Revelation 6:1-4 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “ Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Discussion
If you have come this far, then thank you for your interest. We hope that you have been blessed and enjoyed your time investigating the various evidences regarding the validity of the Bible as both history and God’s word to humanity. Please contact us if you have questions or comments or would like to arrange an in-person presentation at your church or fellowship/study group or other venue. You can leave us a message at BiblicalOriginsWyoming@gmail.com.
Before closing I would like you to think seriously about the stark contrast that is developing in our world between those who hold to Scripture as the inspired word of God, and those who accept the secular explanation for our existence in this universe. If you read through the material on the “Bible Facts” page then you may have recognized some of the characteristics of our “modern” secular age as being similar to the ancient mythological thinking that pervaded the pagan world before the dawn of Christianity.
These characteristics begin with the eternity of matter, which is a basic requisite of today’s secular outlook. Specifically, quoting from Oswalt’s book, The Bible amongst the Myths, “Out of this matter come the first gods, who in turn form the chaos into the present order.” (p. 58) And in our modern, secular vernacular: out of the chaos of the “Big Bang” sprang all the forces and materials that resulted in life.
Quoting again from Oswalt: “In the myths, conflict is the source of life. There is never-ending conflict between the forces of construction and the forces of chaos.” (p. 59) And from evolution: “Natural Selection–red in tooth and claw.” From this ancient mythic belief spring the various consequences associated with mythology, including “no single standard of ethics” (p. 60), “there is a uniformly low view of humanity” (p. 59), “world myth is uniform in imagining reality to be a continually turning wheel that comes from nowhere and goes nowhere” (p. 61) (i.e. evolution, and life, is without purpose).
The comparisons could go on, but the reality is that our modern world is descending into a rebirth of pagan mythology with the consequence that our society will see existential threats in ordinary events such as political elections, climate, disease, natural disasters and human activity. The desire to stave off these perceived threats will induce people to abandon control and power to those who promise to manage the unmanageable.
If you choose not to follow this grim path, there is only one other option, as outlined by Oswalt. “God is known: in the human-historical world of ethical choice. He is not to be known through metaphysical speculation resting on the assumption that he is continuous with the cosmos. He is not the cosmos, but he breaks into it, revealing his purposes to us and calling us to decide for or against those purposes.” (p. 79) What will you decide?
Oswalt, John . The Bible among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? (Ancient Context, Ancient Faith). Zondervan Academic.