The anti-evolutionist (pro-creationist) view

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters....

31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day

- Gen.1:1-2, 31

1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 4¶These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens...

- Gen.2:1-4

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 7Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.... 15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.18Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.22Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that he hath promised us,even eternal life. 26These thingshave I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 28And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 

- 1 John 2:4-29

I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: 20That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.21Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strongreasons, saith the King of Jacob.22Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. 23Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. 24Behold, yeare of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he thatchooseth you. 25I have raised upone from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as uponmorter, and as the potter treadeth clay. 26Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. 27The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. 28For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there wasno counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.29Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.

- Isa.41:20-29

3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.... 8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven... 26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily

- Col.1:4-29

1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given useverlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

2 The.2:1-17.

Scritpure: KJV.

Photo: © 2011. Lizette De Klerk.

What We Can Learn From Elephants

THE ELEPHANTS' JOURNEY

TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS.

BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW?

Some will say there is no God. 

Tell that to elephants.

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller "The Elephant Whisperer," bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over

the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during the US invasion in 2003.

On March 7, 2012, Lawrence Anthony died.

He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & numerous elephants.

Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home, led by two large matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend. A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.

Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe, not only

because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence's passing, but also because of

the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked

in such an organized way.

Walking slowly - for days - making their way in a solemn

one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house.

Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for some years! Yet, they knew where they were going.

The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects,

honouring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect

that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. 

Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.

SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE IS GREATER

AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE!

Click on the links below to learn more about this remarkable man, these amazing animals, and their omnipotent Creator:

• Wild Elephants gather inexplicably, mourn death of “Elephant Whisperer”
• Lawrence Anthony - Bio
• Lawrence Anthony Foundation
• Lawrence Anthony's Rehabilitation of Elephants
• Elephants Mourn Loss of "Elephant Whisperer" Lawrence Anthony
• "Who is God?"
• "Does God exist? Is there evidence for the existence of God?"
• "What are the attributes of God?"
• Who Is Jesus, Anyway?
• Popular Questions About Jesus Christ
• Who Is Jesus, Anyway? #1 of 3 (John MacArthur)

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

A special someone recently shared this amazing tale with me, and I found it so compelling that I just had to share it further. I hope it will be a blessing to someone else too.

('n Spesiale mensie deel onlangs die stukkie in 'n epos met my en dit was vir my so aangrypend dat ek dit net verder moes deel. Ek hoop dit sal vir iemand anders ook tot seën wees. - Afrikaans)

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. 'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.' She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there. She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.' She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is.. Please help me.' Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?' Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it! The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.' I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.' God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. I love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him... I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13) Please feel free to share this, if God leads you to do so.

Ons goeie hoop

Vanoggend se luister na pragtige lofgesang, het my laat besef hoe geseënd ons is om in tye van voorspoed en swaerkry ons te kan wend na ons "Goeie Hoop," wat ons nooit beskaam nie.

Tydens my Bybelstudie vanoggend, sien ek toe: die woord "hoop" verskyn 139 keer in die AOV en "goeie hoop" een maal. Dit laat my toe dink aan hoe Jesus eenmalig ons almal se "beste en enigste hoop" geword het deur Sy lewe vir ons sin te verruil en dat ons lewende God ons enigste ware hoop is in nood.

Ek deel graag die verse met jou, ter erkenning aan ons "Goeie Hoop."

Ps.146:

1Halleluja! Loof die HERE, o my siel! 2Ek wil die HERE prys solank as ek lewe; ek wil psalmsing tot eer van my God solank as ek nog daar is. 3Vertrou nie op prinse, op die mensekind, by wie geen heil is nie.4Sy gees gaan uit, hy keer terug na sy aarde toe; op daardie dag is dit met sy planne gedaan. 5Welgeluksalig is hy wat die God van Jakob het as sy hulp, wie se hoop is op die HERE sy God, 6wat hemel en aarde gemaak het, die see en alles wat daarin is; wat trou bly tot in ewigheid; 7wat aan die verdruktes reg doen, wat aan die hongeriges brood gee. Die HERE maak die gevangenes los. 8Die HERE open die oë van die blindes; die HERE rig die wat geboë is, op; die HERE het die regverdiges lief. 9Die HERE behoed die vreemdelinge; Hy rig wees en weduwee weer op; maar die weg van die goddelose maak Hy krom. 10Die HERE is vir ewig Koning; jou God, o Sion, is van geslag tot geslag! Halleluja!

2Tess.2:16:

En mag onse Here Jesus Christus self en onse God en Vader, wat ons liefgehad het en 'n ewige troos en goeie hoop in genade gegee het, 17julle harte vertroos en julle versterk in alle goeie woorde en werke.

Please consider the environment before printing this. Thank you. © 2013. Lizette De Klerk. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reagan's Rule

Some wonder why the Reagan years were considered the Republic Party's golden years?
When God is for you, nothing else matters!!!

What a profound message and witness.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/OvN1jTkzXbY?rel=0

"What does it mean to honor my father and mother?"

Question: "What does it mean to honor my father and mother?"

Answer: Honoring your father and mother is being respectful in word and action and having an inward attitude of esteem for their position. The Greek word for honor means "to revere, prize, and value." Honor is giving respect not only for merit but also for rank. For example, some Americans may disagree with the President's decisions, but they should still respect his position as leader of their country. Similarly, children of all ages should honor their parents, regardless of whether or not their parents "deserve" honor.

God exhorts us to honor father and mother. He values honoring parents enough to include it in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) and again in the New Testament: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:1-3). Honoring parents is the only command in Scripture that promises long life as a reward. Those who honor their parents are blessed (Jeremiah 35:18-19). In contrast, those with a "depraved mind" and those who exhibit ungodliness in the last days are characterized by disobedience to parents (Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2).

Solomon, the wisest man, urged children to respect their parents (Proverbs 1:8; 13:1; 30:17). Although we may no longer be directly under their authority, we cannot outgrow God's command to honor our parents. Even Jesus, God the Son, submitted Himself to both His earthly parents (Luke 2:51) and His heavenly Father (Matthew 26:39). Following Christ's example, we should treat our parents the way we would reverentially approach our heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:9; Malachi 1:6).

Obviously, we are commanded to honor our parents, but how? Honor them with both actions and attitudes (Mark 7:6). Honor their unspoken as well as spoken wishes. "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke" (Proverbs 13:1). In Matthew 15:3-9, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the command of God to honor their father and mother. They were obeying the letter of the law, but they had added their own traditions that essentially overruled it. While they honored their parents in word, their actions proved their real motive. Honor is more than lip service. The word "honor" in this passage is a verb and, as such, demands a right action. 

We should seek to honor our parents in much the same way that we strive to bring glory to God—in our thoughts, words, and actions. For a young child, obeying parents goes hand in hand with honoring them. That includes listening, heeding, and submitting to their authority. After children mature, the obedience that they learned as children will serve them well in honoring other authorities such as government, police, and employers. 

While we are required to honor parents, that doesn't include imitating ungodly ones (Ezekiel 20:18-19). If a parent ever instructs a child to do something that clearly contradicts God's commands, that child must obey God rather than his/her parents (Acts 5:29).

Honor begets honor. God will not honor those who will not obey His command to honor their parents. If we desire to please God and be blessed, we should honor our parents. Honoring is not easy, is not always fun, and certainly is not possible in our own strength. But honor is a certain path to our purpose in life—glorifying God. "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord" (Colossians 3:20).

Recommended Resource: Your Family God's Way by Wayne Mack.

from GotQuestions.org

May this Mother's Day be more than just another day to you and yours, and be a blesses day full of God's love, peace and comfort.

Our thoughts are with you.

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Warmest regards,

 

Lizette De Klerk & family

 

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"Did God create evil?"

Question: "Did God create evil?"

Answer: At first it might seem that if God created all things, then evil must have been created by God. However, evil is not a "thing" like a rock or electricity. You cannot have a jar of evil. Evil has no existence of its own; it is really the absence of good. For example, holes are real but they only exist in something else. We call the absence of dirt a hole, but it cannot be separated from the dirt. So when God created, it is true that all He created was good. One of the good things God made was creatures who had the freedom to choose good. In order to have a real choice, God had to allow there to be something besides good to choose. So, God allowed these free angels and humans to choose good or reject good (evil). When a bad relationship exists between two good things we call that evil, but it does not become a "thing" that required God to create it.

Perhaps a further illustration will help. If a person is asked, "Does cold exist?" the answer would likely be "yes." However, this is incorrect. Cold does not exist. Cold is the absence of heat. Similarly, darkness does not exist; it is the absence of light. Evil is the absence of good, or better, evil is the absence of God. God did not have to create evil, but rather only allow for the absence of good.

God did not create evil, but He does allow evil. If God had not allowed for the possibility of evil, both mankind and angels would be serving God out of obligation, not choice. He did not want "robots" that simply did what He wanted them to do because of their "programming." God allowed for the possibility of evil so that we could genuinely have a free will and choose whether or not we wanted to serve Him.

As finite human beings, we can never fully understand an infinite God (Romans 11:33-34). Sometimes we think we understand why God is doing something, only to find out later that it was for a different purpose than we originally thought. God looks at things from a holy, eternal perspective. We look at things from a sinful, earthly, and temporal perspective. Why did God put man on earth knowing that Adam and Eve would sin and therefore bring evil, death, and suffering on all mankind? Why didn't He just create us all and leave us in heaven where we would be perfect and without suffering? These questions cannot be adequately answered this side of eternity. What we can know is whatever God does is holy and perfect and ultimately will glorify Him. God allowed for the possibility of evil in order to give us a true choice in regards to whether we worship Him. God did not create evil, but He allowed it. If He had not allowed evil, we would be worshipping Him out of obligation, not by a choice of our own will.

Recommended Resource: If God, Why Evil?: A New Way to Think about the Question by Norman Geisler.

From: GotQuestions.org Newsletter (http://www.gotquestions.org/) with thanks.

Further reading:

Why does God allow evil? - http://www.compellingtruth.org/God-allow-evil.html

Why does God allow evil men like Hitler and Saddam to come into power? - http://www.gotquestions.org/Hitler-Saddam.html

How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? - http://www.gotquestions.org/goodness-of-God.html

What is theodicy? - http://www.gotquestions.org/theodicy.html

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Regards,

 

Lizette De Klerk

 

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