Friday Church News Notes
Volume 23, Issue 2 - January 14, 2022
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, though this does not imply an endorsement.
An artist’s impression of the James Webb Space Telescope. (Courtesy: NASA GSFC/ CIL/ Gutierrez)
NASA’S NEW SPACE TELESCOPE: PART 1 TECHNOLOGICAL BRILLIANCE (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Since its inception in 1958, America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has contributed greatly to man’s scientific knowledge. The list of accomplishments, inventions, and spinoff technologies are endless. NASA has taken man to the moon, operated Space Shuttles, sent spacecraft to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, and the Sun, and jointly developed the International Space Station, to name a few. The latest venture is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The $10 billion instrument, built with contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is the largest, most powerful and complicated telescope ever constructed. It took 30 years to build. It is the size of a tennis court and requires a five-layer sunshield to maintain its instruments at -388 degrees F. It is deployed in space orbit at about 930,000 miles from Earth. It is designed to have seven times more light-gathering ability than the Hubble Space Telescope, and can view objects up to 100 times fainter and detect mid-infrared light beyond the visible spectrum. It was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on December 25, and by January 8 the large-scale deployments of its tripods, mirror wings, and sunshield had been carried out successfully. Aligning and fine tuning the optics will take at least three months. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and is still in service, having exceeded its life expectancy. It was repaired and upgraded by five Space Shuttle missions, but with the retirement of the Shuttles in 2011 that is no longer possible. The Hubble has taken breathtaking photos of God’s beautiful universe and given man new understanding of his macro environment by the tools of true science (as opposed to evolutionary mythology). The Hubble has shown us the glory of the Almighty Creator. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1). (For a description and animation of the James Web Space Telescope - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEaTnztV6OA )
NASA’S NEW SPACE TELESCOPE: PART 2 EVOLUTIONARY NONSENSE (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Sadly, NASA has entirely capitulated to evolutionary fables since the Apollo 8 astronauts read the Genesis account of creation from space on Christmas eve, 1968. NASA states that a major goal with the James Webb Space Telescope is “to look deep into space to look back in time” in order “to see the very first stars and galaxies that formed in the early universe” (“Frequently Asked Questions Lite,” jwst.nasa.gov). This is Big Bang mythology. The prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, says, “By extending our knowledge of the cosmos, the James Webb Space Telescope will play an important role in our quest to answer compelling questions such as: ‘How did the universe begin?’ or ‘When were the first stars and galaxies created?’ or ‘How do planets form?’ and ‘How do we fit in the cosmos?’” We would make the following observations: First, the Big Bang is scientifically goofy on its very face for those who have eyes to see: that everything came from nothing, that the greatest explosion ever conceived produced incredible order, that life came from non-life (spontaneous generation), that intelligence rose from non-intelligence. I don’t need a Ph.D. in science to know that this is whacky. There is zero scientific evidence for the evolutionary theories of the origin of life. These theories are not based on established science but upon unproven presuppositions, presuppositions piled upon presuppositions, and an entire encyclopedia of “just so” stories. Evolutionary theories of the origin of life are contrary to everything man has ever seen or proven. Many scientists, in fact, believe the Bible, because its account of creation is logical and the Bible has never been proven unreliable. (See Scientists Who Believe the Bible, a free eBook available from www.wayoflife.org.) The prophecies of Jesus Christ that predated His birth are irrefutable evidence of the divine nature of the Bible. Nothing NASA has ever discovered as a scientific fact has disproven the Bible in any point. Second, the creation of the JWST is evidence that the Bible’s teaching about man is true. He is made in God’s image and is not an evolved anything. He is an entirely different type of creature from the animals. Third, the space telescopes have provided evidence that the Bible’s teaching on the incalculable vastness of the stars is true. The Bible likens the stars to the sand as something that is “innumerable” (Heb. 11:12). That was not known by ancient science, but the prophets who wrote the Bible knew it, and it has been confirmed by modern science. Fourth, if the evolutionary hypothesis is true and the universe is the product of blind chance and “natural forces,” then man has no ultimate purpose and no future. He is an accident of nature, and when he dies, he is finished. Extinguished. Snuffed out. If evolution is true, NASA is an exercise in vanity. It doesn’t matter what space telescopes find. Nothing matters. Of course, no one lives his life as if evolution were true. I suspect they don’t really believe it. Fifth, modern scientific skepticism is evidence that the Bible is true. It was prophesied 2,000 years ago by Peter. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:3-7).
NASA HIRES THEOLOGIANS TO ADVISE ON CONTACTING ALIENS (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - NASA has hired 24 theologians at the Center for Theological Inquiry in Princeton, to advise on possible contact with aliens. They are to determine how major religions would potentially respond to such a scenario. Andrew Davison, one of the advisors, said it would “be useful to have thought through the implications in advance” and that such contact would have significant ramifications “for the standing and dignity of human life” (“NASA Has Enlisted,” Relevant Magazine, Dec. 29, 2021). A recent Pew Research study found that 65% of Americans (76% of adults under 30) believe in extraterrestrial life on other planets. The Bible teaches that there is life beyond earth, but it is not aliens in the sci-fi sense. There is life in the third heaven, which is called paradise and the city of the living God. Its occupants are “an innumerable company of angels,” “the general assembly and church of the firstborn,” “God the Judge of all,” and “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). That is a fascinating citizenship. There is also life in a place called hell, which is a place of incarceration for impenitent rebels. Then there is fallen angelic life that is described as “principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The universe was made when man was created, and its purpose is the outworking of God’s eternal plan “that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” (Eph. 1:10). The Bible describes the future, and Bible prophecy has never been wrong. The “alien invasion” prophesied in Scripture is the return of Jesus Christ with His holy angels and the redeemed saints. NASA is wasting a lot of money and effort chasing an illusion. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:29-30). Some say the Bible’s teaching is far-fetched, but they would have us believe that everything came from nothing, that an explosion produced intricate order, that life sprang from non-life, that intelligence rose from non-intelligence, and that the mind-bogglingly complex universe came into being without a Creator. That, my friends, is far-fetched!
DARWIN DISSENTERS (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Discovery Institute’s “A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism” has been signed by about 1,000 Ph.D. scientists who agree with the following statement: “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.” It can be found at https://dissentfromdarwin.org. One quote is from the always-interesting David Berlinski, Ph.D., Philosophy, Princeton University: “Darwin’s theory of evolution is the great white elephant of contemporary thought. It is large, almost completely useless, and the object of superstitious awe.” Of course, even if no scientist disputed evolution, this does not mean it is correct. The Bible says, “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4); and Jesus said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). But it is a fact that large numbers of smart men and women with higher degrees reject evolution. The Creation Research Society membership consists of more than 600 men and women who hold advanced degrees and are committed to biblical creationism.
SALVATION: WHERE THERE IS NOTHING SEEN, THERE IS NOTHING POSSESSED (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “We maintain that to tell a man he is born of God or regenerated while he is living in carelessness or sin, is a dangerous delusion and calculated to do infinite harm to his soul. We affirm confidently that fruit is the only certain evidence of a man’s spiritual condition; that if we would know whose he is and whom he serves, we must look first at his life. Where there is the grace of the Spirit, there will be always more or less the fruit of the Spirit. Grace that cannot be seen is no grace at all, and nothing better than Antinomianism. In short, we believe that where there is nothing seen, there is nothing possessed” (J.C. Ryle, cited from Prepared to Stand Alone by Iain Murray). “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
NASA’S NEW SPACE TELESCOPE: PART 2 EVOLUTIONARY NONSENSE (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Sadly, NASA has entirely capitulated to evolutionary fables since the Apollo 8 astronauts read the Genesis account of creation from space on Christmas eve, 1968. NASA states that a major goal with the James Webb Space Telescope is “to look deep into space to look back in time” in order “to see the very first stars and galaxies that formed in the early universe” (“Frequently Asked Questions Lite,” jwst.nasa.gov). This is Big Bang mythology. The prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, says, “By extending our knowledge of the cosmos, the James Webb Space Telescope will play an important role in our quest to answer compelling questions such as: ‘How did the universe begin?’ or ‘When were the first stars and galaxies created?’ or ‘How do planets form?’ and ‘How do we fit in the cosmos?’” We would make the following observations: First, the Big Bang is scientifically goofy on its very face for those who have eyes to see: that everything came from nothing, that the greatest explosion ever conceived produced incredible order, that life came from non-life (spontaneous generation), that intelligence rose from non-intelligence. I don’t need a Ph.D. in science to know that this is whacky. There is zero scientific evidence for the evolutionary theories of the origin of life. These theories are not based on established science but upon unproven presuppositions, presuppositions piled upon presuppositions, and an entire encyclopedia of “just so” stories. Evolutionary theories of the origin of life are contrary to everything man has ever seen or proven. Many scientists, in fact, believe the Bible, because its account of creation is logical and the Bible has never been proven unreliable. (See Scientists Who Believe the Bible, a free eBook available from www.wayoflife.org.) The prophecies of Jesus Christ that predated His birth are irrefutable evidence of the divine nature of the Bible. Nothing NASA has ever discovered as a scientific fact has disproven the Bible in any point. Second, the creation of the JWST is evidence that the Bible’s teaching about man is true. He is made in God’s image and is not an evolved anything. He is an entirely different type of creature from the animals. Third, the space telescopes have provided evidence that the Bible’s teaching on the incalculable vastness of the stars is true. The Bible likens the stars to the sand as something that is “innumerable” (Heb. 11:12). That was not known by ancient science, but the prophets who wrote the Bible knew it, and it has been confirmed by modern science. Fourth, if the evolutionary hypothesis is true and the universe is the product of blind chance and “natural forces,” then man has no ultimate purpose and no future. He is an accident of nature, and when he dies, he is finished. Extinguished. Snuffed out. If evolution is true, NASA is an exercise in vanity. It doesn’t matter what space telescopes find. Nothing matters. Of course, no one lives his life as if evolution were true. I suspect they don’t really believe it. Fifth, modern scientific skepticism is evidence that the Bible is true. It was prophesied 2,000 years ago by Peter. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:3-7).
NASA HIRES THEOLOGIANS TO ADVISE ON CONTACTING ALIENS (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - NASA has hired 24 theologians at the Center for Theological Inquiry in Princeton, to advise on possible contact with aliens. They are to determine how major religions would potentially respond to such a scenario. Andrew Davison, one of the advisors, said it would “be useful to have thought through the implications in advance” and that such contact would have significant ramifications “for the standing and dignity of human life” (“NASA Has Enlisted,” Relevant Magazine, Dec. 29, 2021). A recent Pew Research study found that 65% of Americans (76% of adults under 30) believe in extraterrestrial life on other planets. The Bible teaches that there is life beyond earth, but it is not aliens in the sci-fi sense. There is life in the third heaven, which is called paradise and the city of the living God. Its occupants are “an innumerable company of angels,” “the general assembly and church of the firstborn,” “God the Judge of all,” and “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). That is a fascinating citizenship. There is also life in a place called hell, which is a place of incarceration for impenitent rebels. Then there is fallen angelic life that is described as “principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The universe was made when man was created, and its purpose is the outworking of God’s eternal plan “that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” (Eph. 1:10). The Bible describes the future, and Bible prophecy has never been wrong. The “alien invasion” prophesied in Scripture is the return of Jesus Christ with His holy angels and the redeemed saints. NASA is wasting a lot of money and effort chasing an illusion. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:29-30). Some say the Bible’s teaching is far-fetched, but they would have us believe that everything came from nothing, that an explosion produced intricate order, that life sprang from non-life, that intelligence rose from non-intelligence, and that the mind-bogglingly complex universe came into being without a Creator. That, my friends, is far-fetched!
DARWIN DISSENTERS (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Discovery Institute’s “A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism” has been signed by about 1,000 Ph.D. scientists who agree with the following statement: “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.” It can be found at https://dissentfromdarwin.org. One quote is from the always-interesting David Berlinski, Ph.D., Philosophy, Princeton University: “Darwin’s theory of evolution is the great white elephant of contemporary thought. It is large, almost completely useless, and the object of superstitious awe.” Of course, even if no scientist disputed evolution, this does not mean it is correct. The Bible says, “Let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4); and Jesus said, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). But it is a fact that large numbers of smart men and women with higher degrees reject evolution. The Creation Research Society membership consists of more than 600 men and women who hold advanced degrees and are committed to biblical creationism.
SALVATION: WHERE THERE IS NOTHING SEEN, THERE IS NOTHING POSSESSED (Friday Church News Notes, January 14, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “We maintain that to tell a man he is born of God or regenerated while he is living in carelessness or sin, is a dangerous delusion and calculated to do infinite harm to his soul. We affirm confidently that fruit is the only certain evidence of a man’s spiritual condition; that if we would know whose he is and whom he serves, we must look first at his life. Where there is the grace of the Spirit, there will be always more or less the fruit of the Spirit. Grace that cannot be seen is no grace at all, and nothing better than Antinomianism. In short, we believe that where there is nothing seen, there is nothing possessed” (J.C. Ryle, cited from Prepared to Stand Alone by Iain Murray). “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
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Distributed by Way of Life Literature., publisher of Bible Study Materials and reports for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY (REPORTS AND FRIDAY NEWS) IS NOT DEVOTIONAL. IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR.
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
The Way of Life Literature preaching and publishing ministry is based at Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. A mail stop is maintained in Port Huron, Michigan.
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