Why Believe It?: Reasons and Evidences for the Faith

By John Huffman

The book deals with the answers to a lot of questions even believers have about Biblical understanding. Here are some of the subjects explained in the book, Why Believe It: Reasons and Evidence for the Faith. First is the chapter on understanding salvation, Predestination and human freedom without contradiction. Another chapter explains how the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bennett Media and Marketing
• Release date: Mar 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781957114606

John Huffman

John is currently an elder emeritus and retired church pastor. He was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1943. He lived there during his early years. He graduated from Dreher High School in Columbia, SC in June of 1962. He is a veteran, having served three years in the military, attaining the rank of specialist fifth class, and served one tour in Qui Nhon, Vietnam. He holds a Master of Pastoral Studies from Grace Communion Seminary, a Bachelor of Arts in Bible from Southern Methodist College, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. In addition to being a pastor, he has been an office manage for a manufacturing firm producing plastic pipe, an home-office accountant for a large construction firm, and retired in his capacity as a materials planner from Rockwell Automation that produced reducers for many industries worldwide.

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WHY BELIEVE IT?

Reasons and Evidences for the Faith

John Huffman

Why Believe It?

Reasons and Evidences for the Faith

Copyright © July 25, 2018 by John Huffman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Bennett books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-957114-59-0 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-957114-60-6 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

Rev. date: 01/08/2023

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated in loving memory of my wife of 48 years, Jackie. She was truly a gift from God. It is also dedicated to my son, James, and his wife, Mia, and my wonderful grandchildren, Jones and Taeli.

And importantly, it is also dedicated to those Christians who desire to delve deeper into many Biblical subjects that can bring a greater understanding of our gracious Triune God’s unbounded love and purpose for mankind whom he created to be in his image.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE RNA WORLD THEORY? 1

2 THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE FIRST LIFE 11

3 SALVATION, PREDESTINATION, HUMAN FREEDOM 19

4 THE GOSPEL IS ALL GOOD NEWS 21

5 THE BLESSED HOPE FOUND IN TITUS 2:11-13 23

6 THE BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 31

7 REAL LIFE IN THIS AGE 39

8 THE RESURRECTION VERSUS THE IMMORTAL SOUL 47

9 SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY WE HAVE

AN IMMORTAL SOUL 57

10 THE DEAD ARE NOT IMMORTAL 73

11 ENOCH DID NOT ASCEND TO HEAVEN 77

12 ELIJAH DID NOT GO TO HEAVEN 81

13 NO HELL IN FOUR THOUSAND YEARS 83

14 WHAT ABOUT HELL? 87

15 THE PARABLE OF LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN 107

16 CHRIST TO ELIMINATE BOTH PHYSICAL

AND SPIRITUAL DEATH 111

17 THE RAPTURE ACCORDING TO DISPENSATIONALISTS 119

18 THE HISTORICAL BASIS FOR THE SECRET RAPTURE 123

19 THE TRINITY 127

20 THE TRINITY DEFINED AND EVIDENCED 143

21 THE VIRGIN BIRTH, GENETICS, AND SIN 151

22 THE NECESSITY OF CHRIST’S BLOOD 155

23 OLD COVENANT FULFILLED AND

ABOLISHED IN CHRIST 165

24 THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL 177

25 ISRAEL AND PROPHECY 183

26 THE TIMING AND PURPOSE OF

THE BOOK OF REVELATION 191

27 WHEN WAS THE BOOK OF REVELATION WRITTEN? 195

28 A PARTIAL PRETERIST VIEW NEEDED

FOR SOME SCRIPTURES 199

29 THE LAST DAYS 205

30 MATTHEW 24 FULFILLED IN FIRST CENTURY 211

31 CAN MATTHEW 24 BE DIVIDED

INTO TWO SECTIONS? 221

32 THE TWO COMINGS OF CHRIST 225

33 THE PARABLE OF THE TENANTS,

A WARNING OF JUDGMENT 237

34 REVELATION CHAPTERS 13 AND 17 241

35 REVELATION 20 249

36 REVELATION CHAPTERS 21 AND 22 255

LIST OF TABLES

Time Line For Prophecies Regarding Israel 188

When Prophets Wrote 189

Contrast Between Matthew 24 And Luke. 17 224

PREFACE

After having first published W hy Believe It? Reasons and Evidence for the Faith in June of 2016, I have given much thought to some new subjects of interest. In this edition I have added several new chapters concerning these important topics in which I feel the readers will want to read. Also I have added more information to a number of existing chapters to explain them in more detail.

The author’s purpose in this book is to offer a realistic understanding of Scripture and to glorify our great Creator God who has taken the initiative to bring all mankind to salvation in due time. God is the God of love and grace. Man sinned in the beginning and brought about both spiritual and physical death. This has become mankind’s plight, but God in his love and foreknowledge knew this would happen and put into play, even before the Creation, a plan for saving mankind from Satan, sin, and death.

God is not limited to working his plan only in this mortal life. Christ said he would call all men to himself, but he is not limited to having to call everyone in this life only. Our Triune God is eternal without beginning or end and has the time to work with man through Christ, whether during man’s life in this physical world or in the world after Christ’s Second Coming. The believers alive at Christ’s return along with the resurrected believers will enter the glorious Kingdom immediately, while the living unbelievers and the unbelievers then resurrected from the dead will begin an age of judgment. This is not punishment for their past sins, which have already been forgiven and paid for by Jesus’ sacrificial death once and for all, but a chastening to enlighten them to God’s plan of salvation for them too. God’s plan is inclusive of all mankind. Paul assures us of this in First Timothy 2:3−4 with this statement: ³ "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." Theologically, this is called Universal Reconciliation or Universal Restoration. It is our hope that all will in due time see Jesus for whom he is and come to know his love for them. With their willing acceptance of Jesus as their Savior they too will be allowed to enter into the glorious kingdom. This is the blessed hope for all mankind (First Timothy 4:9-10) that this author explains in his book from the Scriptures.

1

What’s Wrong With The Rna World Theory?

Evolution has many theories all competing to arrive at the best answer for the origin of life without any reference to God. In the past it was thought by scientists that both DNA and RNA were needed for life to exist. The RNA World Hypothesis is just the latest popular view that has acceptance by a number of evolutionists.

Briefly it proposes that ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules had the ability to self-replicate and therefore must have been the precursors originating all life on Earth. The hypothesis states that RNA pre-existed modern biological cells, and was able to store genetic information and catalyze chemical reactions to bring about the first simple life forms. They say that later DNA took over the role of the storage of genetic information.

But that is a problem because today we see that the later expression (the physical appearance in an offspring) of this hereditary genetic information is stored in our DNA and is transferred to protein using RNA as the intermediary agent.¹

Here is what Professor Orgel, who is regarded to be a leader in this field of study, had to say about this theory:

The RNA molecule may be simpler than DNA, but it is still complex and involves a chemical structure that does not form spontaneously. According to Dr. Cairns-Smith, it requires 14 major hurdles with 10 steps in each, giving a probability of 1 in 10¹⁰⁹ for their successful formation. The first ribo-organism would need all the cell’s metabolic functions in order to survive and the [sic] is not evidence that such a range of functions is possible for RNA.²

This RNA theory is very detailed and complicated, but we can see from the various words like will, would, should, and probably used with these necessary steps in this theoretical process that it is mainly a speculation with a hope of discovering the data to support it at a later time. We have to ask how did these random steps all occur in the correct and necessary order to produce the finished product in reality and within the necessary time parameters before it would no longer be able to follow through to the next step.

ABIOGENESIS PROMOTED BY THEORY

Of course, this is what a hypothesis, or theory, is all about. It speculates about what these scientific minds think could answer their questions about the origin of life. So using these words are standard for stating a theory explaining their model, but it should be remembered that what is suggested is not to be taken as fact by the reader. We have to notice the simplicity of how each of these steps fall into place as they explain it, when in actuality they are talking about what we know to be a very complex process of multiple linear, incremental steps that must proceed in a specified order.

Molecular biologists, who do not accept this model of abiogenesis, describe how intricate and interrelated these steps would be. Each step is independent, so what would cause the next step (the law of causality is the basis of all science), and sometimes an even more involved and complex step to follow? Evolutionists assume physical laws and therefore must recognize the laws of thermodynamics to be in operation at that time also. Yet, the second law of thermodynamics, which is about logical entropy, explains that things tend toward decay, disorganization and death – not self-organization and the creation of life. The creation of life from non-living materials (abiogenesis) violates this and the scientific law of biogenesis that says life only comes from existing life, yet they have to believe, that in their theory, this was an exception though no exceptions have ever been observed.

THE THEORIZED RNA WORLD

Let’s look at this supposed RNA world according to the theory. It theorizes how life first originated in a world that supposedly starts life by a self-replicating and catalytic RNA, and with no DNA or proteins present, nor even a cell wall. Scientists have tried to determine if short RNA molecules would have been able to be spontaneously formed, which also would have to have the capacity to catalyze their own replication.

Their problem is that there is no mechanism for synthesizing ribose when there are no enzymes (proteins). All chemical reactions that would synthesize ribose, would produce it as a minor product. The major products produced are sugars, which combine with nucleic acids that then inhibit RNA synthesis and replication. Besides this, if any ribose is formed it will be both left and right-handed. Only right-handed ones can form nucleotides. Left-handed ribose interferes with RNA synthesis. Furthermore, if nucleotides could be formed they too would be racemates (mixed right and left-handed) and when added to RNA templates would inhibit replication.³

These origin-of-life scientists say that since life exists, then the Earth’s early atmosphere must have been a reducing one (one without oxygen present), which favors prebiotic chemistry. The earliest crystals, called zircons, have been found to date back to 4.4 billion years ago. The Solar System of the Sun, Earth and other planets were formed 4.55 billion years ago according to radiometric dating of meteorites. So these crystals enabled scientists to determine that water was present in the early earth since these crystals are only formed in water, and they also revealed from the oxidation of the minerals within them that had taken place, that oxygen was present then too.⁴

Water and oxygen prohibit the process known as Polymerization in which ‘monomers’ (simple organic molecules) form covalent bonds with one another to produce ‘polymers’ (complex organic molecules).⁵ So the evidence discovered now is contrary to what they had assumed the atmospheric condition of the early earth to be. Some who have reluctantly written off the idea of a reducing condition for the origin of life on the early Earth may begin thinking in terms of panspermia, which would be the assumption that the seeds of life really came from outer space, possibly by aliens.⁶

FORMING A PROTO-CELL, NOT A SIMPLE MATTER

A protein is a polymer of a whole chain of amino acids. There are 20 specific amino acids necessary as building blocks for proteins, but scientists estimate that a typical protein would contain 445 amino acid units, which would be of the 20 kinds necessary for building a protein.

1. ONLY LEFT-HANDED AMINO ACIDS

The amino acids making up a protein in living things must be only left-handed except for one called Glycine, which is on a side chain with nothing to match up with. It must be neither right-handed nor left-handed. The others though must all be left-handed. Looking at a bacteria’s make-up, the glycine amino acids take up a little over 8 per cent of the total amino acid molecules. So Dr. Harold Morowitz of Yale University assumes this in his example of the theoretical limits for the simplest living thing that would be able to duplicate itself. Eight percent of 445 would leave us with 35 amino acids of glycine that would be neither right nor left-handed.

Then the rest of the 410 amino acids must be only left-handed to make up a protein of a living thing. In nature we find both left and right-handed amino acids, which means there is a fifty to fifty mixture that must be presumed as the conditions on the earth prior to that first living thing. The probability of all amino acids in an average size protein being all left-handed would be 10¹²³.⁷

Prof. Murry Eden, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has estimated that the total number of protein molecules ever existing on earth to be 10⁵². Continuing with Professor Morowitz’s probability example using Professor Eden’s estimate, we can calculate what the probability would be for any one protein that ever existed to have only left-handed amino acids by chance alone. The way this would be calculated is: 10¹²³ divided by 10⁵², which would give us the answer of 1 in 10⁷¹.

But we must go beyond the probability of just one protein of all that ever existed on earth having all left-handed amino acids. Dr. Morowitz estimated that the simplest form of life would at least have to have 239 proteins to exist. So we start with 239 proteins of all that ever existed on earth that must also have all left-handed amino acids in their make-up. These 239 would have to be present in the same space and time for life to be possible. The remaining 238 would have a probability of 1/10¹²³, which would then need to be multiplied and each successive group too until we come up with the final numerical probability for all of these proteins having only left-handed amino acids, which comes to 1 in 10²⁹³⁴⁵.⁸

2. ONLY RIGHT-HANDED SUGARS

A second problem like the one above regards sugars, which must all be right-handed in life forms. In controlled conditions, scientists are not able to produce anything but a mixture of right-handed and left-handed ones. Maybe God has a self-imposed copyright on these processes. It would appear that life comes only in a pre-packaged form and cannot be replicated even by our smartest scientists under the most favorable conditions in a laboratory facility.

3. ONLY CIS LIPIDS

Furthermore, lipids present another similar problem with two configurations referred to as cis and trans, which appear in nature. Only cis types though are present in life forms. The experiments fail again to produce only cis types.⁹

THE PROBLEM WITH ACQUIRED MUTATIONS NOT INHERITED

1. MUTATIONS IN SOMATIC CELLS

When it comes to evolution of the species, we still have the problem of acquired mutations not being able to be inherited. It is known that acquired mutations in somatic cells cannot be passed on to the next generation (a newborn). Most of the time each cell has the capability to recognize a mistake and fixes it before it is passed to its descendent somatic cells of the body. Mutations in somatic cells only affect their next generation of somatic cells of that body only and during that person’s lifetime only.

2. MUTATIONS IN GERM CELLS

It is the germ cells (the reproductive egg and sperm cells) that can pass hereditary mutations from the parent to the newborn.¹⁰ These mutations in the egg or sperm cell occur just after fertilization. These explain what are called genetic disorders. The affected child will have a mutation in every cell in his body. This genetic disorder may occur when there has never been a family history of it.¹¹

Only a small percentage of disorders are caused by these genetic mutations. These mutations usually cause a gene to not function properly. Cystic fibrosis is the most common, fatal genetic disease in the United States. It is an autosomal recessive pattern that is inherited at fertilization from the germ cells of both parents in which each parent had this recessive gene that was transferred to the newborn. This transference of the effect of a mutation will not be anything like adding a new leg, toe or changing the specie.¹²

3. MUTATIONS IN SEX CHROMOSOMES

Sex chromosome mutations occur in the 23rd pair, or sex chromosomes, which determine one’s gender. The Turner Syndrome is an example of monosomy where a female is born with only one X sex chromosome.¹³ It affects the physical development of girls, who would tend to be short in stature. They also lose ovarian function and most will not be able to conceive (infertile).¹⁴

The Down syndrome is another chromosomal genetic condition that is caused by having more than two chromosomes of a pair (trisomy). It is caused by inheriting three copies of chromosome 21 instead of receiving the usual two copies. These three copies will therefore be in every cell of the newborn’s body. This syndrome exhibits intellectual disability and affects a child’s facial appearance. There may be a number of physical medical problems associated with it also.¹⁵ Mutations tend to be detrimental in some way. They are not a means of benefiting the individual as evolution calls for. These are copies, not something new that never was there in the first place.

ORIGIN OF NECESSARY INFORMATION

Today we know that DNA, RNA and proteins are repositories of biological information. They do so through a biological digital-like code. It has become obvious since the days of Darwin that life consists of more than just matter and energy. It also necessarily involves information input. With this in mind, we have to ask, How did this information come about? Information can consists of a group of characters in print, in software or in biological form that can produce a specific effect. None of these mediums are conscious, but they all logically infer that there is intelligence behind their origin.¹⁶

When it comes to storing information to be utilized in effecting different functions of the cell or body, the DNA storage density for information vastly exceeds the storage capacity of the most advanced modern-day silicon computer chip.¹⁷ Stephen Meyer says,

. . . oddly, at nearly the same time that computer scientists were beginning to develop machine languages, molecular biologists were discovering that living cells had been using something akin to machine code or software all along.¹⁸

DNA directs operations within living organisms by precisely specified, sequences of chemical characters.¹⁹ How did these digitally encoded and specifically sequenced instructions in DNA arise? And how did they arise within a channel for transmitting information?²⁰

CONCLUSION

Surely, we must see an overall picture of design brought about by intelligence beyond the specificity of this system itself as the cause of its existence. Is life by accident and chance or by design of the awesome Creator God of Scripture? The various unsettled theories of abiogenesis and evolution of life do not provide us with reasonable alternatives. Hopefully this chapter has shown how unsatisfactory these materialistic theories are in explaining how life came to be on planet earth.

2

THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE FIRST LIFE

Most people understand that science is supposed to search for understanding of the real world through the inductive logic of the scientific method. By this method tests and experiments are performed, and repeatability and verification are important parts of this process. Dr. Paul Weisz explains what science is: The scientific method defines the domain of science: Anything to which the scientific method can be applied, now or in the future, is or will be science; anything to which the method cannot be applied is not science. ²¹

In this method theories are devised to explain observations, but these theories should be confirmed by further observations and facts, or else they should be dropped. When a scientist theorizes, he draws conclusions from reasons (based on the Law of Causality) he discovers through his observations and experiments. Scientists do not deal in absolute truth, but rather theoretical correctness as far as they know. It is important to know that a theory is a work in progress and can be changed because of new data, should it be determined that corrections need to be made.

Logic is a necessary part of scientific research and in logic when one’s premises are true (correct), his conclusion is unlikely or impossible to be false and his reasoning is said to be valid. In Christianity, we draw conclusions from reasons we get from the Scriptures, history, logic, and from the sciences of archaeology, biology, physics, microbiology, probability, astronomy, anatomy, and chemistry. Our conclusions are valid if our premises are true (correct). When we hear that science says the big bang occurred, are we not to believe that the scientists think it is an acceptable explanation for the time being? If it is said in a general way that something is a scientific theory, we are supposed to believe they are saying that it is an acceptable explanation as far as they know at this time through their use of the scientific method and without violating long understood foundational laws of science and logic. Of course, scientists can have different opinions about a certain theory because of different findings in their research.

In general, science, according to professor Weisz, should have as its objective, not absolute truth, but to make and use theories. These theories should aim at describing the nature of things in our universe up to a point, but scientists should never devise fanciful myths that explain the operation of nature in a way to only justify their own underlying worldview while obviating any other alternative worldview, such as the Christian worldview. We want honesty from scientists.

An acceptable theory is one that conforms to reality (being correct, factual, and without contradiction), not just the way they would like things to be. However, when it comes to the ultimate origins of the universe and biological life, some scientists uphold man-made theories of their liking that cannot be supported by factual data, observations, experiments and even the laws of logic and science such as the law of non-contradiction, the law of causality, the second law of thermodynamics, the law of fixity of species²² (limits fertility to remain