes as a thief.

Magiddo
- 60 miles north of Jerusalem
- Jabin + 900 chariots were overwhelmed
- Gideon’s 300 defeated Midianites, Amalekitess and children of the east
- Samson triumphed over the Philistines
- Barak and Deborah defeated Sisera
- Saul slain by Philistines
- Ahaziah slain by arrows of Jehu
- Pharaoh Necco slew King Josiah
- Sarcaens, Christian crusaders, Egyptians, Persians, Druses, Turks, Arabs, etc. all had battles there.
- Napoleon’s disastrous march from Egypt to Syria

BOWL 7
Revelation 16:17-18
It is done!

God's wrath is completed!

Revelation 14

Compiled notes from home Bible study with Drs. Chuck Missler and Hal Lindsey

Revelation 14

http://www.god.tv/node/2604

This is the last parenthetical chapter before the Bowl Judgments.

JESUS COMES WITH THE 144,000

During the Tribulation, there will be 3 major evangelical movements:

1. Two witnesses

2. 144,000 witnesses

3. Angel flying over the Earth preaching the Gospel. This is God's final act of Grace, where the Gospel is preached right before it is too late, when Jesus returns and closes the gate

Revelation 14:1

All 144,000 that were sealed (Revelation 7:1) are here. There is none missing.

Psalm 2 is a trialogue between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It anticipates the world going to war against God.

There are over 30 psalms that clearly state that Jesus Christ will rule Earth from Mount Zion. Below are just a few examples:

- Psalm 20: Deliverance (of 144,000?)

- Psalm 48: Kings of earth gathered (woman in travail)

- Psalm 74: "Purchased" singers

- Psalm 76: Cutting off kings of earth

- Psalm 102: "Set time" is some

- Psalm 110: Melchizedek; rod to rule; at right hand

- Psalm 132: The Lord has chosen Zion (Verses 13, 14, 17, 18)

- Psalm 133: Israel united

- Psalm 137: Babylon is to be destroyed

- Psalm 146: Trust not in princes; Son of man

- Psalm 149: Vengeance upon nations

Revelation 14:2-3

The 144,000 sang a new song that only they could sing. 

Revelation 14:4

"Virgin" -- This speaks not just of the physical condition of the 144,000 but of their condition of the heart (Jeremiah 16:1-4; Matthew 24:19; Ezekiel 16; Ephesians 5:26-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2).

The 144,000

1. Not defiled with women; remained virgins

2. Followed Jesus wherever He went

3. Purchased from mankind

4. Offered as first fruits to God and Jesus

5. Had no lies found in their mouths; they are blameless

The 144,000 were not taken in by the defilement of the world. Their spiritual purity was not taken in by the lie that will characterize this period of time (2 Thessalonians 2:

The non-believers will be taken in by Satan's lie that will be spun by his antichrist).

THE SEVEN ANGELS

The 1st Angel: The Eternal Gospel

He comes with the Eternal Gospel. He will preach the Gospel to all those on earth, informing people they have come to the hour of God's judgment, stressing that God is the Creator of all things.

People of this time will worship the created not the creator. We are already entering this time. Many of us already choose to worship Nature (paganism), astrology, evolution (science) as opposed to opening our eyes and seeing that it is the Creator that deserves all of our worship. Why worship the clay pot when we have direct access to the pot-maker?!

Note that when this angel preaches the Gospel, it is preached under a different light--Fear God. This Gospel is warning of the coming of vengeance. Revelation 15-16, we will see the wrath of God poured out. This is the last call. The Gospel is Good News for God's people, but it's really bad news for earth-dwellers and Satan worshipers.

Missler: The emphasis here is that GOD IS THE CREATOR. The failure to acknowledge that leads to all other problems. The failure to recognize God's Truth results in blindness and be given over to wickedness (Romans 1:20-27).

Other News, Good and Bad

- False gospels: 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6) 

- Gabriel announcing the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19) 

- Angelic hosts to shepherds (Luke 2:10) 

- News of the spiritual growth of the Thessalonian church (1 Thessalonians 3:6) 

- 7th Angel: Mystery of God will be finished (Revelation 10:7) 

- Preaching of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14, etc.)

The 2nd Angel: Doom of Babylon 

He comes with the doom of Babylon. He announces the fall of Babylon. Babylon is symbolic of the political and religious systems that the Antichrist takes charge of in the last days. Babylon is also symbolic of this world and world values. Babylon is always used in connection with false and idolatrous religion.

The 3rd Angel: Furn for Beast Worshipers

He comes with fury on those who worship the Beast. He announces the destruction of those who bear the mark of the beast.

This is one of the reasons that there is so much emphasis in our studies on the Mark of the Beast and his image. If we take his mark, if we pledge allegiance of him, then we forfeit any opportunity of being saved. This is a heavy, heavy situation. Things are getting down to the wire. Things are really black and white. There is no gray area here.

The 4th Angel/Voice: Righteous Dead

He calls those who die in the Lord righteous

This comment is a strange assurance. This assurance is only relevant if the listeners feel they have missed the resurrection. This is the kind of assurance that would make sense if the Rapture has already taken place. This situation is similar to when Paul explained to the Thessalonians about what happens to those who died in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4). There were many who died before Jesus's return, and those who were still alive worried that those who died would "miss out" on God's blessings. Paul thus pointed out that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and those who remain will be caught up. This assurance here implies that there are those who have fears to wonder if they, too, have missed God's blessing. And the assurance is to set those fears at bay, letting them know that as long as you are in Christ, you are in good shape.

5th, 6th, and 7th Angel: The Grape Harvest

Revelation 14:14

"Son of man" stresses Jesus' humanity, a term used by Luke to stress also his humanity.

Appearances of the Cloud = Shekinah = Holy Spirit

- Wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22; 14:19-24)

- Manna (Exodus 16:10)

- Giving of law (Exodus 19:9, 16, 18; 24:15-18)

- 2nd time (Exodus 34:1-5)

- Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35)

- Mercy Seat (Numbers 9:16-22)

- 70 elders chosen (Numbers 11:25)

- Filled temple (1 Kings 8:10-11)

- Departs (Ezekiel 9:3, 10:4, 18, 19; 11:22-23)

- Overshadows Mary (Luke 1:35)

- Flocks of Shepherds (Luke 2:9)

- Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5; 1 Peter 1:17-19)

- Ascension (Acts 1:9)

- Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

- Return (Matthew 24:30; 26; 64; Revelation 1:7; Luke 21:26)

Who will be on the White Cloud? Not just an angel, but THE Angel of God who is also the Son of Man, aka, Jesus Christ. He comes forth to send out Angels 5-7 for the Grape Harvest.

Revelation 14:15

The Greek word "ripe" used here means "over-ripe to a point where the fruit has begun to wither." Thus, this harvest is here is not the harvest that we think of, the harvest of capturing the fruit at its best goodness. This harvest is for the fruit that has become over-ripe.

Revelation 14:16-17

Jeremiah 25:30

Grape harvest, with the red fluid signifying blood, the blood of the nations of earth-dwellers.

Before Jesus sets foot on Mount Zion, He will go to Petra (Bozrah) to save the remnant that had fled there (Isaiah 63:12-14). He comes back in red, not from the blood of his own but the blood of his enemies.

Isaiah 63:3-4

We see that Jesus takes on enemies of Israel Himself. We always think that Jesus comes back with His army for His final battle, but we see here clearly that He does not need our help. His saints come back with Him because they follow God, not because God needs help.

Luke 4

Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 and stops at a comma saying that on that day, He had fulfilled those scriptural passages. He did not finish the rest of the sentence of Isaiah 61:2. He did not talk about "the day of God's vengeance" because He had not come that first time to accomplish that. Jesus' first coming was to save all sinners.

Luke 21

Jesus told His disciples that when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies of their enemies, flee to the mountains. Scholars have pinpointed this to be Petra.

It is important to note that Luke 21:37-38 took place in the Temple, NOT on the Mount of Olives. The Olivet Discourse recorded by Mark and Matthew was a private briefing given to the "inside group" of the disciples (Peter, James, John, and Andrew). Both of these briefings were given to the Jews.

Matthew focuses on what is going to happen AFTER the same group of signs, including the Abomination of Desolation. Luke focuses on what is going to happen BEFORE that group of signs.

Once the Abomination of Desolation occurs, the Jews were instructed to flee to the mountains. This is all prophesied in Isaiah 63.

From Zechariah 14, we assume that when Jesus returns, He comes first to the Mount of Olives. However, He will first make a detour to Bozrah (Petra) to rescue the Jewish remnant that have fled there. The Jews that flee there will petition for His return and will finally acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah. This is all prophesied in Isaiah.

Jesus is not coming back a mild spoken carpenter. He is returning as a warrior with God's wrath and fiery to judge earth-dwellers and Satan worshipers. And this begins at Petra.

From Magiddo to Petra is 1600 furlongs. "Up to the horse's bridle" is 4 ft. This is how much volume of blood that will be shed.

Revelation 14 is just a preamble of the wrath that is going to pour out in Revelation 15 and 16, the Judgments of the Bowls.

Genesis 1:1-2

Notes compiled from my BSF group

GOD IS THE CREATOR OF ALL

Genesis 1

- God created the heavens and the earth.

- God allowed there to be light and defined day and night.

- God created the sky.

- God created land and water.

- God allowed the land to produce vegetation.

- God made the sun and the moon that govern the day and the night.

- God allowed the water to be filled with living creatures and allowed birds to fly in the sky.

- God allowed the land to have living creatures.

- God made mankind in His image, in His likeness. Mankind is to rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground (Genesis 1:26).

- God gave mankind every see-bearing plant in the world. That is to be our food. God gave mankind all the beasts of the earth and birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground. All these living things, God gave to us as food.

God spoke and it was. That is, everything we see and feel today, God spoke these things into existence, including us!

God made all the above, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* That it was good (Genesis 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25, 1:31).

* 1:4 Everything God created is good (see vv.10, 12, 18, 21, 25); in fact, the conclusion declares it to be "very good" (v. 31). The creation, as fashioned and ordered by God, had no lingering traces of disorder and no dark and threatening forces arrayed against God or people. Even darkness and the deep were given benevolent functions in a world fashioned to bless and sustain life (see Ps 104:19-26; 127:2).

Jeremiah 10:12

God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Acts 17:24–25 God created man (Genesis 1:27). 

Romans 1:18–20

The earth was formless (Genesis 1:2), but God created all that we see (Genesis 1:31).

Romans 1:18–20

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

This is a very important phrase. Paul is telling us here that God has made it plain to us. Made what plain to us? Knowledge about God, knowledge about the Truth. God has made knowledge of Him and His invisible qualities—

His eternal power and divine nature—readily for us to know since the creation of the world.

This is why Paul said that we are without excuse. Christians or non-Christians, WE ARE ALL WITHOUT EXCUSE!

This means, when we stand in front of God on Judgment Day, we cannot excuse ourselves and say, “But, we didn’t know about you, God!” Because Paul has made it very clear here that God will say, “No, child, I have made knowledge of Me since the beginning of time. You knew about Me. You knew the Truth. But because you allowed your wickedness to rule your desires, you chose to suppress the Truth that I have made plain for everyone to see.”

Take warning. Seek the Truth, because God has made it plain for all to see. And if we choose to not see it, we have only ourselves to blame.

HOW DID ALL THIS REALLY BEGIN?

The BSF question asks, "How does this message compare with your belief about the earth's origin?"

My belief about anything is not important. What is the Truth—That is what’s important.

I can believe that I can fly, but the truth is, I cannot. So, what would happen if I jump off a skyscraper? I would die.

What’s my point? It does not matter what I believe if I do not have the truth. Blindly believing without having the truth leads us to death.

In regards to Earth’s origin, scientists have a lot of theories. Many believe the Big Bang Theory explains it all. They believe we are here today because we evolved from a pile of goo that through millions of years became monkeys and eventually us.

What these scientists don’t stress nearly as much is that these theories are just that: THEORIES. Theories are NOT facts. Theories are what scientists call "intelligent guesses." Yes, these "guesses" are based on experimental data and circumstantial evidence. But, at the end of the day, guesses are guesses. There is no definitive proof. They THINK this is what’s really happening, but they can’t prove it at all. I therefore find it funny that on the one hand, these scientists are so quick to disregard God--"There is no proof," they say! Yet, on the other hand, they are more than ready to embrace the lack of proof that we came from goo.

Scientists also don’t tell the public that these theories are flawed. There are problems with the theories in that do not match up. That is, even though these theories make sense, they do not make perfect sense. They do not explain everything. There are holes in their theories.

So, let me clearly state my stance. I am a PhD scientist by training. I am trained in the fields of cancer biology, immunology, and pharmacology. Given my experience in running scientific experiments, I find it critical to reach conclusions KNOWING the LIMITS of the models we use.

We NEVER have the full picture, because we use MODELS. For example, just because a drug works in a mouse does NOT mean that it will work in a human. We can at best deduce what MIGHT happen, but we have no guarantee that just because the drug cures the mouse, it will cure the human. This is why the first phase of a clinical trial is to establish safety. It is not to assess efficacy of the potential drug. It is to see if it would kill humans.

My point? Scientists start making grandiose conclusions when they make those conclusions WITHOUT telling people about the limits of their models. They allow the people to run wild with their imagination based on the info they selectively share.

If you are of the mindset, "You think God exists? Yeah? Well, prove it to me."

Well, that's not how I would begin the conversation, but I would turn the question around and ask, "And you think we all came from goo. Can you prove that?"

What am I trying to achieve? I'm trying to get us to THINK. On the surface, both answers appear to be no. But THINK about it. We have scientific proof to say with confidence that no one can prove that we all came from goo. Do we have scientific proof that we cannot prove that God exists?

If you are confused, you're in a good place. Don't just believe mass media. If you care about the Truth, then you have to search for it yourself. You cannot base your

understanding of the Truth based on what other people say.

Theories are intelligent guesses. Theories are NOT the Truth.

And so, we all have a choice. Believe whatever we want, or, seek the Truth.

Why do we so readily believe flawed scientific findings and yet do not believe things documented in the Bible, even though these events have been substantiated by history, shown to be fulfilled PERFECTLY?

Be logical. Think. Do not let our emotions blind us from the Truth.

WHAT IS TIME?

Genesis 1

Psalm 8

Psalm 90

Exodus 20:11

2 Peter 3:8

This is advanced teaching. Some scholars say each day could be 1000 years (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). Some scholars believe each day is 24 hours (Exodus 20:11).

The truth is, WE DO NOT KNOW. This is one of God’s mysteries that we have to ask Him when we see Him.

Scientists use carbon dating to date the Earth to be 4.54 billion years old. THIS IS A THEORY! Why? Because

scientists ASSUME that carbon dating is accurate out to billions of years. Well, it's not. Carbon dating is only accurate out to hundreds of years.

However, it's the best dating method we have. And so, Earth is 4.54 billions years old. This is what the community hears all the time. What they don't hear is the rest of that statement: based on the ASSUMPTION that carbon dating is accurate out to hundreds of years. If that assumption is WRONG, then Earth may not be 4.54 billions years old.

So, those people who believe Earth is 4.54 billion years old, I want to ask, “How do you really know?” You are using a flawed method to measure billions of years, and yet, you believe the results of this faulty method?

Again. THINK. Do not readily believe in theories. Understand the assumptions behind every scientific statement. There is ALWAYS an assumption.

Genesis 1:1

God created the heavens and the earth.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* 1:1 the heavens and the earth. "All things" (Isa 44:24). That God created everything is also taught in Ecc 11:5; Jer 10:16; Jn 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2. The positive, life-oriented teaching of v. 1 is beautifully summarized in Isa 45:18.

CHRIST AND HIS CREATION

John 1:1–3

Through Christ all creation were created.

"Sons of God"

We are not sons of God. Sons of God refer to those who were created directly by God. For example, Adam was a Son of God. Satan was a Son of God. They were both made by God. We, however, are sons of MAN, because we were born of Adam and Eve. And because we were born of man who have fallen, who believed the lies Satan told them, we, too, are of fallen nature. We, too, are proud people, like Satan, who believe that we can be better than God, that we can live awesomely without God.

However, if we receive Jesus into our heart, we become sons of God through Jesus. We exchange our sin nature, our pride with the righteousness of Jesus.

Colossians 1:15–19

Christ is the Higgs boson, the invisible force the holds everything together.

Understand that “firstborn” does not mean God made Jesus. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are 3 persons in one. They have always been together since the beginning. However, Jesus is the “firstborn over all creation.” What does that mean? Jesus made EVERYTHING. Without Him, nothing was made. He rules over all things. He holds all things together. God’s fullness dwell in Jesus, and through Jesus, God reconciled the world to Him. Paul is saying here that through Jesus, all the wrong that has been caused by sin are all corrected through Jesus.

Colossians 2:3

In Christ, we receive wisdom and knowledge. 

Colossians 2:9

Christ is the fullness of the Deity in human body.

Hebrews 1:3

Christ provided purification for our sins.

Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being. Jesus is God. Jesus provided purification for the world. And when Jesus finished cleansing the world of Sin, He ruled over all with God the Father in Heaven.

Zondervan NIV footnote:

* John 1:1 In the beginning. A deliberate echo of Ge 1:1 to link God's action in behalf of the world through Jesus Christ (cf 3:16) with his first work, the creation of the world.

HOLY SPIRIT IS WIND, BREATH

Note: The Bible often uses “wind” or “breath” to describe the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:2

The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) hovered over the waters.

Job 26:13

By His breath (Holy Spirit), the skies became fair.

Psalm 104:30

The Holy Spirit was sent to create all the creatures, to renew the ground.

Genesis 6:3

The Holy Spirit will not strive with humans forever, will not remain in man forever.

Ezekiel 36:26–27

This passage is addressing the Jews. Before Jesus, those who followed God did not always have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit like we do today. Hence, God was telling the Jews that because they were His people, He would send them His Spirit (Holy Spirit) to guide them to safety.

John 3:8

The Holy Spirit is everywhere.

John 7:38–39

This passage addresses the Jews again. Here, Jesus is talking about the day that the Holy Spirit will dwell in those who believe in Him. This is a concept that is new to the Jews, because this never happened before.

John 14:16–17

Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Holy Spirit, that one day, His disciples will receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is talking about His death. That with His death, He will be revealed to be God, and He will wash away all sin. And with His death, the Holy Spirit will be sent to His disciples, to guide them as Jesus returns to Heaven to rule with God.

John 16:7–8

The Holy Spirit will not come to dwell in every believer until Jesus returns to Heaven. God is always with us. Before Jesus, God communicated with His people through the tabernacle and sending the Holy Spirit. Then, Jesus came and dwelt physically with us. When Jesus defeated death and ascended into Heaven, He sent down the Holy Spirit to every believer, so that when we are with Jesus, Jesus is with us in Spirit!

Romans 8:9

When we belong to Christ, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:3

When we receive Christ, we receive also the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then works inside us, helping us battle against our sin nature. If we continue to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then we will become a testimony of Jesus, showing people how God’s people live in the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 3:6

Before Jesus, God’s people lived by the Law. However, the Law only condemns. It does not have the power to save. Jesus came and saved us. And when we place our faith in Jesus, we become alive with the Holy Spirit. We are not just children of the letter, a thing that is dead and has no power. We become children of God, who’s living Spirit dwells in us.

2 Corinthians 3:18

With the Holy Spirit inside of us, we begin to transform. We begin to live our lives by following Jesus. The key though, is that we continue to surrender ourselves to the Lord. If we claim we are Christians, and yet, we are unwilling to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and still choose to live in sin, then we will not transform. God does not force us to accept Him. He will also not force us to heed His teaching! If we want it, then we ask for it. And if we ask for it, then we live by it. The choice is always ours to make!

Ephesians 1:13–14

When we receive Jesus, we are marked and sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:5–6

Jesus saved us because of His mercy, because of His love. We did not deserve it. We could never do anything to deserve it. The Holy Spirit cleanses us and rebirths us, helping us die in our sin and be reborn in the righteous of God. When we receive Christ, our will is to become perfect, but our flesh fights us. Why? Because our flesh is still of the sin nature. The Holy Spirit therefore guides us through these personal battles, helping us conquer our sin nature. But again, the key is that we allow the Holy Spirit to do this work. One day, we will receive our new body, our eternal body, and our renewed soul will be with our eternal body. We will have peace and be fully restored, because we will be one with God, in both mind and body.

The Holy Spirit baptizes us, allowing the Spirit of God to pour into us, washing away our sin nature.

Daniel 4

Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler

Daniel 4 was written by Nebuchadnezzar and published publically for the rest of the world. It was written in Aramaic, language of the Gentiles at the time.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR TELLS HIS STORY

Daniel 4:1-3
Babylon had a far-reach. This testimony was shared around the world.

Nebuchadnezzar is the "I" throughout this chapter, sharing his story of how a pagan king discovered the true living God. This is pretty cool. Nebuchadnezzar was a tyrant and a despot, yet here we see him humbling himself before God and sharing to a pagan world about the living God!

God's kingdom is everlasting. Contrasts God's kingdom to the other earthly kingdoms mentioned in Daniel 2. 

Daniel 4:8 
Nebuchadnezzar called Daniel by his Hebrew name instead of the Babylonian name he has assigned him! Furthermore, Daniel had rose to the position of "Chief of the magicians," equivalent to the position of a prime minister of our day. 

GOD WARNS NEBUCHADNEZZAR ABOUT HIS PRIDE 

Daniel 4:19-27
Through Nebuchadnezzar's dream, who do we learn that is truly in charge? God. Nebuchadnezzar's rise and fall, who was in charge? God.

The sum of Nebuchadnezzar's dream is that he was the tree. He will be cut down until he knew that God is in charge. When he finally acknowledges God, his kingdom will be restored.

Daniel therefore encouraged Nebuchadnezzar to repent of his pride and return to God. 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR FALLS BECAUSE OF HIS PRIDE 

"Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty," boasted Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30)

Babylon was the greatest city. It was thought to be impregnable because of its geographical advantage. Nebuchadnezzar knew this and was proud because of his kingdom that he boldly thought was built by his own two hands.

And as soon as he finished his boast, God replied, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes" (Daniel 4:31-32).

This isn't just some fairy tale story. This is Nebuchadnezzar's account of what happened to him!

Some scholars say what happened to Nebuchadnezzar was a psychiatric condition known as lycanthropy (aka, wolf-man psychosis), where he believed he was a wolf or some other kind of animal. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar's conditions are better described as a case of boanthropy, where he had delusions of himself as an ox. At any case, Nebuchadnezzar, for seven years, suffered from a psychiatric disorder where he lived as an animal.

Why?

1) God hates pride
2) God disciplines His children

Before we readily start judging God with comments like, "How could a loving God discipline anyone with something as cruel as this?" Let us just take a step back and remember a few things. We did not make this universe with a breath. We are not omniscient. We do not see what God sees, and we certainly do not have a grand plan that involves salvation for mankind and eternal damnation for Satan.

Let us just skip the whole self-righteous statements and leave it at, if we don't want other people telling us how we discipline our children, then don't tell God how to discipline His.

More importantly, as any parent knows, different children respond differently to teachings. Some children learn a light admonishment; others, there is nothing to do but to let them fall flat on their face before they would finally learn their lesson. It is my personal opinion that Nebuchadnezzar belongs to this second group.

Another interesting observation that arises from this passage is that God disciplines His children--aka, Nebuchadnezzar was God's child because he was disciplined by God!

That has so many implications: God works on all of us. ALL. He doesn't just love those who have accepted Him. He loves all of us and reaches out to all of us. Jews or Gentiles, Christians or non-Christians, we are all God's children, and He reaches out to save us at least once if not multiple times.
In this passage, we see how God disciplined Nebuchadnezzar about pride.

God hates pride 
Proverbs 6 
Proverbs 16:5 
Proverbs 26:12 
1 Corinthians 4 

"Where there is contention, there is pride" (Proverbs 13:10) 

Any time we get prideful, it helps to remember that
everything we have, we have as a gift from God (James 1:17).

Why does God hate sin? I don't claim to have the answer, but if I have to guess, it might have something to do with the fact that pride was the primary reason for the fall of Satan and human race (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28).

NEBUCHADNEZZAR RECOVERS HIS SANITY AND PRAISES GOD

Daniel 4:34-37
Amen, Nebuchadnezzar!

This poem of praise for God came out of the mouth of a pagan despot!

According to the Talmud, Daniel took care of Nebuchadnezzar during those 7 years that he went crazy. It is clear from these passages that Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar had formed a close friendship. Daniel could be viewed as his prime minister in many ways.

Nebuchadnezzar's testimony was a statutory edict published throughout the world. It was issued in 562 BC, the year that Nebuchadnezzar recovered from his insanity. This is the last time we'd hear from him in the Bible. He died shortly within a year, due to the steady weakening of his health and kingdom.