Our family is beginning a new chapter in our lives with a new ministry called Truth in Time. Allow me to give you a little information on what this unique and vital ministry is all about.
True stories are always found in real-world history. Would you agree with that statement? I hope (and believe) that you would. It is what separates stories like the Alamo from stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. One story is verified by much evidence and known to have actually happened, while the other is not– just a widespread story, often including some sort of life lesson, passed down through the years, but based upon no evidence of a real event within the real world.
What about the stories found in the Bible? Can these accounts be found in real-world history? The Bible certainly presents what it tells as real history in the real world. We are told of real places that we know in the world today. We read of real empires, kingdoms, nations, civilizations and so on. But is there evidence in the earth to show the accounts it gives really happened? This is something we can, and must answer today within our modern world of technology and discovery.
Most everyone agrees that we can go all the way back to King David and the prophet Samuel, and substantial evidence is available to show us that these are true accounts, having taken place just where and when the Bible says they took place. Modern archaeology has given us this evidence to validate the historicity of these events told in the Bible. However, (and this may come as a surprise to many Christians today, as it certainly was to me) when we get to biblical history before the time of Samuel, or what is called pre-monarchical biblical history, we suddenly have some serious problems when we dig in the dirt, looking for the evidence of these accounts. Just to put it plainly, the historicity of the Old Testament is facing a severe challenge and opposition. This opposition is relatively new– about the last 75 years or so– and it is not coming from “speculative theory.” It has come from the shovel of the archaeologists. The first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, as well as Joshua and Judges) are all under serious attack. These books are, of course, the foundation for the validity of the message in all of the Scriptures, including the gospel. The opposition now believes it is an open and shut case, with no more room for discussion. Many young people from Christian homes have entered universities and been shown that the stories they grew up believing are in the camp of Goldilocks, with no real basis in the real world. The nation of Israel has all but rejected the ancient history of their nation since they have now concluded that the accounts in the Old Testament (telling of their amazing story) is only a myth, not based in reality. And they believe this for good reason.
Again, many conservative, Bible believing Christians are unaware of the seriousness of this present situation, and of the negative implications the large amount of archaeological finds over the last 75 years have had on the Old Testament accounts. Stories such as the Exodus and the Battle for Jericho are placed along side of the Lost City of Atlantis or Hercules, as time and again the archaeologist has walked away from years of research with the conclusion that there is just no evidence that these things took place. The opposition has therefore concluded that these biblical accounts have been more than sufficiently falsified. And the faith of many has been shaken. I believe much of the present falling away from true biblical Christianity, and the acceptance of false ideologies, even within what used to be solid Christian circles, is due to this attack upon the validity of Scripture.
It’s hard to have great walls of Jericho falling down when there wasn’t even a city of Jericho present at that time. It’s hard to have Egypt destroyed by plagues when Egypt was thriving in some of its best days at that time. It’s hard to see a world affected by the Great Flood when nations and civilizations were carrying on uninterrupted during that time.
It is important to believe the Bible “by faith.” And this I certainly do. I believe that all of the accepted canon of the Scriptures are inerrant, and are telling us accounts from real-world history. At the same time, I am not in a cult. Christianity is always based on real-world truth because it is truth. And if what I hold to is the truth, and God made things in such a way that His truth is always found in His real-world history, then what is up with these Old Testament accounts? Why are there obvious problems when one compares pre-monarchical biblical history with modern archaeology?
Along with our faith, we need facts. This is nothing to be ashamed of. God has created us in this way.
Those who mock the validity of Scripture need facts as well. They can, of course, still choose to mock in the face of facts, but they no longer have a case.
Well, as often happens with God and His Word, after a time of searching, confusion, and faith testing, He eventually, in His own time, allows mankind to find the answers. And usually (maybe always) the answer is not at all what we expected. Such is certainly the case here.
The answer is found in biblical chronology. We have missed the evidence in the real world because we are looking at the wrong dates. When this is realized and honestly looked into (and I admit that it takes a big step out of the box of long held, pre-conceived ideas), then the validity of these biblical accounts are right there in front of us, readily available for all to see. The problem is not with the Bible, or with the archaeological finds, but with the prevailing accepted chronology of these Old Testament accounts.
And this is what the ministry of Truth in Time is all about. When you get the chronology corrected, then the timeline of the Old Testament accounts line up amazingly with the timeline of real-world history. The puzzle pieces fall into place, and the evidence is truly overwhelming.
The accepted traditional biblical chronology is mostly based on the work of James Ussher, published in 1650. This new approach to biblical chronology is based on the work of Dr. Gerald Aardsma, a conservative Christian research scientist (also my father-in-law) whose discoveries over the last few decades have led to solid answers that need to be made known. The chronological discoveries have also led to the answer for the physical reason for the longevity recorded in Genesis. Real world truth has real world implications, every time. In this case, huge implications. You are welcome to look further into Dr. Aardsma’s research at this website.
It is beyond exciting to be able to show where the account of the devastation of Egypt found in the Bible clearly shows itself in real-world history– Egypt was destroyed. Or where we see entire civilizations of people disappear from history, right when the account of “Noah’s Flood” was supposed to have taken place. But these things (and many others) only begin to show themselves when the chronology has been corrected. Once it is realized, you begin to wonder how we have missed it all this time.
Below is an introductory video to our ministry. Our family is looking forward to speaking on these topics, as well as ministering in music in local churches, institutions, or other meetings. It is vitally important that the word begins to get out concerning this new approach to biblical chronology, giving amazing validity to the Scriptures. The accounts given to us in the Bible are not fairy tales. They are not myths. We do not serve a God of fairy tales. We serve the true and living God– the Lord of history, and the Lord of today.
