Adventism and the Case of the Missing Dinosaurs

Since childhood, I’ve always been fascinated by dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. The small library at the church I attended as a child had a children’s encyclopedia set with many pages of artists’ interpretations of prehistoric life. I loved looking at all the strange and wonderful creatures. Other books, TV programs, and museums also contributed to this interest.

My brother and I at Bedrock City, South Dakota

My brother and I at Bedrock City, South Dakota

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Review: The Cost of Discipleship

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You can believe a man is committed to a cause when he is willing to lay down his life — literally, willing to die — for the cause’s sake. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran theologian who was martyred during World War II in Germany for the sake of Christianity and the German people. His story is movingly told in the video Hanged on a Twisted Cross. (There is also a dramatized version, Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace, which I have not seen yet.)

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Does Foreknowledge Negate Free Will?

The Bible is full of calls to choose our destiny or loyalty. These verses tell us we have a choice, and thus support the doctrine of free will. For example:

  • Joshua 24:15: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” This verse is a plain example of a call to make a choice.
  • Proverbs 1:28, 29: “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.” In this verse, God describes His response (not answering, not being found) as the result of the people’s past choices (they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of God). God’s response was conditional; human choice was the condition.
  • Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” This is a conditional promise: Anyone who hears and opens the door to Christ will sup with Him. Again, the human choice is the condition.

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Sanctuary Geometry and the Garden of Eden

[This is an expansion on an article I wrote in 1998. I shared it with some friends at that time, but since then I've added a little more to it.]

I grew up in the church, and over the years I saw many pictures of the tabernacle of Moses, Solomon’s temple, and Herod’s temple. However, the first time I saw a scale diagram of the tabernacle and its courtyard, I was amazed. Here is a scale model:

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