From Joe Andrasik... Why do I Suffer?

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Andrasik/Joseph/1947/suffer.html

Why do I Suffer?

This is a question that is as ancient as man himself. First we must understand that GOD did not desire that we suffer. Suffering came into being because man chose to sin. There was no suffering in the Garden of Eden until man sinned, and Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--. Romans 5:12. Man brought suffering into the world by sinning. Much suffering continues in the world caused by men who sin. Sin has long-lasting concequences.

GOD cares very much for us and does not want anyone to suffer. Psalm 116:3-5; The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul! Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful.

Man's disobedience caused the loss of GOD's blessings. Our bodies are no longer immortal as Adam and Eve were in the garden before they sinned . Therefore we suffer from disease, sickness and physical death. All are the result of sin. Death literally means separation from GOD. Without being in a right (correct) relationship with GOD, we are no longer deserving of GOD's blessings. All that remains for us is to suffer at the hands of the devil. All suffering is inflicted on us by our enemy the devil.

Without being in a right (correct) relationship with GOD we have no hope at all of restoring GOD's blessings to our lives. When a person becomes a Christian that person can then begin to trust that GOD will answer his prayer. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8. The Christian who is in a right (correct) relationship with GOD can trust that GOD will return many of the blessings he lost before he became a Christian. This includes hope of eternal life.

Just because we become Christians does not mean all suffering ceases. It does means that we can begin to rely on GOD who will help us with our burdens. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. GOD begins to ease our suffering and helps us by carrying our most difficult burdens.

GOD lives in Heaven away from sin and suffering. He wants us to be with Him. He wants us to look beyond this world to Heaven. If there were no suffering in this world, there would be very little desire to go to Heaven and be with GOD. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:3-4.

Suffering therefore helps to remind us that we do not belong on this earth. We belong with GOD our Father. Jesus is preparing a place for every Christian who is willing to obey Him. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3.

Sometime we suffer because of our sin and GOD disciplines us. This occurs not because GOD desires to inflict pain on us but because He wants us to change our mind and return to Him. He does not want anyone to be lost. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? Hebrews 12:5-7.

Let us study the life of a very special man in the Old Testament. There was a man named Job who is described in the Book of Job. Then the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? Job 1:8.Job was a very righteous man. For most of Job's life he received many countless blessings from GOD. He was about to learn that even the righteous experience suffering. So Satan answered the LORD and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face! Job 1:9-11. GOD allowed Job to suffer at the hand's of the devil. Job's suffering was brought on by the devil, not GOD. GOD allowed it to happen but only to achieve a far greater purpose in GOD's plan. We may not fully understand but GOD is able to use our circumstances of suffering and turn them into blessings for us later in our life, as we shall learn from Job's experience. GOD also knew that the outcome of Job's suffering would far outweigh the limited amount of suffering that Job would experience. This is not to minimize the suffering that Job experienced. He lost his entire family except for his wife and was in great pain for months. The book of Job would become an ageless example of the suffering of the righteous, and a source of encouragement for us.

First we must understand that we are not alone in our suffering. GOD experienced the agony of suffering himself in the person of his Son. Jesus came to live and die as the Son of GOD that we might have hope. He experienced hunger in the wilderness for forty days. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. But He answered and said, It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:2-4. He certainly knew what it was to be cold or to experience the heat of summer. He lived as a carpenter's son for over thirty years. He knew what it was like to go without sleep. He was even tempted by sin and had to resist without sinning, to accomplish GOD's greatest sacrifice for us. Hebrew 4:15; For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Jesus, the Son of GOD, experienced what each of us experience every day to help us with our own suffering.

Perhaps the greatest suffering man will face is the fear of death. Jesus went before us to take away this fear by overcoming death with the hope of a resurrection to eternal life with GOD. Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,.. Hebrews 5:7-9.

Jesus feared death as we do, but He especially feared death on the cross. He understood what kind of death He would suffer, as He knelt down in the Garden.Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. Matthew 26:38-39. Jesus prayed three times to his Heavenly Father to be spared the death on the cross. This is the death that would satisfy GOD's justice for our sins. We deserved to be on that cross in His place, each of us dying for our own sins. He did not deserve it. Jesus thus became the perfect sacrifice in our place. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,Hebrew 2:9-11.

When we share in suffering as a Christian, GOD sees us as part of His family. We become part of the family of GOD by sharing in Jesus' suffering. This is especially true when we suffer because of our attempts to be like Christ. Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1-2.

Remember! We previously considered the suffering of Job. Job overcame his suffering at the hands of the devil. Let us see the final outcome of Job's faithfulness to GOD. Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. Job 42:12-13. Christians can have an even better hope today.

Joe Andrasik

Christians may copy this tract freely
to advance the Gospel of Christ
if the content is not changed.

All references are from The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

From Gary.... Reasoning, reality and possibility

You may be able to add, subtract, multiply, divide in your head, but when you close your eyes, it is dark.  Human beings are capable of many mental things, but light is still light, dark is still dark- in short, reality is reality, no matter how you try to manipulate it mentally!!

Jesus came to earth to save us and whether we accept that fact or not, it is still reality. Here is the end of the story...

John, Chapter 19 (WEB)

  1 So Pilate then took Jesus, and flogged him.  2 The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown, and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment.  3 They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him. 

  4  Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

  5  Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!” 

  6  When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” 

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

  7  The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” 

  8  When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.  9 He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.  10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you, and have power to crucify you?” 

  11  Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.” 

  12  At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!” 

  13  When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”  14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” 

  15  They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” 

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” 

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” 

  16  So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.  17 He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called “The Place of a Skull”, which is called in Hebrew, “Golgotha”,  18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.  19 Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. There was written, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  20 Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.  21 The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, I am King of the Jews.’” 

  22  Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 

The Jews wanted an earthly king- Jesus was a heavenly one with an early mission. The Jews reasoned that if Jesus died, their problem with him would be over. They were very wrong because Jesus' death became the path to life. In thinking about it, I think even Pilate believed somewhat, as the last verse would seem to indicate.

The point of all this is found in a quote from Thomas a Kempis

Man proposes, God disposes.

http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/quotations/quotes/man_proposes_but_god_disposes.html

OK, follow the directions of the picture; but afterward- open your eyes and see the truth- Jesus died for you. Now, what are you going to do about it?

From Mark Copeland... "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS" Chapter Five

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

                             Chapter Five

OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER

1) To appreciate the blessings that accompany justification

2) To comprehend more fully the grace offered through Jesus Christ

SUMMARY

Having substantiated his thesis of "justification by faith" with
evidence from the Old Testament, Paul now discusses the blessings of
such justification.  First, there is peace with God (1).  Second, we
have access to grace in which we stand (2a).  Third, there is cause for
rejoicing in hope, so that we can glory even in tribulations (2b-4).
Fourth, there is God's love which He first demonstrated with the gift
of His Son (5-8).  Finally, there is salvation from God's wrath (9).
All of this is made possible when we are reconciled to God through the
death of His Son and should be the basis for endless rejoicing (10-11).

To explain further the way in which salvation is made possible, Paul 
compares Christ to Adam.  Through one man, Adam, sin and death entered 
the world, and the consequences have led to the death of many.  In a 
similar way, through one man, Christ, many may now become righteous.
Through Jesus' death on the cross, justification is made possible for 
many (12-19).

Upon comparing Christ with Adam, Paul briefly mentions that with the 
entering in of law sin abounded.  But the increase of sin has been 
adequately answered by the grace offered in Jesus Christ (20-21).

OUTLINE

I. THE BLESSINGS OF JUSTIFICATION (1-11)

   A. PEACE WITH GOD (1)

   B. ACCESS TO GRACE IN WHICH WE STAND (2a)

   C. REJOICING IN HOPE, EVEN IN TRIBULATIONS (2b-4)
      1. Joy in anticipating God's glory (2b)
      2. Joy in tribulation, knowing even it results in more hope (3-4)
         a. For tribulation produces perseverance (3b)
         b. And perseverance develops character (4a)
         c. Such character gives one hope (4b)

   D. GOD'S LOVE IN OUR HEARTS (5-8)
      1. The assurance our hope will not be disappointed (5a)
      2. Poured out by the Holy Spirit (5b)
      3. Demonstrated by Christ's death while we were yet sinners (6-8)
       
   E. SALVATION FROM GOD'S WRATH (9-11)
      1. Through Jesus, just as we have been justified by His blood (9)
      2. Saved by His life, just as we were reconciled by His death (10)
      3. The basis for us to rejoice (11)

II. COMPARING CHRIST WITH ADAM (12-21)

   A. ADAM AND THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS ACTIONS (12-14)
      1. Through Adam, sin entered the world, and death as a
         consequence (12a)
      2. Thus death spread, for all sinned (12b)
      3. From the time of Adam to Moses, death reigned, even over those
         who had not sinned like Adam did (13-14)
    
   B. ADAM AND CHRIST COMPARED (15-19)
      1. Adam's offense brought many deaths, Christ's grace abounds
         even more (15)
      2. One offense produced the judgment of condemnation, but many
         offenses produced the free gift of justification (16)
      3. By Adam's offense death reigns, but those who receive the gift
         of righteousness will reign in life through Christ (17)
      4. Summary (18-19)
         a. Through Adam's offense judgment came to all men, resulting
            in condemnation (18a)
         b. Through Christ's act grace came to all, resulting in
            justification of life (18b)
         c. By Adam's disobedience many were made sinners (19a)
         d. By Christ's obedience many will be made righteous (19b)

   C. THE RELATIONSHIP OF LAW, SIN AND GRACE (20-21)
      1. Law entered that sin might abound, but grace abounds much more
         (20)
      2. Just as sin reigned in death, so grace reigns through
         righteousness to eternal life through Christ (21)

WORDS TO PONDER

reconciliation - the act of bringing peace between two parties (e.g.,
                 between man and God)

transgression - violation of law; sin

death - physically:  separation of body and spirit;
        spiritually: separation between man and God

eternal life - the alternative to spiritual death, a result of
               justification
      
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER

1) List the main points of this chapter
   - The Blessings Of Justification (1-11)
   - Comparing Christ With Adam (12-21)

2) Name some benefits we enjoy as the result of justification (1-2)
   - Peace with God, access to grace, rejoicing in hope

3) Why can Christians rejoice even in the middle of trials? (3-5)
   - Knowing trials can produce perseverance, character and hope

4) How did God demonstrate His love for us? (6-8)
   - By having Christ die for us when we were still sinners

5) What in addition to Jesus' death is involved in our ultimate
   salvation? (10)
   - His present life, which saves us from the wrath to come

6) What was the consequence of Adam's sin upon all men? (12)
   - Death (I understand Paul to mean physical death; to see why, I
     highly recommend Moses Lard's commentary on this passage.
     Commentaries by J. W. McGarvey and David Lipscomb take a similar
     view.  For the view that spiritual death is under consideration,
     see Robert L. Whiteside's commentary.)

7) What comparison is made between Adam and Christ? (12-19)
   - Just as Adam through his sin brought physical death to all, so
     Christ through His obedience will give life to all (through the
     resurrection - cf. 1Co 15:21-22)
   - But Christ does even more; to those who will receive it, he offers
     "an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness" so they can
     reign in life through Jesus (cf. v. 17)

8) Which has abounded more:  sin, or grace? (20)
   - Grace

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2015

 

From Mark Copeland... "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS" Chapter Four

                      "THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS"

                             Chapter Four


OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER

1) To understand how Abraham was justified in God's sight

2) To see that the "righteousness" God imputes to man is actually
   justification (i.e., forgiveness)

3) To comprehend the nature of justifying faith by considering the
   example of Abraham

SUMMARY

Now that he has declared that God's righteousness is to be found in a
system involving justification by faith and not by keeping the works of 
any law, Paul proceeds to provide evidence by referring to Abraham's 
example.  In considering the justification of Abraham, Paul quotes
Genesis 15:6 where it is stated that Abraham's faith was accounted to
him for righteousness (1-3).  Abraham trusted in God, not in his own
works, and through such faith experienced the righteousness
(forgiveness) expressed by David in Psalms 31:1,2 (4-8).

To demonstrate further that God's righteousness by faith is offered to 
both Jew and Gentile, Paul again appeals to the example of Abraham.  He 
reminds them that Abraham's faith was accounted for righteousness prior 
to receiving circumcision, which was in itself a seal of the
righteousness of the faith he had while uncircumcised.  Thus Abraham
serves as a father of all who believe, whether circumcised or not
(9-12).

Paul then reminds them that the promise that Abraham was to be "a 
father of many nations" was given in light of his faith, not through 
some law, so that the promise might be according to grace and sure to
those who have the same kind of faith as Abraham (13-17).

Finally, the nature of Abraham's obedient faith is illustrated (18-22), 
with the explanation it was preserved to reassure us that we who have 
the same kind faith in God who raised Jesus will find our faith
accounted for righteousness in the same way (23-25).

OUTLINE

I. JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM AS AN EXAMPLE (1-8)

   A. HOW ABRAHAM WAS JUSTIFIED (1-5)
      1. If by works, then he could boast (1-2)
      2. The Scriptures reveal it was by his faith in God (3)
         a. One who trusts in works, seeks God's debt, not His grace
            (4)
         b. But when one trusts in God to justify him, such faith is
            counted for righteousness (5)

   B. THE TESTIMONY OF DAVID (6-8)
      1. Even David spoke of God imputing righteousness apart from
         works (6)
      2. Blessed are those against whom God does not impute sins (7-8)

II. RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH AVAILABLE TO ALL BELIEVERS (9-25)

   A. BECAUSE ABRAHAM WAS JUSTIFIED BEFORE CIRCUMCISION (9-12)
      1. His faith was counted for righteousness before he was
         circumcised (9-10)
      2. Circumcision was a seal of the righteousness he had while
         uncircumcised (11a)
      3. Thus he became the father of all who have the same kind of
         faith, both circumcised and uncircumcised (11b-12)

   B. BECAUSE THE PROMISE TO ABRAHAM WAS GRANTED THROUGH FAITH (13-25)
      1. The promise to be the heir of the world given in view of his
         faith (13)
      2. It was not given through law (14-15)
      3. But in light of faith, according to grace, to assure that all
         who are of the same faith as Abraham might be heirs of the
         promise (16-17)
      4. The kind of obedient faith illustrated by Abraham (18-22)
      5. Abraham's justification by faith assures that we who believe
         in Him who raised Jesus from the dead shall find justification
         (23-25)

WORDS TO PONDER

impute - "to reckon, take into account, or, metaphorically, to put down
          to a person's account"

righteousness - as used in this chapter, the idea seems to be akin that
                of "justification", where one is declared "not guilty"
                (see Romans 4:5-8)

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER

1) List the main points of this chapter
   - Justification Of Abraham As An Example (1-8)
   - Righteousness By Faith Available To All Believers (9-25)

2) How did Abraham attain righteousness? (3-5)
   - By believing in God to justify the ungodly (and not in his own
     works)

3) How does David describe the righteousness which is imputed to man?
   (6-8)
   - In the sense that man's sins are not counted against him 

4) How is Abraham the father of the uncircumcised who possess faith?
   (9-11)
   - By his being justified by faith prior to his circumcision

5) Based upon what was the promise made to Abraham? (13)
   - The righteousness of faith

6) How did Abraham demonstrate his faith? (19-21)
   - By fathering Isaac

7) For whose sake was the example of Abraham's faith written? (23-24)
   - Those who believe that God raised Jesus from the dead

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2015

 

The Baha'i Movement by Wayne Jackson, M.A.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=8&article=1340

The Baha'i Movement

by	Wayne Jackson, M.A.

One of the rapidly growing religious movements today is the Baha’i group. Originating in Iran in 1844, this cult has been established in thousands of places around the world. The founder was Mirza ‘Ali Muhammed, who claimed to be the forerunner of one who would be known as the great World Teacher. This Teacher, it is alleged, would be the only holy prophet who would usher in the latest revelation from the Divine Source. He would unite the human family into a conglomeration of diverse peoples and inaugurate an era of peace.

In 1863, a man named Mirza Husayn ‘Ali announced that he was that Great Teacher. He adopted the name Bah ’u’ll h (“The Glory of God”), from which the term Baha’i is derived. After Bah ’u’ll h’s death in 1892, the organization was led by his oldest son for the next 29 years. He, in turn, was succeeded by a grandson who led the movement until 1957. Since then, the Baha’is have been governed by a group called “Hands of the Cause,” with world headquarters being in Haifa, Israel. The Baha’i movement is anti-biblical from numerous vantage points.

1. Baha’ism denies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God. The New Testament teaches that Christ is the Father’s “only begotten Son.” The Greek word for “only begotten” ismonogenes, a term employed with reference to Christ to indicate that “He was the sole representative of the Being and character of the One who sent Him” (Vine, 1940, 3:40). Bah ’u’ll h, however, claimed that Christ was but one manifestation of God! He contended that he himself was “a later manifestation.”

2. Christ declared: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). The Lord shed His blood for one church (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4), and He is the Savior of that body exclusively (Ephesians 5:26). Yet devotees of the Baha’i philosophy seek to unify all religions upon the basis of doctrinal compromise, and at the expense of the plain teaching of Christ. Allegedly, advocates of this system revere the teaching of Jesus, Mohammed, Bah ’u’ll h, and all other great “prophets.”

3. The Son of God taught that only the truth can set you free from sin (John 8:32), and that truth is embodied in the words that came from God through Christ, and through His inspired spokesmen (John 17:8,17; Luke 10:16). The New Testament, sealed by the Savior’s blood (Matthew 26:28), contains that revelation, and was to be God’s final communication to humanity (Jude 3). Baha’ism advocates a subjectivism, asserting that “truth is continuous and relative, not final and absolute.” This system of confusion cannot be from God (1 Corinthians 14:33).

4. Baha’ism repudiates the New Testament doctrine of a visible, audible return of Christ to judge the world (Matthew 25:31ff.; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). The doctrine of the Baha’i cult contends that the prophecies regarding the second coming of Christ were fulfilled with the arrival of Bah ’u’ll h. Such a theory, of course, is void of any evidence.

The Baha’i movement is greatly at variance with biblical revelation. The system must be opposed. Its sincere disciples should be exposed to the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

REFERENCES

Vine, W.E. (1940), An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Westwood, NJ: Revell).

Cyrus the Great: King of Persia by Wayne Jackson, M.A.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=288

Cyrus the Great: King of Persia

by	Wayne Jackson, M.A.

Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, is mentioned twenty-two times in the Old Testament—an evidence of his prominence in the biblical scheme of things in those declining days of Judah’s history. When Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian regime in 539 B.C., he was disposed quite favorably toward the Jews. Ezra 1:1-2 reads as follows:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and he also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, Jehovah, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Exactly how the Lord “stirred up the spirit” of the Persian ruler no one is able to say precisely. That God is able to operate in international affairs—to effect His sovereign will—is certain (Daniel 2:21; 4:17), but how He accomplishes these things, using seemingly natural means, remains a mystery. But there is an interesting possibility. Josephus, the famous Hebrew historian who had access to historical records long since lost, stated that Cyrus was exposed to the prophecies of Isaiah (44:26-45:7), who, more than 150 years earlier, had called the Persian monarch by name, and had announced his noble role in releasing the Hebrews from captivity and assisting in the rebuilding of the Jewish temple (XI.I.2). It is a fact that Daniel was still living in the early years of Cyrus’ reign (see Daniel 10:1), and he might well have been the very one who introduced the Persian commander to Isaiah’s testimony. Interestingly, there is archaeological information that lends support to the biblical record.

During excavations at Babylon (1879-82), archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam discovered a small (ten inches), clay, barrel-shaped cylinder that contained an inscription from Cyrus. Now housed in the British Museum, the cylinder reported the king’s policy regarding captives: “I [Cyrus] gathered all their [former] inhabitants and returned [to them] their habitations” (Pritchard, 1958, 1:208). As noted scholar Jack Finegan observed: “The spirit of Cyrus’s decree of release which is quoted in the Old Testament (II Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2-4) is confirmed by the Cyrus cylinder...” (1946, p. 191).

The science of archaeology frequently has been a willing witness to the integrity of the sacred Scriptures.

REFERENCES

Finegan, Jack (1946), Light from the Ancient Past (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).

Josephus, Flavius (1957), The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus, transl. William Whitson (Philadelphia, PA: John C. Winston).

Pritchard, James B. (1958), The Ancient Near East (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press).

Australia's Unique Animals by Trevor Major, M.Sc., M.A.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=1137

Australia's Unique Animals

by	Trevor Major, M.Sc., M.A.

Q.

How do creationists explain the origin and distribution of Australia’s unique animals in terms of a young Earth and a worldwide flood?

A.

Explaining the origin of Australia’s marsupial population, and especially its uniqueness to that one isolated southern continent, is difficult for evolutionists and creationists alike. Marsupials such as kangaroos, opossums, wallabies, and koalas seem unusual, but monotremes (i.e., the echidna and the platypus) are even more puzzling. The main difference between marsupials and most other mammals centers on the reproductive system. Marsupials give birth prematurely and allow the fetus to develop in an external pouch. In other mammals, excluding the monotremes which lay eggs, the fetus develops within the uterus and is attached to, and nourished by, the placenta.

Perhaps the most interesting fact about marsupials is that they nearly all have non-marsupial equivalents in other parts of the world (see Dobzhansky, et al., 1977, Figure 9.3, p. 267). The kangaroo has a similar role to the antelope roaming the African savanna. The wombat resembles a badger, and even has a backward-pointing pouch so that it will not fill with dirt while burrowing! There also are many small marsupials that have rodent counterparts. Evolutionists attribute such similarities to “parallel evolution” in both homology (being alike in form) and analogy (occupying a corresponding niche). That is, they believe that these marsupials and their placental peers developed independently; they share similar characteristics, but took two different paths to get there (see Simpson and Beck, 1965, pp. 499-501). A common ancestry, combined with similar forces of natural selection, evolutionists assert, will result in the same sort of changes through time. This common ancestor is thought to be the opossum because it is a marsupial and is found in other areas of the world apart from Australia.

According to evolutionary theory, the opossum was a primitive mammal living 200 million years ago on a single southern land mass called Gondwanaland. When parts of this supercontinent divided into what are now Australia and South America, the opossums were separated geographically. Over eons of time, so the story goes, the Australian descendants of the opossum developed into the various types of marsupials seen today. However, in South America, they “evolved” placentas and eventually migrated to North America and Eurasia.

These evolutionary ideas suffer from a number of problems, as listed below:

• There are no intermediate fossils (“transitional forms”) showing the development of the various marsupials from an opossum or opossum-like ancestor. Further, to suggest that one type of mammal could arise by supposed evolutionary mechanisms is incredible enough, but the chances of having both placental and non-placental forms evolve in the same way, at the same time, and in different regions, are remote to say the least.
   
• The humble opossum has been nominated as the ancestor of all mammals because it is supposed to be so “primitive,” having a relatively small brain and no “specialized” characteristics. But the opossum has thrived virtually unchanged in many parts of the world. In general, marsupials often are considered less “advanced” because they lack the complex internal reproductive system of placental mammals. However, they possess many other characteristics that could give them an edge over their placental counterparts. For instance, a female kangaroo can nourish two young ones of different ages at the same time, providing the appropriate formula from each teat. Unlike placental mammals, marsupials can suspend or abort the embryo deliberately if adverse conditions arise. And, of course, the pouch provides a superior place of protection for the young marsupial. Yes, marsupials are different, but they are not inferior.
   
• The distribution of marsupials is not well-answered by evolutionary theories. According to Michael Pitman, “the most diverse fossil assemblies have been obtained from South America and, later (Pliocene), Australia” (1984, p. 206). That is, according to the fossil record, the marsupials already were well-defined as a distinct group before the separation of Australia from other continents. Thus, geographic separation cannot be as significant to their development as evolutionists like to think. An alternate, biblically based model is as follows:
  1. It is reasonable to suggest that God created the various kinds of marsupials. Hence, the many varieties of opossums, kangaroos, wallabies, and so on, most likely have arisen since the time of creation.
      
  2. There could be any number of reasons that God created both placental and non-placental forms. One possibility is that marsupials were created for a specific environment. For example, on the African savannas or North American plains, animals migrate to different areas according to the seasons, and range over huge tracts of land in search of better grazing. However, vegetation patterns in Australia do not allow such flexibility. The unique characteristics of marsupials that allow them to survive in a tough environment are indicative of good design, not blind evolution.
      
  3. Representatives of marsupial kinds went into the ark and were carried through the Flood. Any other varieties not in the ark became extinct with the Flood (and now exist only as fossils).
      
  4. After the Flood, marsupials may have migrated to Australia across land connections or narrow waterways. Perhaps there is a supernatural element involving the second point made above. That is, God, having created specially equipped creatures, may have directed them to settle in Australia in particular. If God can arrange for all the animals to go to Noah (Genesis 6:20), then He very well could assist and direct them in their migration from Ararat once they left the ark (Genesis 8:17).
      
  5. There is no need to postulate long periods of time for whole-scale movement of animal kinds over the Earth. Initial studies by Richard Culp show that there are minimal differences between many North American, European, and Asian varieties of certain plant and animal species (Culp, 1988). The lack of dissimilarities, and the occurrence of unique animal or plant assemblages in various parts of the world (not just Australia), may be evidence for a rapid resettlement in relatively recent times. This would be consistent with the Genesis account.

  REFERENCES

  Bartz, Paul A. (1989), “Questions and Answers,” Bible-Science Newsletter, 27[7]:12, July.
  Culp, G. Richard (1988), “The Geographical Distribution of Animals and Plants,” Creation Research Society Quarterly, 25[1]:24-27, June.
  Dobzhansky, Theodosius, F.J. Ayala, G.L. Stebbins, and J.W. Valentine (1977), Evolution (San Francisco, CA: W.H. Freeman).
  Pitman, Michael (1984), Adam and Evolution (London: Rider).
  Simpson, G.G. and W.S. Beck (1965), Life: An Introduction to Biology (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World), second edition.
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