Genesis One

Like almost any Biblical doctrine you could name, false teachings abound about the account of creation found in Genesis chapter one.

Does the Bible really teach that the earth and the universe are only a few (six to ten) thousand years old? Were there previous epochs of biological life on the earth? Was the universe really created from “nothing,” according to Scripture? Does it make sense that incredibly complex organisms such as exist on earth, could originate through a series of blind “accidents,” as the theory of evolution asserts? Has the universe eternally existed? Will it come to an end? What does the Bible say?

You may be surprised at how different the revelation in Genesis one is, when compared with the rest of the Bible, from what you may have heard. The Bible is often scoffed at by people who think they know a lot, but are woefully ignorant of what it actually teaches.

Listen to this message and find the answers to these and more intriguing questions of vital importance to your understanding.

“Genesis One” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sin Causes Division

We live in a world marked by dissension, division, strife, hatred, war and other
manifestations of violence and bloodshed. To a large extent, humans are cut off from God as well.

At the root of division, between God and mankind, and among human beings, is sin. If we can understand the root cause of division and strife, perhaps we can understand more clearly the path we should walk in, and eventually the way to peace with God and among human beings.

“Sin Causes Division,” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Why the Feast of Atonement?

The Feast of Atonement teaches vital lessons about God’s purpose and plan for mankind, and how fulfilling it relates to Christ’s sacrifice, and removing Satan from the scene.

“Why the Feast of Atonement?,” by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Day of Atonement About Reconciliation

Eyega Franck speaks of the Day of Atonement and how it relates to reconciliation between God and mankind.

“Day of Atonement About Reconciliation,” by Eyega Franck, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mankind’s Last Best Hope

In his “Second Annual Message” to Congress of December 1, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln proposed a plan for amendments to the Constitution to end slavery in the United States, with concessions he hoped would bring an end to the Civil War and reconcile the rebel states to the Union. In September of 1862 Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, as an executive order which changed the legal status of enslaved persons in states in rebellion against the United States as of January 1, 1863, giving any enslaved persons in those states the status of free men or women under United States law. The Emancipation Proclamation applied only to slaves living in the rebel states, or serving in any segment of the executive branch of the U.S. government. However, it encouraged or required six states to abolish slavery during the war, including three Confederate states which had largely come under control of the Union army, and three Union border states. It also freed slaves living in other rebel areas which had been occupied by the Union. The plan for the Constitutional amendments proposed in 1862 was never acted on.

The plan was different from the thirteenth Constitutional amendment Lincoln championed in 1864-65 to permanently and immediately end slavery in the United States. By late 1864 the defeat of the Confederacy by Union forces was eminent, negating any rationale for concessions in the ending of slavery for political reasons. The thirteenth amendment was passed by Congress in January 1865, about two and a half months before General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, which effectively ended the Civil War. The thirteenth amendment had been ratified by a sufficient number of states to become law by December 6, 1865.

In his “Second Annual Message,” early in the Civil War, when things weren’t going so well for the Union army (cf. Battle Cry of Freedom, James M. McPherson, pp. 560-561), Lincoln described the United States as “the last, best hope of earth.” William Lee Miller, a professor of ethics, who has taught at several universities, in his book “Lincoln’s Virtues,” states the following concerning the phrase “the last, best hope of earth”:

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