Barnes church of Christ

Eternal life has been the quest of man through the centuries! Lands have been explored, the waters deep have been searched, and the “heavens” have been longed for. It may or may not surprise you to learn that the words “eternal life,” or “life eternal” appears forty-seven times in the King James Version of the Bible. Another word that expresses the same thing is “for ever,” and it appears 393 times. While the word “everlasting” appears 97 times. These words are most important to the Bible believer, because of what each word summons to the mind.
The Greek word (aiōn) translated “for ever” in 1 Peter 1:23, expresses “perpetuity” which means: “the quality or state of being perpetual.” In our time, it may be used, “an annuity payable forever.” Of course, this would be based on an incorrect thought, that this world/earth is “forever,” which it is not. Peter wrote: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10). This fact, “the earth … shall be burned up;” thus, it is not “perpetual,” this truth being settled to the one who believes the New Testament is the inspired word of God, we move on! Here are Peter’s inspired words, which has our attention: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:23). Peter’s point and our point is that, it requires that which is “eternal,” “for ever” to produce that which is “eternal,” or has the quality of “perpetuity!” One thing on this earth has this quality! Peter identified it, as the “incorruptible” seed, and the Greek word he used is “aphthartos,” which expresses the thought of “undecaying.” (Strong) We know of no other thing that this can be truthfully said! There is no other thing that can save the “soul/spirit of man. But as to the soul/spirit of man, it is the quality of eternal perpetuity, but where it will be so! As in heaven with God or in “hell” without God; as Paul wrote of the one who never obeys the gospel: “… shall be punished with everlasting” (aiōnios, perpetual, eternal, for ever, everlasting”); as in “perpetual,” there is no difference but the place. Jesus said: “And these shall go away into everlasting (aiōnios) punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (aiōnios)” (Matt. 25:46). Please notice that Jesus used the same word for “everlasting” punishment and for “eternal” life. Neither has an end but is perpetual!
The difference between the Greek word “aiōnios” as it relates to the “incorruptible” seed by which the child of God is begotten (born, KJV) is that it is of God, who is eternal, perpetual; therefore, it has the quality of being eternal, perpetual, and producing that which will be “eternal,” perpetual. In the words of Peter: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” Another word we may introduce is that of “immortal.” Now, let us notice only those who are/have been “begotten” (born) of this “incorruptible” seed of God, that they are “immortal,” in that he/she will live with God in an immortal state, which we known as heaven!
Peter compares the “immortal,” incorruptible,” “everlasting,” and that which liveth “for ever” with: “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:” (verse 24). We are fully aware of the “grass” which “withereth” in the fall of the year and we see “the flower thereof falleth away.” On the other hand, Peter concluded with: “But the word of the Lord endureth for (ice/unto) ever (aiōn, eternal). And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Pet. 1:25). Thus, Paul wrote of the gospel of Christ: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:16-17).
Going back to the words of the Lord, when he said: “And these shall go away into everlasting (aiōnios) punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (aiōnios)” (Matt. 25:46). It is not a matter of existing “for ever” but where we shall exist eternally! There are but two places: 1) heaven with God and 2) hell without God: “with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power!” The saddest words that any person will ever hear are: “… I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:23).
With the beginning of the New Year, let us put and keep our lives in the keeping of God, as we “trust and obey” the gospel of Christ, “the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Frank R. Williams

In two more days (From Sunday December 29th), the year 2019 will be history! We will be using the words like, “it was,” “I remember,” and “I recall.” All of which are “looking back” into what is now history! The three hundred-sixty-five days that started on day one, have passed one-by-one, event by event; some were filled with days of joy, while others had their time of sadness. Some brought to our faces smiles and others put tears into our eyes! We received some of the sweetest things in life, a hug from a grandchild; and at other times, we gave hugs of “good-by” to family and friends as they had to return home. Some days brought to us “good” things and not so “good” things. This is time, it passes, gone forever, never to come our way again! As someone said, “That’s life!”
Question, in the last year, did we ever think of this great truth, as James wrote: “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain” (James 4:13)? When we should have understood: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (verse 14). So, just what should we be saying: “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (verse 15). So, we should know that “time” is only a loan, and with each passing second, it is gone never to be used by us again! Time does not belong to us; God gives it to us to use but we are responsible for how we use it! As to how we used it, we will have to give answer for each day: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecc.12:13-14).
In the beginning God, as Moses wrote: “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:16-18). So, why did God create these? He did so for man, whom God was about to make; but God knew before creating man and woman, that we would need such for our living, for our need to know how to divide time! Then, he made us responsible how we used this divided time!
At the end of each year we are able to say, three-hundred-sixty-five days, have now passed, they have each gone one-by-one into history! On the other hand, with each hour, we have used wisely or foolishly, for good or evil; for seriousness or foolishness, to work or play, for family and friends, or otherwise! But, the important thing, was each hour used as God would have it used; in play, in work, in worship of God “in spirit and in truth,” or did we use God’s time to serve a false god; “Professing themselves (ourselves, frw) to be wise, they (we, frw) became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:22-23)?
One of the great things that God has given us, is the opportunity to repent and change the way we do things! Paul let those of Athens know about one God, who they “ignorantly worship(ped)” but we protest, we would never do such? Are you sure? We serve the “god of things,” things made by the hands of man, both day and night! We just don’t call them “gods!” Maybe the Athenians were more honest than we; as they confessed to worshipping at the altar of “THE UNKNOWN GOD!” (Acts 17:23) How many “unknown” gods do we really worship? I remember a preacher saying, that before he left for Africa, that we parked our one car in a one-car garage! But when he came back from Africa, we had a two-car garage, but the car plus a boat was now in the driveway, the garage was full of things, and in the back yard we had built an outbuilding for other things! Yet, we confessed to not “worshipping” things! But do our “things” tell on us?
Well, the year 2019 is going to end; like it or not, it is going to end when the clock strikes its last “note” at mid-night! So, what should we do? We should/must determine to serve and worship the One True God, and him only in the New Year, should God give us such time! Friends; let us bid “so-long” to the year 2019 while looking forward to the New Year 2020 with a promise of using it better, using it more wisely, and in more service and worship of God.

Frank R. Williams

The end of any year gets our attention! The reasons may vary from person to person, but whatever else it may mean to you; one fact is true for all of us. As the bells ring on the last day of 2019, three-hundred-sixty-five days have gone, and they will never return!
Is there one day of the passing year, that you remember more than any other day of 2019? For most of us, generally speaking, at least one day stands out, for various reasons. To start with, this one day or several days tied together, may be etched in our minds so deeply, that they will never be forgotten. We may have lost a loved one, one so dear, so much apart of our lives, that a place in our lives is missing and will never be replaced! On the other hand, this one day may be remembered because a very good thing happened. An event that brought to us, great joy. Thoughts here go to retirement, after twenty, twenty-five, or thirty years, finally we can get-up in the morning at our own pleasure! Maybe it was a new and better job, a job that meant more money in the paycheck, which made taking care of our family better. Finally, just here, it could have been a new child was born into the family, who was received with tears of joy! For one family, it was death of a loved one; for another it was the newborn baby; tears and joy! So, what was it for you, that took place in 2019?
Solomon should have a few words to address our subject; therefore, let us see what he had to say. He wrote: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Sol. 12:1-7). There is life, as written by the “pen of Solomon!”
Whatever we may or may not understand of Solomon’s words (Ecc. 12:1-7), the inspired conclusion is hard to miss: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecc. 12:13-14). In the New Testament, Jesus said: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
Here we allow Paul to conclude, both the positive and the negative; first the positive: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:15-18). Now the negative: “… when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9).
Yes, the end of the year 2019 is drawing near, it is even at the door, it has knocked, and it came in, and now is fast passing out and into history!

Frank R. Williams

There is no greater subject than that of the one true God and as he is revealed in his own word, the Bible! From my childhood, which was as I remember it, subject to being wrong, it appears that we as a nation have been on a continual downward swing from God! Can you remember, only if you are over sixty, when people could actually be seen leaving their houses and walking and driving their cars heading to a church building?
I confess, I have been watching on television early each Saturday mornings, “Hopalong Cassidy.” He is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. If you should, more than likely you will not, do an internet study of the character, Hopalong Cassidy: he was totally unlike the one portrayed in the television series I have been watching. Yes, I did watch the movies which were made in the 1940s as a young boy, in which William Boyd played Cassidy, who was reserved and well spoken, with a sense of fair play. So, you are asking what is my point? In a most unusual way, the actor William Boyd, in his “Hopalong Cassidy” character, he would at times appear talking “personally” to children at the end of the movies. Here is one of my points, he talked to them about washing their hands, obeying their parents, saying prayers before going to sleep at night and going to Bible class! Now, in all honesty, can you in your “wildest” thoughts, even think of this happening today? You see, people really did believe in God and the true God of the Bible. It was not uncommon but common!
It is a changing time in which we live today! Therefore, the totally unnecessary question in the 1940s, is a most important question today! “Does God Exist?” Have you ever heard that the order according to “some evolutionists,” that the order in which things first appeared, energy, air, water, earth, and life? More than likely, when reading the first verse in the Bible, you never thought about his order of things, but, let us read it here: “In the beginning God created (ENERGY) the heaven (AIR) and the earth (Please notice that the earth came out of the “waters” in verse 2). And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved (ENERGY) upon the face of the waters (WATER)” (Gen. 1:1-2). If you read with care, the order is the same, according to God, as according to “some scientists!” As we continue to read the opening chapter of the Bible, Moses wrote: “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters” (verse 6); but don’t stop here, as Moses continued: “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; …” (verses 9-10). Here I conclude with this quote: “Indeed, some scientists think life appeared the moment our planet’s environment was stable enough to support it.” (Taken from LIVESCR=NCE on – GOOGLE). God did not depend upon “some scientists,” but created things in a natural order, even now recognized by “some scientists!”
What came next in the natural order of things? Well, here is the question: “What do you need for human life? This is the way a simple thinking man puts things, using words we know and use every day. You need water for fish, and you need land for animals and man. Of course, you need food for both the animals and man. Let us see how God did it! Moses wrote: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (verse 11-12). Man also needs ways to know the seasons and time; therefore, Moses continued: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (verses 18). Moses continued: “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (verses 20-21). God’s order, the natural order of things, Moses wrote: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth” (verse 22). The natural order continued: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (verses 24-25). God brought forth these creatures, only after, he had prepared all things needed!
With this, the heavens and the earth were ready for God’s crowned jewel, and “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: …” (verse 26). Then, and only then, did God bring forth the grand conclusion: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (verse 27). Please note, that God created them, “male and female created he them!” Necessary for being “fruitful” and “multiplying!”
With these words of God, this series of articles is concluded. If nothing else has been gained from these articles, it is hoped, that they have given the readers “food-for-thought” on the question: “Does God exist?” The answer is, yes!

Frank R. Williams

No “leap-in-the-dark” will do when dealing with the eternal important question: “Does God Exist?” Of course, there are some, if not many, who hold the Bible itself as a “leap-in-the-dark;” however, a careful study of the Bible has proved it true! Whatever the subject, history, prophecy, and yes, even in the field of science when addressed. Each of these fields of study, go together in proving that God does exist!
At let us look at the blood system. In simple terms, humans have a two-circuit circulatory systems: 1) one circuit is for the pulmonary circulation (circulation to the lungs; pulmo = lungs), and 2) the circuit is for systemic circulation (the rest of the body). As each atrium and ventricle contract, blood is pumped into certain major blood vessels, and from there, continues through the circulatory system. Now, here is the question: “Can the human body live without both being present at the same time?” Then, just for fun, this question: “Which came first, the human body or the two-circuit circulatory systems?”
Other questions: 1) Could the human body live without the “pulmonary circulation” system?” 2) Could the human body live without the “systemic circulation (the rest of the body) system? 3) Could the human body live without the lungs? And 4) Could you have a circulatory system without the human body? The point being, the human body is dependent upon the two-circuit circulatory systems! But, the two-circuit circulatory systems have no use of being without the human body!
The question of the day: “Which came first: 1) the pulmonary circulation system or 2) the systemic circulation (the rest of the body)? Could the human body live without either one of these? No! But, as per the theory of evolution, it was one part at a time, but this means death to whichever evolved first! Did you get that? Simply stated, the human body is inter-dependent! Moses wrote: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). God created a complete body, with all the inner parts working in harmony with each other!
Then, there is the question of procreation. Per-the theory of evolution, how do you have one gender without the other? One writer put it this way: “The evolution of sex (and its accompanying reproductive capability) is not a favorite topic of discussion in most evolutionary circles, because no matter how many theories evolutionists conjure up (and there are several), they still must surmount the enormous hurdle of explaining the origin of the first fully functional female and the first fully functional male necessary to begin the process.” Question: Can you have a male without a female, and can you have a female without having a male and reproduce? God’s answer: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Gen. 2:21-22). You see, God fully understand this dilemma! Male by himself cannot fulfill the command given by God himself; neither can the female fulfill the command of God by herself. God having made them “… in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26); gave this commandment: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, …” (Gen. 1:28). The superiority of the male and the female over all other living thing, is seen in these words: “subdue it (the earth, frw): and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28). God was not so foolish, to have created the male, and having commanded, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth;” nor was he so foolish as to have created the female and commanded” “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth!” No, God created man and woman, male and female created he them, then, he said to them, “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth!” Just a word about the word “replenish” as it appears in the King James Version, it comes from the Hebrew “maw-lay” and is a “A primitive root, to fill” (Strong). There is no suggestion of a former creation!
How beautiful is the human body; how perfectly is works together each part and system working together in harmony! Does the human body prove that God exists? You answer!

Frank R. Williams.

This is the fifth article in this series and the question is: “Have we proved that God exists?” Before answering, read the words of the apostle John: “No man hath seen God at any time. …” (1 John 4:12). Here is another question: “How do you prove a Heavenly, eternal, being that no one has seen?” You do it by logic, reasoning, and implication.
Let us look at this question a little more. If there is design to the universe, then the implication is that there is a Designer. If there is order to the universe, then the implication is that is one who ordered. Both points help us understand how we prove that God exists! This is how we prove that, He, that no man has seen exists! In Hebrews, it reads: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,” (Heb. 6:4). Clearly, we as human beings, have the obligation to believe that God is; that God exists; as it is impossible to please God without it! But this obligation comes through implication! Such as: 2+2=4, 1+3=4; therefore, 2+2 = 1+3, as both equal the same thing! Or design demands a Designer and order demands there is one who ordered it!
That there is order and design in our universe is easy to see! But, does this prove there is a designer? Let us take something as simple as a shoe. When you pick up a shoe at the store, the idea that it just made/created itself never enters your mind. Why, because you know the shoe did not and cannot make itself. The shoe itself implies a designer and maker. You never saw anyone design it, you never saw anyone make it; but you know that someone did design it, and someone made it. These two things are not unreasonable. In fact, they are totally necessary! The person who says that the way the shoe looks, and the fact that it is on their foot, does not prove both a designer and a maker is a person who rejects the facts, the proof!
The above paragraph is also true of the universe and all things within it! Yet, the person who stands and says that the design of the universe and the fact that it exists, is proof that it has a designer and a maker! This is just as true as the shoe; it had a designer and maker! However, you never saw either the one who designed or made it. The fact that it is on your foot is all the proof any reasonable, rational, person needs! So, here we are standing on an earth that has design and the fact that it exists is proof that it had a designer and maker.
When I was in school, we talked about a universe, but now we know that we were thinking too small; as it has been discovered that there are many universes! Back in article number three, I wrote that what is out there, all the universes, is too large for any “Big Bang!” As we continue to learn, by our exploration, of “outer space,” that it continues to get larger. It is too big for any “Big Bang,” as any “Big Bang” requires something to start with, as it is still and will always be true that “something never comes from nothing!” What went “bang,” requires that something was there before the “bang!”
The Bible, like it or not, gives us the answer to the whole universe, no matter how large it turns out to be as we discover more; keep in mind as you think on these things, when we discover more and more, that it has always been there. The first verse in the Bible gives both the designer and the maker, as Moses wrote: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The Hebrew word used by Moses translated “beginning,” as he was given it by the Holy Spirit, is “ray-sheath’,” means, “the first, in place, time, order or rank” (Strong). The only thing before “the heavens and the earth” is God and Moses wrote it!
When you put your shoes on, remember the universe, and know just as surely as those shoes had a designer and maker, so did the universes yet unknown to us! Therefore, it is totally reasonable and logical, for you to hold a shoe and ask the person who challenges you, by saying “That God does not exist,” by asking, “Did this shoe design and make itself?”
Then, tell such a person that he did not see the designer or the maker of the shoe, but he knows by implication that it both has a designer and maker!

Frank R. Williams

In January 1977, I departed the United States of America for the nation of India. This trip was to preach the inspired word of God to the people of India. The first thing I noticed was the mass of people. People were everywhere! Solitude was non-existent! Yet, this very fact gave rise to the great opportunity to fulfill my mission (2 Tim. 2:2) of teaching the lost the beautiful soul saving gospel of Christ!
The second thing that got my attention was the fact that this nation was wholly given to idolatry! Hardly was there a place that I could look and not see a “god;” be it in the fields, in the squares, in the buses, in the taxis and of course, in the homes! It was then that I was reminded of Paul’s words in Athens: “spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16). What was my answer? It was the same as Paul’s, having studied his answer: “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). At times I was in such a location, that I could point to the fields where such “gods” had been placed and say to my hearers, that they did not take very good care of their handmade “god” as the grass was as high as their “gods” were tall!” I pointed out that every “god” that I saw was nothing more than dead; that there was no life in any of them; and that all of them were made by their hands. Think of this; man making with his own hands his own “gods!” Make the “god” or “gods” that make you happy! By the nature of the God revealed upon the pages of the Bible, that which is worshipped by man, is greater than man! Why would any man desire to worship that which he has made with his own hands?
The God revealed upon the pages of the Bible, beginning in the first verse, God is declared unto us: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Then, this most revealing verse, as it relates to our subject: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day” (Gen. 1:11-19). Where does everything come from? God!
The above words are then followed with: “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:20-24). Here is the beginning things and their continuance, as seen in the words “bring forth!” This is followed with these words which reveal the beginning of mankind: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that crept upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26). There is God and man, in the proper order: first, God and then, man. God created man; man did not and cannot truly create God!
Yes, man can with his own hands, make whatever he so desires, call it a “god,” bow down, fall upon his face, and worship that which he hath made! But his words of worship will get no higher than his voice may travel. But, one thing for sure, the “god” made with his hands does not hear one word of his adoration, as his “god” has no ears to hear with (Isa. 59:1-2), no voice by which he can response to his request!
It was never, something from nothing, as it can never be such! Wherever and with whatever, man must start with “something” when addressing the beginning of things! Truth says: it was “in the beginning God!” Friends, don’t let anyone fool you, into believing that “nothing” can create “something!”

Frank R. Williams

Is there a greater question? If the God revealed upon the pages of the Bible exists, and he does, then, all humankind is answerable to him! On the other hand, if the God of the Bible does not exist, then mankind is free to do their own will, follow their likes and dislikes, to commit every kind of evil the human mind can conceive. The result would be as Moses wrote of the people just before the great flood: “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). America has not reached this point yet, but we are on our way!
The above serves as evidence that our question must be answered! When the universe is considered, I have long stated that it is just too big for there not to be, God! Here is how one writer put it: “The universe was born with the Big Bang as an unimaginably hot, dense point. When the universe was just 10-34 of a second or so old — that is, a hundredth of a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second in age — it experienced an incredible burst of expansion known as inflation, in which space itself expanded faster than the speed of light. During this period, the universe doubled in size at least 90 times, going from subatomic-sized to golf-ball-sized almost instantaneously.” (Charles Q. Choi, June 17, 2017 – Our Expanding Universe: Age, History & Other Facts). It surprises me that writers are still, after all these years, referring to “the Big Bang,” as a simple question puts an end to it; the question: “What went BANG?” There was something before “the Big Bang!” Something must have existed before “the Big Bang,” but just what was it? Answer if you have understanding!
Here is one answer to the question, what existed before “the Big Bang?” Answer: “Approximately 4.5 billion years ago, gravity pulled a cloud of dust and gas together to form our solar system. While scientists aren’t certain of the exact nature of the process, …” (The writer’s name was lost in my search, frw). Did you notice the words, “a cloud of dust and gas?” Just where did and how did this “dust and gas” come from? The total of the efforts to explain the universe’s origin, is an effort to try and prove that the God of the Bible does not exist! Yet, all such efforts must begin with something, and the question remains: “Where did that something come from and how did it exit?” Man, in all his worldly wisdom has no answer to these two simple questions! One spokesman answered the question: How much did that which went Bang weigh; he responded, “About twenty-five pounds!” Which does not tell us where the “twenty-five pounds” came from!
Moses answered the overriding question, where did the universe come from, in these words, the opening statement of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Give thought to these words: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” (Psa. 53:1). Now, read the words which followed: “Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.” Nothing has changed, the person who declares, “there is no God,” is subject to: “Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity!” Remove God, and mankind is free to his own iniquity; so “that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Friends, there is a continuing need to address the question: “Does God exist?” While doing so with scientific facts, not “a leap in the dark,” coupled with the Bible.
In Stephen Hawking’s final book, he wrote: “I think the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science, …” (Brief Answers to Big Questions, the under lining is his.). Think of this now, “according to the laws of science” he was trying to scientifically prove, that something came from nothing! How “scientific” is that? He also wrote in answer to the question, what happened before the Big Bang: “there was no time before the Big Bang.” Well, just what was there? According to him, time also started from nothing, but God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night …” (Gen. 1:14). Friends, “day” and “night” is time! There is another good question, just where did “day” and “night” come from in the “Big Bang” guess?
God gives the best evidence of his own existence! “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psa. 19:1). The Hebrew word used for “declare,” expresses: “to score with a mark as a tally or record, that is, (by implication) to inscribe, and to enumerate” (Strong). God does exist!

Frank R. Williams

The question is far from being new, but it still needs continually to be addressed! However, never in my lifetime has there been a greater need that attention be given to it. Once the gospel was taken from the Jews of the first century, in that, the Jews having rejected it; the apostles turned their attention to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). The Gentile world was mostly pagan, having many so-called gods. Luke describes Paul’s reaction: “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16). Our spirit should/must be “stirred” within us as we see America today; they too are “wholly given to idolatry!”
What was Paul to do seeing such? Before answering the question, allow me to point out just a few things. First, Paul fully believed in the power of the gospel; as he wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). Second, Paul viewed himself as “debtor” to all; as he wrote: “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Rom. 1:14). That covered the whole of humanity in his time! Third, there was not a place that Paul was not willing to go, as he wrote: “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also” (Rom. 1:15). If every Christian had this same attitude; working through local congregations in which they are members; then, the churches of Christ would be able to say: “Which (the gospel, frw) is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:6).
Now, let us return to Athens and see what Paul did, his “his spirit” being “stirred” within him. First, let us notice that we might be prone to conclude, there is no need to preach the gospel in such a place as no one will be ready to receive it! Isn’t this what we so often think? Years ago, I was preaching a gospel meeting in a small area of Arkansas; where there was a man, who with his wife had given land so a building for the local church of Christ could worship. This man was not a Christian, he saw no reason to obey the gospel, even though he was in every worship. In this meeting, I used an old type of preaching with a flannel board to aid my preaching. One night I preached on the first steps of obeying the gospel and how it worked. The man, who was eighty years old, came forward at the end of the sermon and humbly obeyed the gospel to the saving of his soul. There was total silence, his wife could not speak a word; as no one could believe that this man, after nearly twenty years of being present for worship, hearing sermon after sermon but he never gave any indication of obeying the gospel but on this night he did. Afterward, when the good folks had gotten themselves together, asked him why he now had obeyed the gospel. His answer was one of simplicity: “I never saw the need before!” By using the physical aid of the flannel board, he was able to see clearly what baptism did! What he had never seen before was the purpose of baptism! Question: after all the sermons, all the efforts before, that had gone by, this man showing no interest in obeying the gospel, would you have thought that he was a good person to study with? Be honest now!
Well, the above was a man who did believe in God, but we are addressing the subject of those who do not believe in the existence of God. The Gentile world of Paul’s day was just such a word! Yet, this fact, never stopped the apostle from preaching the gospel to them. Let us return to Athens and see a little of what Paul said. Luke wrote: “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious” (Acts 17:22). He addressed right where they were, spiritually speaking. They were without God and had no hope of life in the hereafter! They were not without “religion,” as Paul said, “ye are too superstitious,” and this word is the Greek, “deisidaimonesteros” and means “more religious than others” (Strong). Like those of today, they are not without “religion,” as our English word expresses the idea of “beliefs.” Get this now, even the person who says that he does not believe in the existence of God, has a “religion.” His “religious” beliefs are largely self-formulated. Many such people stand ready to individually debate you. He/she will stand by their self-made “religion” while laughing at you for being “religious!”
Question: What is the “god” of the America? It is largely the “god” of materialism; the “god” without mind, having no rights and no wrongs, other than what they believe today and is subject to change tomorrow. Paul’s answer to such, is right even for today: “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23).

Frank R. Williams

Today, the question under which we write needs to be answered! Facts, no “leap in the dark,” will do here, as those who are known as, “the Millennials,” who were born between the years of 1981 – 2000, need to hear and read true scientific answers! These scientific answers need to be coupled with biblical proofs! Not being the most learned scientific person, I generally like to keep it simple. That is not to say, that with a little “deep” study, that I cannot go “deep in the well” to get information and to write about such.
One of the things I like to do is look up at the stars at night. I can remember as a young boy, 8-10, looking at the stars. It does seem that I could see more stars then, than now. However, before the seafarers headed out into the far seas, the unknown waters, they kept close to the land. This was the first navigation, as it followed landmarks. It might be a large rock near the coastline, or they might use other things along the sea-land areas.
As the sea farers determined to venture out beyond the coastline and into the unknown waters of the deep; they needed other means of navigating. But what would it be? It was here that the North Star became so important. You might think the most famous star in the night sky is the brightest, but it isn’t. It is but about the 50th brightest! It sits almost directly above the North Pole; therefore, it is a very reliable gauge of North. Question: “How did the North Star find its way nearly above the North Pole?” Did it, with all the other thousand upon thousands of stars, just one day appear in the heavens so navigators could use it? Or does it fit within the words of which Moses wrote: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so” (Gen. 1:14-15). Speak if thou hasn’t understanding!
One of the questions that comes to mind, just here, is how do you locate the North Star (Polaris)? Here is the answer; all you must do is find the Big Dipper pointer stars, Dubhe and Merak. These two stars outline the outer part of the Big Dipper’s bowl. Then, draw a line from Merak through Dubhe (as seen below), and just continue this line and it will take you right to the North Star. Did it just happen this way, or did God make it this way, knowing that navigators would need it?
You can measure latitude where you are:
1. Use a string and weight (plumb line) to put a vertical stick in the ground (A in drawing);
2. Align a second vertical stick with the first stick and the North Star (B in drawing);
3. Use your thumb to sight down stick “B” until the North Star is aligned with the top of stick “A;”
4. Mark the spot (C in the drawing) and stretch the string between “A” and “C,” and then, back to stick “A” in a level line (As seen in the drawing);
5. Measure the angle – that’s the degree of latitude (not to be confused with longitude).

6. The two stars, Merak and Dubhe, outline the outer part of the Big Dipper’s bowl. Thus, all you must do is draw a line from Merak through Dubhe, and just continue this line and it will take you right to the North Star. Thus, if you have trouble seeing the North Star, here is a way to locate it! Was it God or did it just happen? No “leap in the dark” here!

So, what is this all about? It is about the words of the Psalm: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psa. 19:1). These simple words reveal the perfections of God, and that God is; God does exist! Therefore, look up into the heavens and believe! The heavens are scientific!

Frank R. Williams