years?”
“I don’t know Dom,” Peter said. “It’s all interesting. I’ll give you that. But what about prophecy?”
“Well Noah’s flood itself is a prophecy. Who today would have ever imagined that such a global catastrophe actually occurred? But the Bible says as well that there are many more global catastrophes that are going to come to destroy the earth. The end times are equated to Noah’s flood.”
“Do you think these are the end times?” Peter asked.
“I don’t know. We certainly seem to be leading up to them. Either way, God declares what he is going to do at the very end of this age. The book of Revelation says that there’s going to be a giant global earthquake; there will also be extremely massive hailstones that pelt the earth; and there will be this tsunami of warriors from around the world that converges on the nation of Israel.”
“Yeah,” Peter said. “I’ve heard of some of that -- the Battle of Armageddon?”
“That’s right. But just think about how risky those predictions are. There’s nothing quite like Bible prophecy.”
“That may be, but if you get to that point you’re probably too late anyway.”
“You’re not too late until Jesus Christ comes back. But not only that, there are other really risky predictions that deal with earlier things. The Bible says that one day everybody’s gonna have to get a mark on their hand or forehead in order to be able to buy or sell.”
“The Mark of the Beast?” Peter asked.
“Yeah, that’s it. Plus, although not every Bible student believes it, I think that Revelation predicts very plainly that an asteroid or something like that will smash into earth towards the end [10]. Also, again, not everybody believes this, but I think the Bible says Christians will be taken away to heaven before all this really bad stuff happens.”
“But why would God do all this? Isn’t it mean and cruel? If there is a God, isn’t he supposed to be all about love?”
“Yeah, of course he is love, but he also is holy and true. That’s why when he threatens punishment he’s got to make good on it. He can’t just forget the matter. That’s completely against his nature. He put laws into place to keep us from dishonouring him and to keep us from hurting each other. If we break those laws we have to pay. Just look at the Canaanites.”
“The Canaanites?” Peter asked.
“They were a really wicked nation which God sent Israel to destroy. If you read about some of the stuff they were doing to each other and to their children you’d understand why.”
“And how can we know what they did? It’s in the Bible?”
“Some of their sins are in the Bible, but it’s also archaeology that has given us a terrific amount of detail. They’ve uncovered Canaanite religious literature from Ras Shamra; it’s an ancient site in Syria [11]. The practices of these people were so disgusting I can’t even talk about it in public. But our culture is basically doing much of the same stuff, only in different ways.”
“So I guess we’re all stuffed then, ey?”
“Well that’s where the ark comes in. In my presentation I’m going to talk about the sins of our culture and then conclude with the ark. Just as Noah found safety in the ark from the flood, so if we repent of our sins and trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ we can be spared the eternal wrath of God.”
“Right, right, Dom. I know. I mean, I’ve heard that stuff before.”
“Do you know that the Savour’s entire life was prophesied too? His birth, death, resurrection, ascension to heaven -- all of it. The Old Testament prophets foretold it all. It’s amazing. Have you ever read the Bible?”
Peter sighed as the men sat in silence for a moment.
“Look, Peter, I’m not going to go squeal to your wife about Tahiti, but --”
The waiter came up to the table and cleared away the dirty dishes and trash. “Can I get anything else for you?” he asked.
“Yeah, bring me a coffee,” Dom said.
“And bring me a glass of whiskey,” Peter said.
The waiter walked away and shortly afterwards there was an announcement over the loudspeaker for Peter’s flight to begin boarding.
“I guess I’ll have to drink this quick,” Peter said.
“Look Peter, all I was saying was that --”
“Dom, don’t. Look, I sat and listened to you politely, but don’t bully me anymore.”
“Bully you? I wasn’t trying to bully you.”
“Well, just don’t mention Tahiti -- not to me, not to Susan, not to anyone. If you do I’ll just say you’re a religious nut who got offended by me and that you’re lying. You’ll have to suspend gravity before anyone considers your version of truth.”
“Peter;” Dom paused and sighed. “You can’t run forever.”
“I’m not running. Susan and I have a great relationship.”
“Well I doubt that Peter. But I wasn’t just talking about Susan. I was also talking about God. You can’t have a vacation from him.”
The waiter reappeared and sat down the drinks and the bill. Peter did his best to gulp down the whiskey as quickly as possible. He looked at the bill, pulled out some money, and set it on the table.
“Look, I gotta go. That will cover the bill plus the tip.”
“I don’t want you paying for me,” Dom said.
“Please Dom, just take the money.” He paused and then smiled. “Look at it as a late donation to a missionary.”
Peter rose to his feet and pushed in his chair. Dom fetched his backpack and pulled out his Bible. “Here, take this Peter.”
Dom handed him a Bible with a gold-embossed cross etched on the front cover.
“Hey, I don’t want to take your Bible.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s an extra one. I only got it for the trip because it’s not so bulky. I’m not going to use it anymore. Please, do me a favour; take it. You never know, Tahiti might not be all it’s cracked up to be.”
Peter frowned and took the Bible sheepishly. The men shook hands and parted paths. Peter hurriedly left the midst of the wooden tables and headed for his gate. As he stood in line it dawned on him that he looked a bit foolish walking around without any carry-on luggage except for a Bible. His feeling of insecurity grew stronger when he saw the pretty face of the ticket-clerk. He sat the Bible down on a chair, got back in line, handed the woman his ticket, and departed.
The flight was long and restless, and Peter tried hard to get Dom and Susan out of his mind. Worst of all, as he ventured into the vast unknown to meet the pretty face of an acquaintance and to stroll through citrus gardens, eat shellfish, and watch sunsets, he wished he hadn’t left Dom’s Bible back in the terminal.
He couldn’t help but think, especially as he waited for his luggage upon arrival, that somehow the book might have made his heavy bag feel a bit lighter.
Citations
[1] Holden, Joseph M. and Norman Geisler. The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2013. (from chapters 9 and 10).
[2] Price, Randall. The Stones Cry Out. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1997. (pgs. 66-67, 79-81, etc.).
[3] https://www.ghosttheory.com/2009/05/18/the-entity-interview-with-doris-bithers-son
[4] www.dissentfromdarwin.org
[5] Dalrymple, Theodore. Admirable Evasions. New York: Encounter Books, 2015. (from chapter 8).
[6] Thomas, Brian. “Canadian ‘Mega’ Dinosaur Bonebed Formed by Watery Catastrophe.” www.icr.org. Accessed June 2015.
[7] Snelling, Andrew. “Rock Layers Folded, Not Fractured.” www.answersingenesis.org. Accessed June 2015.
[8] Ham, Ken (Editor). The New Answers Book 3. Online edition (www.answersingenesis.org). Accessed June 2015. (from chapter 9).
[9] “The 10 Best Evidences from Science that Confirm a Young Earth.” www.answersingenesis.org. Accessed June 2015.
[10] See Revelation, chapters 8-9.
[11] Unger, Merrill F. Unger’s Bible Handbook. Chicag
o: Moody Press, 1967. (pg. 51)
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