October 28, 2008
------News------
I have added a new page to An Unseen World. It is title Cremation or Burial? The URL is https://www.anunseenworld.com/cremation.html
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I have just finished reading the book Blasphemy by Doug Preston. In the story, a group of scientists build a super computer that claims to be God. This "god" states that mankind has now evolved to the point where religion will now be replaced by science. A group of fanatical Christians believe the creator of the super computer to be the anthichrist and the computer his false prophet. They gather together an army to oppose and destroy this perceived threat.
The author, Doug Preston, is a former employee of the American Museum of Natural Science and History. From his writings, it is obvious he believes in evolution and rejects creationism. The book portrays Christians as people who live on the fringe of sanity. He mocks the concept of the rapture (as many in the church do) and questions why the Left Behind series is so popular. Christ Himself is portrayed as being the invention of man rather than the Savior of mankind.
There was one character in the book who was a televangelist whose lifestyle included indulging in alcohol and sleeping around. The man was rich thanks to the giving of his "Christian" audience. The thing that made this man so popular was his dynamic screen presence on tv. People like that give Christianity a bad name and they do exist. I can think of several so called Christian televangelists who have dynamic personalities on tv, cons the public into donating their hard earned money to make them rich, and live questionable lifestyles. These people do great damage to the true church and will be among those who stand before Jesus saying, "21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' " Matthew 7
There was another pastor in the story who, after becoming convinced that Armageddon was at hand and the scientist was the antichrist, used the internet to gather an army of fellow believers to oppose and kill this man. As I was reading this, the question came to mind, could Christians really do this? True disciples of Christ who spend time reading the word of God would never do such a thing because they would know better. However, carnal Christians who seldom read the bible and get caught up in the affairs of the world could easily be deceived and do some incredibly stupid things.
Twisting scripture around to suit your own beliefs and needs is a very spiritually dangerous thing to do. Isabella, the name of the particle accelerator super computer, was thought to be the number of the beast 666 because the numerical values of the letters totaled 666. The book later revealed that it was an inaccurate computation and the whole Armageddon thing was based on a false assumption. Hundreds of people died needlessly because they believed a person rather than searching the scriptures to see if those things were true.
Evolutionists try to find an alternate explanation to God. They compose a theory and call it science then teach is as if it were a fact. The Bible addresses this in Eph. 1:6 " 20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge-- 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. "
This is what evolution is: a profane and idle babbling that is a contradiction to the word of God. It is taught in the schools as knowledge but Paul says it is a false knowledge. In other words, it is a lie.
The author of Blasphemy paints Christians as lunatics who live on the fringe of sanity. The gospel message that Christ died on the cross to pay the sin debt of the world and all you have to do is believe in it is painted as being ridiculous. "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. 2:14 Mr. Preston will never understand the spiritual things of God because he has not received the spirit of God by trusting in His son. Therefore, he writes what he believes and he believes the gospel to be foolish and evolution to be wise.
In his story, he has an instance of where the word of God is perverted. This verse was quoted as the scientist accused of being the antichrist was about to be burned alive by a group of "fanatical Christians". "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone"
The mountain in which the super computer was built blew up and was on fire thanks to the abandoned coal mines housed there. It was on this burning mountain that the supposed antichrist was to be burned alive. A true Christian would never pervert the word of God to serve his own agendas but, unfortunately, we have false prophets and false Christians within the church and they are the ones who cause the outside world to look as Christians as being dangerous nutcases.
The word blasphemy means to speak against God and that is what Doug Preston has done with his novel claiming that science is going to be the new religion that will supplant all other religions.. The prophetic word says he is wrong. The only unforgivable sin is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and the only way to do that is reject Jesus Christ. Let's hope Mr. Preston changes his mind before it is too late.
Copyright 2008 by Gary Goodworth