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A vast change has come over the world in the last ninety years. Prior to 1914, the tempo of life was far more leisurely; motor cars were few and inefficient; airplanes were flimsy affairs that inspired little confidence; electricity was still largely in its infancy. And morally, the world was still governed by the standards and conventions of the Victorian Age.

The first World War brought great changes. It introduced a period of great inventiveness when, in the words of Bible prophecy, "knowledge was increased" (Daniel 12:4). Speed came into its own; the use of electricity was developed; radio became more than a mere toy. On the battlefields, millions died as mighty armies became locked in terrible death-struggles; and, in the widespread catastrophe, conventions were thrown to the winds, and morals were measured by new standards. In view of the remarkable developments of technology, and the widening influence of information, people began to doubt the existence of God as theories of evolution and "natural development" were exploited.

On the one hand, men found themselves controlling mighty forces, and penetrating into previously-unknown space, so that they could almost imagine themselves to be gods. On the other hand, they saw destruction so appalling as to cause them to doubt the existence of a benevolent and loving Creator.

A World Gone Wrong
A materialistic philosophy gained ground in recent times, which explained life in terms that left out God. It propounded the theory of evolution, claiming that creation, in all its complex diversity, originated from mere chance and not from the hands of an intelligent Creator with a well-defined purpose in mind. As mankind struggled through the crisis and slump that followed the great wars, and saw widespread misery and want in famished areas, featured so evidently in the news media, the principles of evolution became indoctrinated into politics. Communism became popular, to further challenge faith and belief in God, so that it is claimed that Karl Marx did for politics what Darwin did for science. Today, most forms of political thought, from right to left, are colored by the principles of communism, as is manifest in a growing State totalitarianism evident in every country.

Meanwhile, mankind's faith in religion was shaken. The influence of the Bible steadily lost ground and was pushed into the background. Morals were relaxed until today chastity is "old fashioned." As the concept of a heavenly Father grew dim, so the principle of fatherhood on earth waned. Divorce and juvenile delinquency grew with their heritage of misery and evil, as the whole world became delinquent towards God. Today, mankind generally, has turned its back upon God. It is morally in a shocking condition, whilst racially and nationally it faces the prospects of such terrible and widespread destruction as could completely destroy civilization.

The Theory of Evolution the Cause
No teaching has contributed more to destroying man's confidence in the existence of God than the theory of evolution. Yet, that theory is completely false, and there is no scientist of any standing, who would dare claim that it has been proved indisputably true. The theory is propounded on the basis of implication and circumstantial evidence, that fails to satisfy the truly enquiring mind. This theory cannot provide any answer to the insurmountable problems that face society, but is itself responsible for the decline of morals, the break-up of family life, and the political antagonism that disgraces today's world. Yet the Bible, with its remarkable confirmation of prophecy vindicated beyond all shadow of doubt by the amazing fulfilment of that which it has predicted, can direct to a satisfying way of life that provides for the good of humanity and also presents a hope for the future (1 Timothy 4:8).

The most seriously perturbing aspect of all this conflict, is that evolution has been gullibly accepted by people who do not understand how fallacious is its teaching, nor how dangerous its influence. It has now become incorporated into the educational systems of the schools, and though it remains an unproven theory, it is often taught as fact, as true beyond all doubt, and in such a way as to completely discredit the Bible.

Thus, from early childhood, people are taught to question the standards of previous times, and to scoff at the Bible with its message of hope and its offer of personal salvation. People reject the idea that Jesus Christ is to return to this earth (Acts 1:11: 3:19), to raise from the dead and give eternal life to those who have lived in accordance with his teaching (Matthew 19:28-29); they ridicule the doctrine that shows that God will set up a kingdom upon the earth (Daniel 2:44), over which Jesus Christ will reign as king (1 Corinthians 15:24; Zechariah 14:9). In doing so they deny themselves the salvation that God offers to perishing humanity (John 3:16), and cut themselves off from any hope in the future.

How clever is man?
The Bible demands faith, however, and in this materialistic age, when man has probed so many secrets of life, it is popular to mock at a Bible faith. Man imagines that he has grown beyond it, and thinks that he has all the answers to life's problems. But how mistaken is such a view! Man might be clever in a superficial way, but he has not all the answers. He is clever only to the extent that God has permitted him to stumble upon discoveries which have enabled him to use certain elements, the fundamentals about which, however, he remains ignorant.

Consider electricity, for example. We are absolutely dependent upon it for the basics of life, yet the scientist who harnesses it cannot explain what it is, or where it came from! Consider, further, a marvel of modern times: radio and video transmission. It is entirely dependent upon elements that man has discovered, but which he cannot create. No man has ever made an electron, or the smallest quantity of tungsten, from which electrodes are made; no man has ever created a scrap of copper used to form the casing of valves. Thus the radio -- advanced as a triumph of man's ingenuity -- is entirely dependent upon elements he never made, but found! Who put them there in the first place? Who, but God!

Now, consider yourself. Eight hours out of a day you probably rest on a bed and try to sleep. Why? Why is sleep so essential? Ask your doctor, and discover that he does not know! He knows that it is important that you should do so; he knows that it restores and revives the whole of the human frame, and that it is as important as food. But your doctor does not know why the human body must sleep! With all his professed knowledge, man is very limited.

The word "miracle," is frequently used today to describe what man does, but it is an unpopular word to use in association with the Bible. The massive jet plane flying overhead is a "miracle," but a loud laugh goes up when we refer to the miracles of the Bible.

The Evil of Evolution
With the foregoing in mind, carefully consider the theory of evolution. It claims that "life" came into existence by mere chance; that its complex, harmonious and diverse forms which are seen on every hand, developed out of slime; that it just happened without direction or purpose; that it all came into being by blind accident; that it is merely remarkable luck that we have hands, feet, head, and eyes!

Now such a theory is incredulous. I look at a watch. I observe all the intricate mechanism. I know that there is design and purpose in it all, though (not being mechanically minded!) I do not understand the functions of all the little pieces of machinery. But the science of evolution would teach me that the watch manufactured itself; that it evolved all the little springs because it wanted to tell the time for some reason it did not know itself, and therefore, by forces working outside of itself, and a desire from within, it ultimately became a watch.

My little bit of sarcasm is not far-fetched, as every scientist will know. It is the principle upon which the theory is based. How did life come into existence? One man told me that in some remote past, mighty primeval waves beat upon the shores, and life was created! But who caused the mighty waves to beat upon the shore? He did not know. And the whole of his theory, to my mind, moved out of the range of miracle into the realm of magic! Blind chance waved its magic wand, and life was created!

But then another scientist told me that the first one was wrong! And, as I searched into this matter, I found so many mistakes that scientists had made, particularly in relation to this theory of evolution, so many involved and contradictory theories, all cancelling out what the other taught, that I was pleased to get back to my Bible, with its sound, clear, and plain teaching: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

But what you need to bear in mind is that these God-defying theories are taught to children in the schools, indoctrinating them with principles that encourage them to treat God's Word with disrespect, and induce in them a spirit that can lead to delinquency.

The greatest heritage any parents can give their children is a respect for God, and an education in spiritual matters.

Has man penetrated space?
The telescope reveals our earth as a very small, insignificant speck floating in unlimited space. When you look into the sky, you are facing infinity! What is beyond space? And what is beyond that? So, as we think upon the problem, there is borne home to us that there is something greater that mortal man, and we only have to gaze into the heavens to be brought face to face with the infinite.

Our nearest neighbour (excluding the moon, earth's satellite) is the planet Venus, which is 39,000,000 kilometres away when at its nearest point. With Venus, and other planets, we revolve around the sun which is 150,000,000 kilometres away.

The sun is the centre of a little system of its own, called the solar system, and the nearest star to the solar system (and itself the centre of its own system, for every star is a sun in its own right) is Alpha Centauri, some 42 million million kilometres away.

The solar system is a very small dot in the vast Milky Way, which we see on a night spread across the sky. Every point of light seen (excluding the few planets associated with the sun) is a mighty sun controlling its own vast system like our sun. Train a telescope upon the heavens, and for every dot of light you see with the naked eye, you will see another thousand! The larger the telescope that man produces, the more he realizes that there is no limit to discoveries! He is face to face with the Infinite.

Yet it is all governed by marvellous precision and order, more meticulous and exact that the best watch that man has ever made.

Did "Lady Luck" cause all this to happen? Did blind chance create remarkable order? To pose the question is to answer it!

So tremendous is the vault of heaven, that ordinary measurements are inadequate, and man has adopted another unit called light year. Light travels at the rate of 300,000 kilometres per second. Multiply that by 60 for the distance in a minute, again by 60 for the distance in an hour, again by 24 for the distance in a day, and finally by 365 for the distance covered in a year, and the total of nearly ten million million kilometres is the enormous yardstick, our nearest star-neighbour Alpha Centauri) is four and one-third light years distant from the earth! In other words, if the rockets that landed on the moon were directed to our nearest star, they would take 5,000 years to reach it! And long before that, I should think, those who launched it would have lost interest in the progress!

Yet scientists glibly speak of "man's conquest of space"!

Did the limitless heavens, this vast globe we call "earth," and the amazing diversities of life upon it, come merely by chance or caprice? Are the complexities of life a mere whim of fate -- or is there some real purpose behind existence?