Creation
Your belief concerning Creation will deeply influence the way you live your life.
As an earth science major in college, this subject caused a major stumbling block in my life in finding the Creator. I needed a solution to the obvious conflicts so that they could be put to rest. I believe that for many, this conflict between evolution and creation has been a detour away from real truth. Neither evolution nor the six-day view of creation was rational for me. Both systems promoted a feeling that the Bible was unreliable as a foundation for spiritual growth. In 1955, when I was converted, the Creator in His grace gave me enough understanding at that time to help me to Him. He was and still is so very patient and loving in my ambivalent hit or miss quest for Him. But HIS basis for restoration has been the same for the past nearly 6,000 years.
The Questions:
If there is a Creator, then would it not be wise to find out who He is and what plans He has for me. It would be very unwise to be out of step with the Creator and His eternal plans, don’t you think?
If we are the results of some very smart and active atoms, then pleasure would be our prime directive. There would be no valid ethical or moral value system as long as our quest for pleasure did not precipitate pain in others. Only the fear of retaliation and retribution by the offended party, family or friends would be a logical basis for moral or civil law. Some how that never worked for me. I seem to sense down deep that here is something more.
The Conflict:
Fundamentalists have mostly taken a stand for a six-day solar day creation period starting 6,000 years ago in 4,004 BC in Eden.
Secular humanism with the use of science (so-called) has opted for a 13.75 billion year theory of evolution with a big bang and no creator.
It is interesting that the Bible does not stipulate the basis for a six-day solar creation and science has yet to solve the many “random” problems concerning the “mother nature” of evolution. Things just don’t run uphill all by themselves. (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) On the other hand, the fundamentalists are forced to bottom line with, “Well, God can do anything, even make the world look like it is far older than it is (The accepted 6,000 years). But with this thinking, the Christian God seems to be a bit of a con artist or magician to the non-Christian.
A third possibility: “Theistic Evolution”: A process where the Creator uses His creative energy and wisdom in time, faith and love to bring all to where it is today. Even the rebellion and chaos are also being allowed through foreknowledge to facilitate spiritual growth and to allow for the exercise and maturity of free will. Love cannot exist without free will. And even Lucifer, in all His rebellion, is being used to furnish the weights for this gymnasium for spiritual maturity looking towards a God’s eternity.
Bible Prophesy, Isaiah 14:12-20 Consider verse 17, “That Lucifer made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” When did this happen? Note also that Lucifer is still called the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air that now works in the children of disobedience (II Cor. 4:4) (Ezekiel 28:12-19 Verse 14), Lucifer is the covering cherub that “covereth” or ruleth, as in “prince of this world.”
Perhaps in the creative plan of God there was given freewill to at least three Archangels: Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer. In what C. S. Lewis calls, “The Great Divorce,” Lucifer, in pride, defected and tried to become like the highest God as the steward of our solar system. But he only managed to manipulate the world into the darkness of Genesis 1:2, and destroyed its cities as seen by Isaiah (14:17) and made the world as a wilderness.
Then The Restoration: “The Word of God” Christ, came into this chaos and rebellion of the creation (Gen.1:2) and God/Christ began to restore by faith the physical world. First, He restored the light by beginning the settling of dust and vapors so that light could begin to filter through the darkness (dust) to the earth. Second, He began to settle the waters. Perhaps there had been a polar shift so that waters were rotating around the earth as water in a spinning jar that is turned on its side. Third, the plants began to grow again and fill the earth. Fourth, the sun, moon, and stars became visible in the clearing atmosphere. Fifth, the animal kingdom is restored and with some new species as well, including “hybrids” of domestic types of animals as were presented to Adam. Sixth, man is created in the image and likeness of God and covered with God’s glory as with clothing. This was a totally new creation of man as spirit, soul and body in the image of the Triune God. He/She (ADAM) was clothed with the glory of God. Adam was then commissioned to replenish the earth and to subdue it, to take dominion, Adam was placed in charge as the ruler or king of planet Earth. Gen.1:28. Eve was then separated from Adam in (Gen.1:27, 2:21), as a suitable helper for him.
Rebellion: Adam & Eve yielded to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. They joined Lucifer in His great divorce. They suffered expulsion from the Garden of God’s presence in Eden. Upon murdering Abel, God set a mark on Cain and he was allowed to go to the city of Nod, to the east of Eden. and founded the city of Enoch (Gen.4:16). God’s mark on Cain was so that he should not be killed by the other people in Nod. Some feel these were other children of Adam and Eve; I tend to believe that they were the remnants of the previous creation of God formerly under Lucifer’s authority. They were those who had survived a great time of darkness and chaos (Isa.14:16-17, Ezk.28:14-19). It is interesting that in (Gen.6:2) there is perhaps a record of the two classes of people. “The sons of God (Adam?), saw that the daughters of men (the former creation?) were fair; and they “took them wives of all which they chose.” “And the Lord said, My spirit will not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years“, (Gen.6:2-3). God was grieved with sin on the part of Adam, Eve, Cain and mankind. Man’s life expectancy was reduced from eternal to 1,000 years to 120 years. Some Bible teachers have felt that this union between the “Sons of God” and the “Daughters of man” was with demons that produced the giants. I find no scripture to support this doctrinal position, though giants were real and confirmed by Caleb, Joshua, and David. In fact, Christ Jesus told his disciples that fallen angels or demons did not have flesh and bone, Luke 24:39.
Restoration: Adam, His family and all of us lost our first estate in this great rebellion and all after including us (except Jesus) were born spiritually dead (Gen.2:17, John 3:3). Except for the promise (Gen.3:15), they and all mankind were only a little better off than the remnants of the old creation that had been turned into chaos by Lucifer’s previous rebellion and treason. Mankind through Adam and Eve had lost “The Breath of Life,” (Gen.2:7). In total rebellion, Adam’s son Cain, had murdered, mated with the daughters of man and all humanity came under God’s judgment for destruction, it was a dark day (Gen.6:13). But Noah found favor with God and the door of the ark was shut by God to save His family. That door is open now in Christ Jesus, the Creator (John 20:22). For those who make Jesus, The Lamb of God, both LORD ( King,) and Savior. But one day it will close. Today there is the gift of eternal life in the coming into the ark of the Kingdom of God (Gen.4:4, Romans 10:9-10, Rev.22:3, ). When Moses wrote about creation 3,500 years ago he was much closer to the facts of the matter than we are, but he still was 1,500 years after the fact. However, I do completely trust the God of Moses to keep the Scriptures free of any poison. But also I also know that Great Creator has left a lot of room in the Scriptures for the writer’s personality inclusions and points of view which adds to Biblical credibility. And sometimes, as David writes in Psalms, He is sometimes writing about how he feels about His enemies and not necessarily how God feels about them. Jesus taught us to love our enemies.
In Conclusion, we should not be dogmatic concerning creation as a Christian. We do not as yet have the fullness of truth in this matter. God is a creator God who loves to create and has nothing but an eternity for tomorrow. He has called Himself, “I AM that I AM.” What are a few million years one way or the other to God? The Bible speaks of God making us His ambassadors and kings over His creation. His plans include the building of a loyal, trusting, loving, forever family for fellowship and for His sharing of His great love throughout His whole creation. He wants to teach His children everything about love, joy, and peace. There are no limits to those who truly make King Jesus both Savior and Ruler in their lives. It is very easy to see why He will not allow the rebellion of sin to escape planet Earth and contaminate the universe. The world’s counterfeit system challenges us to buy into its lust, jive, and pot, with our little egocentric self supposedly in charge. Lucifer, Adam, Eve, Cain & most have joined the system of darkness. It is a big scam, an illusion. This choice is in our hands today and every day until it is over and The Lord sets up His Kingdom. Jesus is Lord of Lord’s and that really is the bottom line. We are given an engraved invitation to the greatest party ever, but we can refuse to go.
Jesus said,
“Unless a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone, but if it dies it shall bring forth much fruit. He that shall save his life shall lose it, but he that shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall find it unto everlasting life.”