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What if God actually
said, "Hello!"? What a life-changing revelation that would be! The
doubters among us express the following reasons for their doubts
concerning the existence of God: We are being asked to believe in a God
that nobody can see and nobody can hear! Worse yet, our eternal destiny
hangs on believing in this God who has left us no evidence! If He did
leave us any evidence, then it was so long ago and, over time, this
"evidence" has been shrouded in mythology and exaggerations - so that no
one can tell just what is myth and just what really happened.
These doubters do seem to have a point, at first. I can't see God as I
sit here writing this article. Further thought, however, soon shows that
'not seeing something' does not disprove that some things existence. A
man born blind can't see the moon and stars. They still exist! Radio
waves existed before Marconi discovered how to perceive them. A detective
can't see a suspect by the time that detective arrives. But, he most
certainly can see the fingerprints left behind by that suspect! I contend
that an invisible God has left us fingerprints, and rather clear ones at
that!
God's thumb print: Creation. Science and theology can quibble over
details. Just how did creation come about? In how many stages? How long
ago? And so on, and so on.
How does one establish
creation then? Take this article as an example. How do you know that a
chimpanzee didn't just sit down and randomly tap the keys on a computer?
The answer is simple. This article is a very complex and very organized
informational format. I believe that the universe as a whole, and earth
in particular, exhibit this kind of complexity. Now, evolution holds that
'very simple processes' built themselves up into very complex ones.
This theory also
postulates that plant life evolved first, followed by animal life. After
all, plants must provide the food for the animals which would have to come
later on. It is maintained that plants are a rather simple form of life.
Now on the surface this seems plausible. But, is it really that simple
after all?
Consider just how plants make food. Photosynthesis is a very complex
process. Plants are asked to do something that our most intelligent
scientists can't do! The request is as follows: Mr. plant, would you
please take a mound of dirt, a gust of wind, a splash of water, and a
flash of sunlight, and would you please create dinner for us? Absurd!
This dirt dinner needs to contain complex enzymes, vitamins, fats, sugars,
starches, and proteins of all sorts! Our best minds could feed the world
if they could figure out this process! Well, science hasn't yet done so,
but dumb dirt managed it already! How? Doesn't it seem that this dumb
dirt had somebody really smart guiding it? And if plants are "simple"
forms of life, then animal life must be truly complex! This brings up
another annoying question.
Man is the most
complex animal of all. His brain can question, ponder, wonder, feel
emotion, and act volitionally. And this massive brain full of conscious
volition was created by unconscious dirt? How did stupid unconscious dirt
create smart and conscious man? Could somebody already conscious have
already been there to guide?
Let's imagine a book
about mathematics for a moment. It is an arrangement of ink and paper, to
be sure. But, it is so much more! It requires a linguist, a mechanic,
and a mathematician to organize this ink and paper just right. Somebody
has to run the press. Somebody has to write the grammatical code.
Somebody has to organize the mathematical formula. Simply knowing how ink
and paper interact tells you nothing about a math book. In the same way,
knowing how chemicals react tells you nothing about life. Life is more
than chemical reactions. Life is a very complex code requiring a code
writer! Could that code writer have left a thumb print?
His index finger: Conscience. Every human society has a group moral
conscience. Everybody has rules about who deserves to live, how many
women you can have, what property belongs to you, and so on. The ten
commandments are actually the ten reminders. The rules among cultures may
vary, but the point is, everybody has rules. Where did these universal
rules come from? Could these rules have existed in the mind of someone
who was here already?
His third finger: History. Just how did the Israelites escape Egypt?
They were unarmed slaves. They had been enslaved for centuries. They
were in bondage to the most powerful military force on the earth of their
day. Then, all of a sudden, they gain their freedom? That would be the
equivalent of Los Angeles defeating the entire might of the United States
Military. Could the Jews have gotten supernatural help?
Just how did the Christian church get started? After all, it was started
by a Rabbi with grandiose dreams who got himself killed! It was started
by eleven cowards and one traitor to their cause! Why would Peter deny
Jesus one day, and then risk his life on another day? Peter claimed that
Jesus had risen bodily from the grave! Could Peter be right? A
resurrection would qualify as a major fingerprint of God!
Perhaps, it will be argued the disciples only thought Jesus rose from
death. The theory suggests that Jesus was only unconscious, and not
really dead. Consider for a moment what the Romans did to Jesus. They
were professional executioners! They knew how to kill. Jesus lost
copious amounts of blood owing to the crucifixion and to the severe
beating he received. He suffocated slowly during his ordeal because of
the way he hung on the cross. He suffered cardiac stress during the
crucifixion. A Roman soldier pierced his heart with a spear just to make
sure he was really dead! After that, he was wrapped in heavy grave
clothes and left in a cool tomb. Does it seem likely that his friends
would have buried him if there were any sign of life? The crucifixion
induced shock. This medical condition is best treated with warmth and
comfort. Jesus got anything but that! The last place you put a shock
patient is in a cool tomb! The coolness would have intensified the shock
to the point of death, even if he were still alive somehow.
Even if this mangled Jesus did manage to survive, imagine, for a moment,
His dramatic encounter with Thomas. We all know what Thomas said, "My
Lord and my God!" If Thomas had seen a mangled messiah, I am quite sure
he would have said, instead, "My Lord, you need a physician!" That isn't
what Thomas said!
Even the day of common worship has changed. Why? The Jewish community
was fanatical about Sabbath worship, Saturday only. Folks were killed for
breaking this law! They didn't fool around about this day of worship.
Now, all of a sudden, in mass, they switch the day to Sunday? A dead body
rising on Sunday morning just might explain their sudden change of
attitude!
His fourth finger: Prophecy. Hundreds of years before Christ came,
prophets wrote down very explicit and very specific details about their
coming Messiah. Anybody can prophesy in a vague or general sort of way.
A great leader will come who will inspire the people ... and so on. Given
enough time, that sort of prophecy is bound to come true. The messianic
prophecies aren't anything like that. Psalm 22, for example, predicts
among other things, that He would have his hands pierced, and even that
they would cast lots for His clothing. Isaiah, chapter 53, is His
biography in advance. Daniel, Chapter 9, points to the precise time of
His arrival. Could God have left yet another fingerprint in prophecy?
God's little finger: Changed lives. Thousands of case studies can be
brought forth regarding what is commonly called the "Jesus factor".
Without Jesus, drug rehab has a miserable success rate. With Jesus, the
recovery rate is truly amazing. Why? Mere psychology doesn't seem
adequate to explain this. People, who regularly attend church, live
longer and have fewer health problems. Could this be yet another
fingerprint?
So what? What if God is real? What if Jesus really did do amazing
things? The answer is simple. Either life has a purpose, or it doesn't.
Either we all die like insects, or we live forever. Either we are mere
protoplasm or we are princes! If Jesus is telling us the truth, then we
can live forever and rule the universe at his side! If he is telling us
the truth, then rejecting him is treason! If Jesus is telling us the
truth, then treason against Him has an eternal penalty!
What do I do about it? Jesus told us the answer. "If you confess me
before men, then I will confess you before my Father." (Luke 12:8.) Tell
people what you believe to be true about Jesus, and then He tells His
Father what He believes to be true about you! You might begin by sending
this article to others. Investigate the Bible for yourself. Go to church
and investigate other Christians. Tell Jesus how you are feeling. After
all, if He rose from death, then isn't He alive right now? Could God be
leaving fingerprints on your soul, too?
© by Chris Hansen
E-mail Address:
chrishansen54 @ sbcglobal.net
Author of
Grandfather's Journal,
Revelation Revisited and
Secret of the Psalms
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