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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Its all old hat

Over at the pro-Anglican blog there's a wonderful post on the apologetic battles of the early Christian era.

Read this one:

The first principle of the universe he supposes to have been air dark with cloud and wind, or rather a blast of cloudy air, and a turbid chaos dark as Erebus; and these were boundless and for long ages had no limit…From its connexion Mot was produced, which some say is mud, and others a putrescence of watery compound; and out of this came every germ of creation, and the generation of the universe. So there were certain animals which had no sensation, and out of them grew intelligent animals, and were called "Zophasemin," that is "observers of heaven"; and they were formed like the shape of an egg. Also Mot burst forth into light, and sun, and moon, and stars, and the great constellations.'

Such was their cosmogony, introducing downright atheism


The point is, back then, 2nd Century, I think, they recognised that evolution was the direct route to atheism (which modern atheism demonstrates in spades).

Meanwhile back down at St Andrew's house, the crowd seems blithely unaware that they are prime boosters for atheism while they fold their hands and tell us that God 'used' evolution to produce his creation.

Madness, if not blasphemy (attributing to the creation what God tells us is his work).

He also clearly indicates that the opposing world-view included 'long ages'. So, that's nothing new as well. This is it: in ancient times there was a known view of the world that had it creating itself over long ages, or in long ages past. It therefore strains credibility to reject the biblical frame with the claim that the ancients didn't know better: the fact is, they knew precisely what was going on and insisted on biblical creation.

The 'by their fruits' test, I've not heard of belief in evolution reliably leading to people turning to Christ; whereas the gospel route via creation, which Paul demonstrates to us in Acts 17, does produce results.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

When Silence is Not Golden

"Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: 'Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth, Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?'

He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 'Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?'

'Caesar's,' they replied.

He said to them, 'Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.'

They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent
." (Luke 20:20-26 NIV)

and

"One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?' But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.

Then he asked them, 'If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?' And they had nothing to say.
" (Luke 14:1-6 NIV)

The aforesaid incidents involving our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrate clearly what to look for when people are firmly entrenched in an erroneous belief and how they will often respond when confronted by the sharp edge of truth.

The teachers (experts) of the law and Pharisees had studied the Scriptures extensively. In their learning years they were under the teaching of those esteemed most learned - who were said to know the mind of God. Surely such schooling would provide capable guides for Israel to know how to live pleasing God and provide guides to identify the long awaited Messiah?

Sadly, they were poor guides. They knew not the mind of God in all things and they knew not all Scripture. They misapplied the law and had an expectation of the Messiah which was not fully in accord with Scripture. When confronted by the Messiah they saw him as an impostor because he had a more humble background than anticipated. Further, he said and did things contrary to their interpretation of the law.

They would have nothing of a Messiah of this nature. They resolved in their mind to put him away but, until that could be accomplished, they had to deal with his presence and influence on the people of Israel. Their knowledge of Scripture and its application in the life of Israel was set against the Messiah but they were left wanting. Confronted by truth "they became silent."

Biblical Creationists concerned that the Church avoid departure from Scripture will have had situations where they have pointed out to the eldership or Pastor of their church where error has infiltrated the theology of the church. Like myself, they will often find their points, derived from Scripture, produce a response from the church eldership or Pastor where "they became silent." This is hurtful. It is unloving. It says that what is important to you is not worthy of interaction. Relational responsibility is negated. The Spirit of God is quenched.

This silence has elements of the contempt the teachers of the law and Pharisees' had for Jesus of Nazareth. It has elements of the vanity of derived knowledge superseding Scripture. It has elements of a determination to put away truth which brings discomfort to an entrenched belief.

When "they became silent" they were serving Satan more than Messiah Jesus.

Sam Drucker

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Leupold Genesis part 32 verse 4

4. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

Any account may be misread, and thoughts may be imputed to it that are utterly unworthy of it. So here it would surely be beneath the level of the pure and worthy conception of God which pervades the account to make this verse yield the thought that upon inspection God discerned that the work had turned out well, and so He promptly expressed His approval. Rather, this is, on the one hand, for our definite information that we might note that all works wrought by God were actually good and perfect and in every sense adequate for their purpose. There was no experimentation of an unskilled craftsman. There was no trying and testing after the fashion of toiling men. In fact, another very noble conception pervades it all; since there are no other beings to herald the Creator's praise, He, having achieved so praiseworthy a work, in this account Himself voices His approval that all men might know that in the very highest sense His work merited praise. The word for "good," tobh, is perhaps best rendered as "excellent" in these instances (B D B).

The construction of the first clause is marked by a slightly unusual order of words. It literally runs thus: "God saw the light that it was good" (A. V.), the noun "light" being taken into the first clause by "anticipation," also called antitopsis (K. S. 414 b). Besides, the conjunction ki is used more commonly than 'asher to introduce such object clauses (K. S. 384 f).

It had better also be noted that we have thus far had two so-called anthropomorphisms: "God said" (v. 3) and "God saw" (v. 4). This should be remembered over against those who attempt to set chapter one to 2:3 over against the rest of chapter two as though two divergent accounts were being presented by different authors, who held variant conceptions of God, the author of chapter one being usually regarded as having a more exalted conception of God, and the author of chapter two as presenting a more anthropomorphic and less exalted view of the divine nature. Anthropomorphisms are certainly found also in chapter one.

When the next clause states, "God separated the from the darkness," this does not mean "separated" in the sense of "disentangled." They were not commingled together. Wayyabhdel means literally, "And he caused a division," that is in point of time, one functioning at one time, the other dominating at another. One is as much an entity or principle as the other. "Darkness" is not Cancelled and put out of existence. We can perhaps go so far as to claim that a "spatial" separation was also involved according to the terms of this account. (Job 38:19), though largely a poetic statement, seems to give warrant for such a deduction. To make the idea of separation still more prominent the preposition "between" is repeated before the second noun, and both nouns are given the article. "Light" appeared already at the beginning of the verse with the article of relative familiarity (K. C.).

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Christian Life is a Journey

"They went forth into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came." Gen. 12:5 KJV

Augustus Montague Toplady is perhaps remembered best for writing that great old hymn "Rock of Ages." He was born in 1740 and died in 1778 at the age of 38 years. Respected Bishop J.C. Ryle, when commenting on Toplady in the Nineteenth Century said: "I should think no account of English religion in the last century complete which did not supply some information about this remarkable man. In some respects, I am bold to say, not one of his contemporaries surpassed him, and hardly any equalled him. He was a man of rare grace and gifts, and one who left his mark very deeply on his own generation. For soundness of the faith, singleness of eye, and devotedness of life, he deserves to be ranked with Whitefield, or Grimshaw, or Romaine."

In a sermon on the Genesis 12:5 passage quoted a above, Augustus Toplady spoke of the journey of faith a Christian embarks upon from the time of conversion to Jesus Christ. Aspects of Toplady's sermon have something stern to say to several Episcopalians in the Diocese of Sydney. A short extract is provided herewith:

"When persons undertake a journey to a distant, unknown country, it is not unusual to have recourse to a guide. The two grand, stated Guides of the Redeemer's church are the Spirit and the Word of God; to which may be added, in humblest subordination to these two, the ministers of God. A minister without the written Word would bid fair to be a false guide who would only set you astray. And the Word itself, without the Spirit, is but as a dial without the sun, a dead letter, and a book that is sealed. Therefore the way for us not to lose our way is to receive nothing from man but what bears the stamp of Scripture; to beg of God that he would shine upon the dial that we may consult it profitably and know whereabout we are; that is, that He would make us understand the Scriptures by the saving light of His Blessed Spirit; and then to look upon no influence, suggestion, or direction as the certain voice of God in the soul except it harmonize and coincide with the sacred Scriptures which Himself inspired. Thus wonderfully and wisely are the means of salvation connected! The Word of God directs us to the Spirit of God; the Spirit of God makes that Word effectual; and the true ministers of God act in the most absolute subserviency to both."

Biblical Creationists need only go a little beyond the diluting argument of Theistic Evolutionists that Genesis Chapter 1 is too stylized to be historical narrative and you find the basis of their argument. Theistic Evolutionists are influenced by the thoughts of man. Men and women who profess a faith in the paradigm of evolution without it being demonstrated by empirical (operational) science have greater influence over Theistic Evolutionists than God. Whether it be fear of ridicule or love of man over God the result is the same. Scripture is abused. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in all their workings, are demeaned.

The path taken by Theistic Evolutionists within what is called Evangelicalism is a pitiful scene. Having long criticized Liberals for mishandling Scripture and throwing off Gospel truths, the Theistic Evolutionists within Evangelicalism are doing nothing more than belatedly following in the footsteps of Liberal scholars of more than a century ago. How smart are they? Not at all! When a brilliant student accurately completes an examination in half as much time as another student the accolades go to the former. When a foolish man pursues a course to disaster, how much more pathetic is a man who first resists the same course but belatedly goes down the same path?

The Northern Kingdom of Israel foolishly set itself outside the will of God from the beginning and brought judgment through exile from God. How much more pitiable was the Southern Kingdom of Judah to have some resistance to the ways of the Northern Kingdom only to later go after false gods, live outside the will of God and thus bring on judgment through exile from God.

I leave the final word of this blog to Augustus Toplady: "It is a just remark, which I have somewhere met with, that the best way to be secure from falling into a well is not to venture too near the brink. Swim not with the stream, if the tide roll downward; neither follow a multitude to do evil. He that fears men, and seeks to please men at the expense of gospel truths, is not an honest man, much less a servant of Christ."

Sam Drucker

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

War on God and the Bible

James Kidwell Popham was born in Lancaster, England in 1847 and died in 1937. He was Editor of the "Gospel Standard" from 1905 till 1935. For some years he was active with the Trinitarian Bible Society. He preached at Galeed Chapel more than 50 years. Speaking of his conversion he said "On a never to be forgotten day as I was walking along a road the word, 'Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God', was borne in upon my heart with an amazing power. The view of divine holiness filled me with alarm. I saw the uncleanness of my heart; then His divine justice flashed into my conscience and I saw my sins."

James Popham is a hero of faith. Like Noah he was a Preacher of Righteousness. Noah experienced a world prior to its destruction, lived through its destruction and experienced a new world which we now inhabit. James Popham lived prior to Darwinism, experienced the intrusion of Darwinism into Science and later infiltration of Darwinism into Christianity. Darwinism is destructive to Christian faith.

Late in his ministry, James Popham was horrified to hear the Bishop of Birmingham preach to a young audience in Westminister Abbey (the burial place of Charles Darwin) a sermon which was the fruit of receiving Darwinism into Christianity. James Popham made certain the young audience would not be left without correction. He preached a sermon on John 8:24 and gave it the title "War on God and the Bible." It was a lengthy sermon and space prevents me repeating it all here. An extract is provided and I just make comment that James Popham was in no doubt that diminution of the integrity of Genesis has its consequence for knowledge and trust in Jesus Christ. I hand over now to James Popham:

"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).

How the world came into existence, whether by the immediate creating word of God, "Let there be", or by what is called evolution — with this we are brought face to face. How man came to exist, whether according to Genesis, And God said, "Let Us make man"; or whether there has been a development, a growth covering millions of years, so that from a bit of jelly (protoplasm) we have risen and risen and developed and come to be what we are today — is a question that is openly propounded, and I feel it behoves every minister called by grace and sent to preach, to set the trumpet to his mouth and blow an alarm with regard to these things.
"Science, falsely so-called", as the Apostle Paul speaks, is now very loud in its utterances and has become most daring in its opposition to God. It starts of course with cutting away from us the divine inspiration of Holy Scripture. That inspiration is denied, and when a man denies the inspiration of this Book he is at once adrift and where he will go, how he will end, rests with God. The state today of this nation and of the whole world is terrible, and no wonder that the name of God no longer inspires reverence; no wonder that the inspired writers are regarded as ignorant men and as writing accordingly, and that Jesus Himself is accused of being a Jew speaking under the influence of Jewish prejudices. For there being no inspiration there can be no proper regard for the Bible and no belief attaching to the writings. And for you, my dear friends, especially for you young people, I have a strong feeling of sympathy. What God is to do with this nation is not for me to say, but we have this before us:" Shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" He has given us in this our beloved nation the greatest of blessings — the gift of the Reformation founded on His holy Word. He gave a race of ministers mighty in the Scriptures. But the Reformation is now forgotten or derided, and the Reformers and Puritans, mighty in the Scriptures, have passed away, and we are in an exceedingly low condition.

Now as I see these things, there is a war being made on God and His inspired Word. Men in high places, religious teachers, are not afraid to speak of Him as if He were one of themselves, and of His Word as in parts unhistorical, contrary to fact, and therefore not to be relied on. Against this unbelieving attitude I speak to you, however feebly, and I take up the following positions:

1. First, I start with this, that this Bible is inspired, that it contains what the apostle speaks of to Timothy — "all Scripture", and that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God". What is signified by inspiration is stated thus by Scripture itself: "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:21). That is, the penmen of this Book were so instructed by the Holy Ghost as to express the very words of God; not to write in their own words the thoughts suggested to them, but to write the words given them (2 Sam. 23:2; Acts 1:16). And truly if they were, as the anti-Scripturist says, "ignorant men", how necessary was it that they should have the very words given them to write and not be left to express thoughts in their own language! Who could depend on the Bible if it were but a transcription of thoughts, and the words left to the choice of the writers? Here we stand this morning: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine" — may we never despise doctrine; "for reproof — God grant we may never turn our ears from reproof; "for correction, for instruction in righteousness" — how a man should live and how a sinner should be made righteous; "that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim.
3:16).

2. My second position is, that the infinite God created heaven and earth and all that therein is, and the sea and all that is therein; that He rules in heaven and earth; that there is nothing hid from His gaze, nothing free from His control, nothing moving of itself absolutely; that God is "God only wise", the "I AM THAT I AM".

3. My third position is, that this God did for about thirty-three years walk on the earth in our own nature; that the Man Jesus is this God and that He is now in heaven in that same nature, even our own nature. And this God speaks in our text and says to His enemies : "If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins".

Now we are brought face to face with two facts, namely, God speaks, and there are men who speak against Him and against His Word. You cannot open your newspaper today without seeing that His name, His word, His work, His glory are trampled under foot; and you, with myself, must more or less perceive that there is an imminent danger to us if we are left at all to receive the things which are taught by them of the Scriptures.

Between us, as we hope, believers in the Word and in the Being of God, and the scientist preaching his "science falsely so-called ", there is a great gulf. He cuts this Book away as to its inspiration; we believe it to be inspired. He derides creation work; we believe in it. He says we men have always ascended and are ascending. We say we descended in the Fall terribly; that man was made by the immediate operation of God in the image of God, his body formed out of the dust and his soul breathed into that body; so he be-came an immortal person, "a living soul". Sin has destroyed the life of the soul, but not the immortality of its being; and the life of the body is destroyed but for a time, for the day is coming when God will raise the bodies of both the righteous and the wicked. I say, there is a great gulf between us and those who deny the inspiration of Scripture and its testimony.

Now this Man who walked on the earth a poor Man, a broken-hearted Man, but a Teacher, an anointed Preacher of righteousness (Isa. 61:1), having the law of God in His heart (Psalm. 40:8) which He came to obey and fulfil — this Man is the only begotten Son of God, and He is the Word. You will find the same Person is spoken of as the Creator. In the first chapter of Genesis you read: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". In his Gospel the Apostle John says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." In the Hebrews the apostle says: "God hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds". And of the same Person it is said: "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth". And again: "No man hath seen God at any time" — that is just what the Lord said to Moses, "No man can see Me and live" — "the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him". His oneness with the Father, and therefore His eternity, are expressed in this Gospel by the Lord Jesus Himself. When answering Philip's request, "Show us the Father", He said: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. We are so one, one in nature, only distinguished in Person; so one that you cannot see Me without seeing the Father." The question of apprehending and seeing them both is another question which belongs to experience, but the fact, the truth, is that you cannot see Jesus Christ without seeing His eternal Father. And the Spirit is in them both and proceeds from them both.


James Popham proceeded to propound the saving work of Jesus Christ and the blessing of the Trinity being present in all who receive Him. These things are not yet jettisoned by Evangelicals so, for the sake of space and that they are not disputed, I have excluded them from this blog. Popham moves to the end of his sermon:

"If ye believe not that I am He" in these particulars, "ye shall die in your sins." Then this follows — that when a man, when a sinner does believe that Jesus is the I AM, that He is what the Scriptures declare Him to be, that He did what the Scriptures say He did, that He is where the Scriptures say He is, and is doing what the Scriptures say He is doing, he shall be saved, he shall not die in his sins. The sinner that by precious faith — faith which stands in the power of God, fixes here, stands here. casts himself down here before the God-Man Jesus Christ, he shall be saved, he shall not die in his sins.

So far I have set before you, as God I hope has helped me, fundamentals gathered up into one fundamental. We are face to face today with the most appalling infidelity, but let all the many that stand on the side of that terrible word uttered by a bishop in Westminster Abbey, "If there be a God" — let them approve of evolution and the destruction of theology, we have this BOOK, and we believe some have the Holy Ghost who spoke by holy men of old. We have His word for our teacher and our guide. Stand here, dear friends. Young people, you have much to meet with, much to contend against, if you fear God; but Stand fast by this, and remember one thing if you can—that when the Lord Jesus was tempted of the devil He said, "It is written, it is written". Say that also if and when you are tempted. If a subtle argument is brought to you, reply "It is written". This Book is written, these instructions are written. This Jesus is given, God sent Him. He freely came, He lovingly came. He freely, lovingly died; He rose again. He is in heaven. "It is written." That, if you are enabled to hold it, will keep you. The word of Jesus' patience will keep you, and you will keep it; and in the end this will be your blessed happy lot: "Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world".

Now I have delivered what was in my mind. Last Monday morning when I saw the terrible thing that the Bishop of Birmingham said to boys in Westminster Abbey, 0 how I felt for those boys! I felt such indignation and sorrow in my soul that made me cry to God to arise and vindicate His name and honour. And my mind has been with you young people more or less all the week. I have felt for you, and I feel for you. It may be that as I am an old man, God may remove me before the terrible day that is coming; but depend on this — you will meet with much "opposition of science falsely so-called", and if you have faith you will need it. Christ said to His disciples, having taught them many things: "Let these sayings sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men". As if He should say: "When I am weak, when I am crucified, when I seem to have no power, then remember I have taught" you these things". God help us to believe and to remember. Amen


I can hear the Theistic Evolutionists of the Episcopalian Diocese of Sydney saying "Amen, we are not on display here." Wrong! You are included and exposed in your nakedness. Satan does not always come with a "club" as he did with Job. As with our Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane he may come with a kiss. You may say that you hold to the inspiration of Scripture but what you ignore is that you have been seduced to embrace the world. In your inflamed ardour, an ardour excited by having a love additional to your stated love of the Word you engage in deceit and secrecy. With subtlety you twist the the intent of the Word so that you can accomodate your adulterous relation with the world. This is sin. This is unfaithfulness.

Sam Drucker

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Leupold Genesis part 31 verse 3 Light

3. And God said: Let there be light! and there was light.

Nothing could be more uncalled for and unnatural than to try to make this verse a part of a complicated sentence structure. The simple statement wayyo'mer, "and He said," is apt to be estimated too lightly in this connection. It shows the manner in which God worked--by His Word. Heb. 11:3 gives the clearest expression of this fact. That in reality this creation was in and through the Son .of God, who is also called the Word, appears from (Col 1:16; Joh 1:3; 1Co 8:6); so that the second Person of the Holy Trinity is seen to be involved in the work of creation. True, this is but obscurely taught at this point, but it becomes a matter that is clearly confirmed by the New Testament. In the light of these later passages we must admit that the truth itself is provided for by the nature of the statements found in this basic record. All this serves to explain and to confirm more fully what we said above on v. 1 as conveying a reference to the Holy Trinity.

But besides it is here very clearly taught in what manner the creative work proceeded. It was all wrought by God's omnipotent word, not by mysterious emanations from the divine being, not by natural processes, not by self-causation, but in a manner worthy of God and revealing the character of God. He is at once discerned to be divinely powerful, intelligent, and far above the level of His poor creatures: "He speaks and it is done; He commands and it stands fast" (Ps 33:9). Nothing is altered in reference to this fact if it be pointed out that as we now read the record the primal substance, "heaven and earth," was not said (v. 1) to have been made by a divine word. To argue that it was not is to use the poor argument from silence. We do not know how this was made. But that for all the works that follow God is said to have spoken simply aims to bring that mode of the process more strongly to our attention.

After the primary substance on the first day the most ethereal of all things is brought into being, "light." It is at the same time the most essential prerequisite for life and existence. Since God proceeds in an orderly fashion, He begins at the natural starting point. We may not be shooting wide of the mark if we infer, that with light that other form of energy, heat, must have sprung into being. How inextricably both are interwoven in the sun we all clearly see.

The Hebrew is really more expressive than the English for the word spoken by God which we render: "Let there be light." It is a vigorous imperative of the verb hayah, "to become": "Become light" and "became light." The German comes closer to the original: Es werde Licht und es ward Licht. He who notices at once that there, was no sun to serve as a vehicle for the light observes the truth. But it ill behooves man to speak an apodictic word at this point and to claim that light apart from the sun is unthinkable. Why should it be? If scientists now often regard light as merely enveloping the sun but not as an intrinsic part of it, why could it not have existed by itself without being localized in any heavenly body? If, then, another hasty deduction is based upon this observation in reference to the length of the first three days, as though they could not have been twenty-four hour days because they were not regulated by the sun, the serious limitations of this argument are palpably apparent. The last three days are clearly controlled by the sun, which is created on the fourth day, and all of them are described in the same terms used for indicating the nature, and the course of the first three--a strong argument that the first six days were alike in length and in nature and normal days of twenty-four hours.

No one need think it strange that an inanimate object is addressed as animate when God speaks to the light. The situation is really even stranger: God speaks to the things that are not that they might be. The nature of creation requires just that. K.C. need hardly list instances where inanimate objects are addressed; they do not constitute real parallels, for in-every case objects already in existence are referred to: (Isa 43:6; Am 9:3; Na 1:4; Hag 1:11).

So of the four deficiencies listed above one has been removed, "darkness."

A certain order prevails in regard to significant terms employed in this account. Delitzsch first drew attention to it. He finds ten creative words introduced by "and He said." Seven times the expression "and there was" is found, chronicling the result. "And He called" is found three times; "And He blessed," three times; "good" is used seven times. Whether these numbers were designed and counted by the author we cannot say. In any case, they tally with reality as it actually appears in the account: just so many times God spoke, blessed, etc. Even as in the world of nature certain things now appear in stated sequence or Uniformity according to regular patterns, so God Himself, being a God of order, operates after a pattern of order in harmony with His own being. For seven is the number of divine works and operations; three, the mark of the divine person; ten, the mark of completeness. In God there is nothing that is accidental. Even the number of steps taken by Him in His work are in fullest harmony with His nature and being.