August 2005 - Vol 1, Issue 4

In this issue...
-- "God, Man and Animals" - Part III
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- WMI conference fast approaching; promotion underway
-- Fall course planned for CWST

"God, Man and Animals" - Part III
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

This will be the final installment in our consideration of God’s dealings with man and animals. Last month we looked at the state of animals in both the ark of Noah and the coming Kingdom of Christ. This time we resume by thinking about the prophetic future of animals.

The Future for Animals in Isaiah

Just as Christ the Lord revealed to John the apostle six times in several different ways that there would be a 1,000-year Kingdom on the earth before the eternal state (Rev. 20:2-7), so, in Isaiah, the Spirit of God revealed three different times and in different ways that lions will become harmless animals again when Christ returns. In Isaiah 65:25 we are told that "the lion shall eat straw like the bullock" – a clear confirmation of Isaiah 11:7.

But equally significant is Isaiah 35:9, where we read that "no lion shall be there (on The Highway of Holiness – v. 8), nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon... but the redeemed shall walk there." This cannot mean that there will be no lions in the Kingdom. It means that there shall be no "ravenous" lions there (v. 9b) to threaten people on their way to Zion to worship the Lord (vs. 10).

The Future for Animals in Hosea and Ezekiel

To the prophet Hosea, a contemporary of Isaiah in the Northern Kingdom of Israel about 740 B.C., God gave a similar picture: "In that day will I make a covenant for them (Israel) with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground ...to make them lie down safely" (Hos. 2:18). During the Babylonian Captivity (c. 575 B.C.), in the midst of deep discouragement that the godly remnant was experiencing, Ezekiel announced: "I will make with them (restored Israel) a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods ...neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely" (Ezek. 34:25-28). Thus, at last, will be fulfilled the promise God made through Moses: "If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments ... I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid; and I will rid evil beasts out of the land" (Lev. 26:3, 6).

The Curse before the Flood

From the very beginning of world history, flesh-eating animals have been a threat to people. This was especially the case during the initial intensity of the Edenic Curse, when, "the earth was filled with violence" (Gen. 6:11). Not only did murderous and demonic men attack each other (cf. Gen. 4:15-24; 6:5), but also carnivorous animals (including dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus Rex) helped to create a world "red with tooth and claw." Desperate for relief, Lamech, the father of Noah, cried out to God (concerning his baby son Noah – i.e., "comfort"): "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed" (Gen. 5:29; cf. Gen. 3:17-19).

The Modification of the Curse after the Flood

When they saw all the mammals, birds and reptiles (including dinosaurs – cf. Gen. 7:8d) emerging from the Ark (Gen. 8:17), Noah and his sons must have been haunted by the horrors of the pre-Flood world from which they had escaped by the grace of God (Gen. 6:8). Now that the year-long suspension of the curse was ending, they envisioned another earth "filled with violence." But it was not to be! "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered" (Gen. 9:2).

The backbone of dinosaur (and other carnivore) dominion had been broken by the global catastrophe of the Flood! Lamech’s prayer had been answered! The original Curse had now been modified – but not yet cancelled! Men could safely migrate to the ends of the earth without being constantly threatened by animals!

But there are exceptions. One does not climb one of the hills of Kodiak Island in Alaska, and step boldly between a mother bear and her cub, while quoting Genesis 9:2. Nor is it recommended that one enter a swamp in the Everglades of Florida and attempt to prevent a male alligator from reaching its food. The earthly Kingdom of Christ has not yet arrived.

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Dr. Whitcomb is planning for a very busy month of August. Please pray for him to receive God’s strength and wisdom, and be sure to check and see if he is coming to a location near you.

On Sunday morning, Aug. 14, Dr. Whitcomb will preach at the Valley Bible Church in Sumner, Wash. For more information, call 253-863-5646.

From Sunday night, Aug. 14, to Friday, Aug. 19, Dr. Whitcomb will teach at the Park of the Pines in Kent, Wash. For more information, call 206-878-2735.

From Friday, Aug. 26, to Sunday, Aug. 28, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Englewood Grace Brethren Church in Englewood, Ohio. For more information, call 937-836-1467.

Finally, early next month, from Friday, Sept. 2, to Sunday, Sept. 4, Dr. Whitcomb will preach at The Living Hope Church in Winchester, Wis. For more information, call 715-686-7502.

For additional details about these events, please visit our Web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

Please also remember to pray for Dr. Whitcomb as another school year begins. He will again be speaking at a number of Bible colleges and seminaries, starting next month. See our Web pages for more information.

WMI conference fast approaching; promotion underway
Although it is still very warm in many parts of the country this month, fall is just around the corner. With it will come a change of the seasons... and the Second Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries – which is now only three months away! The theme of the conference will be "Creation: The Christian’s Vital Heritage."

Our conference will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the new facilities of the Calvary Baptist Church of Menomonee Falls, Wis. (West Campus). We are actively seeking to promote this conference to churches, schools, home school groups and other organizations. If you are within driving distance of the Greater Milwaukee Area and would be interested in having a presentation about this conference for your group, call 920-623-0257 or email conference@whitcombministries.org for more information.

Brochures for this conference are now ready, and registration is open. If you would like to register or learn more, please contact us using the information listed above.

The guest keynote speaker at this year's conference will be Dr. Terry Mortenson of Answers in Genesis. Music will be supplied by vocalist Sherry Trainer, who serves on staff at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa.

You can learn much more about this conference by visiting www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb, where Our Featured Sermon is "The Second Annual Day with WMI: A Preview."

Fall course planned for CWST
Dr. John Whitcomb will begin a Christian Workman Schools of Theology mini-course on "Isaac, Jacob and Joseph" from the book of Genesis on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

The class will meet on nine Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis (www.heritagechristian.net). If you are within driving distance of Indianapolis, you are encouraged to consider joining this course and studying the Bible with Dr. Whitcomb.

For more information, or to register, call Dr. Whitcomb at 317-849-2166.