The Bible tells us exactly what we need to know and not anything more. So we need to be very careful to not recklessly add things that don’t belong or to remove things that do in order to accommodate science. This has been shamefully done by those who want to integrate science with Biblical truth. So let’s begin with Cain’s wife, where did he get her? To start with there is no indication that Eve did not give birth to daughters prior to the birth of Cain, “with the Lord’s help” and her excitement that she now “brought forth a man.” (See Gen. 4:1) There’s the probability that she also brought forth additional sons and daughters prior to and after the birth of Abel, who was hoped to play a significant role in carrying on the blessed seed that would one day crush the head of the serpent. (See Gen. 4:25) The point is prior to Cain slaying his brother there were a significant number of relatives both near and far (land of Nod) from which to get a wife, especially if they followed God’s command to be fruitful and multiply. The Biblical importance of this story is not to give us details but to demonstrate that there would be two groups of people; one following after Cain who turned his back on God and the other blessed son, Seth who now after the death of his brother would carry on the blood line by calling on the name of the Lord.

“Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living” (Gen.3:20).  So next, how do we deal with the prehistoric man and the carbon dating that shows he lived thousands of years prior to the biblical account of creation? How do we account for the differences between the Neanderthal man and modern man? Granted there is a slight difference between the sizes of the skull where the Neanderthal has the largest, but there is no conclusive evidence that he was anymore inferior than the rest of humanity. Being separated from God, the advanced culture of Adam’s clan, untreatable debilitating diseases, and cast into a dangerous environment could have played a significant role in his development and living conditions. Then there is the possibility that they could have been mutants from some catastrophic disaster, it’s interesting that they were all found in holes and caves. Or yet another possibility is that they could be offshoots of the intermarriage of the sons of God with the daughters of men that indeed created a different being, not too dissimilar from modern humans. (See Gen. 6:1-2) Fred H. Smith, a physical anthropologist at Loyola University in Chicago who has been studying Neanderthal DNA said, “They were believed to be scavengers who made primitive tools and were incapable of language or symbolic thought.”Now, he says, researchers believe that Neanderthals “were highly intelligent, able to adapt to a wide variety of ecological zones, and capable of developing highly functional tools to help them do so. They were quite accomplished.”There is also an indication that either these or others were “giants in the earth in those days,” (See Gen. 6: 4) which were all destroyed by the worldwide flood in Noah’s day. There is no conclusive evidence that the methodology used in DNA sequencing can predate prehistoric man before the biblical account of creation.  It is not necessary to accept any of these possibilities to accommodate science and fill in the details; rather we need to accept the creation account on faith, believing that God has given us all the information we need.

Now concerning the age of the world, the ‘Flood Geology,’ which makes the single year of Noah’s Flood the period in which were deposited the sediments and fossils unusually considered to have been laid down over many millions of years. This view is expounded in detail in J.C. Whitcomb and H.M. Morris, the Genesis Flood. And even if you don’t accept this last point as a probability then consider that we don’t know how long Adam and Eve actually stayed in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall. Could it be thousands or even millions of years? It stands to reason that Adam did not begin to count the years of his life until after his expulsion from the Garden, no longer having the ability to partake of the tree of life. Clearly on that day he both died spiritually and began his long trek toward physical death 930 years later. Then there was the six days of creation; were they six literal days as we calculate time or were they more? The Bible indicates: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (II Peter 3:8).  In all of the religious writings prior to the fourth century they believed that the world was created in six thousand years, not six literal days. Again, it is not necessary to accept any of these possibilities to accommodate science and fill in the details; rather we need to accept the creation account on faith, believing that God has given us all the information we need. Whatever we determine to be true in our mind it must not disqualify the biblical account that God created the world and after creating man in His own image placed him in the Garden. And that all men came from one man – Adam.

If anyone is willing to do their own research, which many have, then they are convinced that science cannot disprove the Genesis account of creation and specifically that we are all of the same blood, that we are all of the same race, the race of Adam. If we allow the Bible to speak for itself then we know that all the “so called” different races all came from the same stock and were separated at the Tower of Babel. As different language groups were separated into different regions of the world it did not take long before they began to adapt to their unique environment and over thousands of years the pigment of their skin changed and their eyes also compensated with slight variations. There is proof that there is only a .2 % difference in people.  We are all of the same race. If we as Christians can accept this truth of the Bible then we should not fall for the devils lies to separate over so called racial differences. Christians should be on the forefront of restoring the foundations. The only two races God sees are those who are lost and those who are saved. In order to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ we need to take them back to the beginning when God created the world and the first man Adam, so that they can accept the second Adam Jesus Christ, who was the promised seed who crushed the head of the old serpent.

As we follow the trail of martyrs up through the present day, in each case they were not persecuted for being peace loving people but for some drummed up charges against humanity. Christians throughout the centuries were burned at the stake, sawed into, hung, drowned, decapitated, and their books burned not because they were God fearing people, but because they were accused of breaking the law of the land and threatening the security of an empire. In every case Christian persecution was precipitated on charges of unlawful behavior by garnering public opinion in the favor of the persecutors over the persecuted. This truth was self evident even with the death of our Lord by allowing the crowd to cast their public opinion for or against. To this day and down through the annals of history we hear that heart-stopping cry: “Crucify Him!” “Crucify Him!” One cannot overemphasize the importance of public opinion. This matters much to those in power so the mass media and social networks are being manipulated to lead the world’s population to garner the right opinion, or the accepted opinion of the establishment.

For those living in a free society with certain inalienable rights it’s even harder to imagine how we could be arrested as a lawbreaker and treated as a criminal. But as the laws change, public opinion changes, and Christianity is put more in the crosshairs then we need to do more than imagine, we need to prepare! To be arrested on bogus charges will be enough to send most into a state of panic and uncontrollable fear. For those who have never broken a law and have always strived to live a holy life you might question how can this happen to me. As the handcuffs bite into your wrist and your rights are read we must stay calmly focused on the risen Lord remembering that nothing can separate us from the love of God. As public opinion mounts against you for breaking one of their laws, we must remember that there is a higher law that must be obeyed. This higher law of God is to love one another through the proclamation of gospel in every place, both public and private. Already the Christian witness is nearly impossible in the public square. Make no mistake the next step will be to silence the internet and social networks in expressing the truth and our Christian testimony, especially if we do not demonstrate an acceptance of the new tolerance. We can no longer blindly follow all the new laws that would keep us silent even if it means being arrested and treated as a criminal.

It’s also holding to the testimony that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness and that we have no need for their counselors or their psychotropic drugs, even though public opinion may see us as unloving and haters of humanity. This is especially difficult when many in the Christian community hold to the opinion that God has given us the world’s counselors and their therapeutic drugs, because they believe that His Word is inept in solving all of our emotional and psychological problems. The state can already order us to counseling (especially if you have been arrested) who almost always prescribes a psychotropic drug for your supposed condition and to refuse it will be seen as breaking the law. Again whose law will we follow, the law of public opinion and the state or will we follow the law of God even if it means being arrested and treated as a criminal. In conclusion, we must ask ourselves will we be supportive when a Christian is arrested by the state for breaking one of their laws and join the masses in his condemnation or will we look deeper than the public opinion that cries out. “Crucify Him!” “Crucify Him!”

Perhaps it’s not surprising that we have a president of the United States of America that has also embraced this new tolerance and has said as much in an interview on March 27, 2004 with Cathleen Falsani, a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.  When she asked about what he believes, he responded in part: “So, I’m rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place (speaking of heaven), and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and there’s an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived”. When she asked if he was a born again believer, he responded in part: “Yeah, although I don’t — I retain from my childhood and my experiences growing up, a suspicion of dogma. And I’m not somebody who is always comfortable with language that implies I’ve got a monopoly on the truth, or that my faith is automatically transferable to others. I’m a big believer in tolerance. I think that religion at its best comes with a big dose of doubt.” Obama’s view on the new tolerance was confirmed in his speech to the Muslim world in Cairo before the Arab Spring, where he put the Torah, the Koran, and the Holy Bible all on the same level.  (See my blog post: President Obama Denies the Exclusiveness of Christianity). The new tolerance cares not which religion or god you worship as long as you don’t make one more superior than the rest.

Yet, the whole spirit and tenor of the New Testament proclaims Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God, who is the only way to salvation. Indeed He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Will you deny that truth or uphold it in the face of violent opposition? The early Christians did, because they were convinced that no one other than Jesus Christ would receive their unswerving allegiance or worship; that no king on earth would usurp that place of authority. Will you be willing to die for that truth? Or will you be swept away by the new tolerance which opens the gates for the Antichrist to proclaim himself as being above everything that is worshiped. You might ask: how will that happen? It does so in the same way that it allowed Caesar to proclaim himself as a god and be accepted by the pagan masses. If you make all religions equal in the sight of man as this new tolerance does, then it’s an easy step for any man to proclaim himself to be a god and entitled to your worship.

This is why it’s absolutely essential for every Christian to stand against this new tolerance sweeping the planet by proclaiming the old truth that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father and the only name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.  (See John 14:6; and Acts 4:12) This is one dogma that’s worth fighting and dying for! Let me encourage you to reject any notion that we should create a dialogue with other world religions for the sake of peace thus giving them credence that they worship the same God as Christians. We must not lose our testimony and witness to a dying world for the sake of unanimity and peaceful coexistence. Let us come out and separate ourselves from those who want to follow this new tolerance. To do so my friends, may well classify us as religious fanatics allowing us to take our rightful place alongside those early Christian martyrs. I write this with a heavy heart, because I know that the time is short. We must stand firm.

The Bible gives a brief illustration as to why the law is holy, righteous, and good (see Rom. 7:7-12) which we should pay close attention to, because it will help us to identify the sin or evil in our life and pluck it out as a gardener does an unwanted weed. The Bible also says we should put off the old life as we would pull off an old tattered set of clothes giving multiple illustrations about the different sins that can easily beset a Christian. Notice that in either case the number and types of sins are not exhaustive, so it is imperative to search the Scriptures and allow the commands of God to penetrate our souls bringing about conviction and repentance. To do so will bring us to the realization that there are over 121 express commands in the New Testament alone for the believer in Christ to grapple with, digest, and use to purge the unwanted sins in our life. The good news is that Christians can count on God through His Holy Spirit to have the strength in Him to turn away from sin and purge it completely. Dear friends, this is only the first step in achieving holiness that God desires.

Unfortunately many Christians stop at this point and then can’t understand why the besetting sin comes creeping back into their miserable life.  It is so heart breaking for me to see meaningful Christians slip back into their old sins and taken captive to do its will. How tragic it is to see them controlled by their old sin nature once again.  And the reason why in almost every case, is they have not put anything in place of the old sin. To press the gardening analogy the gardener must now plant good seed and keep it fertilized so that the strength of the lawn will keep out the unwanted weeds. Once again, the Bible is our best authority giving us multiple illustrations on what to put in place of the old sin (See Eph. 4:22-32). Take a moment and read through this list of illustrations again keeping in mind that this list is not exhaustive. For example, in verse 25 it says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood” but it does not stop there; it continues by telling us what needs to be put in the place of falsehood by saying, “and speak truthfully to his neighbor” and then adds a reason why it needs to be accomplished by saying, “for we are all members of one body.” So here is the point, God’s command will show us our sin, convict us of it through His Holy Spirit, and then lead us to repentance, but then we must continue on by putting something in place of the old sin. Put off the sin, put on a righteous act.

Jesus Christ also gives us another illustration (or parable) about an individual who sweeps his house clean and then does not put anything in the place of it; so along comes Satan bringing with him many more demons to occupy the place making his state much worse than before (See Mt. 12:43-45). So you see it is very important not only to follow the “shall not’s” thus cleaning your house, but also to follow our religious duties driven by the spirit of love. Jesus Christ is always our best example. He lived His entire life not for himself, but for the sake of others. Out of love He fed the poor. Out of love He healed the sick and counseled the hurting with words of truth and life. His brother James also wrote: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). The point is my friends, we should be so busy doing good to others that we never have enough time left in a day to follow our evil desires or be enticed by the many evil influences coming at us from the world. To be holy is our sure defense to stand firm as we fast approach the end of days.

When the deceiver comes he will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or worshipped by displaying his many counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. On the surface his self help programs looks good, because they appear to help people to become all they envision themselves to be. On the surface the world’s counselors and their psychotropic drug program will appear to actually help people to escape their emotional and psychological bondage. His government programs to care for the sick and elderly will appear to actually help them physically to recover from a debilitating disease or extend their life. In fact, what makes this deception so powerful is it actually appears to work, a blind person receives his eyesight, a crippled person walks again, or perhaps even a dead person may come back to life. In a world that is ravaged by emotional and psychological trauma or suffering from an untold number of diseases that’s effecting our planet it would be difficult for most to reject a person who promises to have a cure just for their trust. But trusting in anything or person leads you to believe the lie and refuse to love the truth.

The man of lawlessness (or the Antichrist) “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped.” Indeed he will require the entire world to place their trust in him and all of his programs to the exclusion of everything that is called God or is worshiped. An executive order will outlaw the exclusiveness of Christianity and replace it with tolerance for other world religions and perverted lifestyles. Many even today have seen Christianity and every other world religion as the main obstacle in holding back man in achieving his greatest goals in perfecting a global society. On the other hand it would take an entire book to describe all the achievements of Christianity in the advancement of humanity. Yet, with the coming of the man of lawlessness the secret power of lawlessness will be finally revealed in men and women advancing in their self-esteem and unlocking the so called secret power in each of them to become the perfect person they imagine themselves to be apart from God. As we fast approach the end of days, I am convinced that this deception will capture the hearts and minds of many who claim to be Christian.

To uncloak this deception in the last days it will be absolutely essential to love the truth. And the truth is that God created you in the beginning and is now re-creating you in Christ Jesus to be the perfect man in Him. To love the truth believes that God is at work transforming you from one degree of glory to another so that you can participate in the divine nature. To love the truth understands the mystery of godliness that you can’t but He can, if you won’t He will. To love the truth knows that God has given you everything you need for life and godliness. You will never build the perfect world apart from Him. You will never be all that you envision yourself to be by following some self-help program. Nor will you find relief from your emotional and psychological trauma through the world’s counselors or their psychotropic drugs. Finally, you will not find true physical healing apart from God; otherwise all of your prayers have been in vain. Dear child please do not be deceived – you can do nothing apart from God. Self must die so that Christ can live in you to the glory of God. Take God out of the way and you will open yourself up for the greatest deception ever to descend upon the planet, but love the truth and you will uncloak the deception.