Why do You Choose to Belives the Bible

I just listened to this whole sermon on this question. It is very well explained incorporation the arguements of today and giving intellegent thoughtful answers.

Get comfortable and listen. It takes about 50mins. Please take the time to listen.

The Son's of Noah-Ham, Japeth and Shem

The Book of the Son’s of Noah

Genesis Chapter 9--10

The aim of this study is to see that after the flood it was a whole new beginning for mankind. The land was different and new nation began from the Noah’s sons. Chapter 10 is a record of all the people groups. These people groups spread across the earth.


The Birth of Civilization—the Fertile Crescent 2349 BC

From the ark, the sons of Noah would have come down from the mountain and settled.  If you look at a map of the Middle East you will see that the area below the mountains of Armenia, two rivers flow. They are called the Euphrates (not the same one as the Garden of Eden; probably in memory of Eden) and the Tigris.  Between these two rivers the region is called Mesopotamia, the land of Shinar. This is where civilization is said to have begun, even secular historian agree on this one.  Some of the excavated cities in this region are Sumer, Ur and Nineveh.

Where did the Ark land and Where is the Ark now?

For many years it was said that the ark was to be found on top of a high mountain in Armenia. Today that mountain is within the borders of Turkey.
Josephus (a Jewish historian during Jesus' times) reords in his writings that Armenians have relics to show you from the ark. Marco Polo is said to have been to the mountain where the ark was supposed to have settled but could not climb it, as the snow on the summit never melts, but keeps increasing each year. A Babylonian writer records that the ship was grounded in Armenia and its descendants went to live in Babylon (formally Sumer). This is just like the bible account.
There are also reports of people sighting the ark from a plane or helicopter. Today the exact location of that mountain is not known so it is now referred to as “lost”.



Covenant and Curse—The Promised Land.

Noah curses his son Ham and in his curse prophesies that Ham’s descendants will serve the descendants of the other two. This prophecy was historically fulfilled in the conquest of Canaan (inhabited by Ham’s descendants) by Shem’s descendants, the Hebrews.

The Table of Nations

Noah’s three sons were the fathers' of many nations. (Gen 9:18-19).

Japheth— These people spread mostly throughout Europe and one group in India. The Greeks also claim Japheth, in fact the name Jupiter is derived from one of his son’s name. A small south western Chinese tribe Miao also claims to be a descendent. They call him Japhu.

Ham—Canaan, Ham's son, settled just east of the Mediterranean in a land which became known as the land of Canaan. They also settled in Africa and Egypt and possibly, to the Far East. Their languages are called Hamitic languages.

Shem—This people group are called Semitic; originally Shemitic because they were dependents of Ham. Shem’s son Arphaxed is in Abraham’s family tree. The other descendents are mostly Middle Eastern, known today as Arabs.

What about all the different skin colours?

Modern genetics shows that when a large, freely interbreeding group is suddenly broken into many smaller groups which from then on breed only among themselves (as the Biblical description of the language dispersion at Babel would imply), different racial characteristics will arise very rapidly. These twin girls and pictured with their biological parents are evidence of this.

A New Earth, Cave Men and an Ice Age

After the flood the world looked different. It was probably a lot harsher. Man’s lifespan decreased rapidly. Even the age they started having children was much shorter. They had no homes to live in. They had to start from scratch.

Where might they have sheltered? Could it be caves? Cave art, jewellery, weapons and tools have all been discovered from people who lived in caves. Were they living there just after the flood? Where they really primitive!

Many Creation Science scholars also believe that the ice age began soon after the flood and could have lasted more than 500years. Up to 30% of the worlds surface was covered with ice.

Questions to ask
1.    What are Noah’s instructions as soon as he leaves the ark?
2.    What are they now allowed to eat as food that they couldn’t before?
3.    What was the BIG change in the relationship between man and animals after the flood?
4.    This is the first mention of the word “covenant” in the Bible. What is a covenant? What are the terms of God’s covenant with Noah?
5.    What is the significance of the rainbow?
6.    What foolish thing did Noah do?
7.    How do the reactions of his sons differ?
8.    What is the consequence of Ham’s disrespect for his father?

Noah and the Flood-Biblical World View

The Book of Noah
Scripture: Genesis 5:1b—6:9a—7
Lesson Notes

• The aim of this lesson is to help show that Noah’s ark is not just a cute animal fairytale but rather a catastrophic milestone in the course of human history.

The story of Noah is pivotal in the history of mankind and could be broken down into many lessons but we only have one week to cover this great man.  This portion of scripture is Noah’s account of what was happening before The Flood and just after.  Noah may have written more but this is what Abraham included in the book of Genesis. Genesis 6:4 shows evidence of Moses’ editing “in those days, and also afterwards”.

Noah’s Timeline –The Flood 2349 BC

The first part of Noah’s book begins with a genealogy from Adam to Noah. This genealogy also appears in 1 Chronicles1:1—4 and Luke 3:36c—38. There are 10 generations and eight rulers (Enoch went to heaven before his father’s death and Methuselah also outlived his son Lamech). King’s list dug up in Sumer show 8 kings before the flood.


Adam to Seth    130y
Seth to Enos    105y
Enos to Cainan    90y
Cainan to Mahalaleel    70y
Mahalaeel to Jared    60y
Jared to Enoch    162y
Enoch to Methuselah    65y
Methuselah to Lamech    187y
Lamech to Noah    182y
Noah begat Shem    502y

Were Noah’s sons triplets? Genesis 5:32.

“And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

The Landmark date for Noah was not his sons’ births but rather the flood. The age of Noah at his son’s birth were not given exactly according to Noah’s age like all the other dates in the genealogy. His genealogy was recorded from the flood. The flood occurred when he was 600 and he died 350 years after the flood. Scholars have worked out Seth’s birth date to be when Noah was 502 using Seth’s genealogy and flood dates.

Kinds of Animals on the boat!
God brought the animals to Noah and they were all different kids. That does not mean they were every different variation of one kind. How many types of dogs can you think of? Well Noah only needed to put one KIND of dog not poodles, bull dogs, dingos and greyhounds.

The Science of Noah’s Flood?

This story is often seen as just a fable for little kids. Pictures depict  a tiny boat with a Noah and his wife plus a menagerie animals on deck (Where  were the dinosaurs?). This representation is unhelpful because it makes the story seem ridiculous.
Noah’s flood was a catastrophic event in human history. With such a catastrophe taking place you would expect to find some evidence of this event. Looking at science there is evidence of a cataclysmic flood. Here are some!

Geological Evidence for The Flood can be seen in fossils. Up until Darwin’s theory emerged everyone just assumed that fossils were created in the flood. One edition of a Creation Science magazine will cover this topic in great detail. In short large portions animals were quickly fossilized, some even had food in their mouths. Deep valleys were also carved out of stone from flood waters receding.

Many ancient writings record the flood and the generations before the flood. The most famous example is Gilgamesh, this is an ancient poem from Sumer (before Babylon) depicting a flood story extremely similar to Noah’s flood.

Chinese Writing and Noah's Flood

Maio a south western Chinese tribe have passed down their history orally and they have many details which agree with the biblical account. They quote all the way back to the first man—Dirt who was made from the dust of the earth. Also names such as Seth, Lamech, Noah and his sons are recognised. They even tell us Noah’s wife’s name Gaw Bo-lu-en.

The Chinese people arrived in their land shortly after Babel. Chinese writing using word pictures for boat depicts a vessel with eight people. http://objectiveministries.org/creation/chinese.html

Evil Days—Genesis 6:1-9

The evil times that Noah was living in record giants!
Could giants have existed?
It could be that these were the product of fallen Angels (Job 2:1; Job 38:7) who produced children with human women. Many cultures have a record of great warriors who were half God and half human. An example is Achilles in the story of Troy (Iliad). Other cultures including England record giants, no doubt these stories have an origin from Noah’s times.


Questions to ask about the Biblical account of Noah’s Ark



1. Did Noah wait till it started raining to enter the Ark?
2. How many people were in the Ark?

3. Who gathered the animals? Who closed the Ark door?

4. What was the first thing Noah did after leaving the Ark?

5. What promise did God make after leaving the Ark?

Children's Ministry Workers

Today I have spent the day pondering and writing some Children's Ministry material. Surfing around the net for some inspiration I came across this gem. I thought I'd post it here for you.

As children's ministers, we're in a very unique position. We're leaders, and yet we're not given a lot of attention in the normal church leadership. We just keep quietly working behind the scenes doing "our thing." I'm beginning to see that we have been strategically placed in the body almost like secret service agents--we can do a tremendous amount of advancement yet go undetected, in a sense. No one pays alot of attention to the kids--that gives us the freedom to build an incredible army--the secret weapon in the church--the kids! Becky Fisher

Sunday School Lesson: The Sons of Adam

Scripture: Genesis 2:4b—5:1a

Lesson Notes:

The aim of this lesson is to see that Adam is made in the image of God and he has a special role on this earth. That sin came into the world through Adam's sin but God in his mercy had a plan for redemption from the Seed of the woman –the Messiah!

Man is made in the image of God and he has work to do!

Man was made differently and God gave him a job. He was to be a wise steward of God's creation. After the fall he still had work to do but it became more difficult.

The Promise!

Adam, Eve and the serpent all had a curse placed on them after they sinned. But God also had a plan for redemption. Genesis 3:15 is generally seen as the first prophecy of the Messiah.

Seth is Adam and Eve's third son. From his decendants Noah is born.

Who was Cain's wife?

In the Bible it says that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters (he lived to be 930 after all). In those days brothers and sisters would have married. If close relatives were permitted to marry today we would have many defects for we all carry imperfect genes.

Men of Technology

Genesis 4:17—24 give us some of the history of Cain and his descendants. Notice the technology and skills in this age. These men built cities, played and made instruments, worked with metals to make tools, lived in tents and raised cattle.

This is quite different from the evolutionary representation of primitive man that says man moved from cave to tent to wandering around with animals and then he worked out how to make fences and then VOILA! –a city!

Questions to ask

1. How is man different to the animals?
   
2. Why was Eve created?
   
3. What was Adam's job?
   
4. How did Adam and Eve sin?
   
5. Did Adam die when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
   
6. What was the consequence?
   
7. Who was the Adam's first son?
   
8. What was Cain's occupation?
   
9. Why did Cain murder his brother?
   
10. What was Cain's punishment?
    
11. What is name of Adam and Eve's third son?
    

Our Dates 4000BC— 2349BC

• 4004 BC Adam created
  
• Cain slays Abel
  
• 3874BC Seth Born
  
• 3384BC Enoch born (taken to heaven 3017 BC)
  
• 3317BC Methuselah born. He lived to be 969 and died the year of the flood
  
• 3074BC Adam dies
  
• 2962 BC Seth dies
  
• 2948 BC Noah born
  
• 2349 BC The Flood
  

Suggested Activities

• Own Picture
  
• 
  
  Eden is now guarded by angles with flaming swords. Cain goes to live in the land of Nod. Where would that be? Design the city. What would you need?
  
  • a market
    
  • homes
    
  • entertainment places
    
• 
  
  Make a musical instrument.
  
  • Construction Materials
    
  • Build a city
    

Adam in the Garden of Eden-Children's Sunday School History Lesson

Creation —The Garden of Eden

History Maker: Adam

The Book of God

Scripture: Genesis 1:1 –Genesis 2:4a
The aim of this lesson is to establish that God is the creator of everything, He is a person and He is one God.

Our First Date —4000 BC.

The date for Creation is estimated at being around 4000 before Christ was born or 4000BC.  We can work out some of these dates using genealogies provided for us in the Bible and some ancient texts.  Ussher an Irish Archbishop tried to work out the date exactly and he came up with the year 4004BC. We are using his dates for our timeline book.

What does BC mean?

BC means Before Christ was born. AD actually stands for the Latin phrase "anno domini" which means "in the year of our Lord." 1 AD was meant to signify from the birth of Christ which they actually date now from 4-6 BC.
This dating system was not used in the Bible but it has been used for many years and it was developed to reflect that the birth of Christ, the turning point in history.

Stories of Origin

Many believe the world is millions and millions of years old and that the Bible is just a fairy tale or a story to explain how people think things happened, much like the Australian Aboriginal’s dreamtime story. They think that you are very silly indeed to believe that life began with God.

Many people don’t want to believe God exists at all and they will go to great lengths to look for ways to explain a world without God.


Up until Charles Darwin’s theory of the Origins of Species became popular the Bible’s account was accepted as absolute truth. If this new theory of evolution was true then the following ideas also need to be accepted;

We need long periods of time (millions and millions of years) for evolution to occur. That’s not the timeline of the Bible.


Man is not created as special in the image of God. He starts from a single cell –fish –land animal –apelike –then man.


Death and fossils occur before man came into being. No original sin existed as death (the punishment) was already happening.

Since Darwin’s theory many explanations have emerged from Christians who try to reconcile this obvious conflict with the biblical account of creation and the theory of evolution but none of them adequately answer the above ideas. These ideas undermine the absolute truth of scripture. They also beg the question—so when does the bible story become true?

You do not need to be a fool and ignore science and archaeology to believe in the Bible. You just need to look at the facts with a biblical world view. That is, having a belief that the bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative word of God.


In the coming weeks we will look at some of arguments scientists use and show you what Christian scientists say about these arguments.

But for today let’s just see what God made and how it was beautiful and good. There was no sin, no death (or fossils). Just his beautiful creation!

Questions to Ask

• When did creation happen?
• Who is the creator? Note the use of us in Gen. 1:26.
• On the first 3 days God creates 3 realms. What are they? (Heavens, expanse of water and dry land)
• On the next three days creates the earth’s population for each realm. Who are they?(Stars, fish and birds, animals and man)
• What does God think of His creation?

Suggested Activities

1. Map Work
2. Draw a map of Eden, the garden and it’s surrounding lands using the information described in Genesis 2:8-14
3. Math Challenge
4. Own Picture
5. Make a time line picture of the seven days of Creation.
6. Make a Creation Mini Book
7. Play fiddle sticks representing order to disorder
8. Construction Materials representing intelligent design

Children's Bible Lessons with Australian Themes

I would like to tell you about this new website that I have just been made aware of. It is called Bible Snack Packs.

These short devotional Bible lessons would be perfect for Sunday School or for homeschool lessons.

Check them out.These stories are based on nature to draw. The lessons are grouped into three main categories; seaside, outback and backyard adventures.

Have a look. They are free.

http://www.biblesnackpacks.com/