Category: Articles

Genesis One

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Like almost any Biblical doctrine you could name, false teachings abound about the account of creation found in Genesis chapter one.

Does the Bible really teach that the earth and the universe are only a few (six to ten) thousand years old? Were there previous epochs of biological life on the earth? Was the universe really created from “nothing,” according to Scripture? Does it make sense that incredibly complex organisms such as exist on earth, could originate through a series of blind “accidents,” as the theory of evolution asserts? Has the universe eternally existed? Will it come to an end? What does the Bible say?

You may be surprised at how different the revelation in Genesis one is, when compared with the rest of the Bible, from what you may have heard. The Bible is often scoffed at by people who think they know a lot, but are woefully ignorant of what it actually teaches.

Listen to this message and find the answers to these and more intriguing questions of vital importance to your understanding.

“Genesis One” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Why Did God Choose Israel — Part 1?

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According to Scripture, God chose the people of Israel, that is, the people descended from the patriarch Israel, as his chosen people. The people of Israel had a special and privileged relationship with God.

“O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones” (Psalms 105:6).

To many in our modern culture, the fact that God would designate a particular people to be “chosen,” separate from other peoples of the earth, would seem grossly unfair, and would make God partial, and a respecter of persons.

Why did God choose Israel? Let’s explore what the Bible has to say about this question.

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How You Can Know the Future

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Many have wondered, especially in times of tumult, of chaos and confusion, such as the time we are living in now, as many are bearing burdens of stress and worry, what does the future hold?

In every age, people have asked similar questions, and sought answers in various ways. As in past ages there are those who have claimed to know the future, predicting things to come in specific ways or at a specific time. Over the years people have predicted within a certain time frame things like a stock market crash, or catastrophic climate change, or the return of Jesus Christ on a certain date or within a certain time frame, such as five years or ten years. Very often, however, these predictions have failed to prove accurate.

However, the Bible tells us how it is possible for us, for you, to know the future.

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Right and Wrong: Who Decides?

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When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States on March 4, 1861, seven states in the South had already declared their secession from the Union. Despite what you may have heard or read to the contrary, the reason for secession was the question of slavery. Lincoln stated it in his inaugural address: “One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute.”

While whether slavery should be extended or not was the immediate political issue of the moment, the contention actually went deeper. There were many abolitionists who felt that slavery such as it existed in the United States at the time was a moral wrong, an evil that should be not just limited but abolished. Many abolitionists had in fact supported the proposition in the 1840’s that states favoring the abolition of slavery should separate from the South (en.wikipedia.org, “Secession in the United States,” retrieved July 17, 2020).

There were two starkly different views, as Lincoln said, of right and wrong. Who is to decide what is right and wrong?

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God of Justice

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Scripture prophesies that Jesus Christ, who is God, is coming soon as this age draws to a close to administer his government over the entire world.

Note the following prophecy concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15).

And in the book of Daniel: “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

Among the qualities of that government to rule all nations, we are assured, is justice.

A prophetic psalm proclaims: “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne” (Psalms 97:1-2).

“… the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).

Let’s examine what the Bible tells us about God as the “God of Justice.”

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