The Bible Explained, part 17/40: Multiplication and Overpopulation

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THE BIBLE EXPLAINED

A Guide to the Holy Bible
for Parents and Teenagers

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Where did you come from?
What is your purpose?
What happens when you die?

These questions--and more--are answered in 'The
Bible Explained', which is based on the teachings
of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a collection
of ancient books which claim to be the word of the
one and only God. This one and only God claims to
be the sole creator, owner, and sustainer of all
things; he further claims to hold the one and only
key to eternal life. Are these claims true? Get
the facts and then decide for yourself.

This document is meant to be understood by everyone,
and is therefore written in plain, simple language,
avoiding complex religious jargon.

Understand the Bible like never before.

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Introduction
Quest for Truth
The Holy Bible
Origin and Destiny
The Big Picture: Good and Evil
The Story of Man
The Purpose of the Earth
The Standard and the Test
Work: The Key to Success and Life
Pyramid Society
Failure of Man
Male and Female
Family Relationships
Marriage and Family
Sexual Immorality
The Value of Life
Multiplication and Overpopulation
Racism
Creation and Evolution
Government
Politics
Justice
Words, Speech, and Censorship
Church Matters
Monotheism, Jews, and Christians
Temptation
The Nature of Evil
Life and Death of Satan
Reincarnation
The Rapture
The End Times
The Near Future
Preparing for the Future
Groups and Labels
Understanding Judgement
Preparing for Death
Conclusion
Appendix A: Questions and Answers
Appendix B: The Ten Commandments
Appendix C: Marriage

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TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
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-----<excerpt from book>

Multiplication and Overpopulation

Imagine human generation as a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid are our parents -- Adam and Eve; beneath them are their children, followed by their grandchildren, etc. The pyramid is stable because each succeeding generation produces more children than the previous. But what happens when people start producing less children? The pyramid turns upside-down and becomes unstable, since there is not enough children to support the previous generation.

Multiplication: Here is God's first commandment to man: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." [Genesis 1:28] Whenever God gives us a commandment, he also provides us the wherewithal to accomplish it. God has given each one of us a measure of love (energy) to bestow on our children. If we direct that energy towards our children, our love is spent in accordance with God's will; if we choose to have no children, we direct our love amiss -- towards animals, for instance. Raising children is an act of love. Love sacrifices: in the act of raising children, we sacrifice our time and energy. This sacrifice, however, is not in vain, for, in due time, our children will bring us much honour and glory, particularly in the Day of Recompense.

The Honour of Children: There is a unique honour bestowed upon parents, which cannot be expressed in words -- when you lie upon your deathbed, surrounded by your children, you will understand. When one considers the instability and harshness of the world, he may hesitate to fulfill God's commandment to 'be fruitful and multiply'. If one judges according to appearances, he becomes discouraged; if one trusts in God, all fears disappear: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." [2 Timothy 1:7] When Moses was born in Egypt, the pharaoh (king) had ordered the slaughter of the Hebrew babies; nevertheless, Moses survived and shed much light on the world. When Jesus was born, Herod ordered the slaughter of the babies in Bethlehem; nevertheless, Jesus escaped and shed much light on the world. If you trust God, you will always be able to fulfill his commandments -- regardless of circumstances: for God is a shield to the righteous: "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him." [2 Samuel 22:31]

Overpopulation: The law of multiplication suggests that unchecked generation will eventually overwhelm the finite resources of the earth, resulting in want. However, God's followers are to keep his commandments -- regardless of appearances: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." [2 Corinthians 5:7] Whenever God issues a command, he will always provide the resources necessary to accomplish it. Recall that Jesus fed thousands with a few loaves of bread; and that God rained a double portion of manna for the children of Israel on the day prior to the Sabbath, lest they should profane the Sabbath by working in it. In conclusion, the problem of want does not lie in the resources of God, but in the faithlessness of man. If man does his part (keep God's commandments), God will do his part (preserve man through all things): "For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield." [Psalm 5:12]

Unlimited Resources: While the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years after the exodus from Egypt, God fed them with manna from heaven (see Exodus 16:35). Jesus once used five loaves of bread to feed five thousand men, and they were all filled (see Matthew 14:13-21). If the number of men were five million, would Jesus have fed them all? Of course. What if the number was five billion, would Jesus have fed them all? Yes. Suppose the number was five trillion, would Jesus have fed them all? Certainly. There is no limitation with God. With his natural eye, man sees finite resources, however, God is not bound by natural law. If man should need more territory, God is able to lift whole continents out of the sea. If man should need food, God is able to rain down bread from heaven. If this is the case, why is there privation in the world? Because God has given man freewill and initiative. Unfortunately, driven by greed, fear, and vanity, man uses his freewill to oppress and exploit his fellow man, resulting in abundance for some and lack for others. If all men would choose to keep the Ten Commandments, there would be peace and prosperity for all.

Environmental Fear Mongering: Convinced that the notion of overpopulation will overwhelm the earth's resources and lead to want, some are using fear to convince others to refrain from fulfilling God's command to 'be fruitful and multiply'. Why? Because they do not want God's prophesied Messiah to come and rule the earth: Before God can rule the earth, he requires a certain number of humans (the saints) to inherit his divine nature; if God's adversaries can prevent this number from being fulfilled, they will remain in power under their god -- Satan the devil, who is the god of the current age. Thus, the godless will do whatever they can to try to prevent humans from multiplying and filling the earth, lest the number of the saints should be fulfilled, prompting the Messiah to come and take control of the earth, putting an end to Satan's reign. This is why environmentalists, perhaps unwittingly, support population-reduction policies and call on governments to restrict human access to certain areas of the earth -- under the pretence of protecting the environment and its creatures. If you are concerned about the extinguishment of the earth's resources, you should put your faith in God, who designed the earth to recycle its resources in perpetuity.

Global Warming or Climate Change: There is no reason to be alarmed about so-called 'global warming' or 'climate change': In the beginning, the earth was created as a worldwide paradise, with an efficient underground irrigation system, which was later broken up by God in order to flood the earth as judgement upon man's sin. The polar ice caps and deserts were formed as consequences of the global flood. Prophecies tell us that the earth will be restored to its pre-flood state: the earth's climate will become less extreme and more temperate, causing the ice caps to melt, producing streams of water which will flow to the deserts via rivers and underground channels, resulting in an explosion of life on the planet: "For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes." [Isaiah 35:6-7] As you can see, 'global warming' or 'climate change' is not to be feared, since it will bear positive results: more temperate climate, milder weather, more trees and vegetation, more birds and animals, and more habitable territory for humans.

The Chinese Experiment: Alarmed by its exponentially expanding population, the Chinese government thought it wise to not 'be fruitful and multiply' but rather to 'be frugal and divide', resulting in the legislation of one child per couple. This legislation, however, resulted in an unbalanced male-to-female ratio, as female babies were aborted in favour of males. When the time for marriage approaches, males will outnumber females. This surplus of males will be eliminated through war. Thus, man's solution to the non-existent problem of overpopulation is death in the beginning and death in the end -- which is not surprising, since man, being deceived by the devil, always chooses death over life (see Genesis 3).

Be Fruitful: When God said 'be fruitful and multiply', he did not set a limit on the number of children a couple ought to produce. Less than two children is division; four (2x2) or more is multiplication. The time is quickly approaching when there will be a dearth of children on the earth, as the human population will be devastated by wars, famines, diseases, and natural disasters brought on by our unprecedented transgression of the Ten Commandments. Therefore, do your part to replenish the human population: be fruitful and multiply. But be sure to raise your children in the fear and admonition of the LORD, that they may fulfill the prophecy stating 'the meek shall inherit the earth', which will be fulfilled in the approaching Millennium -- the one-thousand-year reign of the Messiah and his saints on the earth.

-----<availability>

The above book is available for purchase at:

http://www.amazon.com

Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"

Or try this direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Explained-Parents-Teenagers/dp/1468197061

-----<copyright notice>

The above excerpt from 'The Bible Explained' is copyright
2010 by Arrant Knave. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be
printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.

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