Prophets from the Beginning

The Christian life gives us great peace and reward, yet we will suffer persecution.
[Yea, and all who will live a godly life in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. II Timothy 3:12] I have always wondered about American Christianity, since so few in our nation have experienced this. Do we have a tainted and sanitized view of our faith? Note the following powerful devotional from the Days of Praise. The prophets, apostles, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and countless saints throughout the church age were slain for their faith. It was not the exception for these spiritual giants, it was the rule. Also, the following devotional touches on several verses that tell us that creation was a recent event (thousands of years) and not an evolutionary process that started millions and billions of years ago. Praise God for the unique and gifted theologian and scientist Henry M. Morris Ph. D., who brings so much of the Bible to light for us! In His Service, Pastor Steve <><

DAYS OF PRAISE     DAYS OF PRAISE    Prophets from the BeginningBY HENRY M. MORRIS, PH.D.  | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 02, 2021ShareEmailFacebookTwitterPinterest

“That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.” (Luke 11:50-51)

God’s true prophets have been persecuted from the beginning. Abel, son of Adam and Eve, was the first, according to Jesus, for his blood was shed by Cain “from the foundation of the world.” A “prophet” in biblical terms was a man who proclaimed inspired words from God (not necessarily predictions of the future, but words inspired by the Holy Spirit—note 1 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

Evidently Abel was speaking God’s own words to Cain when the latter slew him in jealous wrath. The Zacharias mentioned is probably “Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest,” who was stoned when he prophesied against the people under King Joash (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), for he was the last prophet actually mentioned in the Old Testament as having been slain for his testimony.

Thus, the period encompassed by the Lord’s statement was the entire Old Testament period, “from the foundation of the world” to the coming of Christ. The same experience awaited most of the prophets used by God to pen the New Testament Scriptures. Thus does the world react to God’s inspired Word!

There is another important truth in this passage. The blood of God’s prophets began to be shed “from the foundation of the world,” not just beginning almost five billion years after the foundation of the world, as modern evolutionists allege! This is striking confirmation that the world was made from start to finish in six literal days. See also Mark 10:6, Acts 3:21, etc., for similar incidental confirmations of this truth. HMM

Days of Praise Podcast is a podcast based on the Institute for Creation Research quarterly print devotional, Days of Praise. Start your day with devotional readings written by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Henry Morris III, and Dr. John Morris to strengthen and encourage you in your Christian faith.
 
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Dragon Art Defies Millions Of Years

Brian Thomas, Ph.D.

Of all the displays in the ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History in Dallas, the Dragon Encounters exhibit has become some visitors’ favorite. It shows ancient art depicting what look like extinct reptiles. This suggests our readers may also appreciate the ways these artifacts confirm the biblical creation position of world history.

ACTS & FACTS     IMPACT    

Dragon Art Defies Millions of Years

BY BRIAN THOMAS, PH.D. *  | 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022

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Of all the displays in the 30,000 square feet of the ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History in Dallas, the Dragon Encounters exhibit has become some visitors’ favorite. It shows ancient art depicting what look like extinct reptiles. This suggests our readers may also appreciate the ways these artifacts confirm the biblical creation position of world history.

The trustworthiness of the Bible’s history—and thus the very character of the Savior who its pages claim to be responsible for its words—lies at the heart of our faith and how we interpret Earth’s past.¹ If the Bible’s account of an originally very good creation that began without death only thousands of years ago really happened, then evolution’s death for billions of years never happened. Dragon art has something to say about which version of history should stand.

What do we mean by “dragon art”? Our distant ancestors from around the world wrote descriptions; carved statues, figurines, and bas-reliefs; and drew and painted all kinds of terrifying reptiles. Just like modern dragon depictions, most of the historical material resembles no known creature and thus belongs to fiction. But rare instances do match known fossils.

Creation speaker and author Vance Nelson has vetted many dragon artifacts. One of the steps he uses to verify ancient art is to compare it with digital renders (an artist’s computer-generated images) based solely on fossil anatomy. Vance employs an evolutionary paleoartist who unwittingly ends up painting images that match the ancient art. I relied on Vance’s book Dire Dragons when helping design our Dragon Encounters wall.² His book shows ancient images of dinosaur look-alikes, plus extinct reptiles that weren’t dinosaurs but whose remains were found in Triassic and even Permian settings.

Rock strata from four sedimentary systems—conventionally named, from bottom to top, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous—all contain fossils of extinct reptiles. The standard evolutionary timeline assigns 235 million years to those four systems combined, an idea that dragon artwork shown in this article challenges.

Secular researchers use specific animals found in a given rock to “date” that rock. What would it mean to find evidence of those same animals supposed to represent separate times alive together with our forefathers?

Several “dragons” in ancient art resemble extinct reptiles known from Cretaceous fossils. Dire Dragons shows evidence of the ceratopsian Graciliceratops and the theropod Deinonychus as examples from this rock system. Nigersaurus sauropod fossils from Cretaceous system rocks of Africa match specific body characteristics, most notably a short neck and wide snout, of a 13th-century wood carving in St David’s Cathedral, Wales.³ That erases over 65 million “years.”

Ancient art shows other sauropods, or long-necked dinosaurs, which most often come from Jurassic layers. Another cathedral in the United Kingdom, this one in Carlisle far north of St Davids, has a small brass etching made in 1496 for Bishop Richard Bell’s tomb that shows what look like two sauropods. One of them has four tail spikes at the end of its long tail just like in fossils of Shunosaurus, which wasn’t found until 1989.⁴ This erases over 140 million “years.”

So far, this art shows dinosaurs, but the four Flood rock systems also have fossils of other extinct reptiles. The various nothosaurs (order Nothosauroidea) comprise one such category found in Triassic system strata. Their features suggest an amphibious lifestyle. Their teeth extended past their jaws, probably effective for catching fish. A medieval altarpiece in Barcelona shows a dragon with teeth, head shape, and body size and proportions that match Nothosaurus. How did these ancient artists depict such striking similarities? This erases over 210 million total “years.”

Even Permian system fossil look-alikes appear in ancient art. One French book crafted no later than 1409 titled Belles Heures (Beautiful Hours) contains prayers often directed to Mary among images of memorable scenes.

One scene shows a dragon that secular text analysts refer to as wholly fictitious. However, both the lizard-like European fossils of Protorosaurus and the book’s illumination look like a large dragon with slender toes of varying lengths. What are the odds that these details plus the jaw shapes and body sizes would match this closely just by chance? Mainstream scientists assign 256 million years to Protorosaurus fossils and its Permian strata. If it really went extinct that far back, then how is it possible for a medieval artist to have pictured it so accurately? Fossils of these reptiles were not described until the 18th century.

Taken together, these old depictions join others that threaten to collapse evolutionary age assignments. If Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous reptiles lived at the same time, then they shouldn’t be used to represent separate ages. We need a different historical framework.

In Scripture’s account of Earth history, nothosaurs, sauropods, horses, and humans lived at the same time but likely in separate environments before the Flood of Noah. Two of every land-dwelling, air-breathing beast went into the Ark. Unless nothosaurs survived outside the Ark with the ancestors of today’s fishes, sea turtles, and other aquatic creatures, then two of them would have been on board, along with two young specimens of each sauropod kind.

If dinosaur and horse representatives both survived the Flood on the Ark, then why do horses still live today while the dragons went extinct? The ancient art itself offers a clue. Dragons became famous for being slain, possibly even with the Creator’s approval.⁵ Vance Nelson’s book Amazon Expedition details research conducted on an ancient Peruvian pictograph made thousands of years ago showing another sauropod look-alike.⁶

This scene includes armed natives surrounding this large, threatening dragon. Even to this day, humans who pioneer a new region often quickly remove the most threatening animals. A Bible-based history accommodates all the major observations, including rock strata with fossils from the Flood and later man-made artifacts that show some representatives of those fossilized creatures still alive after the Flood.

By affirming the history in the Bible through their dragon art and writings, our own ancestors perhaps unwittingly have pointed out the trustworthy character of the God who inspired the Bible.

References

1. Hebrews 1:1.
2. Nelson, V. 2018. Dire Dragons. Red Deer, AB: Untold Secrets of Planet Earth Publishing Company, Inc.
3. Thomas, B. 2019. St. Davids Dragon—Fantasy or Reality? Acts & Facts. 48 (11): 14-15.
4. Thomas, B. 2018. Did Medieval Artists See Real Dinosaurs? Acts & Facts. 47 (7): 16-17.
5. 2 Peter 2:12.
6. Nelson, V. 2015. Amazon Expedition. Red Deer, AB: Untold Secrets of Planet Earth Publishing Company, Inc.

* Dr. Thomas is Research Scientist at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in paleobiochemistry from the University of Liverpool.

Cite this article: Brian Thomas, Ph.D. 2022. Dragon Art Defies Millions of Years. Acts & Facts. 51 (3).

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Designed From Dirt

Designed From Dirt ~ Genesis 2:7-25

Twenty-first-century man believes that he is an all-knowing-genius because he can create life in a laboratory and a test-tube. But in reality, men only take what God has already created and simply synthesize it. Did you hear the one about the brilliant physicist who got into and argument with God? One day, the arrogant physicist boldly said, “God, you aren’t the only creator. I can do what you can do. I can also make a man.” God answered, “Let’s see you do it.” So the physicist walked outside and reached down for a handful of dirt but stopped when He heard God’s response: “Hey buddy, get your own dirt.”

There is only one Creator. Almighty God formed (designed) a man named Adam from the dust of the ground. Then He took a rib from that man and fashioned a woman called Eve. The first man and woman on earth were the products of a divine designer. We did not come from an ape, or an amphibian, or an alien. God designed us and created us in His own image. Only God holds the spark of life, His own Spirit breathed into us to transform us from dead dust to living creature.

*****************

Taken from: Good Morning God

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Quotable Quotations ~ Creation vs. Evolution

Thought for the day …    

Ken Ham: Darwinian evolution is inherently a racist philosophy as this quote from Darwin’s “Descent of Man” clearly shows. Why aren’t the secularists calling for banning Darwin from libraries and schools? It’s because Darwin is the high priest of their atheistic religion.

They are brainwashing generations of kids through the education system and much of the media. Evolution and millions of years is the pagan religion of today to try and explain the universe without God. Secularists, acting as if they are a god, are fervent in preaching their failed atheist religion.

The Lie Of Evolution | Inherit The Wind

May 1, 2020
Inherit the Wind
“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.” (Proverbs 11:29)

This verse was selected to provide the title for one of the most widely distributed movies ever produced in Hollywood. Inherit the Wind was a black-and-white movie produced in 1960 starring Spencer Tracy as the famous atheist lawyer Clarence Darrow. The theme of the picture was the Scopes evolution trial held in Tennessee in 1925. The picture glorified Darrow and evolutionism, portraying creationists and Bible-believing Christians as fanatical buffoons.

Although the movie grossly distorted history, it has continued all these years to be shown over and over. The Scopes trial itself—in the absence of any real scientific evidence for evolution— is repeatedly rehashed in print by evolutionists in their zeal to destroy creationism. This is typical of the “profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20) to which evolutionists resort in lieu of evidence.

As far as the Scripture verse itself is concerned, it should serve rather as a sober warning to those evolutionary humanists who are still troubling our nation’s homes and schools and churches with this false and deadly doctrine of evolution. They are the ones who will inherit the wind. “The ungodly…are like the chaff which the wind driveth away” (Psalm 1:4). They are the ones who, “professing themselves to be wise,” became fools (Romans 1:22), “who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25).

It is the one who proclaims “no God” who is “the fool” (Psalm 53:1) of our text. Evolutionists, humanists, atheists, and other anti-biblicists will inherit nothing but wind, but “the wise shall inherit glory” (Proverbs 3:35). HMM

The Beginning of Creation

March 13 – The Beginning of Creation

The Institute for Creation Research <webmaster@my.icr.org>

March 13, 2020
The Beginning of Creation
“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” (Mark 10:6)

These words of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to settle once and for all, for those who take His words seriously, the controversial question of the age of the earth. The earth was created essentially at the same time, He said, as the creation of Adam and Eve. Christ was quoting from Genesis 1:27: “male and female created He them.” This greatest of God’s creative works was “from the beginning of the creation,” not 13 billion years after the beginning of the creation, as modern old-earth advocates allege.

One can understand why atheists believe in evolution and an almost infinitely old universe, for they really have no other alternative. One who believes in a personal God, on the other hand, only dishonors God if he believes such humanistic speculations rather than God’s Word. God is omniscient and omnipotent, as well as loving and merciful, and He would never do anything like this. The great ages assumed by evolutionary geologists supposedly involved billions of years of suffering and dying by billions of animals before man ever evolved. Surely this would have been the most inefficient, wasteful, and cruel method that ever could have been devised for “creating” human beings. Since man’s creation was God’s main purpose, there is no conceivable reason why He would waste billions of years in such a meaningless charade as this before getting to the point. In fact, the only reason He took six days instead of an instant of time was to serve as a pattern for man’s workweek (Exodus 20:8-11).

In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ was not only a creationist but was Himself the Creator of all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; etc.). Therefore, He is the best possible witness as to when He created man and woman, and He said it was “from the beginning of the creation”! HMM

 

Beware Of False Teachers

DAYS OF PRAISE DAYS OF PRAISE
Beware of False Teachers
BY HENRY M. MORRIS, PH.D. |
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2019

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (2 Peter 3:17)

Peter’s final epistle, especially chapters 2 and 3, is the classic New Testament passage on the false teachers that would plague the church in the “last days” (v. 3). In addition to the characteristics listed in the introductory verse, 2:1 (e.g., slipping in surreptitiously heretical teachings, denying the redemptive work and Lordship of Christ), a number of their attributes are predicted for our guidance, as follows:

They will “wrest the scriptures” (3:16), distorting their literal meaning to conform to their own philosophical preferences. This involves using “feigned words” (2:3)—that is, plastic words, with devious meanings to make them say what their users wish to convey. They may well be very eloquent and seductive in their speech, “when they speak great swelling words of vanity” (2:18).

They will deny the doctrine of special creation and the judgment of the worldwide Flood (3:5-6), teaching instead that “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (v. 4), and will scoff at the Second Coming. They “despise government” and are “presumptuous” and “selfwilled . . . not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2:10).

They both practice and defend immoral acts, “having eyes full of adultery” (v. 14). Yet they maintain their religious ties because they have hearts “exercised with covetous practices” (v. 14), seeing nothing evil in taking money for personal gain from those whose faith they seek to undermine.

This is, indeed, a fitting description of many modern liberal theologians, religious bureaucrats in the big denominations, “New Age” preachers, college teachers of religion, etc. Although this is not a pleasant subject, Christians urgently need to awaken to what is happening and “beware”! HMM

 

Evolution Verses Creation Debate ~ Quotable Quotations

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The Sign Of Science And Travel

DAYS OF PRAISE DAYS OF PRAISE
The Sign of Science and Travel
BY HENRY M. MORRIS, PH.D. |
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2019

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)

The book of Daniel contains the most detailed description of the end times of any book in the Bible except the book of Revelation. In Daniel’s last chapter, after all the prophecies had been recorded, the condition in our text was given as a sign of their imminent fulfillment at “the time of the end.”

A more striking summary of our own times could hardly be imagined. The Hebrew word for “run to and fro” is used first in 2 Chronicles 16:9. “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth,” and its sense is “race back and forth.” What a description of our present society, with speeding automobiles all over the land and airplanes filling our skies! In little more than one lifetime, the world “progressed” from horse and buggy to spacecraft, and almost everyone is racing to and fro.

Furthermore, “knowledge” has been “increased” far beyond the wildest imaginations of people in the days of our founding fathers. The Hebrew word could well be understood as what we mean today by “science.”

It is significant that the foundations of our modern scientific age were laid mostly by great scientists who were creationists (Newton, Boyle, Pascal, Pasteur, Faraday, Maxwell, etc.). In our present generation, however, science has been largely taken over by non-Christian evolutionists, and science has also generated deadly instruments of destruction and pollution that are threatening life’s existence. This rise in “science falsely so called” is also given as a sign of the last days (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Peter 3:3-4; etc.).

In any case, the explosive increase in science (both true and false) and rapid travel in our day is one of the many God-given signs that the return of Christ is near! HMM

Noah’s Flood

If you have ever wondered what happened on earth during Noah’s Flood, you will want to see this fascinating short film from Genesis Apologetics.
It’s exciting!

WATCH: Video of Noah’s Flood by Sevenfold Films and Genesis Apologetics