The King's Mighty Men

What does it take to be listed as one of "God's Mighty Men"? My last couple posts have been about rising up to the task that God is placing before us. But what I am talking about is not just enlisting in God's army. I am talking about reaching that highest tier of that army. The examples we have of this upper tier is David's Mighty Men listed in 2 Samuel 23. David had a whole army of men that would fight and die for him, but of that army only 37 are listed as the elite of the elite. These 37 men were David's closest companions. They got to hear his inner desires. In 2 Samuel 23, three of these men heard David crying out in the Cave of Abdullam wanting a drink of water from the well at Bethlehem, his home town. They went out on their own, broke through a Philistine garrison, which occupied Bethlehem at the time, got the water and returned to David. Another stood his ground and slew 800 men. Another yet defending a field until his hand grew so tired it actually clung to his sword and he could not let it go. Another sneaked into Saul's camp with David, slipped into where Saul slept along with his personal guard, and stole Saul's personal spear and water skin.

The list of the stories of David's Mighty Men continue goes. But these stories often have the appearance of those of legends and myths. These stories are not mere myths and exaggerated legends. These stories are historical fact. They actually happened. And because they actually happened, what they did physically is something that we can seek to do spiritually. Every one of us has the opportunity to stand and join our King in the battles we face and to one day be listed among his Mighty Men (or Women). I am not saying that in order to be saved we must be one of these men (or women), but I am saying that as a born-again Christian, we have the opportunity to be one of these men (or women).

What does it take to be counted on this list? To understand this, we must look at what David's Mighty Men did. They did not win great battles to become among his Mighty Men. They already were his Mighty Men. David's Mighty Men were 100% loyal to David. They did not question him. They went out of their way to serve the needs of their king. They did not care about life or limb or their own safety. They would readily lay down their lives for the sake of another. They did not fear the ruling authority. Remember, at this time, Saul was still King of Israel and while David was anointed to be the next king, Saul was out to preserve his family line. David's Mighty Men joined the one true king at the cost of risking their lives and their families' lives. David not only had to survive Saul's hunting, but he also had wars to fight with the neighboring tribes such as Egypt, the Philistines, the Ammonites, and many others. They likely had bounties on their heads. If they had families, they would have to keep them on the move. They had to hide out in caves, and could not live in their homes. But yet, they remained steadfast because they were in the presence of the king.

One important thing to note was that because David was anointed to be the next king, the only thing that would prevent him from becoming that king was his own choices in terms of his obedience to God. The enemy could not touch him. Look at the exploits of his men. They fought giants. They killed hundreds of men. They killed lions and bears with their bare hands. Where is that kind of drive? Where is that kind of courage today? They did not consider the impossibilities. They did not think about the "What would happen if we fail?". They saw their goal and they sought to get it done and NOTHING was going to get in their way. I'm not 100% sure about the source here, but I think it was William Carey who said, "I am immortal until I have done everything that God has in store for me do to." As long as William Carey was in God's will, nothing could touch him until he completed God's plans for him. Where is that mentality today?

We need men and women to rise up and be counted as Christ's Mighty Men (and Women). There are some that are seeking that position. Eric Ludy is one. I seek to be one as well. I am not in that level where I could be considered on that Mighty Men list. I am definitely in the army, perhaps has a Captain or General in training, but to be on that list of 37 (there is no cap space on this one)? That is what I want to be. I want to be in a position where God could tell me his deep thoughts as he did with Abraham and as he did with David and as he did with Moses. Am I willing to toss aside the luxuries and comforts of life to get more God? It does not mean he will do so right at this time, but am I willing? I live in the desert and AC is a luxury. Am I willing to go without it? Am I willing to face impossible odds for whatever task God wants me to do? Am I willing to face down giants and charge into battle against the armies of the spiritual enemies we face? Am I willing to put my life on the line, even to the point of death, to serve my King? Many of us will not be able to say yes to these questions. In some of them, I can say yes without a second thought. But some of them, I must be honest and say I am not there yet. Until I can answer yes to all of these questions and those like it, I will not be listed with Christ's Mighty Men. To be in the presence of the King, to go with him into battle, to be able to hear his deep secrets that he wants to share with us, and to be counted on in 100% obedience, that is the goal. It is possible to reach that place. Several have already made the list. Amy Carmichael. William Booth. William Carey. David Brainard. C.T. Studd. David Livingston. If God has a list equivalent to David's Mighty Men, these people would be on it. These are not perfect men or women. Neither we David's Men. David himself was no angel. But which of us are going to make that step to get in closer to God? Which of us will risk it all to prove our God faithful without fear of possible failure? I want to be able to say I am one who will do it.

David's Mighty Men had to start somewhere. They did not just become his Mighty Men overnight. I'm just getting started on this journey to a much deeper level. It is going to be long. It is going to be hard. But I see the prize: intimate fellowship with the King. I don't want to wait until heaven to really get to know my King. I want to know him here and now. And if this is a journey I must take alone, so be it. But I challenge my readers to join me in this journey. It does not matter what happens to my body. As long as I obey God and seek after him and rest in his will, I will be invincible until I have done all that needs to be done. If what I need to do is endure physical torture and execution, then so be it. I obey, God wins. And that is the only victory that matters. I want to be like Stephen who saw the God of Heaven standing at the throne as he was being stoned. God was giving Stephen a standing ovation, even though it came at the cost of Stephen's life. I want to hear that line "Well done, Good and Faithful Servant." I can go on and on and on. But God is issuing a challenge. Will we rise up to it? God will never give us any task without first equipping us for it. And he will be with us, going before, staying behind, and covering our flanks. I am going to stand up and say "Send me." Which of you will do so as well?

The Call To Arms

We are at war. I am not talking about Iraq, Afghanistan, the conflicts in Syria and potentially in North Korea. This war is bigger than the the War on Terror. It is bigger than the Cold War. It is bigger than World Wars I and II combined. It has lasted longer than recorded history. It is a war on the grandest of epic scales. It is the ultimate showdown between good and evil. This war is a spiritual war. The battlefield is both further away and closer than any of us realize. It is off in some distant land on the other side of the planet. It is numerous cities throughout the world. It is also in our own city. It is in our backyard. It is in our homes. And it is within each and every one of us. The object of the war; the reason this war is being fought, is us. We are the sought out prize: the spoils of the war. Satan is out to destroy us so he can spit in the face of God. But God is not content to just let us go and be victims of Satan's accusing, destructive schemes. He has fought back and continues to fight. Now, God and Satan are not on equal levels. The two will never be equals. God is always above Satan and when God fights, he always wins.

But God doesn't always win. Why is that? Why does it seem that evil is getting more and more powerful? If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he stop all this evil going on? Here is why. God wants a relationship with us. That was how he created mankind back in Genesis. But sin put a huge rift in that relationship. God has fought back to make it possible to close that gap. This was done by sending his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross. God is not just a loving God. He is a Just God. Sin must be punished. It must be dealt with. God cannot be called either loving or just if he just allows sin to fester. God loves us so much he will do what it takes to clean us. He is jealous and he will not tolerate us going after other gods in the same way a husband will not let another man take his wife. What is more is that God wants us to learn to trust him more in the same way a child trusts his parents. If God did everything behind the scenes, we would not pick up anything from it. Nor would we appreciate what he is doing. But here is yet another reason God chooses to work through us. It is the ultimate smack-down to Satan. Satan thinks he has victory because he was able to deceive us and trick us into sinning and rebelling against God. But God gets the last laugh because he uses the weak, the pathetic, the poor, the uneducated, the few, and the defenseless to defeat that accuser.

Here is the problem. Those God wants to use to defeat evil are not fighting. It does not matter whether we fight for God or not, Satan still treats each and every one of us as an enemy. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He will seek to be friendly and seek our friendships, but his goal is our destruction. God knows this. So not only did God give his Son to us so that he would pay the price for our sins, he has given us armor and equipment to rise up, make a stand against the forces of darkness and beat it back. Not only just beat it back, but to take the offense and drive it out. The major pieces of this equipment is the Armor of God. That will deserve its own posts. But this Armor is just accessible to just anyone. To use it, you need to be born-again. You need to renounce your citizenship to the sin in your life and claim Jesus Christ and your King. A lord in the Medieval days would never allow a soldier from an enemy army to don his knights' armor. How would he so that solider would not just betray him? It's the same reason why in order to wield God's equipment, you need to be loyal to him. But as Christians we have the equipment necessary to win our battles in this war.

But having the equipment does not address the problem. It only makes the problem worse. It is bad enough that the people are not fighting. It is worse that people have what they need to fight and aren't. Satan loves having people enlisted in God's army step to the side and not fight. That makes his job easier. We are in the battle whether we want to be or not. We cannot claim to be neutral and watch the war from the sidelines, cheering God's army on. Too many think they are doing that. No, in this war, if you aren't fighting, you are in the middle of the battlefield taking crossfire from both sides. You are like a player on a basketball team that is doing nothing to help your team score and doing nothing to help prevent the other team from scoring. You are making the few that are fighting have to fight harder because you are not doing your job. God is calling us to take up his arms, to follow him and to take the battlefield. But God is not a mere general that stands on the hillside from afar to watch and direct the battle. He is willing and wants to come and fight by our sides. He goes before us. He stands behind us. He covers our flanks. God fights for us and with us. And when we join him in the battle, we will not lose. The battle is only going to get harder because Satan knows his time is running out. He is getting ready for a final offensive front that will be carried out in the End Times. Are we going to be ready to make the stand we need to take? The spoils of this war is no trifle. It is not just your soul at stake. So is the soul of every person you encounter. And not one of us who are born-again and know Jesus personally as our Lord and Savior would be here if someone did not make a stand and fight for us.

How do we fight? What will be involved in the battle? How do we use this equipment God has given us? I'll be going into detail on this shortly. I'm raising a Call to Arms. To take up the Armor and the Weapons God has given us and to put them to use. It is a call to get off our seats and make our lives productive and useful for a purpose greater than ourselves. It will not be easy. It will be difficult. But the prize, the spoils of war, are valuable beyond measure. Will you join me?

Becoming a Warrior for the Kingdom of God

The last two months have been a life-changing process in my life. I am only scratching the surface of it right now but I am feeling God moving in my life in a far greater degree than I can recall at any one point in time. God is a GOOD God. He is loving and kind, but he is a God of Justice. He loves me so much that he want to work out every area of shadow, of darkness, in my life .I have to admit that for the last few years, I have pretty much been on cruise control in my walk with Jesus Christ.

The last time I experienced a life-changing moment remotely to this caliber was six years ago this July. I was working at a small grocery story witnessing to a co-worker and in the process, I stirred up a dormant demonic stronghold in his life that soon manifested itself through my co-worker. It was the most intense and brutal spiritual battle I have encountered to date. My faith grew to a new level with that battle. I came out on top, but my co-worker refused to surrender his life to Jesus Christ. That battle was part of a new stage in my life where God called me into writing. I used that battle as a key plot point in a spiritual warfare novel that is now between contracts with publishers. More on that on a later post.

But in the last few years, I have seen a little growth spurt here and there but nothing that would qualify as going to a deeper level. Until the last two months. It began with a sermon at my church, Restoration Fellowship. My church in the last ten years has grown but lately has started to wane. And my pastor gave a stirring message that has begun a movement to step it up. The very next day, my brother introduced me to another pastor/speaker, Eric Ludy, via a few of his YouTube clips. Eric Ludy, most well-known for his books and talks on dating/marriage relationships and courtships, is now leading a leadership training program called Ellerslie in northern Colorado. His short sermon: "The Gospel" awoke me to something I had never seen. The clip is posted here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIOkdNL-QQ&list=PL0AD28844A82EDD10&index=2

This presentation is not about "How to get Saved" but rather, what is the "Good News" and what does it mean? I have 22 years of missions experience and I have never seen what the Christian life should be summarized so simply and yet so deep. I'll go deeper into what that all has entailed at another time. To make a much longer story short, I began to listen to other short sermons and even some of his full-length ones. I also began to listen to some of Paul Washer, Leonard Ravenhill, David Wilkerson, and a few others. And a lot of what I have been hearing from these men is a great lacking of spiritual fervor in the American church. We don't have great men of faith anymore. That's not a God-problem. That is a church-problem. But some men are rising up and saying, "We need what the church was meant to be." Ludy is one of them, and he has inspired me to join him.

Things got even more interested two weeks ago when I attended the Colorado Christian Writer's Conference in Estes Park, Colorado. While there, one of the authors/speakers addressed the need for the church to get ready for spiritual warfare. The US has not endured times of harsh persecution but it is coming and it is coming fast in order for the End Times Prophecies to be fulfilled. This author asked me and a few others to help him work on a massive scale project God has called him to design.

The concept is "What if there was a role-playing game that helped you deal with your problems before your problems deal with you?" One of the ideas of this game/project is "Every army in the history of the world has use "war games" to prepare its soldiers for war, except one: The Church. Why? It is a spiritual battle and how can you "war game" a spiritual battle? This game is one way we can do. We can practice testing what the enemy would do and how we would respond to such situations. My job in helping him with this game is to develop the "warrior's order". In Star Wars' terminology, I would be not only creating the lightsaber but establishing the Jedi Order. My job is to dig deep into the Armor of God and come up with a martial arts tactic system on how to use that Armor in a metaphor of the spiritual battle.

As I have thought about this, I came back to my spiritual warfare novels. I now have a contract offer from OakTara Publishing for my first book and the sequel which is now with beta readers. I did not realize I did this, but my books do exactly what the game above intends to do: War Game. My book is a very practical covert spiritual warfare training manual put in through a fiction story, and yet reveals some of the ways we can and do engage in spiritual warfare. I have more books to come but this is a potentially HUGE thing God may be doing.

God is calling me to sound the "Call to Arms". For the church of God to rise back up. He is taking me to a brand new level so I can come back and bring others with me to that deeper level. The foundation is laid. It is time to start digging. There is too much to say in one blog post and I intent to be blogging a lot more frequently that I have been lately so I have a means of getting my thoughts down and sharing what God is giving me. I need prayer in this time. Prayer that I will have the strength and the courage to expose my areas of sin to my Father so he can clean them out. I need prayer for the endurance and the drive to dig down to this level. And I need prayer that I will be alert to the whims of the enemy as he seeks to keep me back or knock me down. What is going to come from this process will be bigger than I can imagine. Bigger than I can contain within myself. And I believe it has the potential of changing a generation. I have lived a life of the impossible where God shows up bigger and mightier each time. What I am about to take on is bigger than my abilities, but it is not too big for God to carry it through me. War is coming. And I intent to rise up to meet it head-on. More to come later.

Charlie

Biblical Doctrines Rooted In Genesis

Today, no passage of Scripture is attacked more frequently than the Book of Genesis. With the rise of the Darwinian Theory of Evolution, there are many attacks on the historical accuracy and meaning of the book that lays the foundation of the Christian faith. And for enemies of Christianity, this is the perfect strategy. Satan knows better than any of us that if you remove the foundation of Christianity, then the Gospel of Christ himself will topple. When a comprehensive study of Genesis is done, one should realize that every major doctrine in Christianity has at the least a mention or shadow in the book of Genesis and the bulk of the concentration of those doctrines are based in Genesis 1-11, which are the most hotly contested chapters.

  What are these doctrines? And do all of them really have roots in Genesis? Below is a table of 32 doctrines, some minor and some major, that play a large role in Christianity. This list is not comprehensive as this was off the top of my head via a quick scan through Genesis, but it should stand out that Genesis is perhaps the most important book of the Bible. Without Genesis being historical fact, the meaning of Christ's death and resurrection is completely lost. So here is the table.

The Major (and some Minor) Biblical Doctrines Rooted in Genesis



7-day week	Genesis 1
Sabbath	Genesis 2:2-3
Man's Dominion over Creation	Genesis 1:28
Man Made in God's Image	Genesis 1:26-27
The Trinity	Genesis 1:26
A Perfect Creation	Genesis 1:31
Marriage	Genesis 1:26-27; 2:24
Work	Genesis 2:15
Choice to Worship God	Genesis 2:17
Sin	Genesis 3
Death	Genesis 2:17; 3:17; 3:22
Clothing	Genesis 3:7; 3:21
Blood as payment for Sin	Genesis 3:21
The Promise of a Savior	Genesis 3:15
Marriage Roles	Genesis 3:16
Toil,Thorns,Cursed Creation	Genesis 3:17-19
Animal Sacrifice	Genesis 3:21; 4:3-4
WorldWide Judgment of Sin	Genesis 6-8
Baptism	Genesis 6-8
Rainbow Promise	Genesis 9:13-15
One Human Race	Genesis 5,10,11
Call to the Promised Land	Genesis 12:1
Promise of Israel	Genesis 12:2
Blessing/Curses on Israel	Genesis 12:3
Jesus of the Order of Melchizedek	Genesis 14:8
Tithing	Genesis 14:20
Circumcision	Genesis 17:11
Intercession	Genesis 18:23-33
Jesus, the Willing/Final Sacrifice	Genesis 22
Firstborn/Birthright	Genesis 21; 25:31-34; 27
Dreams/Visions	Genesis 37; 40; 41
God works ALL things for the Good of those who Love him, called to his purpose	Genesis 37;39; 41

What is also important to notice and I may compile this at a later time, is that every one of these doctrines ALSO have a fulfillment in Revelation and the End Times. Just a couple examples. The animal sacrificed to cover Adam and Eve's sin and the doctrine that we are all one human race are depicted in Revelation 5. Marriage is fulfilled in the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. Not all details are given in each of these mentions but there is a reference or picture of these doctrines in both Genesis and Revelation.

 How well do we really understand our own beliefs and what are the roots that enable them to hold strong in the face of opposition? The entire Gospel Message of Jesus Christ points to Genesis for its foundation and points forward to Revelation 21-22 when God's Epic Story of Redemption concludes. That will be a glorious day for some but the worst nightmare for many others. As Christians we cannot pick and choose which doctrines we want to believe or not. We must take the complete package. And to understand that package, we must understand why and what makes the Gospel of Christ so compelling. You will notice that 21 of these 32 doctrines (again, NOT comprehensive) are rooted in the most attacked Chapters of the Bible in Genesis 1-11. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to lay our foundation for which we can build our faith. The building that is not built on a solid foundation will sink and collapse when the storm comes (Matthew 7), but if built on a solid foundation, it will withstand any storm. Too many Christians have no foundation for their faith because they reject or overlook Genesis. So do so to avoid controversy, but others try to interpret Genesis to support a theory that simply does not line up with this list of doctrines. As Christians, we often need to return to our roots and rediscover our first love. If we do not do this, we lose sight of what sin really did to wreck up the earth. And when we lose sight of that, we also lose sight of the real redemptive and overcoming power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When sin is belittled, so is the effect of Christ's deed at the cross. And this is something that I too am still learning and trying to grasp. As Paul learned in his life, the more we learn about God, the more we realize how much sin has done to us and how much we still live like we love the sin. But the closer we get to God, the more we realize what Jesus did for us and what he suffered for us.

It all starts in Genesis. The central focus is Christ and the Cross. And it will all end in Revelation. Like every story that has a beginning, middle, and end, the Bible is the ultimate story that is true and will end soon. But it will not be a happy ending for all. Those who reject the Gospel of Christ will not enjoy the pleasure of heaven but are already doomed and destined for the pits of hell (John 3:18). Jesus came to rescue us, but it is our choice to leave the cage with him or to stay back in the chains of sin. And that redemption and rescue would not happen if the doctrines of a perfect world (Genesis 1-2) and the entrance of sin (Genesis 3) into that perfect world did not happen. Adam and Eve were give a choice between life and death via the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now we are give the choice between life and death via the covering and remission of sin via the Blood of Jesus Christ. I have chosen to make Jesus my Lord and Savior. I am covered and bought from sin and will join God in heaven in the appointed time. Where will you spend eternity? 

Answering a blog from "Truth4Believers"

This blog post is in response to another blog by the username "Truth4Believers" titled "The Problem with Dating Creation." The link to this blog at the bottom of my reply. The primary concern with this blog is the dating method used by Bishop Ussher via the historical accounts of Scripture to place the date of Creation at 4004 BC. The blogger goes into great length explaining the methodology used by Ussher, addresses several ways in which Ussher's methodology has been attacked, and uses that as an 'open door' for the "Old Earth Creation Model". This blog was brought to my attention in a Facebook debate after I described there were only 1600 years between Adam and Noah in accordance to the Biblical account and I quote "you assume too much." In my response, I will demonstrate where the real assumption problems are taking place after this blog was cited as a response to my defense of my claim. .................................................................................................... The real issue here is NOT the age of the earth. The age of the earth takes care of itself. The real issue in the Facebook discussion and with this blog is Biblical authority. Is the Bible a reliable source for history? If so, why? If not why not? The Bible is unique in that it contains every major genre in literature (yes including romance). Yet many people dismiss the entire Bible as just a theological text. While it is true that the Bible is a religious text, does that give legitimate reason to dismiss the historical aspects to it? The blogger has his opinions about how the Bible should be viewed from a historical context and I will demonstrate that he is not only incorrect in his approach but that he has mastered the fallacy of the double standard. ...................................................................................................................... The first part of the blog seems to be decent. There are a variety of dates that have been suggested to be the point of creation ranging from 3500BC to 5700 BC. Easily the most popular is the one proposed by Bishop Ussher at 4004 BC. Before I go any further, I want to make one thing clear. Bishop Ussher was a fallible man just like any one else on this planet. He too had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The purpose of this response is not to defend Ussher but to address the issues brought up by this blog. For the most part I can agree with how the blogger lists how Ussher came up with the date for creation at 4004 BC. But then there are challenges to this methodology that I found questionable. All quote and references to the blog I am responding too will be distinguished by a pair of slashes. // //.................................................................................................................................. // Ussher’s 4004bc creation date is also refuted by some creationists as well, mainly Old-Earth Creationists, who believe the Earth to be ancient.// ...................................................................................................................................... This is to be expected. One cannot believe in an "old earth" at millions of years old and accept Ussher's creation calculations. Darwinian Evolution is what gave rise to the popular belief that the earth is millions of years old contrary to what Ussher claimed the Bible laid out. Now just to be clear, the concept of an "old earth" is not limited to Darwin. It was just made popular by Darwin. At the root of this approach is uniformitarianism. That is, what we observe and can record today has been occurring continuously since the beginning of time. There are major flaws with this approach. A good study of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1981 will demonstrate that events happen catastrophically and very quickly. The idea of uniformitarianism was made popular before Darwin published "Origin of Species" with the help of a lawyer, Charles Lyell. He analyzed the erosion rate of Niagara Falls and reported it to be about 1 foot of erosion per year. However, the locals actually reported sometimes it was 1 meter per year, sometimes it was 3-4 meters per year. What is known is that Lyell falsified the data for purpose of discrediting the Biblical account and it became popular in the church. ................................................................................................................................ The Facebook user who cites this blog also told me I was assuming too much for adding the genealogies between Adam and Noah. I do want to make clear that this blog does NOT address that issue. I also want to make clear that this blogger does more than a fair share of assuming himself. ..................................................................................................................................... // There is no evidence that the bible’s chronology dates back to 4004bc, as not even the bible contains a complete and accurate history of events; therefore, his estimations are easily dismissible as even a valid hypothesis. The bible has been reworded, altered, and translated far too many times for it to contain anything close to an accurate chronology. All those who adhere to the belief of a creation date of 4004bc are misinterpreting the bible with unquestionable, incomprehensible, and nonsensical devotion, and all those who adhere to biblical inerrancy concerning the creation date are in fact committing the most egregious error of all.// .................................................................................................................................. Here is the first set of double standard fallacies along with assumptions I will address. The blogger claims that the Bible does not contain a complete and accurate history. First, does ANY history book contain a complete history of event? If you look at a text book of the Civil War, it will not be complete. It will have the major events that are pertinent to the discussion but it will not have every detail. It is true that the Bible does not contain every detail, but it does contain what is necessary for us to know and it gives a separation of dates for when the events happened for reference. In comparison to any other history textbook, the Bible is just as accurate if not more. If the blogger used this critique of Scripture to any 'secular' history book, he will find the same issues. Is the Bible accurate? Compared to what standard? If the Bible is the word of God as Christians claim, the Bible should BE the standard for which accuracy should be determined. The blogger does not identify what standard is being used to compare for accuracy, and only claims the it is not accurate. Later in the blog he reveals what his standards really are. ................................................................................................................................. The Bible has been reworded, altered, and translated…. Really? In worst case scenario, the English translations we have of the Bible are 99.5% accurate compared to the original manuscripts (of which we have 12,000 copies) and the VAST majority of those 'errors' are spelling/grammar errors. The blogger mentions later about Egyptian and Chinese histories. Apply the same critique to their historical events and you will have the same problems. This is yet a double standard and assuming that the secular studies are precise enough to be given the benefit of the doubt. ................................................................................................................................ Then the blogger lays in ad hominum attacks on those that support Ussher's claims. He does not say how we are misinterpreting the Bible. This is personal opinion with no supporting facts and will be dismissed as such. ...................................................................................................................................... // To put it bluntly, original creation cannot be dated using the bible. There are too many factors against those who even attempt to try.// ..................................................................................................................................... This again is personal opinion and is assuming way too much. The blogger reveals why he says this at the end of his blog. The factors the blogger attempts to bring up may only prevent us from identifying the exact date of creation, but it by no means justifies Ussher not being in the ballpark. This is the same line of thought as atheists who claim "there are mountains of evidence that support evolution" yet fail to bring one up that can withstand scrutiny. But the blogger does bring up some objections, to which I will address. ..................................................................................................................................... // Ussher estimated that the Great Flood took place during the years 2349–2348bc, but there is no evidence whatsoever that a “global flood” took place during these years. This can be seen by looking at many prominent civilizations in ancient history, such as China and Egypt.// .................................................................................................................................... The blogger earlier cited how the reigns of the judges often overlapped. According to whom and what sources are being referenced here? This is just an assertion that assumes that the secular histories of Egypt and China are accurate and the Bible's is not. There are cases in the Biblical account where the Kings of Israel overlapped reign. Tibini and Omri co-reigned (1 Kings 16:21) over Israel for 5 years, before Omri became the sole ruler of Israel. Also, Uzziah co-reigned with his son, Jothan, while Uzziah fought with leprosy. So where there is an overlap in Israel's rulers, it is listed in the account. No such listing is found in the Judges' accounts. .................................................................................................................................... There is another issue here as I mentioned above. A double-standard yet again. The blogger fails to realize that Egypt ALSO had pharaoh's who reigns overlapped. That actually puts Ussher's account much closer to being accurate than the skeptics will like to claim. .................................................................................................................................... // There is no evidence that the human population was wiped out during this time, and there is no geological evidence that a massive flood took place during this time. There is no evidence that humans came about in the year 4004bc, as human populations were believed to already have been 5–7 million in the fifth-century bc.// ................................................................................................................................... Really? The evidence is much stronger than the blogger realizes. Genetics demonstrate that humans trace to single sources for males at 4400 years ago and females at 6000 years ago. Perfectly lining up with Ussher's account of Noah's Flood and Creation. The world population growth charts also line up perfectly with the dates Ussher provides. Looking at the charts today, the world's population tends to double about every 40-60 years. Needless to say, this is not the same rates we see throughout history, but all we have to do is demonstrate is that we could get to a world population of 7 billion from 8 people 4400 years ago. The math is quite simple. From 8 people at 4400 years ago, we'd hit a world population level of over 8 billion NOT including wars, famines, pestilence, etc. Now let's do the same math for 50,000 years ago. We should have a world's population of 8.7 E 99. At 500,000 years ago, we should have a world population level of 8.7 E 990. This is talking about 125,000 people, per square inch. So the evidence of a bottleneck at 4400 years ago due to Noah's Flood is not only feasible, but very likely. .................................................................................................................................. Now, the claim of no evidence is demonstrated shortly below. One CANNOT believe in an "old earth" while simultaneously believing in a Global Flood. Why? Because a Global Flood wipes out the dating techniques that demonstrate an old earth. This author not only says there is no evidence for a global flood at this time, he essential is saying a global flood did not happen PERIOD. ..................................................................................................................................... // The Tower of Babel narrative (mentioned in detail later) was believed to have followed a short time after the Great Flood. Up until that point, the bible states that humans were united under “one language and of one speech.” According to Ussher’s calculation, the Tower of Babel existed around 2300–2100bc. However, archaeological evidences indicate that many languages existed before this time, and there are no historical records during that time for this massive tower.// .................................................................................................................................. Again, does the same scrutiny used against Ussher's account still apply to these to these other languages/cultures? It should. Archaeological evidence? Such as? What I found at the end of the article is a claim that science KNOWS that the earth is millions of years old. I will address that below. What I see frequently is when these archaeological studies are performed, the #1 dating method used to determine when such artifacts were used is radiometric dating. Very little raised the "assuming too much" flag than radiometric dating. So I will address that one now. .................................................................................................................................. There is only one thing we can determine from radiometric dating without assumptions: the half-life. We do not know how much of the mother/daughter isotopes were originally there or how much we are supposed to have. We do not know how much leeching there is (how much isotope enters or leaks out). We do know that solar storms will often affect the decay rate, so the even the half-life is put into question when the isotope is taken outside the lab. And the worst part of it. There is not a single piece of evidence that I know of in which the object's date is previously known and the radiometric dating method gets it right. Here is a short list for what is claimed to be the most accurate radiometric dated isotope: Potassium-Argon which is used predominately for lava flows, with the known date of the rock sample and the radiometric date given. ....................................................................................................................................

So with this SHORT list, we can easily see that radiometric dating cannot be relied upon for unknown dates if we cannot trust it for known dates. Many Young-Earth Creationists speakers will challenge skeptics to provide HISTORICAL evidence of civilizations older than 4400 years. Evidence such as calendars, trade documents, etc. Not a piece of pottery or a spear. .................................................................................................................................. So that being said, what evidence of languages already being established, written, and recorded prior to the dates given for the Tower of Babel are there? That's a good question. What is known is that language groups such as Ethnologue and VistaWide World Languages have been able to distinguish a maximum of 94 language families. If you count the heads of families records in Genesis 10 between Shem, Ham, and Japeth, and with Peleg (whose birth is often believed to have been when the dispersion took place), and you get a minimum of 78 families. That's pretty well in the ballpark. It is very interesting to note that many of the European, West Asia, India, and African cultures can be traces back to the people listed in Genesis 10. It gets harder to trace the people of Australia and the Americas and East Asia because of how much dispersal was going on. Look in the future for a book (I believe it is slated to be released next year) by Bodie Hodge about the tracing of the peoples of the Tower of Babel account. ..................................................................................................................................... // Because original creation cannot be dated, this opens the doors for believers of Old-Earth Creationism, who believe that the Earth may possibly be millions or billions of years old in respect to biblical passages and interpretations, as well as scientific evidences dating Earth far longer than 6,000 years.// ................................................................................................................................... And here we get the real intent of the blog. Now, let us assume all the skepticism he brought forth against Ussher's methodology is correct. How much would that impact Ussher's dating? A few centuries? Worst case 1-2,000 years? The blogger demands EXACT precision for Ussher's account. What is the error factor for the estimates for an "old earth"? Half a billion years. Under the bloggers standard for scrutiny against Ussher, the old earth models stand no chance. Do error factors in Ussher's accounts open the door for OEC? Not even close. Ussher may be off on a few things. He is fallible and could be wrong. But was Ussher in the ballpark? Absolutely. .................................................................................................................................. // However, there is no argument amongst the scientific community that Earth is at least 4.5 billion years old.//...................................................................................................... // Open any modern science book and it will state that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. It will state that the earliest form of human ancestors first appeared around 6–7 million years ago.// ................................................................................................................................... This is an unfounded, biased claim with no evidence and is an appeal to the majority fallacy. This argument stems from a belief that no one who believes in a young earth can be a true scientists. This argument also stems from a belief that the Bible is only valid for theological discussions, which is clearly not true. Yes, you can open any modern science textbook and it will say this. This is an appeal to authority as well. The textbooks are FULL of inaccurate data. They still contain Haeckel's Embryo drawings and the Spotted Moth Experiments which were both proven to be frauds. Just because it is in a textbook that does not make it correct. .................................................................................................................................... // The Ussher-Lightfoot chronology, the Great Flood, original creation, Adam and Eve, the Tower of Babel, and literal creationism are not taught. It has nothing to do with anti-Christian sentiments; it has nothing to do with church and state separation; it has to do with valid evidence and the pursuit for accurate knowledge. There is no evidence that the Earth was created within the past 6,000–10,000 years. There is substantial evidence to prove otherwise. We cannot use the bible to date when creation actually occurred. We must look elsewhere for our answers, and we have succeeded in doing just that.// .................................................................................................................................. And this is the most telling of it all. There is a reason they are not taught and it does have EVERYTHING to do with anti-Christian sentiments. A search for accurate knowledge will not use appeals to authority, appeals to majority, and they most certainly will not use a double standard on everything related to the Bible. The blogger knows that to accept the Biblical account of creation also means to accept that there is an issue called sin and that mankind is subject to an all-powerful God. There is no room in Scripture for an 'old-earth'. This blogger clearly reject the Bible as any authority figure and blames Ussher for not using his world-view. There is more evidence that the earth was creating within the past 6000-10000 years than this blogger could imagine and because of his 'old earth' view, he MUST reject it all. He has demonstrated he has no interest in the truth, only what he believes. He fails to realize that like Ussher, there are MANY scientists and historians out there who take the Biblical account as history. Is that an appeal to authority or majority? No. I am not going by their opinion, only stating that his claim is unsubstantiated. ................................................................................................................................... As I said in the beginning, this is an issue of Biblical authority. This blogger rejects the Bible from being a source of evidence or an authority on the matter. He expects exact precision from the Biblical scholars and yet gives any 'modern scientist' the benefit of the doubt. He fails to realize that these scholars who come up with the young earth model do their homework. He does not just reject the creation account of the Bible, he rejects the Bible in any historical account. If he was honestly seeking the truth, he will find the same types of errors he claims Ussher is making in every other history time line. The genealogies found in Scripture are more accurate and more complete than any other genealogical account in ancient history. He has no problems with Babylonian history found on a few pottery stones, which is by no means complete, yet blames the Bible for not having every tiny detail. This blogger rejects Ussher and the "young earth" account because he rejects the Bible as the word of God. ................................................................................................................................... Dr. Michael Brown in a recent interview with William Lane Craig said this. "If there were no other books other than the Bible, I would believe the earth was created several thousand years ago." .................................................................................................................................... Martin Luther said, in addressing challenges to the Genesis 1 account. "But, if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are." .................................................................................................................................... Psalm 118:8 says "It is better to trust in the Lord, than in the ways of man."................. Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."..................................................................................................... Romans 3:4 says "Yeah, let God be the truth and every man a liar." ..................................................................................................................................... Ussher trusted that God meant what he said in the Genesis account. Was he 100% accurate? I don't know. Was he close? Easily. How do I trust him more than I trust the 'modern scientist'? He stood on the Word of God. I will act as the Bereans whom Paul praised for not taking his word for it and testing what he said against Scripture. I will do this for the OEC and YEC alike. The Old earth models masquerade as science but are rift with unscientific assumptions. Ussher assumes one thing and one thing only primarily: that the Bible is the word of God and is the authority on ALL matters of life. This blogger assumes ever so much more. It assumes the Bible is not the authority on any matters except spiritual ones. It assumes that man's wisdom is perfect when the Bible is very clear that man has fallen and the creation is cursed as a result of sin. One cannot take the fallen creation and fallen man's understanding of creation which is really about 1% or less of what there is to know, and claim that it more reliable than the word of God. I will echo Martin Luther's response to the Biblical skeptics, to the 'modern scientists' and to this blogger: "Face it. God knows what happened better than you do." ...................................................................................................................................... If we are to call ourselves Christians we need to get our heads out of these other books and get our nose back in the Bible, the word of God. ..................................................................................................................................... Blog being addressed found at: http://truth4believers.livejournal.com/1037.html

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas week and that time of the year to remember the Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true reason of the season and to think that the Lord God Almighty would humble himself and take the form of a man so that he might pay the price required by sin is simply mind-blowing. He knew we could not do it and so full of love and compassion for his creation, he was not about to just let it go.

God has done so much for me this year I could write a novel about it. Speaking of which, the novel I wrote Battle Cry: Adventures in the Kingdom of Heaven is on the verge of releasing through Lighthouse Christian Publishing. The editing and typesetting is complete. Now it is just a matter of cover art design and final last-minute details. A release date should be determine very shortly after the cover art is finished and approved.

My 2nd to last semester at UTEP as an Undergraduate went well. I had some tough classes but I ended up with two B's and a C which is about what I was expecting. Next semester is my finale, and I will be taking my last two Computer Science Classes and a math course which will help with me going into teaching. Then graduation in May.

Next semester is also going to be the grand finale for me with two student organizations I am with. Intervarsity is picking up speed with growth and involvement and we are going open up the semester by bringing in Steve Lillis, a profession pool play who uses trick shots to present the Gospel for a show early in the semester. Also, the Fencing Team is growing and we are preparing for a huge collegiate tournament in Chicago in April. SO I am going to be ending my undergrad collegiate career with a bang.

And finally, I am exploring a possible opportunity to continue to develop and practice my fencing ministry. This past weekend, the director of Teen Challenge El Paso spoke at my Church's Men's Breakfast Meeting and he is interested in having me speak for them at some point. I sent them an e-mail with more details about what I do and am waiting for a response. Pray for God's direction with this possible opportunity.

Writing and Preparing for Ministry

This has been a very busy semester, one of the reasons I have not blogged in a while. But God is moving and I believe he is setting me up for one heck of a Spring semester for graduation. First off, my book has made tremendous progress. The editing is finished and all that is left that I know of is design for cover art and author biographical blurb. I am anticipating a release date in the next 2-3 weeks.

My involvement with ministry through Intervarsity is setting up for a huge finale this Spring. In Feb, it appears we will be bringing Steve Lillis, a professional pool player who uses trick shots to bring the Gospel all over the world. There may also be another opportunity to bring Dr. Charles Jackson, a brilliant scientist that uses his intellectual gifts to bring the Gospel through a scientific approach to creation. Both have awesome testimonies and I am going to try to get both to come to El Paso in the Spring.

A lot of stuff going on and it is going to be one heck of a finale for my undergraduate program.