Sunday, June 2, 2013

Noah and Deucalion

What do they know of England, that only England know?

It was through the writings of Immanuel Velikovsky that I learned of sources that parallel the Bible. I remember my first reading of Worlds In Collision that a new source of information opened up to me. Now it is said that all we need is the Bible as our final authority. Let me say it this way, "All WE need is the Bible."

There is a whole world in academia, for instance, that has never been exposed to the Scriptures, but will listen to pagan sources. Paul understood this, and in his ministry to the Greeks even quoted a pagan poet to get their attention. How amazing, people said. "Behold, a Jew who speaks Greek!" Not only did Paul speak Greek but he apparently was familiar with their poetry.

So many in the church gather with their fellow Christians to exchange views on the Bible. Many include pagan concepts, like hell, in their most beloved errors. They will say, "All I know is my Bible is true." I agree, but how does that help you to reach out to those who do not know it?

We have become so insulated from the reality of the world that we are proud of our ignorance and have trouble relating to it. Baptists can only really talk to other Baptists, and even there, are we talking about the distinction between Southern Baptist and Independent Baptists, between storehouse tithers (book of Malachi) or free will Baptists, regarding voluntary giving?

I am not against people taking a stand for their beliefs. That is how the Protestant church began. But my experience in the college world showed me they do not care about these arguments. To show such people that you know about things not written in God's Word, really gets their attention. They begin to listen to you.

How do I know this? I have not just heard it, I have lived it. I am not talking about compromise at all, as I am a Fundamentalist. I speak of getting the attention and respect of others, far from our beliefs.

I know it is said, "Peter was a simple fisherman." Fine. His ministry was to the Jews. I love his writings, which are so profound.

But Paul could address the Gentiles in their own language. On Mars Hill he got their attention on their own turf. After all, the New Testament was written in Greek and the Old was translated into Greek in such accurate form that Jesus quoted from it.

Someone saw my Bible at work. They said, "I guess that is all you know." I replied, "I read more books in a month than you have read in your lifetime." I took a chance on that one, but my critic did not reply to contradict me.

The more you look into the Flood story, the more you find that it is fundamental to all cultures. Deucalion, the Greek god, is quoted on building a huge box to survive the coming flood. This version is crude, but is a starting point. The Ipuwar Papayrus, from ancient Egypt, matches the account of Moses concerning the Exodus.

We don't need corroborating evidence to prove the Bible, but many people do. Let's think of them when we witness.

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