A monthly newsletter equipping Christians to uphold the authority of the Bible from the very first verse Current headquarters Creation Museum gifts Figure includes cash in hand, faith-promise gifts, and expenditures paid (e.g. architect s fees) Museum update on page 4 AUGUST 2001 Did Jesus say He created in six days? continued next page VOLUME 8 ISSUE 8 A rather vehement old-earther wrote recently and claimed: a twenty-four [hour] understanding of the creation days was never stated explicitly by Jesus. Well, did Jesus anywhere clearly state that the Earth was created in six ordinary (approximately 24 hours each) days? When confronted with such a question, most Christians would automatically go to the New Testament to read the recorded words of Jesus to see if such a statement occurs. Now, when we search the New Testament Scriptures, we certainly find many interesting statements Jesus made that relate to this issue. For instance: 1. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female (Mark 10:6). This makes it clear that Jesus taught the creation was young, for Adam and Eve existed from the beginning not billions of years after the universe and Earth came into existence. 2. Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? (John 5:45-47). In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that one must believe what Moses wrote. And one of the passages in the writings of Moses in Exodus 20:11 states: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
continued from page 1 This, of course, is the basis of our seven-day week six days work and one day rest. Obviously, this passage was meant to be taken as speaking of a total of seven literal days based on the Creation week of six literal days of work and one literal day of rest. In fact, in Luke 13:14, in his response to Jesus healing a person on the Sabbath, the ruler of the synagogue, who knew the law of Moses, obviously referred to this passage when he said, There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath day here was considered an ordinary day, and the six days of work were considered ordinary days. This teaching is based on the law of Moses as recorded in Exodus 20, where we find the Ten Commandments the sixday Creation week being a basis for the Fourth Commandment. One could consider many more passages that certainly imply that Jesus taught that He created in six days, but are there any explicit passages? I believe there are. However, one has to approach this issue in a slightly different manner. Why just go to the New Testament to try to find out if Jesus stated He created in six days? Why not the Old Testament? After all, Jesus is the second person of the Godhead, and has always existed. First, Colossians makes it clear that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the one who created all things: For by Him Page 2 all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Colossians 1:16-17). We are also told elsewhere in Scripture how Jesus created: By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth For He spoke, and it was done (Psalm 33:6,9). As well as this, we know that Jesus is in fact called the Word : In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:1-3). So Jesus, who is the Word, created by speaking everything into existence. Now, consider Exodus 20:1: And God spoke all these words, saying. Because Jesus is the Word, this must be a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ speaking to Moses. As we know, there are a number of appearances of Christ ( theophanies ) in the Old Testament. John 1:18 states: No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. There is no doubt, with rare exception, that the pre-incarnate Christ did the speaking to Adam, Noah, the patriarchs, Moses etc. Now, when the Creator God spoke as
Page 3 recorded in Exodus 20:1, what did He (Jesus) say? As we read on, we find this statement: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Yes, Jesus did explicitly say He created in six days.* Not only this, but the one who spoke the words six days also wrote them down for Moses: Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly (Deuteronomy 9:10). Jesus said clearly: He created in six days! And He even did something He didn t do with most of Scripture He wrote it down Himself. How more authoritative can you get than that? * Even if someone is convinced that God the Father was the speaker in Exodus 20:11, the Father and Son would never disagree. Jesus said in John 10:30: I and my Father are one [neuter one in the essence of deity, not one in personality]. Stewardship and Trust Services Children, money and cyberspace! Teach your children that s what the Bible tells us to do. But when it comes to money and stewardship, we probably neglect to teach about finances more than most doctrines found in Scripture. And, when we do impart wisdom to them about money, it s usually not from the Bible, but Do as I say, not as I do. And we all know that doesn t work. So, in this age of interactive technology, you might want to visit a Biblehonoring Web site that teaches and models the fundamentals of stewardship and money. Next time you re surfing, check out www.crown.org for example. Make it easy on yourself and even interesting to your kids when you teach the art of handling money. For more information, call AiG s volunteer CFP, Paul Laude, at ext. 302.
Artist rendering by Dan Tullius Creation Museum update Building on a sure foundation! It s exciting to see the progress in the construction of AiG s Bible-proclaiming Creation Museum and Family Discovery Center near Cincinnati. This center will present visitors with the Gospel message and the answers to some of the most-asked questions about the Bible, and will share the vital truth that the Scriptures should be the sure foundation for all areas of our life. In just the past few weeks, the following have been accomplished: Preparing the ground for the building s foundation large portions of the 47-acre property are being graded and partially excavated (to view a short video clip of the grading, go to www.answersingenesis.org and click on the Creation Museum icon, and click Watch videos ) Finishing the construction documents, which include everything from such mundane things as the amount of insulation needed to the creation of a special room for AiG s planetarium. Securing appropriate permits from the county/state, including the installation of a sanitation treatment facility. In a few months, we hope to show you photos in Answers Update of the steel Page 4 beams going up. AiG has committed to ordering $600,000 in steel, which is perhaps the most costly part of the entire building project (outside of labor costs). We are pleased to report because we are avoiding a middle man in purchasing the steel, we are obtaining it at close to cost! Partial excavation has started for the foundation of AiG s Creation Museum! AiG is building the museum and new headquarters mortgage-free. In other words, we will be building as donations come in. If donations slow, then AiG will delay construction. If you are in a construction-related trade and would like to inquire about donating some materials or labor to the building project, contact Skip Tilton (stilton@answersingenesis.org or call 1-800-350-3232, ext. 471) Help us finish the puzzle! (Each puzzle piece represents $250,000 raised) Over $4.75 million in donations of cash and services have come in for the mortgage-free Creation Museum!
Cool, calm, and collected! We thought that you would be interested in seeing a list of some of the wonderful, cool items that AiG has already collected that are patiently awaiting placement as future exhibits in the Creation Museum and Family Discovery Center near Cincinnati, Ohio: Animal specimens (e.g. skeletons) 23 Taxidermy specimens 37 Birds nests 41 Fossils 3,706 Insect specimens 194 Replicas 74 Rocks and minerals 9,805 Shells 386 Dinosaur models 65 Planetarium projector 1 (actually used to train the Mercury astronauts such as John Glenn 40 years ago) Coins/pottery from Bible times 18 Most of the materials listed above have been donated, with only a few having to be purchased! And that s not all! The figures do not include the $5 million worth of museum exhibits purchased for only $19,000 at a Baltimore auction a year and a half ago, which are stored in three large warehouses. If you have a museum-quality exhibit that you would consider donating to AiG s future Bible-proclaiming family center, contact Mike Zovath, AiG-US General Manager, at ext. 407 (800) 350-3232 or by e-mail at mzovath@answersingenesis.org Page 5 Dear AiG, Thank you so much for your efforts, ministry, and astounding offensive moves against evolution. I am a ninth grade student attending a secular school, and I have been bombarded with evolutionary lies for quite some time now. I can t express my gratitude enough for the positive infl uence that you have had on me. I can t wait to visit the museum when it is fi nished! E.A., Michigan Also, a Noah s Ark model awaits placement in the future Creation Museum! An inventory of our fi rst-class exhibits is almost complete!
Discovering Answers in Cincinnati! The theme of AiG s September 8 banquet in Cincinnati (our backyard ) is Discovering Answers an opportunity not only for supporters to fellowship over a delicious dinner and listen to Buddy Davis sing, but also to discover more about the Answers ministry and the future Creation Museum in the area. Ken Ham, AiG Executive Director, will be on hand to give banquet guests a behind the scenes update on the exciting Bible-proclaiming museum, and also show a special video on the museum project. Ken will inform guests on how they can become more involved in building this center. Tickets for the September 8 banquet at 6:30p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in northern Cincinnati (off I-75, and convenient for people who live in Dayton and many other parts of Ohio as well as northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana) will be obtained through Mrs Lois Savage at ext. 455 (859) 727-2222. AiG s September 8 banquet in Cincinnati will feature Ken Ham (above) and singer Buddy Davis! Didyaknow? Page 6 Did you know that in most schools, students are taught that mutations are supposedly an important part of the mechanism of molecules-to-man evolution? Actually, they are an enemy of evolution! Mutations are changes that occur in genes our DNA. They re the result of such things as harmful radiation. Now, evolutionists admit that such changes cause mistakes in our genes, but they also believe that sometimes mutations can cause new information to arise. For instance, to change a reptile into a bird requires a lot of added information not previously available in the genes of the reptile. However, Dr Lee Spetner, formerly of prestigious Johns Hopkins University, has spent years searching for that one piece of evidence to show that a mutation can increase information. He states: But in all the reading I ve done in the life-sciences literature, I ve never found a mutation that added information All point mutations that have been studied on the molecular level turn out to reduce the genetic information and not to increase it. * In other words, real science used in the present shows that mutations cause things to lose information. This is exactly what the Bible teaches: because of sin and the curse, everything is running down, not improving! (Taken from the August 15, 2001 radio program Answers with Ken Ham) *Not by Chance by Dr Lee Spetner (see p. 8 for info.)
Driving Dr Driggers! Dr Ted Driggers, an AiG speaker based in the Pacific Northwest, will be conducting a driving tour of California, Oregon, and Washington this October and is available on the dates below to show AiG s faith-building videos. Page 7 Dr Ted Driggers, call Mary Garoutte at 1-800-350-3232, ext. 403. October 15 Chico/Paradise, Calif. October 16 Medford/Grants Pass, OR October 17 Central Oregon/Bend, OR October 18 Lexington, OR October 19 near Walla Walla, Wash. October 20 Not open October 21 Pullman, Wash. October 22 Spokane/CoeurD Alene, Wash./Idaho October 23 see above October 24 Colville, Wash. October 25 Omak, Wash. Has videos, will travel! Over the years, Answers in Genesis has conducted lengthy speaking circuit tours in particular regions of America. Usually, the format is to show faithbuilding videos featuring AiG Executive Director Ken Ham, with an AiG representative such as Dr Driggers available to make a few comments, answer people s questions, and oversee a large selection of resources available at these video seminars. Dr Driggers can make a program fit to your time constraints and is willing to come on a love-offering basis. To support you, AiG s outreach staff will be available to help promote and coordinate the entire event. If you live near the following cities and would like to inquire about hosting a Bible-proclaiming video seminar with Clarification In an Answers Update article earlier this year about Baylor University in Texas and its theistic evolutionary teachings, we inadvertently omitted a footnote which would have better explained the firing of Dr William Dembski as director of the Michael Polanyi Center at Baylor (a thinktank on intelligent design ). While Dr Dembski was indeed relieved of his director s position, he remains on campus as an associate professor. The article upon which the Answers Update piece was based appeared on our Web site* last January (and told of the infringement of Dr Dembski s academic freedom) and did state that he was reassigned; in the transfer from Web to newsletter, the explanatory footnote was omitted. *www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/0105news.asp
Be a peacemaker in your community! Page 8 Consider how the Lord might lead you to do one or more of the following activities to get out the word that the Bible AiG posted 60 anti-racism billboards throughout has the Cincinnati in the wake of recent race riots. answer to the problem of racism: give your pastor a copy of our book One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism and then ask him later what he thought of it (it is also available as a video by Ken Ham see p.13). ask your pastor to do a sermon on the origin of people groups; also, have your Sunday school or Bible study group view the One Blood video give out multiple copies of our inexpensive booklet Where did the Races come from? to your church leaders, school officials, influential community leaders, pastors in minority churches, home school groups, etc. consider posting a billboard in your community promoting AiG s new anti-racism Web site www.onehumanrace.com. We will pay for the cost of making and shipping the billboard art to your community (see the billboard above) if you and others will pay for the costs of posting/renting the billboard space (call Brandon at ext. 435 for more details). Prayer points Please pray that AiG s Buddy Davis continues to recover quickly from his recent heart surgery. that God will continue to bless the Creation Museum project (see pages 4 and 15) as land preparation continues on the 47 acres west of the Cincinnati Airport, and as the raising of funds continues this summer for the mortgage-free center. that those who attend the Creation 2001 conference in a few days (see ad below) near Cincinnati will receive a tremendous blessing and take their knowledge and AiG s Bible-proclaiming resources back into their churches and communities. that God will give the British sister office of AiG many more opportunities to proclaim the authority of the Bible throughout Europe.
Well schooled in Genesis! Dear AiG, I will be entering college this fall at the University of Illinois, majoring in geology and astronomy. I have been a staunch creationist. Even though my beliefs will be called into question, I will be able to stand fi rm. Thank you! C.H. (by e-mail) I am a college student, and I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate AnswersInGenesis.org When my science teachers go off on their great scientifi c evidences for evolution, I am able to go to your Web site and see how big of a lie I have been told. I think your materials will be a wonderful tool in reaching the lost and misled students. Thank you for providing the free service! Rachel, Florida Dear AiG, I am, in the world s eyes, fairly well educated, with degrees from UC Berkeley and Stanford. I have used many AiG books to discuss with students the truths you so clearly represent. Also, the video tapes are used in our Christian school with great impact. Thank you for your faithfulness. K.V., San Jose, CA Just a short note to tell you how blessed I am by your ministry. I am in an incredible growth process in the Lord right now, and only God knows how far I would have come without His provision through the ministry of AiG. I am a college student. Thank you, and blessed be the Lord. J.T., (by e-mail) Golf tourney/auction to benefit museum! Professional golfer Ted Schulz, past winner of the LA Open, will be hosting a charity golf tournament and dinner auction to benefit AiG s future Creation Museum, October 22 in Louisville, Kentucky. The evening banquet (only $10 for dinner and talk by AiG s Ken Ham) will also feature a silent auction of sports memorabilia and other items. If you have an Page 9 autographed sports item to donate to the auction, call Jared at (859) 727-2222 ext. 456 before sending it (or send an e-mail to him at jvallorani@answersingenesis.org). He can also take your banquet reservation. The banquet and golf tourney will both be held at the Lake Forest Country Club in Louisville (about 90 miles from AiG s US headquarters). For more information, call Jared at ext. 456.