What hope does finite man have to know any truth about the infinite God? His eternal power is revealed in His creation so clearly that the apostle says that men who suppress this knowledge are without excuse [Romans 1]. But God reveals Himself and his attributes to men in the Scriptures and through the person and work of Jesus Christ, ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ [John 14:9].

‘The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law’ [Deuteronomy 29:29]. So what does God reveal about Himself?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” [Isaiah 55:8-9].

Why would creatures expect to fathom the infinite Creator? He has told us that we are limited in our knowledge and that our capacity to understand is also limited. Our tendency is to think too highly of ourselves and not nearly high enough about God.

God reveals Himself to Moses as ‘I AM’…

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” [Exodus 3:14].

Moses gives us some insight into the meaning of ‘I AM’…

‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God’ [Psalm 90:1-2].

Moses tells us that God is outside the constraints of time and space. ‘In the beginning God created…’ [Genesis 1:1]

Science is about the discovery of the created order; that is, what can be measured and observed. The supernatural creation event is outside the realm of science and can be understood only in the realm of faith through divine revelation…

‘By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible’ [Hebrews 11:3].

God cannot be found out by the autonomous reason of finite men. According to the Scriptures He is known only by faith…

‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ [Hebrews 11:6].

The Puritans held to a social order of self-government under the Law of God. They saw the Scriptures as the only sufficient foundation for law and morality. Finite men could not know truth from reason alone apart from divine revelation. This novel idea revolutionized the world, leading to a government founded on the principles of rule of law and individual liberty.

It was revolutionary to the common people, having put off the arbitrary rule of kings. Those who were in the Kingdom of God and ruled by the words of Christ now enjoyed freedom in the physical realm as well as the spiritual.

With socialism and its arbitrary morality imposed by government coercion, Western culture is on the road that leads away from liberty. The nanny state socialists think they know what is best for everyone else. Given the power they would impose their will to restrict what is bad behavior and force what is good. The elites once again become the moral arbiters based on what they perceive is good for the state. This is the path back toward tyranny.

The leaders of the Great Awakening in New England including Jonathan Edwards and the English evangelist George Whitefield shared the Puritan theology. Have you ever considered that their view of the Bible helped give the early Americans a reference to the absolute that provided the necessary basis for law?

The Bible reveals the moral character of the Creator and Ruler of the universe. It also reveals the moral nature of men; made in the image of God, yet fallen into a state of total depravity being unable to rescue himself from spiritual deadness.

However, the Bible doesn’t leave men without hope. It reveals the covenant of grace. Man’s redemption lies in the person and work of the only Mediator between God and man. Jesus Christ is revealed as the Lamb of God now exalted and given all authority to govern the nations according to His will. Christ’s rule of the nations is the subject of the current series of articles on the Sovereignty of God and the Revelation of Jesus Christ as a philosophy of history.

So, the Bible gives us the truth about man’s condition and the hope of redemption. Have you ever considered that this is what the founders mean with statements that a free church and true religion is necessary for liberty? Unrestrained by self-government, free men will abound in lawlessness because that is their nature.

Socialism is a perversion of the foundations of Western culture. It has a fatally flawed view of man, thinking that law and morality can be derived from the fallen reason of finite men. Have you ever considered that this is the reason socialism leads to oppression rather than liberty?

For more of this subject refer to the articles from Francis Schaeffer’s Escape from Reason starting at this link…

//valiantfortruth.townhall.com/g/e141e589-e1b4-4919-9417-852f20a1b43b

Granted that we should interpret a symbol as a whole, and its details in harmony with the whole, what does the symbol mean? Does it refer to a specific event in history, a particular happening, a detail of chronology or perhaps an important date?

We can distinguish between two types of symbols. There are symbols that describe the beginning or the end of the new dispensation; that is, the age of the gospel between the first and second coming of Christ. These symbols are evident from their context and generally refer to a specific event. For example, the radiant woman who is delivered of a son, a man-child refers to the church bringing forth the Christ in his human nature [12:1-5]. Again, the two-fold harvest refers to the final judgment, that one great event [14:14-20].

There are other symbols that intervene during the new dispensation. For example, do the lamp-stands, the seals, the trumpets and the bowls refer to specific events, single happenings, dates or persons in history? If they do, then we must admit that we cannot interpret them, nor can anyone else. Among the thousands of dates and events and persons of history that show certain traits of resemblance to the symbol in question, who is able to select the specific one forecast by the symbol? Thousand of varied interpretation result, but with marked by uncertainty. The Apocalypse remains a closed book.

Yet, we fully believe that the book is a revelation, an unveiling and by no means a closed book. Therefore, we must look for some other rule of interpretation.

We hold that this rule, far from being superimposed upon the symbols, is derived from them. It is upon the basis of the symbols themselves, as described in the book that we arrive at this very significant conclusion. The seals, trumpets, bowls and similar pictures, refer not to specific events or details of history but to principles that are operating throughout the history of the world, especially, throughout the new dispensation.

What is the evidence? Notice first that the sphere in which these seals, trumpets and bowls operate is very extensive. These symbols affect, respectively, the fourth part of the earth; the third part of the earth, sea trees; the whole earth and sea. Now, this could hardly be true if each seal, trumpet or bowl had reference to just one single event in history; an event that takes place at a certain date in a definite location. If, however, we regard the symbol as indicating a whole series of happenings from the beginning to the end of the new dispensation, the sphere in which these symbols operate begin to have meaning. For example, we can understand the expression ‘a huge mountain all ablaze was hurled into the sea’ if it represents all maritime disasters throughout the dispensation.

Again, these symbols affect not just a limited group of people but a multitude that no man can number. The trumpets affect mankind. ‘And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues…’ [9:20] We cannot escape the impression that the symbols refer to series of happenings, to principles of human and satanic conduct. They refer to things that happen again and again, so that the book of Revelation is always up to date. The symbols describe principles of conduct and of divine moral government that are in evidence today as well as during the first century.

The symbols usually come in groups of seven. The book is addressed to seven churches, represented by seven lamp-stands. There are seven stars symbolizing seven angels of the churches. There are seven spirits of God represented by seven lamps. Further, there are seven seals, a Lamb with seven eyes and seven horns. Seven angels blow seven trumpets blasts. Seven other angels pour out the contents of seven bowls full of the final seven plagues. Seven thunders utter voices. The beast out of the sea has seven heads. There are seven mountains, seven kings…

The number seven indicates completeness. It harmonizes well with the idea that the symbols refer to principles of human conduct and of divine government that are ever operative, especially throughout this entire dispensation.

We should constantly bear in mind that the purpose of God and of the seer is to make wise unto salvation. The book has an ethical and spiritual purpose. If these symbols indicate or predict isolated or future events, then our curiosity may be satisfied but it can hardly be said that we are edified. On the other hand, if we believe that the book reveals the principles of divine moral government which are constantly operating; so that, whatever age we happen to live in, we can see God’s hand in history, His mighty arm ever protecting us and giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ; then we are edified and comforted.


[Again thanks to Dr. Hendriksen]

Someone is walking among seven golden lamp-stands. He is wearing a long robe with a gold belt around his breast. His hair is white as snow and his eyes blaze like fire. In his right hand he is holding seven stars, and from his month issues a sharp double-edged sword. The scene changes. We see a halo-encircled Throne. Out of the Throne come flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. In the right hand of the Throne-Occupant there is a scroll, sealed with seven seals. Now, some one is approaching the Throne. Who is he? The lion of the tribe of Judah takes the scroll. Immediately the four living ones around the Throne and also the twenty-four elders fall down before the lamb. Each has a harp and gold bowls full of incense. But listen: now, they are singing the new song. As this music dies, we see four horses: white, red, black, and pale. Notice also the riders. See what each one does. As these horses and their riders are going forth, we see people slaughter one another. Some seem to be hungry. In fact, they appear to be starving. Others are being thrown before the wild beasts. We now see the souls of the slaughtered individuals. In a loud voice they are crying underneath the altar. But now the sun becomes black as sackcloth. The full moon takes on the color of blood. The stars of the sky are falling on earth. The sky is being rolled up just like a scroll. Every mountain and island is being dislodged from its place. People, including kings and poor alike are hiding themselves in caves and rocks. Four angels now are holding back the four winds so that they do not immediately damage anything on earth or sea. Now a hundred forty-four thousand people are marked with a seal. And now: a great crowd that no one could possibly count, people of every nationality and region on earth, with palm-branches in their hands. What are they doing? They are crying with a loud voice…

‘Our salvation is the work of our God who is seated upon the Throne, and of the Lamb.’ Now seven angels with seven trumpets and another angel are busily engaged offering incense. Now, the censer is being filled with fire. It is emptied upon the earth followed by peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The entire book consists of changing scenes, moving pictures and active symbols. The question arises: what do these pictures mean? How shall we interpret them? Let’s take a lesson on the wrong method of interpretation. Remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. There are some that would give the meaning of this beautiful story in the following manner…

‘The man who is on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho represents Adam, the head of the human race. He left the heavenly city and is traveling down to the city of earth, the profane city. But, having turned his desires toward the earth, he falls into the hands of robbers: that is, he is overpowered by satan and his evil angels. These robbers strip him of the garment of original righteousness. They also best him, leaving him full of wounds, half-dead. Yes, half-dead in sins and trespasses. The priest and the levite represent the law and the sacrifices. They cannot save the sinner. They are powerless to help. But the Good Samaritan, namely, Jesus Christ, is traveling that way and helps the poor sinner. This Good Samaritan dresses his wounds with the oil of the Holy Spirit and with wine, namely, the blood of his Passion. He, then puts the poor man on his own mule, that is, on the merits of his own righteousness. He takes the poor man to an inn, that is, to church. The next day, the Good Samaritan gives the host two shillings, that is, the Word and the Sacraments, in order that with these he may provide for the spiritual needs of the poor sinner. Then the Good Samaritan departs but promises to return later.’

Hyper-spiritualized explanations will never help us to understand the Parables of Christ or His Revelation. The explanation just given is wrong from start to finish. It is altogether wrong to ask what is meant by the robbers, the priest, the levite, the Good Samaritan, the wine, the oil, the mule, the inn and the two shillings. Not any of these has any ‘deeper’ spiritual meaning. If the mule must be spiritualized, then who is going to determine what is its meaning? What about the two shillings? Do they represent the two sacraments, the word and sacraments or perhaps the two testaments? Who is going to determine the proper meaning? When the context in which the parable occurs says nothings about it, then neither should we say anything.

Surely, all these elements of the parable have their value. They belong to the parable. Without them the parable would not be complete and would convey no meaning. However, we should not ascribe a separate, spiritual meaning to each of these elements. We should ask what is the meaning of the parable taken as a whole. Each parable teaches one central lesson. Study of the context usually makes the meaning clear. Christ gives the parable in reply to the question, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ [Luke 10:29] At the end of the parable Christ asks the question, ‘Which of the three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ [Luke 10:36] From the context we can conclude that the meaning of the parable is that our neighbor is defined as anyone the Lord happens to place in our path.

Something similar holds with respect to the interpretation of the symbols of the Apocalypse. We must not begin to press the details. For example, in the symbol of the locusts that come out of the pit of the abyss in chapter 9, we must not ask what is the separate meaning of their hair, teeth, breast-plates, etc. We must not pull the symbol apart, losing its unity. These details belong to the picture. We should ask first what is the picture, taken as a whole, then what is the one central meaning of the picture.

As a rule the details belong to the symbol. We will not try to give a ‘deeper’ interpretation to the details, except insofar as the interpretation of these details is necessary in order to bring out the full meaning of the central idea of the symbol. Thus in the symbol of the New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22, the central idea is perfect fellowship with God. The details such as walls, foundations, gates, rivers, etc. describe the glorious character of this fellowship. What we are after is the total impression, the central idea, of each complete symbol. As in the parables so here the context will explain the meaning of the picture.

[Thanks to William Hendriksen for his commentary on Revelation, More than Conquerors]

Let it be said very emphatically that the heart can only rest upon and enjoy the blessed truth of the absolute sovereignty of God as faith is in exercise. Faith is ever occupied with God. That is the character of it: that is what differentiates it from intellectual theology. Faith endures "as seeing Him who is invisible" [Hebrews 11:27] : endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind. But so long as we are occupied with any other object than God Himself, there will be neither rest for the heart nor peace for the mind. But when we receive all that enters our lives as from His hand, then, no matter what may be our circumstances or surroundings—whether in a hovel, a prison-dungeon, or a martyr’s stake—we shall be enabled to say, "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places" [Psalms 16:6]. But that is the language of faith, not of sight or of sense.

If instead of bowing to the testimony of Scripture and walking by faith, we follow the evidence of our eyes, and reason therefrom, we shall fall into a quagmire of virtual atheism. Or, if we are regulated by the opinions and views of others, peace will be at an end. Granted that there is much in this world of sin and, suffering which appalls and saddens us; granted that there is much in the providential dealings of God which startle and stagger us; that is no reason why we should unite with the unbelieving worldling who says, ‘If I were God, I would not allow this or tolerate that’. Better far, in the presence of bewildering mystery, to say with one of old, ‘I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst it’ [Psalms 39:9]. Scripture tells us that God’s judgments are ‘unsearchable’, and His ways ‘past finding out’ [Romans 11:33]. It must be so if faith is to be tested, confidence in His wisdom and righteousness strengthened, and submission to His holy will fostered.

Here is the fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is ‘of the world,’ judges everything by worldly standards, views life from the standpoint of time and sense, and weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making. But the man of faith brings in God, looks at everything from His standpoint, estimates values by spiritual standards, and views life in the light of eternity. Doing this, he receives whatever comes as from the hand of God. Doing this, his heart is calm in the midst of the storm. Doing this, he rejoices in hope of the glory of God.

The Sovereignty of God is a truth revealed to us in Scripture for the comfort of our hearts, the strengthening of our souls, and the blessing of our lives. A due apprehension of God’s Sovereignty promotes the spirit of worship, provides an incentive to practical godliness, and inspires zeal in service. It is deeply humbling to the human heart, but in proportion to the degree that it brings man into the dust before his Maker, to that extent is God glorified.

[Edited from The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink]

If we believe the plain and positive declaration of the Scriptures, then no room is left for uncertainty. They affirm, again and again, that God is on the throne of the universe; that the sceptre is in His hands; that He is directing all things ‘after the counsel of His own will’. They affirm, not only that God created all things, but also that God is ruling and reigning over all the works of His hands. They affirm that God is the ‘Almighty’, that His will is irreversible, that He is absolute sovereign in every realm of all His vast dominions. And surely it must be so. Only two alternatives are possible: God must either rule, or be ruled; sway, or be swayed; accomplish His own will, or be thwarted by His creatures. Accepting the fact that He is the ‘Most High’, the only Potentate and King of kings, vested with perfect wisdom and limitless power, and the conclusion is irresistible that He must be God in fact, as well as in name.

Without a doubt a world crisis is at hand, and everywhere men are alarmed. But God is not taken by surprise. It is no unexpected emergency which now confronts Him, for He is the One who ‘works all things after the counsel of His own will’ [Ephesians 1:11]. Though the world is panic stricken, the word to the believer is, ‘Fear not’! ‘All things’ are subject to His immediate control: ‘all things’ are moving in accord with His eternal purpose, and therefore, ‘all things’ are ‘working together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.’ It must be so, for ‘of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things’ [Romans 11:36].

Yet how little is this realized today even by the people of God! Many suppose that He is little more than a far distance Spectator, taking no immediate hand in the affairs of earth. It is true that man has a will, but so also has God. It is true that man is endowed with power, but God is all-powerful. It is true that the material world is regulated by law, but behind the law is the law Giver and law Administrator. Man is but the creature. God is the Creator. Endless ages before man first saw the light ‘the mighty God’ [Isaiah 9:6] existed, and ere the world was founded, made His plans; and being infinite in power and man only finite, His purpose and plan cannot be withstood or thwarted by the creatures of His own hands.

We readily acknowledge that life is a profound problem, and that we are surrounded by mystery on every side; but we are not like the beasts of the field-ignorant of their origin, and unconscious of what is before them. No: ‘We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy,’ of which it is said you do well to ‘take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts’ [2 Peter 1:19]. It is to this Word of Prophecy we indeed do well to ‘take heed’. That Word which had not its origin in the mind of man, but in the Mind of God, for, ‘the prophecy came not at any time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake moved by the Holy Spirit.’ As we turn to this Word and are instructed therein, we discover a fundamental principle which must be applied to every problem: Instead of beginning with man and his world and working back to God, we must begin with God and work down to man-‘In the beginning God!’

Apply this principle to the present situation. Begin with the world as it is today and try and work back to God, and everything will seem to show that God has no connection with the world at all. But begin with God and work down to the world, and light, much light, is cast on the problem. Because God is holy His anger burns against sin; because God is righteous His judgments fall upon those who rebel against Him; because God is faithful the solemn threatenings of His Word are fulfilled; because God is omnipotent none can successfully resist Him, still less overthrow His counsel; and because God is omniscient no problem can master Him and no difficulty baffle His wisdom. It is just because God is who He is and what He is that we are now beholding on earth what we do-the beginning of His outpoured judgments: in view of His inflexible justice and immaculate holiness we could not expect anything other than what is now spread before our eyes.

[Edited from The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink]

The book of Revelation acquaints us with the principles of human conduct and of divine moral government. These principles are always and everywhere in evidence. Therefore, the book is applicable to conditions in the churches of every continent in every generation. It indicates how we should interpret current events and recorded history. It gives us the real philosophy of history.

Wherever there is a church, it is a lampstand or light-bearer so that we see the light of Christ shining in the midst of the darkness. This is the summary of chapters 1-3. ‘Ye are the light of the world’ and ‘…lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ [Matthew 5:14 and 28:20]

Whenever this happens, the world hates the church; the darkness refuses to be conquered by the light. Persecution follows; also trials of every description. These trials are overruled for the good of the church. Believers are ever victorious. The come out of tribulation. This is the summary of chapters 4-7. ‘In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ [John 16:33]

Wherever and whenever the church is persecuted, the Lord hears and answers the prayers of His persecuted people. He sees the blood of the martyred saints. Hence, trumpets of judgment warn the wicked. This is the summary of chapters 8-11. ‘And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night…? [Luke 18:7]

This struggle on the surface between the church and the world ever indicates a deeper struggle between Christ and the Dragon. This is the summary of chapters 12-14. ‘And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.’ [Genesis 3:15]

For the impenitents, bowls of wrath ever follow trumpets of judgment. That is true today; it was true yesterday; it will be true tomorrow in every nation. This is summary of chapters 15-16. ‘…but because of your hardness and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath …’ [Romans 2:5]

Satan and all his helpers ever seem to be victorious, but in reality are always defeated. This is the summary of chapters 17-19 and 20-22. ‘And the world passes away, and the lust thereof…’ and ‘…we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.’ [I John 2:17 and Romans 8:37]

Jesus Christ, exalted now in glory, governs the world in the interest of His church according to the principles given in His book of Revelation.

[Credits to William Hendriksen from his More than Conquerers]

Who is regulating affairs on the earth today—God, or the Devil? That God reigns supreme in Heaven, is generally conceded; that He does so over the world, is almost universally denied—if not directly, then indirectly. More and more men are relegating God to the background. Take the material realm. Not only is it denied that God created everything, by personal and direct action, but few believe that He has any immediate concern in regulating the works of His own hands.

Everything is supposed to be ordered according to the impersonal and abstract ‘laws of nature’. Thus is the Creator banished from His own creation. Therefore, we need not be surprised that men, in their degrading conceptions, exclude Him from the realm of human affairs. Throughout the churches, with little exception, the theory is held that man is ‘a free agent’, and therefore, lord of his fortunes and the determiner of his destiny.

Take a serious view at the world. What a scene of confusion and chaos confronts us on every side. Sin is rampant; lawlessness abounds; evil men and seducers are waxing ‘worse and worse’. Unrest and discontent are rife everywhere. Men’s hearts are ‘failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth’. Do these things look as though God has full control?

Let us confine our attention to the religious realm. After twenty centuries of gospel preaching, Christ is still ‘despised and rejected of men’. Worse still, the Christ of Scripture is proclaimed and magnifies by very few. In the majority of the modern pulpits He is dishonored and disowned. Despite frantic efforts to attract the crowds, the majority of the churches are being emptied rather than filled. And what of the great masses of non-church goers? In the light of Scripture we are compelled to believe that the ‘many’ are on the broad way that leads to destruction, and that only ‘few’ are on the narrow way that leads to life.

Many are declaring that Christianity is a failure, and despair is settling in many hearts. Not a few of the Lord’s own people are bewildered, and their faith is being severely tried. And what of God? Does He see and hear? Is He impotent or indifferent? Are conditions beyond God’s control? Do these things look as though God is ruling the world?

What impression is made upon the minds of those men of the world who, occasionally, attend a gospel service? What are the conceptions formed by those who hear even those preachers who are counted as ‘orthodox’? Is it not that a disappointed God is the One in whom Christians believe? From what is heard from the average evangelist today, is not any serious hearer obliged to conclude that he professes to represent a God who is filled with benevolent intentions, yet unable to accomplish them; that He is earnestly desirous of blessing men, but that they will not let Him? Then, must not the average hearer draw the inference that the Devil has gained the upper hand over God?

Does not everything seem to show that the Devil has far more to do with the affairs of earth than God? Ah, it all depends upon whether we are walking by faith, or walking by sight. Are our thoughts concerning this world and God’s relation to it, based upon what we see? Christians will acknowledge that the walk of faith is difficult. What does ‘walking by faith’ signify? It means that our thoughts are formed, our actions regulated, our lives molded by the Scriptures. ‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’. It is from the word of truth, and that alone, that we can learn what is God’s relation to this world.

Who is regulating affairs on the earth today—God or the Devil? What saith the Scriptures?…

Comets and a Young Solar System

A typical comet, when far from the Sun, resembles a dirty, misshapen snowball, a few miles across. About 38% of its mass is frozen water—but this ice is extremely light and fluffy, with much empty space between ice particles. The rest is dust and various chemicals. They even contain organic matter which many early scientists concluded came from ‘decomposed organic bodies.’ Today, a popular belief is that comets brought life to Earth. Instead, comets may have traces of life from Earth.

As a comet approaches the Sun, a small fraction of the snowball evaporates, forming a gas and dust cloud. Solar wind pushes comet tails away from the Sun, so comets traveling away from the Sun move tail-first.

Comets are rapidly disappearing. Some of their mass is “burned off” each time they pass near the Sun, and they frequently collide with planets, moons, and the Sun. Comets passing near large planets receive gravity boosts that fling them, like a slingshot, out of the solar system forever. Since comets are fragile, they are sometimes torn apart as shown in Figure 1.

Jupiter’s Family of Comets

Of the almost 1,000 known comets, 205 orbit the Sun in less than 100 years. These are the short-period comets. About 60% of all short-period comets have aphelions 4–6 AU from the Sun. A comet obits the sun in an elliptical path. The aphelion is its farthest point from the Sun. An AU is a unit of measure equal to the nominal distance between the sun and earth. So, the earth is 1 AU from the sun. Because Jupiter travels in a nearly circular orbit that lies near the center of that range (5.2 AU from the Sun), those comets are called Jupiter’s family as shown in Figure 2. Comets in Jupiter’s family do not travel with Jupiter, but they share the orbital characteristic of aphelion distance.

What does this observation have to say about the origin of comets? Why should comets cluster into families defined by aphelions? Why is Jupiter’s family so large? No doubt, Jupiter’s gigantic size has something to do with it.


 FIGURE 2 - Jupiter's Family of Comets



Collection of Jupiter's Family

How Jupiter collected its large family of comets presents major problems, because comets falling toward the Sun from the outer solar system would be traveling too fast as they zip inside Jupiter’s orbit. To slow them down so they could join Jupiter’s family would require such great deceleration forces that the comets would have to pass very near planets. But those near passes could easily tear comets apart or eject them from the solar system.

To better understand what is meant by ‘Jupiter’s family,’ refer to Figure 3. While comets A, B, and C orbit the Sun, only A and B are in Jupiter’s family, because their farthest point from the Sun is near Jupiter’s orbit.

A bullet, when fired straight up, slows to almost zero velocity near the top of its trajectory; its farthest point from Earth. A comet also moves very slowly near its aphelion. If a comet’s aphelion is ever near Jupiter during any orbit, Jupiter’s large gravity will pull the nearly stationary comet steadily toward Jupiter. Because a comet spends a relatively long time near its farthest point, Jupiter’s gravity acts for an equally long time. Even a comet’s orbital plane is slowly but steadily aligned with Jupiter’s. Thus, aphelions of short-period comets tend to be pulled toward Jupiter’s nearly circular orbit, regardless of whether the aphelion is inside, outside, above, or below that circle.

One can think of Jupiter’s mass as being spread out in a hoop that coincides with Jupiter’s orbit. This “hoop analogy” simplifies the analysis of many long-term gravitational effects. Comets feel more pull toward the nearest part of the hoop.

Statistical examination of all historical sightings of every orbit (almost 500) of every comet in Jupiter’s family confirms this effect.

Comets in Jupiter’s family run an increased risk of colliding with Jupiter or planets in the inner solar system, or being expelled from the solar system by Jupiter’s gigantic gravity. Therefore, they have a life expectancy of only about 12,000 years.

Conclusion

Could we not conclude that comets originated recently from the inner solar system in order to join Jupiter’s family, since such comets could not have come from beyond Jupiter’s orbit? What would prevent us from making that conclusion? Our view of the Genesis Flood is not at all catastrophic enough. Even though the Lord compares his coming to the Days of Noah and one comparison that could be made is the level of destruction that occurs on the earth and its effects on the heavens, our view of the Genesis Flood is not at all catastrophic enough.

Credits to Dr. Walt Brown for his free, online book at www.creationscience.com. He has the most comprehensive view of flood related phenomenon to our knowledge. This material is taken from his chapter on the origin of comets.

We introduce it here to illustrate how prevailing theory can restrict the advancement of science by making accommodations to anomalous data rather than reexamining the theory. The Oort cloud is an imaginary source of comets to replenish the comet supply, since it is generally agreed that comets have limited life expectancies of around 12000 years.

Only if we are not bound by the long ages of evolution theory, can we conclude that comets formed within that time period. Dr. Brown’s hydroplate theory gives a good explanation for the origin of comets. It also addresses the flood related language of Genesis 7:11 and 8:2: ‘the fountains of the great deep were broken’ and ‘the windows of heaven were opened.’

The hydroplate theory places the source of comets at Earth, well inside Jupiter’s orbit. Therefore, many comets reach their slowest speeds within a few astronomical units of Jupiter’s hoop. Thousands of years of gentle gravitational tugs by this hoop have gathered Jupiter’s family. Although Jupiter sometimes destroys comets or ejects them from the solar system, many comets in its family remain, because they were recently launched.

My son, here are some thoughts for you to consider as you start your walk of faith. There is no greater blessing than for the living God to apply the work of salvation to your heart and bring you into His eternal kingdom. Consider these verses…

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. [2 Corinthians 5:17]

He [God the Father] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. [Colossians 1:13-14]

Regeneration is a supernatural and spiritual rebirth. The apostle compares it to the resurrection…‘If you have been raised up with Christ, then keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.’ [Colossians 3]

Your mother and I have prayed for you often. You are a son of grace. Apart from the grace of God you would never have been born. Grace found your father and rescued him from destruction and set him on the path of life. On that path your mother was like an angel sent from heaven.

Like the many believers who have gone before, forsake the religion of this world…’you were saved by grace unto good works prepared beforehand for you that you should walk in them’…Do not for one minute think that God accepts you based on your works. ‘As you have received Christ Jesus by faith, so walk in Him.’

Hold to the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. You know something about the Reformation. This doctrine is what changed Luther, and the whole world changed with him. The gospel hangs on this doctrine.

The Lord is faithful…He who has called you will sustain and keep you. Seek the Lord through His word…Pray always that the Spirit will give you understanding in the things of God. Pursue wisdom and the right application of His word. In so doing you will avoid the snares of the evil one. When you fall into sin, be quick to repent and believe the gospel.

You do well to acquaint yourself with Pilgrim’s Progress. It will be a real help in putting mental pictures with gospel truth. It will remind you that the Christian life is like warfare. Remember the first lesson in Interpreter’s House. The faithful pastor will help guide you in the journey. Know his characteristics and make them your own. He has the best of books in his hand and his back is turned toward the world.

Re://www.townhall.com/columnists/GregoryKoukl/2007/04/30/political_passivity%e2%80%94vice_or_christian_virtue

‘[A] properly constructed set of laws can change the heart.’-Gregory Koukl

This is a most disappointing statement from someone who just stated, ‘Without question the Gospel has supernatural power to change lives, and those changed lives can change the world.’

You say, ‘a sound moral code…tutors us by adding clarity to our innate sense of right and wrong.’ The apostle says, ‘the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.’

You have denied a fundamental aspect of Christian Theology. If righteousness comes by the Law, then Christ died needlessly. What does it mean to be ‘dead in sin’? Do you really think that Law will raise the dead? What do you mean by supernatural?

The New Testament is against your use of law…

‘What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made…Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.’ [Galatians 3:19-25]

Paul compares the Old Testament Israel to children held in bondage under the Law until the promised Seed should come…

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. [Galatians 4:1-5]

Even so in the New Covenant Israel, the Law reveals our unrighteousness and causes the believer to flee to Christ for the righteousness of God by faith. Without the supernatural grace of God working to reveal our lost condition in sin, the Law will only provoke sin. ‘Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.’

Referring to Bunyan’s illustration of this truth in his gospel pictures given in Pilgrim’s Progress – At first the maiden sweeps, but she only stirs up the dust in the room. She sprinkles the dusty room with water and then sweeps it clean. The room is the heart of men and the dust is the sin that defiles him. The one who sweeps at first is the Law. It only provokes sin and increases it in the soul. The water is the sweet and precious influences of the gospel. The gospel subdues sin in the heart and makes it fit for the King of Glory.

Also, when we sing the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ the same message is given to us…

‘T’was grace that taught my heart to fear…And grace my fears relieved…’

Coming to an understanding of the righteous judgment of God due to our rebellion against His Law is a work of grace that brings fear. The same grace that opens the blind eyes to see our sin will then reveal the perfection of Jesus Christ to cover our sin and give us His righteousness. This is the good news of grace. It uses the Law to reveal our sin then uses the gospel to bring forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God.

Biblical Christianity is essential for a free people because it is the gospel that makes it possible for men to govern themselves. Law without gospel will result in lawlessness or promote the great plague of man made religion: a self righteousness based on law keeping.

Re://www.townhall.com/columnists/RebeccaHagelin/2007/04/27/surveying_our_sex-obsessed_society

Genesis 1 is critical for the defense of traditional marriage. God instituted the marriage relationship for the benefit of men. Christ affirms the creation account given in Genesis one…

Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? [Matthew 19:3-5]

And again, from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ [Mark 10:6]

It is not clear that Dr. Ross agrees with Christ. For some comic relief read the darwinites on the origin of sex.

The Bible gives us the truth about sex. God created men as sexual beings for pleasure and procreation. It is to be enjoyed in the marriage relationship. The prohibition against adultery is to protect the sanctity of marriage and to establish its legitimate boundaries.

Out of gross ignorance the Puritans and religion in general are disparaged in this area. They confronted sexual sin in their practice of Biblical morality, because sexual sin leads to destruction. However, they also had a healthier view of married love than our so called liberated culture.

Each man was taught to live with his own wife in an understanding way, giving her honor as a joint heir to the blessings of creation and redemption. They understood that sex is not self centered; rather it is primarily for the pleasure of the spouse [I Corinthians 7:1-5].

The admonition to consider the other as more important than yourself applies to all of life, including the bedroom.

We argue that sexuality is just another way our culture has lost its way because we think ourselves wise when in reality we are fools for rejecting our godly heritage.

Re://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChuckColson/2007/04/27/the_new_anti-catholic_bigotry

‘Protestants have a special duty to condemn anti-Catholic bigotry.’ –Chuck Colson

It is the rule of law that is being attacked, not just the Catholics…

Of all men it is the Protestants that should support the rule of law, because our forefathers in the faith laid the foundations for the rule of law based on the Biblical testimony that all men including the king of England and members of any system of church hierarchy are subject to the Law of God.

The very definition of Constitutionalism is that the power of government is limited by law and rests in the will of the people through their elected representatives. Our most fundamental precepts are the right to life and liberty supported by a free church. Our government was established to protect these rights.

Who is it that would use the court to overrule the legislature and suppress the church? Who is it that would defend the practice of infanticide? It is the same folks who will not take necessary steps to protect our young people against the perverse and will advocate for the life of convicted murderers.

We commend the Catholic justices who voted to uphold the law. We condemn the others for abandoning the fundamentals of American Constitutionalism.

Re://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2007/04/25/goldilocks_faith_serves_lukewarm_mush

A spiritual leader proudly, publicly promoting consumption of pork would never fit in with the Conservative rabbinate, but this same denomination now will sanction rabbis who call unblushing communal attention to their personal practice of sexual relations that the Torah describes as "abomination." -Michael Medved

Michael they will strain at a gnat but swallow a camel. This was part of the rebuke delivered to the Pharisees by Jesus Christ in Matthew 23…

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! [Matthew 23:23]

Pharisees commended themselves to God by not engaging in physical acts of sin. They were innocent of murder and adultery because they had not committed the act. Jesus told them that hate and lust proceed from the heart. To think of the Law as only physical will lead to the neglect of its important spiritual aspects.

What you describe is a radical departure from Pharisaism. The straining at gnats is not compatible with the acceptance of the outward physical acts of sin. Without success many forces have come against you and tried to end your religion. Liberalism will be the end of it.

The Bible says in both Old and New Covenants that sodomy is sin. It is not surprising that sodomites do not agree. They are sodomites because they have suppressed the knowledge of God and have been given over to their own lusts.

Sin is a transgression of the Law. It rightly condemns us because we have no power over our sinful thoughts. The wages of sin is death, but redemption is in the Son of David, who delivers us from the curse of the Law. Those who believe the Biblical testimony do so because they are members of the New Covenant. Its great promises are the forgiveness of sins and the Law written on the heart, rather than on tablets of stone.

With a renewed heart that now loves the Law, the Christian now struggles with his sin. It no longer reigns over him. Christians are not homo-phobic. They are sin-phobic. Their fear of sin exceeds their fear of men. If Christ is not risen, then we are of all men most to be pitied. We deny ourselves the momentary pleasures of sin for the hope of eternal life in the presence of our Creator. Since we believe that Christ is risen, then we warn men to repent and believe the gospel, because it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Those who hold to the theory of panspermia do have a valid observation in support of their theory. Objects exist that orbit the Sun that contain water and organic matter. Comets are an example of such objects. They are like giant, dirty and loosely packed snow balls.

The unwarranted leap in logic is to assume that comets brought the organic material to earth. Another real possibility exists that comets originated from earth. Is this not more likely since earth is the source of life in a dead solar system? Is there any evidence that comets originated on earth?

The evidence is compelling compared with that supporting the Oort cloud…a postulated spherical cloud of comets situated about 50,000 to 100,000 AU from the Sun. Although no confirmed direct observations have been made of such a cloud, astronomers believe it to be the source of most or all comets entering the inner solar system.

In 1950 the cloud idea in its present form was proposed by Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrick Oort to explain an apparent contradiction: comets are destroyed by several passes through the inner solar system, yet if the comets we observe had really existed for billions of years (since the generally accepted origin of the solar system), all would have been destroyed by now.

According to the hypothesis, the Oort cloud contains millions of comet nuclei, which are stable because the sun's radiation is very weak at their distance. The cloud provides a continual supply of new comets, replacing those that are destroyed.

In other words the Oort cloud is imaginary science invented to explain a valid observation that does not fit with the generally accepted origin of the solar system. The valid observation is that short period comets have limited life spans.

Suppose that science was not driven by the evolution filter of assumed long ages. Suppose we look at the available data on short period comets and let the data direct our thinking. Enough of Darwinism; let’s look at some data and exercise the scientific method.