The Red Heifer and the End Times

~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

Many people point to the sacrifice of the red heifer, detailed in Numbers 19, as a key sign of the end times, the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, and the return of Christ. But the Temple Mount, the site of the Temple is currently occupied by the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, considered the third most holy place in Islam. There is no room for both.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

Many Christians are concerned about or fascinated by the end times, which in the Bible is the time when Jesus Christ comes back to earth to perform the last judgment and usher in His final kingdom. For Muslims and Jews, the end times also involve the final judgment (the Day of the Lord) and the restoration of all things. Traditions about sacrificing cattle to usher in prosperity now and the end times to come exist in many cultures. In ancient Chinese religion, the emperor sacrificed a bull in an annual ceremony in the Temple of Heaven to give man the blessing of Shang Di, the creator god.[1]

This article will look at the red heifer ceremony from the perspective of the Christian Bible. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 2:12, Joel 2:31, Amos 5:18-20, Zephaniah 1:8, and Daniel 12:12 mention the Day of the Lord. In the New Testament, Matthew 24:29-31, Acts 2:20, 2 Corinthians 1:14, and 2 Peter 3:8-10 expand on the earlier revelation.

Continue reading “The Red Heifer and the End Times” →

Hunting Pythons

~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

An invasive species is an introduced plant or animal that harms its new environment. Invasive species damage bioregions and habitats, causing environmental and ecological damage. They are a global problem, from Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades to the Northern Snakehead in the Amu Darya of Uzbekistan. We can find invasive species in our yards, parks, and throughout our environment. When we find them, we can remove them.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

The world that God made is magnificent, a web of plants and animals dedicated to giving glory to the Creator and enjoyment and sustenance to His creatures. In His perfect design, everything has a time and a place. Trouble comes when a plant or animal moves, or is moved, outside its time or place.[1] The Northern Snakehead fish is native to East Asia and is an important source of food for people and animals. When Soviet authorities tried to bring the Northern Snakehead to the vulnerable Central Asian environment, trouble began. The Burmese Python is native to Southeast Asia. When Floridians bought Pythons as pets, and then released them into the Everglades when the snakes got too big to keep at home, trouble began. Pythons proliferated, growing to numbers in the hundreds of thousands. From 1996 to 2011, sightings of furry mammals dropped 90% due to predation of raccoons, opossums, bobcats, rabbits, and foxes. Burmese pythons are hard to find, proliferate rapidly (females hatch 50-100 eggs per year), and the largest ones can even kill alligators. Only the ultimate apex predator, man, using a combination of hunting and scientific methods, can turn the tide.

I stand in awe of the God who created this universe and have a fond affection for His creatures, whether plants or animals. Though not created in the image of God (imago dei), like man is, each living being has a unique environment, genetic makeup, history, and personality. Physical places such as grasslands, mountains, forests, jungles, and deserts provide the stage on which we live our lives, and phenomena like ocean tides and the northern lights inspire wonder. The Lord commanded us to take care of the garden, the Creation, which He made. We were to care for the earth like a good shepherd cares for his sheep. However, man’s footprint on the environment has been heavy and not always good. An adventure brought this home in spades.

Continue reading “Hunting Pythons” →

Questioning Relativity and the Philosophizing of Science

~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

A discussion of one expert’s critique of Einstein’s theory of special relativity, his attempts to find a better way to describe motion in the universe, comments on the need to distinguish science from philosophy, and a caution not to extrapolate moral relativism from scientific relativity.

By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA

When a Swiss patent clerk named Albert Einstein (1879-1955) published his papers on Special Relativity and General Relativity, his ideas took the world by storm. Combined with the work of Karl Marx (1818-1883), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), Charles Darwin (1809-1882), and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Einstein’s theories described in On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies (1905) and The Field Equations of Gravitation (1915) attacked the Christian foundation of Western culture. The idea was that if space, time, and energy were relative, morality must be too. Einstein strenuously denied that his work had any moral implications, but self-serving men used it to justify their desires.[1]

For almost 120 years after Einstein wrote, scientists and mathematicians have examined his work and found it useful in explaining the physical world. Many modern accomplishments in space exploration, and related technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), have been made possible by the ideas generated by special and general relativity. Einstein’s twin theories of Special and General Relativity have become sacrosanct in modern science, untouchable by any serious investigator. As a result, his views and the ideological baggage attributed to them were unchallenged.

Continue reading “Questioning Relativity and the Philosophizing of Science” →

Christmas Caroling

~ MD Harris Institute ~ Leave a comment

Christmas carols are among the most beloved parts of Christmas. Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and many other carols teach Christian truths and amplify the Advent spirit. Past generations learned carols in their families, but present generations do not. Music ministers sometimes add carols to Sunday morning worship. One venue where you can learn carols is Christmas Caroling. This article describes how churches can add caroling to their Christmas calendar.

By Mark D. Harris

Webster defines caroling as “to go about outdoors in a group singing Christmas carols”.[1] Caroling is a wonderful tradition in the Christian faith, though it seems to be declining in recent years. Growing up in Southern California, we never had a white Christmas, but we caroled. Now in West Virginia, we have many white Christmases, and we still carol. Annual caroling has become an important and consistent part of our holiday season.

History

Many of the origins of Christmas caroling lie in pagan singing and dancing around the winter solstice, usually December 21, the day with the least daylight in the year. However, as Christianity grew in Europe, followers of Christ kept many heathen traditions but transformed their meanings. For example, songs and dances to the Roman god Jupiter or the Norse god Odin become songs and dances to the real God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Continue reading “Christmas Caroling” →