Last week we overviewed the answers for the first three questions in our Genesis Apologetics review: God’s existence, the problem of evil and the Biblical Flood of Noah’s day – not too deep for one post, right? Seriously, if you’d like to go deeper on those topics go back to last week’s post and you will find the top four resources we recommend for studying Genesis Apologetics, or go back on this website to our most recent class: “A Case for Creation” where you’ll find deeper presentations and videos.

This week’s presentation includes a video by “Genesis Apologetics” that presents an awesome visual at the how the Biblical Flood could have easily created all of what we see in North America’s topography today. Keep in mind that secular science agrees on what this video presents with the exception of time. Biblical Creationists believe it happened quickly and catastrophically in a short period of time, just like the Bible teaches, versus secularists who claim it happened over long periods of time (millions and billions of years). You can, and should, decide for yourself based on the evidence and your own observation of the things we see all around us.

Here is this week’s presentation on the flood, the dispersion and importance of Noah and his sons in genetic diversity:

Overview notes from the presentation:

Genesis
The Apologetics

A few important questions to answer:

1. Where did we (and all life) come from? The question of origin
2. What is wrong with the world? The problem of evil and suffering
3. Does the world’s geography, topography and environmental conditions indicate sudden catastrophe or slow evolutionary processes? The question of the Biblical Flood
4. Where did the idea of race come from? The question of dispersion at the Tower of Babel
5. How does God continue to provide for the original Promise? The question of eternal security and a return to the Garden

(Note: Questions 1-3 were addressed last week, and question 5 will be addressed next week in part 4)

Click here to access the link to “Genesis Apologetics” where you can find the video in the presentation, and a whole lot more:

Question #4.  Where did the idea of race come from? The question of dispersion at the Tower of Babel

There are only two choices:

• All humans were created in the image of God

Or…

• We all evolved from lower life forms and survival is only due to the fittest, the weak are subdued or eliminated

Evidence Categories

Biblical evidence for creation in the image of God:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  Genesis 1:26-31 (NASB)

Jesus also said…

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 22:34-40 (NASB)

Summary of evidence categories

• We were made in the image of God on the sixth day of Creation
• We are called to love God first and foremost, and then our neighbors as ourselves
• There is only one human race
• Skin color is due to levels of the chemical melanin
• Languages have branched from an original dialect
• There is no such thing as “junk DNA” – It is now know that Humans and apes are much more genetically diverse than originally thought—98% similarity has now dropped to 85% (and probably lower)
• All “so-called” transitional forms such as Neanderthals, Hominids and others are, in reality, fully human or fully ape – according to their anatomical and biological structures and significant differences in their genetics

Reflection

Practice knowing the books of the Old Testament and their categories

1. What are the 39 books of the Christian Old Testament and their categories, in order? (clue: 5-12-5-5-12)
2. What are the major events, who are the major players and what are the major Covenants in the book of Genesis?

Bible Study

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us.

Read Genesis Chapter 21 through Chapter 23

Isaac’s birth; Hagar and Ismael’s exile; Covenant with Abimelech; Isaac’s offering; Sarah’s Death

1.  (Genesis 21:1-21) In this chapter, the long-awaited son of the promise is born. What is his name and what does it mean?

Discuss the following from this section:

a. What happened that caused Sarah to drive out Hagar and Ishmael, and how old was Ishmael at this time?

b. What did God say to reassure Abraham, and why?

c. Explain how God helped Hagar and Ishmael in the desert, and where did they end up?

d. Going deeper: What are some things we know historically about the descendants of Ishmael and their relationship to Israel?

2.  (Genesis 21:22-34) What covenant did Abraham make with Abimelech and why?

Discuss: In verse 33, what name did Abraham use for God after he planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba?

Going deeper: Give an example where the following names come up later on in the Bible, and in what context. (Helpful resources: biblegateway.com and gotquestions.org)

1. Beersheba
2. Philistines

3.  (Genesis 22:1-19) Summarize the story of “the offering of Isaac.” Make a list of how many things you see pictured in this event that foreshadow Jesus and the events of the crucifixion.

4.  (Genesis 22:20-24) Going Deeper: In this section we are suddenly given a genealogy of Abraham’s brother Nahor. What do you think was the reason for this information at this point in the story, (clue – is there a name in this genealogy that comes up later on)?

5.  (Genesis 23:1-20) The culture of that day was one of respect, yet bargaining was expected (as it is in the Middle East still today). What happened when Abraham tried to find and buy land in which to bury Sarah?

Going Deeper: Abraham would now own property in the Promised Land. Why do you think that might be important later on?

Join us next week as we continue our “Case for the Old Testament: Session 3, Part 4 – Genesis Apologetics – Question #5″

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