As we have seen, God specifically gave the Jews a sacrificial system; the prophecies of the Messiah came through the Jews, not the Indians, not the Hawaiians, not the Koreans, not the Japanese or any other culture. Jesus is the Son of God and salvation is offered through Him to all people of all nations and tribes, but He did not come through everyone else’s cultures or gods. So one cannot say, “Jesus is the son of your god,” like Daniel Kikawa says and be speaking the truth or be biblical.

In the book “Eternity in Their Hearts,” Don Richardson lists the people to whom the One True God left a witness. Starting with the Canaanite, Melchizedek, through the Athenian's unknown god, he says that God can and does speak to people other than the Hebrew race.

First, just because Melchizedek lived there does not mean he was a Canaanite; there is no evidence of this. Later the Canaanites were all removed from the land, which would then include Melchizedek. Second: to claim an (altar) to “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23) as a witness of God speaking to them is not even logical; it is self-explanatory. It is NOT what is described in the Bible.

Kikawa was enamored with Richardson and took his application of building bridges several steps further. And Richardson endorses his interfaith concepts. That is why I’m addressing this, because they are both wrong. And this is spiritually dangerous.

Kikawa does not adhere to any biblical exegesis (drawing from what the text actually states) but practices eisegesis, reading what he wants into the text; in his case that something is not there.

The agenda, and there is one, is to redeem the cultures; a non-biblical concept. This is all important because if this is the goal then the theory to reach this goal is equally corrupt. His agenda to redeem the cultures gets in the way of arriving at the truth. What’s the use of quoting sources from prior researchers if the authors do not say the things he says; they do not subscribe to his view, many do not believe the Bible’s view either.

Wayne Cordeiro: Now you know a lot of the history books talk about the gods of ancient Hawaii and it’s Pele and Lono and some of these. Now if what you’re saying is indeed fact why don’t we change the history books?

Daniel Kikawa: It’s starting to happen and you are finding a lot because so many people have come out and talked about ‘‘Io now, now it’s out in the open that the history books now are starting to add and talk about ‘‘Io. And again it’s something that was hidden and I believe again there is a spiritual battle going on for the minds of men and it’s hidden but if you went to the Bishop Museum for instance to their library and you typed in ‘‘Io on the computer you’d get pages of printouts. It’s there. You it’s just not well known. Just like in Japan everybody worships Amatarasu, the sun goddess emperors were descended from when they have a name of a one Creator god Ama-No-Minaka-Nushi which is“the god in the glorious center of heaven. The average Japanese person doesn’t know about it. But all the priests know. And so people who study Hawaiian religion, they know. And so you find it more and more and there’s much written about it, you just have to go to the right places. (Connecting Point 2005)

In other words, his false history is changing the actual history: as he finds the names of these gods (Io), this supposedly proves what “he is saying about them.” Not really. Kikawa has expanded his theoretical postulations to a religious world with no distinctions, a world with few, if any false gods exist. All one has to do is go back far enough to find what a culture called a supreme god, that does not make the god of their culture the “God of Israel.” He thinks when he finds similar statements of Bible stories it validates the culture’s religion or view of God. When you see the word apple come up as the fruit in the garden we know it was communicated by church missionaries, that is a church tradition, not from the Bible (on P.74 Perpetuated in Righteousness). Also when the Hebrew word Sabbath is used, we know again that this too had to be communicated by the church. This is a flaw in the theory of a nation (like Hawaii) being independent with knowledge of the true God.

We are going to look at this theory from two angles - historically and doctrinally through the teaching of the Bible. It's time for people to understand the difference between Bible history and the inventions of men.

Genesis 6:1“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth. V. 3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

V.5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Then we read in verse 9: “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” [Perfect 8549 tamiym - entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth:] Methuselah is approx 850 years old when Noah begins to build the ark.

Notice that God called Noah the only one righteous, and he alone obeyed the Lord in the ancient world of his time (Gen. 6:8, 13). Genesis 6:11-13: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”

God brought judgment upon the whole earth with only Noah and his family surviving. They were the only one's obedient to God, so we can presume that only Noah worshipped God. The eight survived, and from Noah’s sons and their wives, they repopulated the earth. The universal Flood of Noah’s day is mentioned in over 40 other cultures, but none has an accurate detailed record like the Bible.

Since all the people were wiped out, only Noah and his family would maintain the true knowledge of God to begin again. God preserved the history of the seed line; it is recorded accurately as births and deaths through the “toldoths” (the generations) in Genesis. He was forming the lineage of the Messiah.

The Tower of Babel: The exact year of the judgment of God on the tower of Babel is not specifically given.

However, a careful study of Genesis 10-11 reveals that it occurred sometime between 120-165 plus years after

the flood, or 2154 BC to 2112 BC. These families were all the families that existed in the world when God confounded the one language. Genesis 10:32 states that "From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood," each family had their own unique language.

The ten names of generations prior to the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 are Hebrew names even though Jewish history had not begun yet through Abraham. This indicates that the first universal language was some type of Hebrew language. It was this language that was confounded by God to those at Babel.

It was between the fourth and fifth generation after Noah that the Tower of Babel event occurred. Gen.11:10-32.

Genesis 10 lists all of the descendants of Noah's three sons, and these are the people that traveled east (Genesis 11:2) to build the tower of Babel in the plain of Shinar. Tower is commenced 120-162 years after the flood, or 2154 BC to 2112 BC. Noah and his three sons all being alive at the time of the confounding of languages but they were not at the tower of Babel. Neither Noah, his sons and their wives traveled east with the rest of the 69 families to the plain of Shinar to build the tower.

Gen. 10:32 summarizes the lineage, the begot’s. “These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.”

Genesis 11:2 tells us the descendants of Noah's sons traveled east to the plain in Shinar, where they built the tower of Babel. Their move east was an act of rebellion as they rejected what they learned from Noah and his sons to develop their own religious system, so they left them. The purpose of building this tower to reach heaven had a number of reasons; one was for astrology, the signs of the zodiac. This is where a system of false religion and idolatry begins. Babel in Babylonian means “the gate of God.” The people that congregated there were not worshiping God at this time.

Another motivation to build the tower was to be united: “lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” In the covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:1, 7), God commanded them to spread throughout the world. This uniting together was an act of a rebellion was led by Nimrod against God. Nimrod is identified as Marduk, the chief god of Babylon. So there was no monotheism in this main nation of Nimrod from which the others went out from according to the Bible.

The Lord came down to confound their Language (Gen.11:7). Babylon became Babel (Balah) meaning “to confuse” the language. The goal was: that they may not understand one another’s speech so that their FALSE RELIGION would not be spread. The city around the tower was not completed when they were scattered.

The nations are developed after the idolaters went out from Babel. No Gentile nation had the name of God or worship of God from Babel. In fact, His name had not yet been revealed! Only Israel later came to know that God was called the “I AM,” YHWH, through Moses. God being the covenant keeper, making a covenant with the nation Israel ONLY.

We are able to trace the line of Shem from Noah to Abraham. In determining the number of years since Adam through the flood era, Genesis 11:10 states that Shem, 2 years after the flood, fathers Arphaxad, at 100 years old. This means that Noah was 502 when he fathered Shem, and that Shem was the firstborn. Shem is the seed line of the Messiah (Gen. 11:10). There are 10 generations from Shem to Terah, including the birth of Abram.

Ham’s first son is Cush, his fourth son is Canaan, the father of the Canaanites. The sixth son of Cush (lineage of Ham) is Nimrod who builds an empire, his kingdom in the land of Shinar: “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar, which is Babylonia.”

Code of Hammurabi, dates back to about 1400 B.C. The Nuzi Tablets and the Mari Tablets record the laws and customs in the time of Genesis. Archaeologists claim the world's oldest known primitive writing dates back about 5,000 years. If one has to go so far back into the ancient past, 4,000 years to 5,000 years, to the time of the flood, then there is no argument for any modern culture practicing true monotheism. Again, Monotheism, with a supreme God does NOT mean they worshiped the true God, the creator, who is the author of the Bible. Not all monotheism are equal (take Islam as an example). And the Monotheism recorded are Henotheism, a main god with one or more gods under him.

There are a few people who believed in God before the flood (that were monotheistic). If true worship was this scarce, with only 8 saved in just a few generations after the flood, it was corrupted. How does one make the case that it improved after the flood, after the population increased the tower was built for false religion?

The nations took place when man was scattered from the tower of Babel by God. One cannot say there were nations or cultures worshiping God prior. He certainly was not involved in forming their culture - man was on his own.

Terah is in the lineage of Shem who had Eber. This is why the records are kept, Nahor 2082-1934 BC; Terah 2053-1848 bc; Abraham 1923-1748 bc. Noah lived until Terah, the father of Abraham, was 128 years old; Shem and Eber outlived Terah Shem died in the year 2156); Eber lived past Abraham (died in the year 2187). Shem died when Jacob was 48 years old. History, the true religion was preserved as those living passed on the true knowledge. The springing up of Job (some say is the oldest book of the Bible) or Melchizedik knowing God means they were connected to these survivors of the flood directly or indirectly and learned the truth among the increasing departure of mankind in inventing his own ways to God. So either by location or by passed down knowledge of directly knowing someone they were able to continue what Noah kept, for example we see Job sacrificing for his family and has direct mentions of pre flood things. Genesis 22:21-23 lists sons Nahor’s. The first son was: Uz. (His name is also found in 10:23l 36:28). The place where he may have settled and founded became the home of Job (Job 1:1); the land of Uz which is also mentioned in Jeremiah 25:20 (Reference - Dr. Fructhenbaums Genesis commentary).

Shem was still living when both Isaac and Jacob were born being the oldest person surviving the flood. With each generation, a main person who would know God was able to pass down the knowledge. In fact, there is in Jewish Tradition that Shem was the king of Salem Melchizedic. The New Testament says there is no genealogical record for Melchizedek. Being human, he had to have one, but there is no mention of a father or a mother. Since we have Shem’s genealogy passed down to us (1 Chronicles 1:17-28 and in Lk.3 (v. 36) in the lineage of Jesus), Shem was indeed alive at this time and certainly could have shared what he knew with others, It may have been someone coming in contact with Shem or his sons.

It is Melchizedic who goes out to meet Abraham, not Abraham going to meet him in Salem. We see Abraham being the second man God gave a covenant that would affect all people. Gen. 15:18 the land: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates-- Gen 17:2-4 the nations "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.” Abraham is the first one we see God answer prayer to heal another. “God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants” (Gen. 20:17)

What we have is a single priest of a family was fellow-worshiper of the one true God that lived in the future place of where Israel would make their home. Abraham was not called a priest. Neither was Job, but he acted as one over his household. “So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did regularly”

(Job 1:5).

It shows that others knew God had another besides Abraham and his family who served the true God. This should not be construed as an endorsement of nations and people groups observing the truth in worship or religion. As we can see from the Bible that there were a few individuals (not nations) that worshiped God with what was left passed on with the correct knowledge (being still incomplete). It is not until God separated Abraham did consecutive families and tribes know him. The concept of all people or the majority being monotheistic is not taught by Scripture. After the flood and from the tower of Babel the true knowledge of God diminished very quickly.

Abraham was born 2166 BC to Terah (whose name means “moon”) Joshua 24:2 tells us, Terah was an idolater

who worshipped the moon god called Sin in Ur of the Chaldees, keeping the tradition of Babylon the worship of the heavenly bodies. The number of years from the flood to Abraham’s birth are 352 years.

Some see the Scripture teaching that Abram had persuaded his father to take the family out of Ur toward the land that God was going to show him, which was the land of Canaan. Joshua 24:3: “Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, But they came unto Haran, and dwelled there. (Haran was the family’s original home), and Terah did not want to leave it again.

It is after Terah died in Haran (Gen 11:32) that Abraham is called to separate from his family and go to the land of Canaan (Gen.11:31) the place his father intended to go but instead “came to Haran and dwelt there.” This was at the age of 75 which makes this nearly 430 years after the flood (an interesting number years, as Abram's call to Israel’s Exodus 430 Years Gen. 12:1-10; Ex. 12:40-41).

Because of man's sin only a few individuals, from the time of Noah to Abraham, had faith in God and, without exception, those few people are named and detailed in the Bible. The rest continued in godless heathen idolatry (Eph. 2:12). Because Abraham obeyed God’s call, the Lord began to reveal Himself to Abraham and his descendants exclusively (Deut. 29:29) Abraham is referred to as the friend of God three times (2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8, Jas. 2:23). As the nation is developed from God, He calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Something said of no other nation in history.

Gen. 10 focuses on the origins of seventy Gentile nations, each having their own language. Almost 430 years after the flood, God takes Abraham out of UR and develops the nation Israel for the purpose of the Gentile Nations receiving the knowledge of the only true God and the blessings that are accompanied to the only nation covenanted with God. A right relationship with the Seed of Abraham will bring them blessings, but a wrong one will result in cursings. No other nation is used like this.

God invested in Abraham’s lineage the knowledge he wanted mankind to know. Through his sons Isaac and Jacob he will develop 12 tribes that will be directly be given knowledge of who he is and the way to approach him. Mankind from the Tower of Babel did not have this, it was uniquely given to Abraham and finally to Moses and the nation of Israel. This is why there was no tabernacle, no priesthood, no Sabbath to keep and no punishment for breaking the law.

If the Nations knew God already, they would not need to be blessed through Abraham. But God chose Abraham who was brought up in idolatry to make his covenant with and formed Israel. Thus, Abraham becomes the first Hebrew (Josh. 24:2).