History is Revised
RO77-01

Theistic Creationism

An Open System

The result of this, of course, in the minds of these early men was that man was important, and natural phenomena were important. Man was important because of his creation in the image of God. Natural phenomena were important because they enabled man to exercise dominion over the creation that God had made as God had directed him to do.

Evolutionary Humanism

What can be Measured Mathematically

Man was viewed now as part of this closed system, functioning entirely on forces beyond his control – chemical forces, and psychological forces. And he was part of this mechanistic universe.

Now, of course, you can readily see that this immediately removes any basis for determining what is right and wrong. It leads to man being treated like a machine – in fact, being treated like an animal, and being trained and changed accordingly by material forces. So, humanism, in fact, gradually dehumanizes this man who was designed to reflect the image of God.

Today, man is adrift in a sea of loneliness and despair as he tries to find something beyond himself – something that he can believe in, against his reason, that adds significance and meaning to his life.

Jean-Paul Sartre

Well, this false view of modern science is constantly repeated. We hear it taught in schools from the lowest to the highest levels. We hear it constantly expressed in a variety of ways through publications; the communications media; and, the entertainment world. So, most people believe that this is the way things are. They believe that God has nothing to do with science; that revelation has nothing to do with science; that those things do not exist; that they do not affect man; and, that when it comes to matters of morality, God that is not in the picture, and the Bible has no reference to morality.

They even think this about law. I've heard people defending the legal process which now adjusts the Constitution to what people think. Instead of the Constitution being the anchor point, now the Supreme Court says, "We must make the Constitution say what people today think it should say." Consequently, you no longer have a basis for the decisions of the Supreme Court relative to the safeguards of our Constitution.

The Law

Well what is the law all about? The law is a system of defending right against wrong. But what determined right and wrong, if not the Scriptures to begin with? The whole legal system, as we know it, is based upon Scripture itself. This is just as there could have been no modern science without the revelation of the Bible: that there was a God out there; what He had done; how this worked; and, that there was an open system that He supernaturally interjected from time to time. So, you could not have law, except that you recognize that the Scripture gave us an anchor point that said, "This is right; and, this is wrong: this is always wrong; and, this is always right – not a relativistic matter."

So, we are in desperate straits today. If ever Paul's statements in Romans 6:18 was clearly demonstrated, it is today: "Being then made free from the sin nature, you became the slaves of righteousness." We are born the slaves of the sin nature, but we have been made free from that, and become the slaves of righteousness.

Now, the mental frame of reference to which we have today, produced by non-biblical modern science, has led to various expressions of unregenerate man's enslavement to the sin nature. And that's what we're doing. We're trying to show you how this statement of Scripture has great meaning as you look upon society today. And it'll help you to understand what is happening; why people are like they are; why people think the way they do; and, why people do what they do, because of what Paul's statement here has declared to us. They are slaves of a sin nature.

Man today is taking his low view of humanity to its logical conclusions. What does that do? It humanizes man? He is seeking human welfare by government manipulation of people; by genetic engineering; and, by invasion of family life. The loss of the theistic creationism frame of reference has led to the loss of freedom without chaos. That is what the Bible gave us. We had God as the anchor point, and only Christianity had that. None of the religions of the world had any anchor point in the universe. Only man was what they tried to work from. Having lost the anchor point and the value system that God gives us through the Scriptures, then we'd have lost freedom without chaos.

Now, as we showed you in the previous session, man doesn't want to be hung in that machine of the universe. He wants to break out of that thing. He wants freedom from that machine. Well, how does he get it? Only by chaos. And that's where we have come to today. We have lost the guidelines that enabled us to have freedom without chaos.

The enslavement to the old sin nature, therefore, has produced a world on an animal level, and one which is very cruel to man. I need not remind you that communism is a prime example of cruelty to humanity, and communism is a direct product of this cutting loose from the anchor point of God.

So, here are some of the things that we want to look at as examples in a variety of areas of our society. You can multiply these many times. I'm just going to touch on a few that indicate the slavery in which the average American finds himself.

Evolution

So, men are slaves to concepts of science which are not even based on scientific principle. They cannot even be established as really good science. And evolutionists and evolutionary scientists just hate it when you say to him, "Evolution is not science – it's a religion." You can't prove creationism because you can't take creationism in the laboratory and demonstrate it. You can't prove evolution either. So, you can't take it into a laboratory and demonstrate it. They are being accepted on faith.

Now, to accept something on faith requires that you go and you say, "Well now, whose authority am I accepting this on? In whom am I placing my trust to believe this?" And of course, now the object is fallen man's scientific mentality over against the revelation of the God who's there, and the inerrant Bible that He's given us.

This is why many states are fighting tooth and nail to keep the public schools from teaching creationism as an alternative explanation for the origin of life forms. Every time they do it, evolution comes out looking as the asinine system that it is, and the Bible comes out smelling like a rose that it is. It is quite obvious, even to schoolchildren, as they are compared to this wild, blind chance, over a long period of time, creating life forms over against a personal, intelligent God, who everywhere gives evidence is of His presence, having created these forms. They don't even want children to know about that. That is an example of the slavery of science over the mind of man.

We look in the field of law, as we've already referred to. Legal systems now act upon what they consider the social good at the moment, no matter what the divine rules say – morality by consensus. The abortion decision was made entirely on the basis of sociological good, not on the basis of what the Word of God had to say about the sacredness of human life. The anti-capital punishment crowd, even though the Bible says this and this and this about murder-one punishment, they throw it out and say, "We don't consider the Bible. It is what people think that determines our attitude toward this."

The Constitution

What they did is well-summarized in The American Covenant by Marshall Foster and Mary-Ellen Swanson. Beginning to read on page 134: "What is it that identifies America as a Christian nation? What are the elements of our form of government that are distinctly biblical? These are questions that every American should be able to answer. Contrary to common belief today, most of our founders were Christians, and in contrast to the average person today, they understood that every nation has a theological and philosophical basis. Were they here today, they would not find it difficult to understand that even atheistic Marxist cultures, such as those that increasingly prevail around the globe, are religious to the core, preaching by force the doctrine of man as the measure of all things.

"In their time, our founders had the example of the French revolutionaries who were preaching much the same thing. But our founding fathers, with few exceptions, were diametrically opposed to the atheistic path chosen by the French revolutionaries. Even though this is so, it is important to remember that our nation was established as a Christian nation, not because all the founders or all the people were Christian, but because it was founded on the Christian view of man and government that prevailed at that time. Those who tried to dismiss the historical evidence that ours is a Christian republic, often point to two or three unbelieving founding fathers as if they were representative of all the rest. But the contrary is true. And these few individuals had to bow before the prevailing Christian perspective that surrounded them.

"The main elements of our government sprang from this perspective. But first, the stage had to be set. The people had to be prepared who shared a biblical world view of the nature of man and government. The biblical view of man drove them to develop a form of government that would neither depend blindly upon the will of the masses nor give absolute power to one man. They knew that, as Lord Acton succinctly stated, 'Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'

"Why did they understand the corrupting nature of power so well? Because they share the biblical view of the sin nature of man. Therefore, they could not share the view of the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau – that man is naturally good and able to perfect himself. Neither could they share his enthusiasm for the general will. The general will could be dead wrong. It could trample on the God-given rights of the individual. But neither did they believe what King George had tried to tell them – that they must bow to the decrees of the sovereign as a leader by divine right.

"The balanced biblical outlook of our founding fathers is exemplified in both the Old and New Testaments, and produced a new view of the body politic, beginning with representative government. For example, Moses was exhorted by his father-in-law, Jethro, to choose qualified judges, or representatives, to help him guide and direct Israel's (Exodus 18:13-21). The New Testament churches were admonished to choose elders and deacons, representatives based upon the qualifications laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1:6-9.

James Madison

"Sharing this view of life, as did most of the founding fathers, Madison saw the dangers of unrestrained majority rule, remarking that a society made up of those, 'Who assemble and administer the government in person can admit of no cure for the mischief of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case be felt by the majority of the whole. There is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security and the rights of property; and, have, in general, been assured in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.'

"While Madison hoped that the men chosen to office would be godly men who would act from the highest motives, he was under no illusion as to the sin nature of man. He knew that unless their powers were limited, 'Men of factious tempers; of local prejudices; or, of sinister designs, may by intrigue; by corruption; or, by other means, first obtain the suffrages, and then betray the interests of the people.'

"Throughout his career, Madison was always acutely aware of the mischiefs of faction, which he was convinced could only be handled effectively through a separation of powers. His college mentor, Dr. Witherspoon, had long held this view. Indeed, in order to understand Madison's political principles, it is necessary to understand his theological roots. As scholar James H. Smiley writes,' Madison's theological orientation is of paramount importance.' Why? Because, as Smiley notes, the source of his political presuppositions lies in the Calvinism he imbibed from Witherspoon during his formative years. While Madison was to come under many influences throughout his life, it was Witherspoon's which was of critical importance.

"What did he learn from Witherspoon that would affect his view of political power? 'Interpreting Scripture and the script of human experience, Witherspoon spoke often about human nature. His view of human nature must be seen in relation to his view of the dominion of providence. On the basis of this dependence, Witherspoon could emphasize human depravity as universal and inevitable, without excluding or minimizing man's obvious potential for good. The latter possibility was evidence of the preserving providence of God, who was continually working to fulfill His promises and purposes.'

"Because Madison gained a realistic Christian view of the nature of man from Dr. Witherspoon, He had far less confidence in the people than Jefferson did – far less confidence in political majorities. 'He steered clear of that optimism in human nature, which almost always leads to anarchy, and thus he helped to modify the least desirable aspects of Jefferson's political thrust.' It is not too much to assert, as Smiley does, that Madison translated the views of Witherspoon on the nature of man into a political instrument."

Inflation

This violates the principle of Scripture. Those of us who are slaves of righteousness (the righteousness of God) know that the Bible teaches us that government is the power of the sword; that government is designed by God is a divine institution to protect the nation from external and internal enemies; and, that the government is never supposed to engage in dealing with the production of wealth. The production of wealth is covered by the other divine institutions: freedom of volition to operate within a free enterprise system; the marriage unit; and, the consequent family unit. Those three divine institutions are the way God says that a man makes his wealth and a family develops its prosperity.

However, the government is forbidden in Scriptures to enter the field of economics and redistributing wealth. Yet you can forget that concept in the United States. That is at the heart of the system of economics under which we live – government as a participant in creating wealth and distributing it. That's socialism. There is no hope for this nation from a biblical frame of reference. That cannot be reversed. That line of destructive thinking, since the days of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, is irreversible. That is why the United States is on a collision course with the Almighty Himself.

History is Revised

They have glamorized evil, and they have sought to discredit American capitalism. And the history books now that people like Mel and Norma Gabler are fighting (our Texas history books), which, in so many words, discredit and belittle American capitalism, and present it as something evil, rather than the fact that this is the thing that has brought more prosperity to more people, and more blessings, than any other system in the world. It's not perfect, but it is a system that God has established.

Economics in the Scriptures

Even in the early church, when believers were banding together under those severe conditions that they faced, and they shared a kind of communal lifestyle, it was on the basis of their willingness. This is why Ananias and Sapphira were put to death by the Holy Spirit, because they came and they brought a certain gift, and they lied to the congregation. Peter said, "Is this all you got for the sale of your property?" They said, "Yes, it is." And it was not. And Peter's question to them was what? "Why did you lie? Was it not years before you sold it to do with as you please; and, after you sold it, was it not yours to do with as you please?" Who on earth can read that passage and not recognize that as pure private ownership of property, which is pure capitalism?

You can see the enslavement that, even upon religious leaders, is absolutely fantastic. You wonder why you sit here as a small, infinitesimal group in the vineyard of God, and why most people in this city don't want to join you. It is because they're so frightening because modern science, when it has abandoned God, has so filtered down a misconception in human thinking that they are sure you cannot be right. They are sure that the things that you hear said on the basis of Scripture absolutely cannot apply. Therefore, it is only a handful of chosen people of God who are going to get enlightened and realize where our society stands as a slave to the sin nature.

Our history books in public schools are not beyond discrediting our national heroes. One history book described to the children how our first president, General Washington, died as the result of a cold that he received while he was visiting one of his female slaves in her cabin. And then a footnote at the bottom said, "There is no documentation to confirm this story." In other words, we have no basis of saying this is true, but we're going to tell it to you anyhow, because it's kind of one those good things of gossip that you can hardly find nowadays. But what did it do? It discredited, in the eyes of many children, President Washington.

However, on the other hand, one of the things that our teachers found at the Fort Worth conference was that, in studying the diary of George Washington, and some of the early founders of this nation, they have found page-after-page where these men have expressed their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ; their faith in God; and, their confidence in the doctrine of Scriptures as that which is the guidelines for humanity. That is what they wrote about themselves. The gossip stories and the slander is recorded so that history can be revised in different directions.

Let's take religion – using the Bible to motivate some action, even though the content of Scripture condemns that action. And the Bible is misinterpreted and is abused by the liberals. The Bible is used simply as a religious book to create a religious impact. One of our ladies came up to me following the previous session, and said that there was a lady at work who had gone on a tour of a couple or three weeks of European countries. And one of the places they had visited was Rome. And she was just ecstatic. So, our church member said, "What did you like most at Rome?" She said, "Oh, I saw the pope." Anyhow, the conversation went on. Our lady said, "Did he speak?" She said, "Yes, he preached." Our lady said, "What did he say?" She said, "Well, I don't know. He spoke in some other language." Our lady said, "Well, what was it that impressed you?" She said, "Oh, I don't know. It's just the pope." Our lady said that her eyes were all aglow, and she said, "Are you a Catholic?" She said, "Oh, no. No, I'm a Protestant. But it was so wonderful – the pope."

Believing in Something Irrational

Can you find a better description of the charismatic movement today – religious experience and manipulation emotionally without content of the Word? That is slavery to the sin nature in operation? Can you see why the false prophet is going to be such an impressive personality? Can you see why the antichrist, to whom he directs devotion, is going to be so impressive to that tribulation world?

You and I, thinking in terms of absolute truth, and in terms of God as the anchor point of truth, and the revelation of God in the Bible as the frame of reference that we work from, we think that people have to have a reason for being impressed; a rational reason for being impressed with the antichrist; and, a rational reason for wanting to listen to the false prophet. That is not so. It is not without reason that the book of Revelation describes that final religious scene, which it calls a harlot woman – spiritual adultery. And we'll get to that in a little bit. It describes that woman in glowing terms of robes of scarlet and external elegance, because that is what impresses the poor, pathetic mind of modern man who has cut himself off from content.

Television

Qube

Now, there's a little sticky problem with Qube. They have discovered that, while indeed people punch buttons, there is no way of knowing what is reported at the other end of the line as to what buttons were punched. So, people at home could punch all kinds of negative buttons, relative to something that President Carter has proposed, and they say, "I think it stinks." But Qube can come right out with a report that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of and enthused by what the president has just said. They did that on Carter's energy program. The reaction was immediate, great response of Americans in favor of what the president had said. When the other polls ran their polls, they discovered that that was not the case as to what Americans had said. Television is a system which influences man and demonstrates his enslavement to the sin nature.

Controlling Human Behavior

Computers

Male and Female Roles

There is a publication called "The Advocate," which is put out by a legal group which is fighting in behalf of Christian schools, and of church groups, and of religious liberty of freedom from the domination and intrusion of the state. Here's a little special front-page notice. This is in "The Advocate," September, 1979. It says, "Church Sued in Dismissal of Homosexual Staff Member: A suit has been filed in San Francisco (where else?) Municipal Court by Kevin Walker, alleging sexual discrimination in his firing by a local Orthodox Presbyterian church. The case is certain to raise crucial issues of religious liberty, and the rights of churches to govern their affairs in accordance with their religious beliefs.

"Walker's action is based on the San Francisco Municipal Ordinance prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual preference. Walker's employment as an organist at a local Orthodox Presbyterian church was terminated when it was learned that Walker was a practicing homosexual. John Whitehead and Thomas Neuberger, CLS members, are counsel for the pastor and church."

Can you believe that? Here is a city (San Francisco) with its propensity toward homosexual activity and tolerance, and you can see it all over the streets when you visit there. They have passed an ordinance that you do not have a right, even as a religious institution, to say that: "We will not have this person, who violates a biblical principle, ministering in our church, and being an influence upon our young people." And these people are being taken to a court of law. That, people, is an example of enslavement to the sin nature.

Abortion

The educational system that we are under; the teaching of evolutionary humanism as a frame of reference; teaching which is devoid of academic skills; and, teaching which is designed to change the values of children rather than to give them academic skills and accomplishments.

The Splitting of the Atom

They had come to a point where they were at a blank wall. They knew theoretically and mathematically – Einstein had confirmed this for them, that this should work; that they should be able to split the atom; and, that they should be able to release the tremendous power of energy that would be released once they broke an atom. And they were up against a blank wall. Everything they did came to no end. They could not do it. The most brilliant brains gathered any place in the world were sitting right up there under those stands in the University of Chicago. And they couldn't bring about the things that so much was riding on, which the Germans, at the same time, we're trying to do over in Europe. And which, if they had done, this would have been a different world, I guarantee you, from what it is today.

Prayer

So, they prayed and it was in a matter of a few days that they made their breakthrough, and they pulled it off. Accidental? Coincidental? Only those ignorance of how God works would think that. But that isn't modern science anymore.

Genetic Engineering

Well, you could multiply this a great deal. There is one great enslavement that we will not have time to do today. We'll do that next time – the enslavement of sexual immorality that has overwhelmed this nation.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1977

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