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Latest Update: 7/11/03
Where is the Evidence?
What are the Proofs?
Why is God a mystery?
You can understand!
Many wonder, "Does God really exist?" If scientists can't find God, how can we know for sure?
The Old and New Testament Scriptures say we should prove it for ourselves.
"'Prove Me now herewith,' says the Lord of Hosts" (Mal. 3:10).
"Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thes. 5:21).
But Why is God a mystery to most? Why doesn't God show Himself to man? If we cannot see God and scientists haven't been able to prove the existence of God, how can we prove He exists?
Biblical Revelation
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments claim to be a testimony inspired By God - God's instruction book for man - recorded by His servants the prophets. Read it!
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17).
Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, endorsed the validity of the Old and New Testament Scriptures when He said,
"It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'" (Mat. 4:4).
And also, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot (the smallest letter of the Greek alphebet in New Testament that He would inspire to be written) or one tittle (the least particle of a letter in the Hebrew Old Testament) will by no means pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Mat. 5:17-18).
And in Luke 24:44 He said, "...all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms (the three divisions of the Old Testament) concerning Me."
But you may ask, how can we know or prove that the Bible is true and not just the myths and fables of religious and superstitious men? This will be addressed in a future article.
Back to the question, Why is God a mystery? Why are there so many different religions and all the conflicting beliefs within the various religions, including Judaism and Christianity, which profess to believe the Old and or New Testament Scriptures?
Why do many worship idols, inanimate objects, animals, men and man's ideas and knowledge (science)? You need to understand!
The truth is, God has revealed Himself to man from the very beginning!
"But" as the prophet Isaiah reveals, "your iniquities have separated you from your God;
"And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear..." (Isa. 59:2).
The apostle Paul reveals how men rejected the truth about God.
"...the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'
"For the [indignation] of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness;
"Because that which may be known of God is manifest [among] them, for God has shown it to them.
"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [divinity], so that they are without excuse,
"Because that, when they knew God, they [honored] Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
"And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image (idols) made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed beasts and [reptiles].
"Wherefore God also gave them up to [impurity] through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor [His body or church] among themselves,
"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the [creation, contrary to] the Creator, who is [worthy of praise] forever. Amen" (Rom. 1:17-25).
Man, in ignorance of God, formulates his own beliefs, whether they be superstitions or rejecting God altogether. Paul, when in Athens, Greece - the home of Periceles, Socrates, Demosthenes, and Plato; a center of Philosophy, Literature, Science and Arts with the greatest university of the ancient world and meeting place of the world's intelligentsia - was encountered by philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics. Some said, "What will this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached to them Jesus, and the resurrection."
So they took him to the Areopagus (the place of the court for political and religious matters), saying, "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?" "(For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but to tell or to hear some new thing.)"
Paul Said to them,
"Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, 'To the Unknown God, Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, him I declare unto you..." (Acts 17:18-23)Some reject or judge God because of the vain philosophies of educated men. He warned,
"Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world..." (Col 2:8).Also some see the foolishness, failings or hypocrisy of religious people. But some (perhaps many) of those who profess to know God and try to appear religious or pious actually deny the true God. How?
Listen to what the Scriptures say about some who try to appear religious?
"They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work" (Titus 1:16).
Certainly religious terrorists are the extreme example of this!
Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity said,
" Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).He also warned, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (Mat. 24:5).
And, "Then many false prophets shall rise up and deceive many" (vs. 11).
"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.
"For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (chosen).
"See, I have told you beforehand.
""Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it" (vs. 23-26).
The Bible gives many warnings about false religious leaders and their followers. Moses warned the Israelites,
"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,
"and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them,'
"you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 13:1-3).
Isaiah wrote, "And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,' should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?
"To the law and to the testimony! If the do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:19-20).
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "Then the Lord said unto me, 'The prophets prophesy lies in My name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart" (Jer 14:14).
Satan the Master Deceiver
Many ridicule the biblical revelations about angels and demonic spirits including Satan. But as Satan deceived Eve, so has Satan, who has become the "god of this world," blinded the minds of all those who rebelled against God (2 Cor. 4:4).
The apostle Paul wrote, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (2 Cor. 11:3).
He also warns against false ministers.
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
"And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
"Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works." (vs. 13-15).
Satan became the "god of this world" "that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan (Hebrew meaning adversary), who deceives the whole world" and is "the accuser of our brethren" (Rev. 12:9-10). It is not possible to understand the reasons for the ignorance and misconceptions about God and all the evils of mankind in this world without an understanding of the demonic spirits. They are called "powers...the rulers of the darkness of this world...spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph 6:12). (See "Mystery of Angels and Evil Spirits" in Satan's Great Deceptions Menu).
Paul warned "Let no one deceive you by any means," for just prior to the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, a great apostasy (falling away from the truth) would occur (2 Thes. 2:1-3).
A great false prophet is revealed in Revelation 19:20 and in chapter 13:5,11-18 as another beast, an image of the political beast power, who will appear about 3 1/2 years before Christ returns and be given powers by Satan to deceive. He will give religious support to cause the world to worship the political beast power. He is,
"that man of sin...the son of perdition,
"who opposes and exalts himself above all that is [spoken by] God," and will appear "according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
"and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thes. 2:3-4,9-10). (See "Take Heed" in Satan's Great Deceptions Menu).
How then can you prove the truth about God? Do you have to just accept it on faith or can you prove it scientifically?
We do not want to go back into the "Dark Ages" of religious authoritarianism and oppression. The Scriptures say we should "prove all things" and "hold fast that which is good." True science is based on evidence that can be seen or detected with instruments and proven using the "scientific method" of observations, logical deduction and testing. (See "Mankind's Greatest Experiment" in Mystery of Science Menu).
Though we cannot see directly the "laws of nature," electricity, or electromagnetic energy such as radio waves, or microwaves, science has proven their existence by observing the evidence of their effects and by logical deduction - though not all that is called science has been proven. Much under the heading of science such as evolution is in the realm of assumption, theory and speculation - "science falsely so called" (1 Tim 6:20-21).
What is the basis of true faith as defined in the Scriptures? The answer is found in Hebrews 11:1.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Notice what it says! According to the biblical definition, true faith is not just blind acceptance or belief. True faith is the substance (translated from the Greek word, "hupostasis," meaning - hupo = under + stasis = standing, the foundation, firm confidence, existence). It is the understanding, foundation and confidence of a desired hope or expectation. The foundations of true science are the laws of "nature." Scientists have confidence or faith in those laws. Likewise, the laws and understanding of God are the foundation of true faith.
Going on it says that faith is the evidence (from the Gk. "elegchos," meaning proof, conviction or evidence) of things (Gk. "pragma" - from prasso, meaning something accomplished or performed repeatedly) not seen.
In other words true faith in the True God is based on understanding we gain from evidence that we can observe and prove just as Paul explains, "For since the creation of the world His (God's) invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [divinity], so that they are without excuse" (Rom 1:20).
And from the faith based on the evidence that we can prove, we can have confidence and expect the results of obeying His laws to be consistant even though we cannot see the invisible God who created all the evidence and sustains the laws. Likewise scientists cannot see or explain how the "laws of nature" came into existence, but they can have confidence that they exist because they consistantly work.
Can we not then prove and have faith in the existence of a supernatural God and supernatural forces based on the evidence we see using logical deduction in the same way science does?
Who then is the "Unknown God" that Paul declared to the Athenians? Who is the Jesus that he preached? And Where and What is the evidence and What are the proofs?
• Creation, the Entire Universe, is Evidence and Proof of a Creator!
"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psa. 19:1).
Scientists acknowledge that the known universe had a beginning and that it possibly started with a "Big Bang." But something cannot come from nothing! If the universe began with a "big bang," Who or What created the big bang?
Just as logic tells us that a house must have a builder and a watch a watchmaker even though we may not have seen them, the Universe, all Creation is evidence of a great, wise and all powerful Creator, One who planned, designed and created all things, from all the energy of the electromagnetic spectrum to the atoms and living cells to plants, animals, mankind, the universe, galaxies, stars and earth.
"By faith (evidence, proofs and God's Word) we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Heb. 11:1,3).
See also Job 38-41 & Isa. 40:12-31 and check "Who & What Is God" in The Mysteries of God
The laws of physics, chemistry and biology govern all energy and matter and life on earth to maintain order. If just one law, the law of gravity for example, were suspended for just a moment, the entire universe would become chaos and confusion. But how did those laws come about and what sustains and enforces them?
There are also spiritual and moral laws that govern human relationships and man's relationship with God. There would be no laws and no order without a supreme, intelligent and all-powerful Lawgiver and a Sustainer to uphold or sustain those laws. The Scriptures reveal that God, the Father and Jesus Christ, the Word who became the Son of God (John 1:1-3,,14) are the Lawgivers and uphold those laws.
"For the Lord is our Lawgiver" (Isa 33:22).
"There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy" (James 4:12).
"God... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the [express character] of His [existence], and upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He had Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." Heb 1:1-3)
The laws that govern the universe and the spiritual and moral laws that govern man's relationship with man and with God are proofs of a great, wise, loving and all powerful God.
Could the complex designs of buildings, airplanes or computers happen by chance without intelligent architects and engineers? No way! The same logic tells us that the complex interdependent design of all matter, atoms, molecules, genes and living cells of plants and animals could not happen by chance.
The complex design and orderly function of all matter, the universe and the earth and all life on earth are proofs of a supremely intelligent Designer and Creator, whom the Scriptures call God, "Elohim" in Old Testament Hebrew, "Theos" it's equivalent in New Testament Greek!
See also Job 38; Psa. 19:1.
Scientists don't know what life is or how it began (Eccl. 3:10-11). But they have proven in the "Law of Biogenesis" that life can only come from preexisting life, not from inert materials and a spark of lightening.
The existence of Life and the complex forms of many living creatures prove the existence of an intelligent Lifegiver and Creator! Life is a spiritual gift from God, the Lifegiver.
See also Gen 1:11-24,30; 2:7; Eccl. 3:18-21; 8:8; Acts 17:25; 2 Cor 3:6.
Did man come from scum or evolve from apes? Where are the proofs? The Scriptures say Man, male and female, was made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27), and man is destined to become spirit born sons of God (1 Cor. 15:44-54; Heb 2:6-11). You are a proof of God, our Father (Mat. 6:9,33)!
See also Job 14:14-17; Isa. 45:9-12.
The divine wisdom and accuracy of the original Bible is proof of the great God who inspired and preserved His revelation to man!
See Amos 3:7; Mat. 5:17-18; 2 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 1:1-3; 22:18-19.
The Bible predicts the future! Only God has the eternal power to accurately predict and fulfill biblical prophecies covering the span of 6000 years of man's history and on into the future!
Many prophecies have already been fulfilled exactly as prophesied, and many more are in the process of being fulfilled - including the book of Revelation. The greatest prophecy is the Gospel (Good News) of the coming Kingdom of God and God's plan of salvation (Mk. 1:14-15; Eph. 1:13).
Fulfilled prophecy is proof of the existence of the divine God who is able to predict the future and bring it to pass (Isa. 46:8-11)!
God says He hears the prayers of the righteous (1 Pet. 3:12). Jesus Christ told His disciples that, "whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you...Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:23-24).
Answered prayers are proofs of divine intervention by God to those who ask and receive! See Prov. 15:29; Phil. 4:6; Acts 10:30-33; Mat. 7:7-8; Jam. 1:5-7.
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