Leber Lies Regarding Creation
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Chief Apostle Wilhelm Lieber has put forward his views on the credibility of a literal interpretation of Scriptures in his article “Supplementary explanations on our understanding of the Bible,” and my initial reaction after reading the article is simply…
Wow.
He does not understand the Bible or science very much.
Leber claims, “we simply cannot get around interpreting the ‘days’ of creation as very long periods of time.” Leber is taking a lot of interpretive liberties with this statement. Even more troubling is that this statement attacks the underpinnings of the Bible’s credibility. Again, with the statement, “Accordingly, any predecessors to human life which may have existed were not equipped with an immortal soul,” Leber is calling into question the truthfulness of the Scriptures by claiming that they cannot be taken literally. This is a tacit attempt to discredit the authority of the Words of Yah as recorded in the Scriptures.
Of course, undermining the credibility of the Scriptures does have certain advantages for the NAC. If the NAC can erode members’ faith in the Scriptures, then members are more malleable, more controlable, and more likely to allow the NAC to assume authority it does not rightly have. This garners more power for the NAC leadership, which is a pattern of bad bahavior that history has witnessed from other cults such as the Roman Catholic Church.
Given that I have so many loved ones in mortal jeopardy by subscribing to the NAC doctrine, Leber’s words here are very troubling to me. Therefore, please indulge me for a few paragraphs while I just rant a bit. I just have to get this off my chest.
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Let Me Just Rant for a Moment
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Leber dug a deep proverbial hole for himself with his article from March of 2009 (see my comments on that article here), as many members of the NAC started to see just how little faith Leber actually has in the Scriptures, but with this article for March 2010, Leber has dug this hole even deeper.
Folks, this article from Leber is actually Leber’s confession of faith. Leber is confessing that he does not believe the Scriptures – period. Leber is not a defender of the faith. Leber’s authority is not Christ. Leber is his own authority. Leber has been conditioned per NAC doctrine to believe that any whimsical feeling that he has must come from the “Holy Spirit,” which this is a common delusion for ministers in the NAC. When he undermines that authority of the Scriptures, he is speaking with the serpent’s voice. Only the deceiver himself would want people to question the reliability, truthfulness, the scientific and historical accuracy of the Scriptures.
Why should he be trusted to lead an entire church when he is not under that authority of Christ?
This is surreal. How did Leber ever get his job? Leber’s letter should be strong evidence in every NAC member’s mind that one need not be a Scriptural or scientific scholar to attain the highest ministry in the NAC.
If NAC members truly understood the implications of Leber’s words here, they would be running from the NAC churches screaming in terror.
The implications here are that Leber (1) has no faith in the truth of Scriptures and (2) as a consequence is calling his own Messiah a liar. Yahshua routinely chided everybody around him including the Pharisees, the Sadducees and even His own disciples that they should study and believe the Scriptures [1] [2]. Yet, with this article, Leber is affirming that all members of the NAC should forget Yahshua’s words and rather follow the feelings of Wilhelm Leber.
Folks, Leber needs to be reborn. He needs to get saved. He was likely raised in the NAC, and he has never been confronted with the truth of Yahshua our Messiah. The man is a lost soul who has craftily clawed his way to the top of the NAC hierarchy, but most assuredly I can tell you that because he is not committed to the truth of Scriptures, he is not a true leader. The man is deceived and is deceiving others just Shaul wrote to Timothy, as recorded in 2 Timothy 3:13-17, which reads, “But evil men and impostors shall go on to the worse, leading astray and being led astray. But you, stay in what you have learned and trusted, having known from whom you have learned, and that from a babe you have known the Set-apart Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for deliverance through belief in Messiah Yahshua. All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work.”
Finally, the question arises, “to which scientists is Leber listening?” Which scientists does Leber believe? There are scientists that subscribe to a naturalistic interpretation of the evidence, and there are scientists that subscribe to a creationist interpretation of the evidence. There are many scientists who believe that the universe is not more than several thousand years old. In my opinion, these creationists scientists present a more cogent argument. We discuss who these scientists are in the Creation Per Scriptures section. Why must Leber’s attention be captivated only by scientists who subscribe to a naturalistic interpretation? Leber is deceived precisely because Leber does not have faith -- by his own admission -- that the Scriptures are literally true.
As you can see, I get rather emotional when somebody calls my Master, Yahshua Messiah, a liar.
Now that I have that off my chest and have ranted a bit, let’s get down to brass tacks, as the saying goes. What are the details? Leber admits that his worldview is not a result of his study of the truth of found in the Scriptures but is rather the result of his feelings about the interpretation of certain scientific evidences. How do we know for certain that Wilhelm Leber’s worldview is wrong?
We will explore the answer in two ways. First, we will explore scientific evidences that are often overlooked, and next we will open the Scriptures to give Yah the final word.
[2] Yahshua upbraids His own taught-ones for not knowing the Scriptures. Luke 24:25, Mat. 15:20 (eating with washed hands is sanitary and taught by the Jews, yet Yah gave no such commandment)
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Often Overlooked Scientific Evidences
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Certainly, there are evidences that lead scientists to believe that the earth is billions of years old, as Leber has suggested. They are out there. Some examples of these evidences are cosmic background radiation, the speed of light, and the time required for light to travel from distant stars. The first thing we must understand about these evidences is that they are built upon assumptions that may or may not be true even though they are generally accepted as true. Furthermore, it is important to note that there can be more than one way to interpret the evidences that are presented to us.
Before we begin, there are three very important points to keep in mind.
(1) Scientists merely have evidences and do not have proof regarding the age of the universe, regardless of how emotionally espoused they are to their conclusions regarding their evidences.
(2) The truth will account for all of the evidence, and this point cannot be stressed enough since, as we will read below, there are many evidences for a young earth and a young universe. Certain interpretations of the evidences are contradicted by other evidences, so it is important to keep in mind that when the truth of the matter is known clearly, all evidences can be interpreted in such a way such that contradictions will not exist, which is a reference to the Law of Non-contradiction [1].
Why would scientists overlook these evidences? The field of science is today generally dominated by secular Darwinists who ignore these evidences because the evidences are inconvenient to their worldview, and these evidences do not easily fit into their Darwinian models. Their worldview is incompatible with the thought of the existence of a Creator and Ultimate Judge precisely because the very thought of being ultimately judged for their actions terrifies them on a profound emotional level and rightly so, since their deeds are evil. As such, they simply ignore these evidences. Shaul describes this tendency in Romans chapter 1:17-32, which reads, “For in it the righteousness of Elohim is revealed from belief to belief, as it has been written, ‘But the righteous shall live by belief.’ For the wrath of Elohim is revealed from heaven against all wickedness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known of Elohim is manifest among them, for Elohim has manifested it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible qualities have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, both His everlasting power and Mightiness, for them to be without excuse, because, although they knew Elohim, they did not esteem Him as Elohim, nor gave thanks, but became vain in their reasonings, and their undiscerning heart was darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and changed the esteem of the incorruptible Elohim into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and of four-footed beasts and of reptiles. Therefore Elohim gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts, to disrespect their bodies among themselves, who changed the truth of Elohim into the falsehood, and worshipped and served what was created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amĕn. Because of this Elohim gave them over to degrading passions. For even their women exchanged natural relations for what is against nature, and likewise, the men also, having left natural relations with woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing indecency, and receiving back the reward which was due for their straying. And even as they did not think it worth- while to possess the knowledge of Elohim, Elohim gave them over to a worthless mind, to do what is improper, having been filled with all unrighteousness, whoring, wickedness, greed, evil; filled with envy, murder, fighting, deceit, evil habits; whisperers, slanderers, haters of Elohim, insolent, proud, boasters, devisers of evils, disobedient to parents, without discernment, covenant breakers, unloving, unforgiving, ruthless; who, though they know the righteousness of Elohim, that those who practise such deserve death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practise them.”
(3) The third point to keep in mind as we read is that no person has scientific proof regarding the age of the earth and the age of the universe. Therefore, although evidences abound, proofs regarding creation are hard to come by. We must keep in mind that any person’s conclusion on the matter is simply a matter of faith.
[1] The Law of Non-Contradiction states that both a proposition, A, and its denial, not-A, cannot be true within the domain of a single "theory", within the domain of validity of the law of identity, "A = A". This law is indeed fundamental to formal logic.
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The Definition of Brainwashing
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I once had a neighbor who was a principle in a government school, and one day we had a conversation about what government school children are taught regarding the age of the universe. He explained that the government schools cannot teach religion and therefore must teach what science affirms. He explained that science “proves” that the universe is billions of years old, and therefore government school teachers are obligated to teach this “fact.”
I then asked him, “Are you certain that there are no scientific evidences that suggest that the universe is only thousands of years old and not billions?”
He smiled with a hint of condescension, and quipped, “Quite certain.”
I asked, “Have you ever heard of any piece of evidence that suggests a young universe?”
“I never have,” he replied.
Now, this is curious because this “professional educator” claims he had never been exposed to a piece of evidence that suggests a young universe, yet I have almost an entire bookshelf filled with books written by astrophysicists, astronomers and scientists who subscribe to the idea of a young universe.
One of the ways to brainwash a person, to completely convince them that a false assertion is true, is to carefully control a person’s exposure to the evidence to only one side of an argument, eliminating a person’s exposure to any counter-arguments. Then repeat the message over and over again, and this will eventually convince a person that a false assertion is true.
When one hears the evidence for only one side of an argument and hears it over and over again, this is the definition of an effort to brainwash a person.
Brainwashing is exactly what is happening in government schools, other secular institutions of education, churches, and even mainstream media. Dubious characters such as Charles Darwin are elevated to “messiah” status, their assertions never challenged, while the Holy Scriptures are impugned, maligned, and vilified, just the way Satan wants it. Sadly, just like my neighbor who is a government school principle, Wilhelm Leber has also subscribed to this same brainwashed school of thought.
But as we will see in Creation Per Scriptures, the evidence for a young universe is there, it is compelling, and it is largely ignored.
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Claims with No Supporting Evidence
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Perhaps you have noted as I have that people often make claims to support their belief system but are remiss to offer any supporting evidence. We see this all the time – especially in popular texts and media.
Let me give a few examples…
Find a news article today that references Charles Darwin, and you will generally see that Darwinian evolution is presupposed without ever offering any supporting evidence.
In his article for March 2010, Wilhelm Leber certainly makes bold claims regarding science, yet offers no evidence to support his claims. It would have been nice to see what evidence convinced him that the “days” of Genesis are actually long periods of time.
I receive emails all the time from people who are in the NAC who make bold religious claims yet can offer no evidence beyond “because my apostle said so.”
Listen to any interview from the notorious atheist Richard Dawkin’s, and you will generally hear a man making a claim for which he generally offers no evidence.
The important point to remember here is that we must never allow ourselves to be persuaded by a claim for which there is no supporting evidence presented. If we would allow ourselves to be persuaded merely by a claim and not by the evidence presented, we would be in danger of allowing ourselves to be persuaded merely by the charisma of the speaker. Cults generally rely upon the charisma of their leaders instead of the facts of reality to manipulate and control the minds of their followers. Yet, rational people will allow their minds to be persuaded only by the facts of reality, which means they will consider all evidences on both sides of an argument before they arrive at a verdict.
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Persuaded Despite the Evidence
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Yet, in today’s secularized, Darwinist-influenced academia, the evidences presented in Creation Per Scriptures are generally not being considered before a verdict is being rendered. In a court of law, a verdict can only right be pronounced after the truth has been discovered. The truth cannot be determined until all of the evidence has been evaluated. The plaintiff provides evidence, and the defendant provides counter-evidence. The judge must diligently inquire into the facts of the matter in light of the evidence with the thought in mind that the truth of the matter accounts for all of the evidence. If the judge refused to follow this disciplined methodology, he would be in danger of rendering an incorrect verdict.
Today’s academia has generally not complied with this disciplined methodology and has generally ignored an entire body of evidence that suggests that the universe is very young. It has ignored the fact that the truth accounts for all of the evidence. Therefore it has not arrived at a correct verdict.
Cult leaders rely upon members who cannot or will not comply with this disciplined methodology for rendering a verdict. They rely upon members who will not consider all of the evidence for their claims and rely upon member who will be persuaded by charisma or some other form of psychological or emotional manipulation. Today’s secularized academia can therefore be rightly categorized as a cult, a cult that many, including Wilhelm Leber, follow in child-like obedience of faith.
Presently, we have scientific evidence that is apparently contradictory. When evidences on both sides of the argument seem to contradict each other, then we must conclude that we do not yet have all of the facts. Since the scientific evidence regarding the creation is apparently contradictory, we would be imprudent to conclude that the Scriptural account of creation is therefore incorrect. Yet, this is exactly what Wilhelm Leber is doing.
Why?
Using Leber’s continued attempts to discredit the authority of Scriptures as evidence, I conclude that the reason is that Wilhelm Leber and every one of his “chief apostle” predecessors are complicit in a world-wide and ancient conspiracy whose purpose is to malign and vilify the words of our Creator. In other words, Leber speaks with the serpent’s voice and acts merely one of Satan’s puppets as he echoes the words we read in Genesis 3:1, “hath Elohim said?”
Wilhelm Leber and the scientists that he listens to are using one-sided, biased evidences to demand that we believe their claims. Furthermore, they rely up bromides and lies that are repeated over and over again, which persuades the minds of many people to accept rediculous assertions that should, after just a cursory examination, be rejected entirely. Satan and “academic elites” who know the truth yet deliberately withhold it must be laughing their heads off at how gullible people truly are. Let us get all of the facts on the table for consideration.
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It is in the NAC's Interest to Undermine Scriptures
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The New Apostolic Church leadership has a long history of impugning the Scriptures, and because it claims of apostolic authority, has a vested interest in undermining the credibility of Scriptures as a means of bolstering its own authority.
In a reference to Scriptures, NAC historians have claimed, “The word of remembrance, which had so far been preached, could no longer quench the spiritual hunger and thirst.”[1]
In this way, the NAC is imitating the bad behavior of the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, is it not ironic that the NAC has criticized the Roman Catholic Church for their inconsistencies with Scriptures [2] when the NAC Chief Apostle also utters edicts that are inconsistent with the literal reading of Scriptures?
Why does this happen?
When a church organization crosses the line into claiming apostolic authority, as both the New Apostolic Church and the Roman Catholic Church have done, they are claiming that the Most High actually speaks through them, but because these claims are false, the Most High will deceive them into uttering apostasy, or doctrines that contradict Scriptures. This is done so that people will know that their claims are actually false [3]. Yah assures us that when a prophet (or in this case an entire church) is deceived, Yah has deliberately deceived him, and Yah has promised to destroy both that prophet and the people that follow him [4].
However, if the members of the NAC would actually read and study their Bibles, they would then realize the inconsistencies between the NAC doctrine and the Scriptures. To influence members to not trust the Scriptures, NAC leadership must utter doctrines that undermine the credibility of Scriptures, doctrines such as Leber's feeings regarding the Scriptural account of Creation. If members then do not trust their Bibles, they will not even read their Bibles let alone actually study them.
To retain its influence over NAC members, the NAC leadership must keep NAC members from understanding the truth found in the Scriptures. To maintain its iron-grip over the hearts of minds of the NAC members, the NAC leadership will continue to express reasons why they should not study the Scriptures. Without the truth found in the Scriptures, the NAC members will be more easily deceived, more easily controlled, more easily manipulated by emotional appeals, more easily lured into the lake of fire.
[1] Friedrich Bischoff (1970) History of the New Apostolic Church. p. 11
[2] The Apostles’ College of the New Apostolic Church (1971) History of the Kingdom of God. p. 98
[3] Deuteronomy 18:19-22
[4] Ezekiel 14: 9-11
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