Stars Aligning on September 23: Sign of the Lord's Return?

Sermons From Science -- Oct 2017科学布道-- 2017年10月 Sermons from Science have been published in both YouTube under the name “Pastor Chui” and their PowerPoint slides and corresponding videos in the website http://ChristCenterGospel.org since 2011. Just type “Pastor Chui” in Google Search. The contents of this presentation were taken from different sources and in the Internet. May God have all the glory. Pastor Chui http://ChristCenterGospel.org ckchui1@yahoo.com 12/19/2019 1

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • The Answers In Genesis website published the article written byDr. Danny R. Faulkner on September 12, 2017. I now quote his article below: • “Since my article about the supposed fulfillment of the sign of Revelation 12:1–2 on September 23, 2017, went up on May 1, the article has generated much interest. To recap, Revelation 12:1–2 records a great sign in heaven—a woman about to give birth, clothed in the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. The constellation Virgo represents a virgin (a woman), though I’ve never been able to pick out the outline of a woman in the stars of Virgo (unlike some constellations, such as Orion or Leo, where I can pick out the outline of what they are supposed to represent). During September and October each year, the sun appears in the constellation Virgo for about a month. 12/19/2019 2

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “For a day or two each month, the moon appears in the general vicinity of where Virgo’s feet are supposed to be. Therefore, there is a day or two each year with the sun in Virgo and the moon near her feet. This year, this occurs on September 23. • “This year the planet Jupiter is in the constellation Virgo as well. Many websites are promoting the idea that Jupiter represents the child about to be born in the sign of Revelation 12:1–2. There are several arguments bolstered to support this claim. Jupiter was the king of the gods in Roman mythology (the equivalent was Zeus in Greek mythology). Therefore, Jupiter represents a king, and Christians recognize Jesus as the King of Kings (Revelation 19:16). People reason that, being near the womb of Virgo, this king is soon to be born. Some argue that the length of time Jupiter is spending in Virgo or in Virgo’s womb this year is equal to the human gestation period, which supposedly further enforces the supposed fulfillment of prophecy. 12/19/2019 3

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “People also claim other strange things about the significance of Jupiter, though it begins to look like a Rorschach test or even astrology. The planet Jupiter takes 11.8 years to orbit the sun, and there are 12 constellations along the zodiac, so approximately every 12 years Jupiter spends about a year in Virgo. The year 2017 is one of those years when Jupiter is in Virgo. I’ve seen this happen four times before: 1969, 1981, 1993, and 2005. As on September 23 this year, each one of those previous years had a day or two when the sun was in Virgo, the moon was near the feet of Virgo, and Jupiter was in Virgo. So what makes this year so special? 12/19/2019 4

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ 12/19/2019 5

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “SO WHAT MAKES THIS YEAR SO SPECIAL? • “The answer to that question supposedly lies in the other detail of this sign: a crown of 12 stars. The constellation Leo lies beyond, and hence above, the head of Virgo. The claim is that Leo has nine stars, but that the addition of three naked-eye planets this year, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, brings the total to twelve stars, thus conforming to the crown with 12 stars on the woman’s head. Leo is a considerable distance from Virgo (about 15 degrees). To fit the description of the sign, the crown would have to be atop the mother-of-all-beehive hairdos on Virgo’s head, but that’s a minor point. 12/19/2019 6

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “How Many Stars Are in Leo? • “As I pointed out in my previous article, Leo contains more than nine stars, so the addition of three planets this year won’t total twelve stars. The problem is that the Stellarium software used by people promoting this thesis connects nine stars to form the pattern of Leo. However, Stellarium plots other stars in Leo, though they aren’t connected to the nine outlining Leo. Many other depictions of Leo show varying numbers of stars connected to form the outline of a lion. I gave several examples of different star counts in my previous article. Since then, I consulted a planisphere that I’ve had for nearly 50 years and used to learn the constellations. It connects 10 stars to outline Leo, including the nine stars that Stellarium connects, plus Omicron Leonis that marks Leo’s front paws. 12/19/2019 7

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “I am amazed by how many people who know next to nothing about astronomy want to debate me about this. Some argue that, yes, there are more stars in Leo, but in our light-polluted skies, we can’t see them all. So, I decided to check this. A few months ago, when Leo was still visible in the evening sky in late spring, one clear evening I attempted to see how many stars I could see from my light-polluted neighborhood in suburban Cincinnati. I easily counted 13. So much for that claim. 12/19/2019 8

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “Others who wish to argue this point with me go entirely in the other direction, claiming that all or nearly all ancient depictions of Leo included nine and only nine stars. As it turns out, we have an authoritative source on ancient astronomy—Claudius Ptolemy’s Almagest. Ptolemy wrote the Almagest around AD 140. It is a compendium of ancient Greek astronomy, including a very detailed listing of stars in their respective constellations, along with ecliptic coordinates and estimates of magnitudes.1 Ptolemy catalogued a little more than 1,000 stars, and his coordinates permit astronomers today to unambiguously identify most of them. The Almagest was and is the authoritative source of the shapes and depictions of the original 48 constellations, including those in Stellarium. So I checked out the copy of the Almagest from the Answers in Genesis library. Ptolemy catalogued 27 stars in Leo, with detailed descriptions of which part of the lion each star corresponded to. 12/19/2019 9

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “Of these 27 stars, two were of the first magnitude, two of the second magnitude, six were of the third magnitude, eight were of the fourth magnitude, five were of the fifth magnitude, and four were of the sixth magnitude. Ptolemy also catalogued an additional eight stars that were near Leo but not part of the constellation itself (one star was fourth magnitude, four were fifth magnitude, and three were too faint to assign a magnitude). • “If one creates a depiction of Leo with stars third magnitude and brighter according to Ptolemy, then Leo has ten stars. That is, to get a count of nine stars in Leo from the authoritative ancient source, one must ignore stars fainter than third magnitude and arbitrarily delete one third-magnitude star. There is no justification for this. All astronomers would concur with my assessment: there is no standard depiction of Leo containing nine stars, either from the ancient or modern world. Rather, how many stars any source today uses to depict the outline of Leo is merely a matter of preference. 12/19/2019 10

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “But somehow in the minds of some people, Stellarium’s preference for nine stars outlining Leo has become the standard, despite all evidence to the contrary. The belief that there will be a literal fulfillment of the Revelation 12:1–2 sign on September 23, 2017, critically depends upon there being nine stars in Leo. However, just a little bit of knowledge of the history and practice of depicting constellations ought to reveal no basis for this claim. Again, I am amazed at the number of people willing to debate this point. Apparently, because they saw it on a YouTube video, it must be true. 12/19/2019 11

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “How Often Has This Happened Before? • “Besides those who have contacted me to dispute how many stars are in Leo, others have asked me how often this allegedly rare series of astronomical events has happened in the past. The claim is that this conjunction of three naked-eye planets in Leo while the sun, moon, and Jupiter are so placed in Virgo has never happened in human history. In my previous article, I stated that this claim is false, though I offered no details. To check this claim would require much time to sift through the possibilities. I am glad that at least one person has attempted to do this. Christopher M. Graney found four instances where similar conjunctions happened in the past thousand years, on September 14, 1056; September 5, 1293; September 6, 1483; and September 24, 1827.2 Graney admitted that he may have missed a few other instances during the past millennium, so this might have happened even more than these four times in the past 1,000 years. 12/19/2019 12

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “How Often Has This Happened Before? • “Besides those who have contacted me to dispute how many stars are in Leo, others have asked me how often this allegedly rare series of astronomical events has happened in the past. The claim is that this conjunction of three naked-eye planets in Leo while the sun, moon, and Jupiter are so placed in Virgo has never happened in human history. In my previous article, I stated that this claim is false, though I offered no details. To check this claim would require much time to sift through the possibilities. I am glad that at least one person has attempted to do this. Christopher M. Graney found four instances where similar conjunctions happened in the past thousand years, on September 14, 1056; September 5, 1293; September 6, 1483; and September 24, 1827.2 Graney admitted that he may have missed a few other instances during the past millennium, so this might have happened even more than these four times in the past 1,000 years. He didn’t check for earlier dates, but certainly there were other examples in the previous 5,000 years. Therefore, the events of September 23, 2017, are not unique in history. 12/19/2019 13

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “Connections to the Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017 • “MANY WEBSITES PROMOTING THE SUPPOSED SEPTEMBER 23, 2017, EVENT TIE IT TO THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF AUGUST 21, 2017. HOW? • “Many websites promoting the supposed September 23, 2017, event tie it to the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. How? By playing with many numbers and arcane facts. For instance, these two dates are separated by 33 days. The eclipse made landfall in the United States in Oregon, the 33rd state, and it exited the United States along the 33rd parallel of latitude in South Carolina. That is three 33s. Three times 33 is 99, and it has been 99 years since there was a total solar eclipse that crossed the United States from coast to coast (June 8, 1918, was the last one). The August 21 solar eclipse was 40 days before the day of Atonement in 2017 (September 29), and of course many people think that the number 40 has great significance. 12/19/2019 14

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “Salem, Oregon, was the first city of any size on the eclipse path. Salem means peace in Hebrew. But the point with greatest duration of the eclipse was near Cairo, Illinois, and since this city was named for the city in Egypt, a place that many Christians associate with evil, this must have some significance too. The next solar eclipse to cross the United States (April 8, 2024) is seven years after the 2017 eclipse, and, of course the number seven must have special significance too. Furthermore, the paths of totality of these two solar eclipses intersect near the middle of the lower 48 of the United States, forming a large X across the country, so this must have some great significance, such as God’s impending judgment on the United States. 12/19/2019 15

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “I am sure that some people reading this are rolling their eyes and exclaiming, “Really?” But, sadly, far too many people take these things very seriously. If one cogitates on a few factoids or numbers long enough, one can find all sorts of arcane significance. Though largely forgotten now, many of the same people issuing dire prophetic pronouncements about the August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse made similar claims about the total solar eclipse on March 20, 2015, amid four total lunar eclipses in 2014–2015. This, too, was accompanied by a pack of factoids and numbers to make the case. However, the explicitly stated or implied prophetic events of Scripture did not occur at that time. Why must the situation be different this time? Please note, I am not questioning Bible prophecy; I am questioning those who have falsely interpreted Bible prophecy. They have a sorry track record; I honestly don’t understand why anyone, particularly Christians, listens to them anymore (Deuteronomy 18:22). 12/19/2019 16

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “It’s also a shame that these people are treating these solar eclipses in such a negative way. Many other Christians and I flocked to the path of totality to view the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. This rare and glorious phenomenon is impossible to describe adequately, and no photographs do it justice. Rather than seeing doom and judgement, I witnessed the greatest display of God’s creative artistry that I know of. I wonder how many of these people witnessed totality. If they did, were they not moved to praise God? 12/19/2019 17

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “Other Recent Events Supposedly Related to September 23, 2017 • “In the weeks leading up to September 23, 2017, there have been several events in the news that people have claimed presage the Lord’s return that day. First, the United States has been hit by two powerful storms, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Second, there were two solar flares on September 6, the most powerful flares in a decade. Being scarcely two-and-a-half weeks prior to September 23, 2017, some people think this is significant. Third, on September 8, 2017, an 8.1 magnitude quake struck southern Mexico. Surely, for some reason, this must be evidence that there is something special about the sign of Revelation 12:1–2 being fulfilled on September 23, 2017, barely two weeks later. 12/19/2019 18

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “It is easy for those who take a very short view of history to think these recent events have prophetic significance. However, those with longer-term memory question this. For instance, before Hurricane Harvey, a major hurricane had not struck the continental United States in a dozen years. It is easy to forget about the many powerful storms of the past, such as Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and Hurricane Camille in 1969, or even the 1900 Galveston Hurricane that may have killed as many as 12,000 people. 12/19/2019 19

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “What about solar flares? It was a little more than a decade ago that there was an even more powerful solar flare, and there have been many before that. Perhaps the most powerful solar flare of the past few centuries happened in 1859, a solar flare called the Carrington Event. And what about earthquakes? True, the recent Mexico earthquake is the most powerful this year, and exceeds any earthquakes so far in 2016. However, there was an 8.3 magnitude earthquake in Chile in 2015 and an 8.2 magnitude quake in 2014, again in Chile. In fact, there were 13 magnitude 8.0 or greater earthquakes in the decade before 2017, including four in 2014 alone (one of those was magnitude 8.5). Most people today are ignorant of the Great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, estimated to have been magnitude 8.5-9.0. 12/19/2019 20

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “What makes the very recent hurricanes, solar flares, and earthquakes especially significant, but the previous ones not? Keep in mind that some self-professed prophecy teachers of the past (and some still active today) claimed these events were harbingers of the Lord’s imminent return. Obviously, that was not the case. In a few weeks and months, these recent events will be events of the past, and they, too, will be examples of prophecy teachers probably being wrong in their pronouncements once again. At some point, for those who improperly interpret these things, these cries of wolf must lead to their loss of credibility and the disenchantment of their followers. 12/19/2019 21

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “What Will September 23, 2017, Supposedly Bring? • “What do those who promote this thesis think will happen on September 23, 2017? Whether by explicit statement or strong implication, most think it will be what the Apostle Paul described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, an event some Christians call the rapture. To support this, some are now teaching that Revelation 12:5 refers to the same event. That verse reads, • “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne. • “The argument is that the child is the church, and the child being caught up to God and his throne is the rapture. One major problem with this understanding is that the child of Revelation 12 is male, but in the Bible the church always is anthropomorphized in the feminine form (Ephesians 5:22–33; Revelation 19:7–9, 21:2, 9, 22:17). 12/19/2019 22

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “Furthermore, this is at odds with the established understanding that the child of Revelation 12 is Jesus. How do we know this is Jesus? The phrase “rod of iron” is used only three other times in Scripture: Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 2:27 and 19:15. Both Revelation 2:27 and Revelation 19:15clearly refer to Jesus. Psalm 2 always has been recognized as being Messianic. Furthermore, Revelation 2:27 is a direct quotation of Psalm 2:9. Therefore, the inescapable conclusion is that the child of Revelation 12 is Jesus, not the church. To argue otherwise is to argue not only against longstanding universal understanding of Revelation 12, but also against Scripture itself. • “Many people who see the fulfillment of Revelation 12 coming on September 23, 2017, would link 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 to at least some of the events that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:29–41. 12/19/2019 23

Are the Stars Lining Up on September 23 for the Lord’s Return?9月23日的星星排队是为了主的再来吗？ • “I will, however, close with two points. First, to those who strongly disagree with me on what might happen on September 23, 2017, I suggest we wait until September 24, 2017, to have this discussion. If I am wrong, I will be happy to admit that I was wrong—but will those who disagree with me also be willing to do so? Second, as I stated in the conclusion of my previous article, in one of these passages in question, Jesus specifically told us that no one other than the Father knows the day or hour when these things will come to pass (Matthew 24:36). The most important part of Jesus’ message here was not that we attempt to figure out when it will be, but to be ready. Many of the people who let me know they disagree with my understanding of these events seem to forget this. So I will ask the question again: are you ready?” • Thank God for the contribution of Dr. Faulkner. 12/19/2019 24

Gloria Deo 愿荣耀归上帝 12/19/2019 25

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • The Answers In Genesis website published the article written by Dr. David Menton on September 2, 2017. I now quote his article below: • “Editor’s Note: First published in St. Louis MetroVoice 4, no. 6 (June 1994). • “Since the time of Darwin, evolutionists have looked to the fossil record for historical evidence of evolution. Most evolutionists now concede, however, that the fossil record fails to show the progressive transformation of any living organism into a distinctly different kind of organism. This has presented some nasty difficulties for evolutionists—but they have made it clear that they will not be dissuaded by the mere lack of evidence, nor will they turn to a Creator to explain this enigma. Rather, evolutionists hope that monsters may come to their rescue! • ALL ANIMALS AND PLANTS APPEAR SUDDENLY IN THE FOSSIL RECORD AND ARE NOT PRECEDED BY CONTINUOUS TRANSITIONAL STAGES. 12/19/2019 27

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “All animals and plants appear suddenly in the fossil record and are not preceded by continuous transitional stages. While some of these fossilized organisms have become extinct, many have persisted right up to the present time in what appears to be essentially their original form, showing only a limited range of variation. Bats, for example, appear suddenly in the fossil record with no evidence of “pre-bat” ancestors. Fossil bats have all the same distinctive features we see in bats today, including extraordinarily long webbed fingers on their forelimbs and “backward” facing hind limbs. (Bat knees and toes face to the sides!) Even the distinctive shape of the bat skull, which serves to channel sound to their ears for navigation by sonar (echo location), is found in fossil bats just as it is in all modern bats. 12/19/2019 28

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “The absence of even a single example of a continuous fossil sequence showing the progressive stages of evolution of any plant or animal would certainly seem to be an insurmountable problem for evolutionism. Evolutionists have long been aware of this problem and have felt compelled to try to explain it away by any means possible, short of abandoning their faith in evolutionism itself. In 1944, the evolutionist George Gaylord Simpson spoke of these missing transitional forms in his book: • “’Their absence is so nearly universal that it cannot, offhand, be imputed to chance, and does require some attempt at special explanation as has been felt by most paleontologists.’ 12/19/2019 29

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “Paleontologists have indeed been trying to imagine some “special explanation” for how progressive evolution could occur without leaving any fossil evidence. Since evolutionary speculations have rarely been restricted by the demands of experimental verification, evolutionists have allowed their imaginations to run free and have now devised a really outrageous explanation for their lack of evidence. 12/19/2019 30

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “In the 1930s, paleontologist Otto Schindewolf concluded that the missing links in the fossil record were not really missing at all, but rather were never there in the first place! Schindewolf proposed that all the major evolutionary transformations must have occurred in single large steps. He proposed, for example, that at some point in evolutionary history, a reptile laid an egg from which a bird was hatched! This bizarre notion was championed in 1940 by geneticist Richard Goldschmidt of the University of California at Berkeley. Like Schindewolf, Goldschmidt resigned himself to the fact that true transitional forms were not found despite over a hundred years of searching for them, and that evolutionary theory would simply have to accommodate this fact. 12/19/2019 31

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “Goldschmidt sought to advance Schindewolf’s notion of evolution through single large steps by trying to imagine a plausible mechanism for it. He suggested that the answer might lie in what are known as embryological monsters, such as the occasional birth of a two-legged sheep or a two-headed turtle. Goldschmidt conceded that such monsters rarely survived very long in nature, but he hoped that over a long period of time some monsters might actually be better suited to survive and reproduce than their normal siblings. Goldschmidt named this monstrously hopeless speculation the “hopeful monster theory.” Since there was not even the slightest shred of evidence to support the hopeful monster theory, it was dismissed with derision by almost all evolutionists of his time. But Goldschmidt was quick to point out to his critics that there wasn’t the slightest evidence for their gradual evolution either! 12/19/2019 32

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 12/19/2019 33

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “The hopeful monster theory would have joined the “recapitulation theory” in the scrap heap of abandoned evolutionary speculations were it not for Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge. In 1972, these influential evolutionists resurrected the long-discredited hopeful monster theory and gave it a more respectable name: “punctuated equilibrium.” This theory speculates that the intermediate stages in the evolution of organisms do not appear in the fossil record because these transitional organisms were short-lived, extremely unstable species which, as luck would have it, quickly evolved into stable species. Thus, the evolution of any organism is characterized by long periods of equilibrium (no evolutionary change) during which time many offspring, and thus many fossils, are produced—punctuated by relatively rapid bursts of evolution that left no fossil record. In the May 1981 issue of Discover magazine, Gould explained that “two outstanding facts of the fossil record— geologically sudden origin of new species and failure to change thereafter”—actually “predicted” this new evolutionary theory! 12/19/2019 34

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “While most evolutionists have now reluctantly accepted punctuated equilibrium as the only way out of a difficult situation (i.e., no evidence), a few stubbornly cling to classical Darwinism, and indeed it is this discredited version of evolution that is generally taught as “fact” in our schools. Eldredge challenged classical Darwinists by reminding them that they could disprove punctuated equilibrium theory if they were to find so much as a single series of intermediate forms in the fossil record; no one has. Of course the sudden appearance of relatively unchanging organisms in the fossil record is perfectly consistent with special creation, but most evolutionists find the idea of an omnipotent Creator to be simply unthinkable. 12/19/2019 35

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “Many of the arguments that Eldredge and Gould have used to refute the beliefs of classical Darwinists sound like they are actually trying to support special creation, but this is hardly their intent. For example, in his regular column in Natural History magazine (May 1977, pp. 12–16), Gould chided the gradual evolutionists for appealing to the “extreme imperfection” of the fossil record in an effort to explain the missing links. He countered that even if we were to grant this “traditional escape,” it still would not answer the biggest question—the viability of the transitional forms themselves. Gould pointed out that it is difficult to even imagine how transitional animals passing through the intermediate stages of evolution would be benefited or even survive. He asked: • “’Can we invent a reasonable sequence of intermediate forms, that is, viable, functioning organisms, between ancestors and descendants? Of what possible use are the imperfect incipient stages of useful structures? What good is half a jaw or half a wing?’ 12/19/2019 36

The Hopeful Monsters of Evolution希望的进化怪物 • “Now that’s a good question: One only needs to imagine a mouse-like creature slowly transforming into a bat to appreciate what Gould is saying. The reader may well ask at this point, of what use is evolutionary speculation itself—and why is it being taught as a “fact” in our schools?” • Thank God for the contribution of Dr. Menton. 12/19/2019 37

Gloria Deo 愿荣耀归上帝 12/19/2019 38

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • The Answers in Genesis website published the article written by Simon Turpin on September 6, 2017. I now quote his article below: • “The belief that people of all religions worship the same God, just in a different way, seems to be the cultural norm today. Behind this is the idea that all beliefs should be tolerated and that any claim to ultimate truth is arrogant.1 • “Sadly, many Christians have inhaled the relativistic air of our pluralistic culture and fallen for this idea. However, it is not intolerant to acknowledge differences in belief. In fact, it is only when we take other views seriously on their own terms instead of trying to assimilate them to our own belief that we are truly being respectful to them. The fact of the matter is that all the world’s religions make particular truth claims and seek to live those out. 12/19/2019 40

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “The idea that we all worship the same God just in different ways is a fairly easy thing to say if you don’t know what different religions believe. For example, Buddhists deny the existence of a personal god, while Hindus believe in many gods. Mormonism is also a polytheistic religion, though Mormons restrict their worship to only a few gods. • “THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY ESPECIALLY DISTINGUISHES CHRISTIANITY FROM THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS. 12/19/2019 41

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “Even in the three monotheistic world religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—there are fundamental differences in God’s character, attributes, and especially his nature. Although all three are monotheistic, Judaism and Islam are Unitarian monotheists (the belief that the being of God exists as one person). Christianity on the other hand is Trinitarian monotheism. This is the belief that within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three co-equal and co-eternal persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is a distinct person, yet each is identified as God: Father (1 Corinthians 8:6); Son (John 1:1–3; Romans 9:5); Spirit (Acts 5:3–4). The doctrine of the Trinity especially distinguishes Christianity from the world’s religions. In Islam, even though it is misunderstood,2 the doctrine of the Trinity is considered blasphemy! It is completely illogical to say all paths lead to God when even the notion of God that is held by each religion is contradictory. 12/19/2019 42

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ 12/19/2019 43

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “Another major difference between Christianity and the world’s religions is that the world’s religions do not have a realistic view of human nature (i.e., our sinfulness)3 since all teach salvation by human effort or goodness.4 All religions, except Christianity, tone down both the bad news of our sinfulness and the good news of God’s free grace. None of the world’s religions present any good news (gospel) that someone has liberated us from the reign of sin and death. In Christianity, salvation comes through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and not through human effort (1 Corinthians 15:1–4; Romans 4:4–8). 12/19/2019 44

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “On all of these points, it is not that each religion is professing different aspects of one truth, but that they are contradicting each other in their truth claims. While the world’s religions may all point you in the direction of heaven and tell you that you can save yourself, Christianity teaches that Jesus has come, not just as a moral leader to show us the path to God, but to be our Way, our Truth, and our Life (John 14:6), the only One who can give us peace (John 14:27; Romans 5:1). 12/19/2019 45

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “When it comes to our cultural situation today, we should also keep in mind that the book of Acts tells us that Christianity was born in a time of persecution and immorality in a world where the church was in the minority. Yet it was in that culture that the apostles proclaimed the exclusivity of Christ as the only way of salvation for all people (see Acts 8:5, 13:23–39, 16:30–31, 17:30–31, 20:21): • “’And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)’ 12/19/2019 46

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “Even when the apostles were told by the authorities to be silent and no longer proclaim Christ, they responded by saying, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19–20). In a time when the emperor claimed to be Lord and the moral code was decidedly in opposition to Scripture, the Holy Spirit gave that early church the ability to be faithful and to preach the Word of God without fear or compromise. He did it then, and he can do so now. 12/19/2019 47

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “What About People Who Never Hear About Jesus? • “If all religions do not lead to God, then a common question that usually comes up is this: “What happens to those who have never heard about Jesus?” Obviously, this is a very emotional question because it deals with the final destiny of people. This is an important question because how we answer it will determine how we engage other religions with the gospel. We need to keep in mind two things: first, that the theological reality that God is our Creator and man is in rebellion against him and, second, that the Bible tells us that all people know of God’s existence and are therefore accountable to him. The apostle Paul tells us: 12/19/2019 48

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:18–20). • “Because of our fallen state, we disobey God and, consequently, make counterfeit gods/idols (Psalm 96:5). Jesus is sent into a lost world that is already guilty of rejecting the God whom they know exists and therefore are already under his judgment and on their way to hell (Romans 2:5, 16). In other words, God does not punish people for not knowing about Jesus, but for their individual sins against him (Romans 1:20–32) and their rejecting the clear revelation of God that has been evident ever since God’s creation was completed. 12/19/2019 49

Do All Religions Lead to God?所有宗教都会导致上帝吗？ • “People may say, “Isn’t it unfair of God not to provide more than one way of salvation?” But in reality, we should be thankful that God has provided even one way. God is under no obligation to save any of his fallen creatures. We do not deserve salvation; it is solely based upon his grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). • “What about those who argue for inclusivity, the belief that there is access to salvation outside of Jesus? The Roman centurion Cornelius is often used as an example of a gentile whose faith in God was accepted without him knowing about Jesus. It is true that Cornelius is described as a “devout man who feared God” (Acts 10:2), and as Peter himself said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34–35). 12/19/2019 50

Stars Aligning on September 23: Sign of the Lord's Return?

Stars Aligning on September 23: Sign of the Lord's Return?

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