God s Wonderful Creation

Transcription

1 God s Wonderful Creation 1

2 Creation The Beginning CHAPTER 1 The Creator I. The Creator Was Never Created! "In the beginning " (Genesis 1:1). "In the beginning was (John 1:1; compare verse 14 for the identify of "the Word") If you could go back all the way to the beginning, GOD WOULD BE THERE. God has always existed! There has never been a time when God was not. Before there was anything else, God was. God never had a beginning. In the beginning HE already WAS (John 1:1; 1 John 1:1). God never BEGAN, but you did! When was your BEGINNING? (Write your birth date). MANKIND (the human race) had a BEGINNING: "Have ye not read, that He which [who] made them at the, made them male and female" (Matthew 19:4). The Lord's question, "Have you not read?" refers to a passage in the book of Genesis that the men He was speaking to (the Pharisees) should have known. Can you find the verses in Genesis Chapter 1 which describe the creation of the first parents of the human race? Genesis1: The UNIVERSE (the heavens and the earth) also had a BEGINNING (see Genesis 1:1). There was a time (before Genesis 1:1) when the universe did not exist, but there was never a time when the CREATOR did not exist. The CREATOR inhabits (Isaiah 57:15)! Read carefully Exodus 20:11. Before these six days of creation there was no H ; there was no E, and there was no S. There was nothing in H (the birds, the stars, etc.); and there was nothing in the E (man, animals, plants, etc.); and there was nothing in the S (fish, whales, etc.) because before these six days the H and the E and the S did not exist! All these things had a BEGINNING! Even the DEVIL had a BEGINNING: "He was a murderer from the " (John 8:44). "The devil sinneth from the " (1 John 3:8). Before Satan FELL (see Isaiah 14:12-15) and began his MURDEROUS and SINFUL career, he was an ANGEL called L (Isaiah 14:12). We know that Lucifer had a BEGINNING because the Bible says that on a certain day he was created: "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from that thou wast, until iniquity was found in thee" (Ezekiel 28:15; see also verse 13). Other angels also had a beginning: "For by Him were things, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible (angels are invisible to us), whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers" (Colossians 1:16). This verse is speaking of the creation of angels and angels normally are invisible. See also Romans 8:38; Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; and Colossians 2:10,15). Colossians 1:16 says, " things were by Him." God the CREATOR, however, had no BEGINNING! 2

3 Please MATCH the following: 1. The beginning of God A. EZEKIEL 28:13,l5 2. The beginning of Lucifer B. GENESIS 1:1 3. The beginning of angels C. GENESIS 1: The beginning of the universe D. He had no beginning. He already WAS. JOHN 1:1 5. The beginning of mankind E. COLOSSIANS 1:16 NOTE: The book of GENESIS is the book of BEGINNINGS. In this book we are told about the beginning of the universe (Gen. 1:1), the beginning of man (Gen. 1:26), the beginning of sin and death (Gen. 2:17; 3:6), and the beginning of marriage (Gen. 2:24). Can you think of other BEGINNINGS that we are told about in the book of Genesis? BEFORE anything was ever created, GOD was already there: "and He is all things" (Colossians 1:17). He is "the of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14; compare Colossians 1:15). If you could go back all the way to the beginning before anything was created, you would find that the CREATOR was already there! In Psalm 90:2 Moses, the man of God, wrote these words: "BEFORE the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even FROM TO, THOU ART." GOD S ETERNAL LIFE (Psalm 90:2) EVERLASTING EVERLASTING 3

4 MAN S FLEETING LIFE (Psalm 90:10) In Psalm 90:10 Moses says that the average life span (the number of years a person lives) is THREESCORE YEARS AND TEN. A score = 20 years; therefore, a man s average life span is 3 X 20 = + 10 = years. Do all men live this long? Also in verse 10, Moses says that some people even live to be years (4 X 20 = years). How many people do you know who are as old as 70 or older? How old was Moses when he died (Deuteronomy 34:7)? years. Notice the great DIFFERENCE between man s short life and God s unending life: The average man 70 Men are born, they live so An old man 80 many years, and then they die (see Genesis 5). Go to any Moses 120 cemetery and read what is Genesis 5: written on the tombstones (gravestones) and you will What about you?? learn that every man has a birth-date and a death-date, whether he lives many years or few. Death is inevitable Think of a birthday cake. When the candles are lighted, they are immediately blown out and you see smoke for a time. How long does the smoke last? This illustration demonstrates the length of your life compared to eternity. Read James 4:14. Compare Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:242,25. GOD'S ETERNAL AND UNENDING LIFE is quite different! Consider these verses: 1) Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:17 (Revelation 1:11). F L 2) Revelation 1:8, 21:6; 22:13. B E 3) Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13. 4

5 A O ALPHA ( ) is the first letter of the Greek Alphabet. Compare the English letter A. OMEGA ( ) is the last letter of the Greek Alphabet. Compare the English letter Z. God the Creator is the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END, the ALPHA and the OMEGA. He was never created. He was never made. He was never born. He never came into existence. He never had a beginning. HE ALWAYS WAS. He is the God "which [who] and which [who], and who " (Revelation 1:4,8; see Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58). THE CREATOR WAS NEVER CREATED! "In the beginning GOD..." II. The Creator is the Triune (Three in One) God. "In the beginning CREATED" (Genesis 1:1). According to this verse, WHO is the CREATOR? This name for "God" is the Hebrew word "ELOHIM" (el-ō-heem). The ending of this word ["...IM"] is a PLURAL ENDING ("plural" means more than one). In the English language "S" is a PLURAL ENDING. Can you make the following words PLURAL? 1) DOG 4) GRANDMOTHER 2) PENCIL 5) GOD 3) WATERMELON 6) BUMBLEBEE Very good! Can you make the following HEBREW words plural? [Use the Hebrew plural IM] 1. CHERUB (Exodus 25:18-20) 2. SERAPH (Isaiah 6:2,6) 3. TERAPH (Judges 17: 5) "Teraphim" were household gods or idols. The Hebrew word ELOHIM is a PLURAL word. Many times it is used in the Bible to describe gods (false gods): "Thou shalt have no other [ELOHIM] before Me" (Exodus 20:3). "And make no mention of the name of other [ELOHIM]" (Exodus 23:13). "...then will they turn unto other [ELOHIM]" (Deuteronomy 31:20; see also verse 18). "God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other [ELOHIM]" (Joshua 24:16; see verse 2). When ELOHIM is used to describe the TRUE GOD (as in Genesis 1:1) the word is translated "God," but it is a PLURAL word. Should not Genesis 1:1 say, "IN THE BEGINNING GODS CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH"? How many true GODS are there (Mark 5

6 12:29-30; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 44:6-8; 45:5-6)? Did three GODS create the universe? In Genesis 1:1 the verb "CREATED" is a SINGULAR verb so it could be translated "HE CREATED." Two answers may be given to the question, "WHO CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH": 1. HE DID (SINGULAR) because the verb means "HE CREATED." Elohim does not mean "THEY CREATED." 2. GOD DID (PLURAL) because the word ELOHIM is a plural word! So, the ONE who created the universe is both SINGULAR and PLURAL. HE is ONE, but HE IS MORE THAN ONE. HE is a PLURAL UNITY. Deuteronomy 6:4 says: "Hear, O Israel: The [singular] our [ELOHIM-plural] is (a PLURAL UNITY)." Because our God is ONE LORD, how can we love Him (Deuteronomy 6:5)? If there were two GODS, do you think we would be able to love both of them in this way (compare Luke 16:13)? In Genesis 1:26-27 we again discover that God is a PLURAL UNITY. Verse 26 shows us that GOD is plural. Verse 27 shows us that GOD is singular (a unity). Genesis 1:26 (Plural) "And [ELOHIM] said, Let make man in image, after likeness." See also Genesis 3:22; 11:7; and Isaiah 6:8. Genesis 1:27 (Singular) "So God [HE CREATED = singular verb] man in own image, in the image of God him; male and female them." How can the CREATOR be both PLURAL and SINGULAR? How can the CREATOR be a PLURAL UNITY? The answer is found in the New Testament where we find that this ONE GOD appears in THREE PERSONS: One God In Three Persons MATTHEW 28:19 2 CORINTHIANS 13: We call this the TRINITY or the TRIUNITY OF GOD: 6

7 The following is an analogy to help you understand the idea of the Trinity, though we recognize that any illustration is inadequate to explain the true nature of God: WATER appears in three different forms: 1. ICE 2. LIQUID 3. STEAM. Each of these forms is WATER and is made up of the same SUBSTANCE (H 2 O). Likewise, God is in three different PERSONS (1. F 2. S 3. H S ) but each of these PERSONS is GOD, and each is made up of the same substance or ESSENCE. GOD'S ESSENCE IS EVERYTHING THAT GOD IS! God's Essence God is... All-Powerful All-Knowing Wise Everywhere Present Unchangeable Faithful True Eternal Love Holy Righteous Sovereign AND, GOD is MUCH MORE than ALL OF these qualities or attributes! 7

8 As we study CREATION, we learn that all three of the PERSONS of the Trinity were involved in the work of CREATION: 1. God the Father Was Involved in Creating. Ephesians 3:9 says, "God [God the Father], who (see also Hebrews 1:2). " 2. God the Son Was Involved in Creating. God the Son was the MAIN ACTOR in creation. He actually did the work of creating. JESUS CHRIST is the CREATOR! God the Father created all things through Him. 8

9 Colossians l:16 says, "For by [GOD S SON, see verse 13]; were that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or power--all things were and for Him." John 1:3 says, " were by ("him" refers to "the Word" of verse 1. See verse 14 which identifies "the Word" as Jesus Christ), and without Him was not anything made that was made." Apart from God the Son, how much was made or created? Hebrews 1:2 says, "(God the Father) hath in these last days spoken unto us by His, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he the worlds [ages]." Ephesians 3:9 says, "God the Father, who created all things by " 3. God the Holy Spirit Was Involved in Creating. Genesis 1:2 says, "And the moved upon the face of the waters." Job 26:13 says, "By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens." The word "garnish" means "to decorate, to make beautiful." The Holy Spirit is the Divine Artist in creation! When the earth was "without form and void" (unformed and unfilled), the Spirit of God moved and began to form and shape and beautify and give life to the young earth (Genesis 1:2). The Work of the Triune God in Creation Not only was the TRIUNE GOD involved in the work of CREATION, but the TRIUNE GOD was also involved in the work of the NEW CREATION (2 Corinthians 5:17), that is, the work of SALVATION. THE TRIUNE GOD AND OUR SALVATION: 9

10 1. THE FATHER He planned our salvation (Rom. 8:28-31). He sent His Son (1 John 4:9-10). He gave His Son (John 3:16; Rom.8:32). 2. THE SON He did the actual WORK of salvation (John 17:4;19:30). He was the Great Saviour (Titus 2:13-14). He died to provide salvation (1 Tim. 2:6). 3. THE HOLY SPIRIT He gives the saved person a NEW LIFE (2 Cor. 3:6). He gives the saved person a NEW BIRTH (John 3:5; Tit. 3:5). He garnishes and makes the sinner beautiful by placing him IN CHRIST (2 Cor. 5:17), and thus He provides him with the beautiful garments of redemption, sanctification and justification (1 Cor. 6:11, and see 1 Cor. 1:30). The Work Of The Triune God In The New Creation Compare John 3:16 and John 3:5. The Father is the GIVER, the Son is the GIFT, and the Holy Spirit makes sure that the believing sinner GETS THE GIFT! For a detailed study of the Tri-Unity of God (The Trinity) see The Trinity -- A Detailed Study of the Tri-Unity of God. III. The Creator Alone is Worthy of Worship. Only God the CREATOR deserves to be worshipped: "... W Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Revelation 14:7). "Get thee hence [be gone], Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt the Lord, thy God, and Him shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10). The Creator is a God (Exodus 20:5); even His NAME is (Exodus 34:14). Consider the following: Jolly John is madly in love with Sweetheart Susan. One day he discovers that Susan is taking an interest in Rival Richard, and in fact, she even walked home from school with him! Jolly John 10

11 suddenly becomes Jealous John! He wants Susan to take an interest only in him, and not in anyone else! This story shows the negative side of jealousy. Here Jolly John is selfish and possessive of this girl for his own gain. In contrast, God is jealous of our love because He knows that He is the only One who can truly satisfy us and meet our deepest needs. God IS the highest and best, and He wants us to have Him who is the highest and best. GOD the CREATOR is JEALOUS with a HOLY JEALOUSY! He wants men to worship Him and no one else! He does not want us to love anyone else or anything else more than we love Him. He does not want His children to have less than the best, and He knows that He is the BEST that we can have. He wants us to give Him first place in our lives: "Thou shalt have no before Me" (Exodus 20:3). He wants to be our first love: "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with thine heart" (Deuteronomy 6:5; see also Matthew 10:37 and Revelation 2:4). There is a great and infinite difference between the CREATOR (the God who created all things) and the CREATURE (the angel, person, animal, plant or thing which has been created). Can you list 10 CREATURES which begin with the letter "S"? (Three have already done for you!): 1. Snakes 6. S 2. Satan 7. S 3. Skunks 8. S 4. S 9. S 5. S 10. S The CREATOR is far GREATER than any CREATURE: 11

12 THE CREATOR There is a great difference between the CREATOR and the CREATURE. The CREATOR is far GREATER than any CREATURE! THE CREATURES Satan (1 John 4:4) and Demons Good Angels (Michael, Gabriel, etc.) Sun Moon Stars Man (Psalm 8:4) Animals (Psalm 8:7-8) [Fish, Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, etc.] The cult of Jehovah's Witnesses wrongly teaches that Jesus Christ was CREATED by God. They believe that there was once a time when the Son of God did not exist. According to their teaching, He was created by God [the first creature that God created], and this means that there must have been a time prior to His creation when He did not exist. This false teaching makes the Lord Jesus a CREATURE instead of the CREATOR! They also teach that Jesus Christ is not God. Contrary to this erroneous teaching, the Bible clearly states that the SON (Jesus Christ) is G (Hebrews 1:8) and the CREATOR (Hebrews 1:10) and God the Father tells all the angels to Him (Hebrews 1:6). How terrible it is to call the CREATOR a CREATURE! We must never make God less than what He really is. To worship the CREATURE rather than the CREATOR is also a terrible sin. Romans 1:25 describes how men in their sinfulness " and served the more than the " (see also verses 20-24). The Terrible Sin of Creature Worship 12

13 Please Match: 1. Satan worship A. Jeremiah 1:16; Isaiah 2:8 2. Angel worship B. Colossians 2:18 3. Beast (Antichrist) worship C. Deuteronomy 4:19 4. Idol worship (gods that men have made with their own hands) D. 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3 5. Star worship E. Revelation 14:7 6. Sun worship F. Revelation 13:8,12; 14:9; and compare 2 Thessalonians 2:4 7. Sun, moon and star worship G. Matthew 4:9; Rev.13:4a 8. Golden calf worship H. Exodus 32:8; Psalm106:19 9. CREATOR WORSHIP--the only kind of worship that pleases God I. Ezekiel 8:16 The Wrongness of Creature Worship 1. Acts 10:25-26 Who did Cornelius worship (verse 25)? This act of worship was wrong because Peter was only a (verse 26)! 2. Acts 14:11-15 Who did the people worship (verse 12)? This worship was wrong because Barnabas and Paul were mere (verse 15). Instead of worshiping them they should have worshipped the God (the CREATOR) "who heaven, and earth and the sea, and all things" that are in them (compare verse 15). Should men worship the virgin Mary? Should men worship "the saints"? Should men worship the Pope? Should any man be worshipped? 3. Revelation 19:10 Did John worship the Creator or the creature? This was wrong because the creature told John to. 4. Revelation 22:8-9 Who did John worship (verse 8)? Who is the only Person worthy of worship (verse 9)? Did the Lord Jesus Christ allow men to worship Him (see Matthew 14:33; 15:25; 28:9; 28:17; John 9:38; 20:28-29)? When a man worships the Lord Jesus Christ, is he worshiping a creature or is he worshiping the CREATOR? 13

14 The Wrongness of Idol Worship 1. Psalm 115:5 -- Idols have mouths, but they not. What about the Creator? Read Isaiah 40:5; 45:23; 55: Psalm 115:5 -- Idols have eyes, but they not. What about the Creator? Read 2 Chronicles 16:9; Hebrews 4:13 and 1 Peter 3: Psalm 115:6 -- Idols have ears, but they not. What about the Creator? Read Psalm 34:15; 130:2; James 5:4. 4. Psalm 115:6 -- Idols have noses, but they not. What about the Creator? Read 2 Samuel 22:9,16; Genesis 8:21; Ephesians 5:2. 5. Psalm 115:7 -- Idols have hands, but they not. What about the Creator? Read Psalm 8:3,6; Hebrews 1: Psalm 115:7 -- Idols have feet, but they not. What about the Creator? Read Genesis 3:8; Deut. 23:14; Revelation 2:1. Note: See Psalm 115:8. Those who make idols are just as dumb as the idols!! They made their idols after their own likeness. [The idols are "dumb" in the sense that they cannot speak; the idol worshipers are "dumb" in the sense that they are foolish and stupid]. 7. Jeremiah 10:5 -- Idols must be carried, they do not get around by themselves very well! What about the Creator? Read Psalm 139:7-10; Acts 17: Jeremiah 10:5 -- Idols are harmless. Do not fear them! What about the Creator? Read Revelation 14:7; Deut. 6:13, Jeremiah 10: 5 -- Idols cannot do, neither can they do ; in fact, they can t do anything! What about the Creator? Read Matthew 19:26; Genesis 18: Kings 18:27 -- Idols act as if they were asleep!! What about the Creator? Read Psalm 121:3-4; Isaiah 40:28. * * * * CONCLUSION WORSHIP THE CREATOR (Acts 14:15; Rev. 14:7) AND KEEP YOURSELVES FROM (1 JOHN 5:21). 14

15 CHAPTER 2 The Creator s Two Books How can we learn about the Creator? How can man (the creature) learn about God (the Creator)? How has the Creator revealed Himself to us, so that we might know Him? Because God wants to make Himself known and reveal Himself to men, He has written 2 BOOKS. These TWO BOOKS tell us about the Creator! God wants men to read BOTH of these books, so that they will come to know Him! All men read Book One, but very few people really read Book Two. Let us now learn about the Creator s two books! 15

16 Book One -- The Creator's Work (Creation) (Psalm 19:1-6) Book One CREATION "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork" (Psalm 19:1). "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained...all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8). The Creator has given Book One to all men! And EVERYONE is able to read and understand this wonderful book! Most books that we read are filled with WORDS so that a person is unable to read the book until he learns how to read! This is one of the reasons you went to kindergarten and first and second grade--to learn how to read words! But there are some books that even a very young child can read and understand. These are called PICTURE BOOKS! These are books that have no words but only PICTURES. Book One is a PICTURE BOOK--there are no words (look again at the previous illustration). God's book of CREATION is not a book that a person must open and read. He only needs to LOOK and SEE: "For the things of Him (we cannot see God!--1 John 4:12) from the of the world are clearly (we can see God s CREATION!--Psalm 8:3), being by the things that are (All men understand Book One)--ROMANS 1:20. 16

17 A baby begins to read Book One when he first opens his eyes to explore and to discover the world around him. The baby cannot read words, and certainly he could never read and understand the Bible, but he is able to read God s Book of Creation! Millions of people (even adults) all over the world are unable to read words. They are ILLITERATE (they cannot read or write). They have never been to school and no one has taught them how to read! One of the important jobs of the missionary is to teach illiterate people how to read so they can begin to read and understand God s Word, the Bible. But even illiterate people can read Book One "Day unto day (see previous picture, the left-hand side) uttereth speech, and night unto night (see previous picture, the right-hand side) sheweth knowledge" (Psalm 19:2). There are some books that we are unable to read because they are written in a foreign language. When David, wrote Psalm 19:1 he wrote in the Hebrew language: Are you able to read and understand those words? This is why the Bible must be TRANSLATED into English: "THE DECLARE THE OF GOD" (PSALM 19:1). On the other hand, Book One never needs to be translated! God wrote His BOOK OF CREATION in a language that people everywhere could understand: "There is no nor where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through " (PSALM 19:3-4). Book One teaches us wonderful things about the Creator! We can learn many things about an author by reading his books! Who was the human author of Romans, 2 Corinthians, Philippians and 2 Timothy? As we read these books we can learn many things about this man! For example, in Romans 1:1 we learn that this author's name was P and that he was an A. This is why we call him the A P. As we read many of the Psalms we learn many things about the author who was DAVID! So also, as we read God s BOOK OF CREATION, we can learn about the AUTHOR of this book, THE CREATOR! The CREATION teaches us about the CREATOR! Read Job 12:7-9. According to these verses, who teaches us about the CREATOR? 1. The B 2. The F of the (Birds) 3. The E 4. The F of the. Let us think about Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, where there is a huge sculpture of the heads of four Presidents (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt), with each head being 60 feet high! About one million people visit this interesting national memorial each year. Suppose Jimmy Jones visited this mountain for the very first time and no one told him anything about how the heads were formed. What would Jimmy think? Choose the correct answer: A. He would think that the heads were formed by CHANCE. It just happened that way! B. He would think that all the forces of nature (winds, rains, snow, storms, etc.) had their effect upon this mountain for thousands and thousands of years until finally the rocks were accidentally shaped in just the right way. (THOUGHT QUESTION: What is the difference 17

18 between Mt. Rushmore and former Old Man in the Mountain in New Hampshire?) C. He would realize that men must have formed and carved out such a massive sculpture. By simply looking at Mt. Rushmore, Jimmy could learn much about the men who formed and carved it: 1. These men must have had INTELLIGENCE to be able to plan and design such a monument. 2. These men must have had WISDOM to be able to carry out such a great project. Indeed it took six and a half years to complete! 3. These men must have had POWER to be able to carve into hard granite (using dynamite, etc.). 4. These men must have had SKILL to be able to transform a rugged cliff into an artistic masterpiece. In the same way, by simply looking at Creation (Book One), we can learn many things about the Creator, the God who created and formed the heavens and the earth. Here are ten things that we can learn about God from looking at GOD S BOOK OF CREATION: A. The Creator s POWER B. The Creator s INTELLIGENCE C. The Creator s ARTISTRY (He is the DIVINE ARTIST.) D. The Creator s GOODNESS E. The Creator s FAITHFULNESS F. The Creator s CARE G. The Creator s GREATNESS (GOD S BIGNESS) H. The Creator s CREATIVITY (God s unlimited ability to create and design with amazing variety and originality) I. The Creator s ORDERLINESS (He is a God of LAW AND ORDER.) J. The Creator s WISDOM (The All-Wise God created the world in the very best way.) In the preceding table, we have a list of 10 things that we can learn about the CREATOR by reading Book One. These were numbered A-J. Now you are to MATCH these to the following 10 statements. For some of these more than one answer may seem correct. But you are to look for the answer that best fits: 18

19 1. The law of gravity, the law of freezing (water will always freeze at 32 degrees Fahrenheit ) and the other unchangeable laws of nature. Without these laws there would be utter chaos and confusion. 2. Beautiful sunsets, the feathers of a peacock, the colors and designs on tropical fish. 3. Thunderstorms, earthquakes, tornados, giant tidal wave which is called a tsunami (Romans 1:20). 4. Rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, sunshine enjoyed by all men (Acts 14:17; Matthew 5:44-45). 5. The vast dimensions of our universe (solar systems, galaxies). Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains 300,000,000 stars or suns (our sun is one of them)! There is an unbelievable distance between stars (in terms of light years), and even scientists are unable to count the stars because the number is too vast (Psalm 8:3-4; Genesis 15:5; Jeremiah 31:37; 33:22; Psalm 147:4). 6. The human brain which is far more complex and far more complicated than any computer that man has ever made! And computers are made by very intelligent men! See Psalm 139: Every snowflake is a six-sided crystal and yet science has never found any two snowflakes exactly alike! Though there are billions of people in the world and though all men have common features (two eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears, etc.), yet there are no two people who look exactly alike! Differences can even be found among identical twins! 8. The sun is not too far from the earth (lest we should freeze) and not too close to the earth (lest we should burn). Our planet has plenty of water (without which we could never live) and plenty of oxygen (without which we could never breathe). We would never survive on the moon or on Mars or Venus! God in His wisdom knew what He was doing when He prepared the earth for man (Isa. 45:18; Psalm 104:24; 136:5; Jeremiah 10:12; 51:15). 9. Birds feeding; the lily clothed; the chick protected and nestled by the hen (Matthew 6:26-30; 23:37). 10. The day-night cycle; the seasonal cycle (summer, fall, winter, spring)-see Genesis 8:22; Jeremiah 31:35-36; 33:20. We can learn many things about the Creator by simply looking at GOD S BOOK OF CREATION (which we have called "Book One"). 19

20 We can see God's Book of Creation all around us--whether we look at the complex worlds of creation through a microscope or whether we look at the vast universe through a telescope! But it is not enough to know about God; we need to KNOW GOD--in a real and in a personal way! Book One only helps us to know about God--that He exists and that He is a POWERFUL, FAITHFUL, INTELLIGENT, AND ALL-WISE CREATOR. But if we are going to really KNOW OUR CREATOR then we must read another book--book NUMBER 2. Book Two--The Creator s Words (The Bible). (Psalm 19:7-11) Book Two THE BIBLE "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7-11). "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God [all Scripture is "God-breathed"], and is profitable for doctrine [teaching], for reproof [rebuke], for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly [completely] furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16). Book Two is not a picture book. As you can see from the illustration, Book Two is filled with WORDS! The ILLITERATE cannot read Book Two because they do not know how to read WORDS. People in far off lands cannot read Book Two unless it is TRANSLATED into their own language. GOD THE CREATOR has given us Book Two so that we might come to KNOW HIM (John 17:3)! God has given us a WRITTEN RECORD (1 John 5:11) that tells us about His Son and the SO GREAT SALVATION that is found in His Son! 20

21 The words that we read in Book Two are not mere human words (although God used men to write them down), but they are WORDS OF THE CREATOR! God has SPOKEN and HIS WORDS have been written down: "for the of the hath it" (Isaiah 40:5). As we look at Book One we see what the Creator has made! As we read Book Two we see what the CREATOR has said! As we read Book Two we can learn things that we could never learn by observing Book One. For example, in Book Two we can learn about: 1. SALVATION--read John 3:17; Acts 4:12. You will never learn about salvation by looking at a sunset! 2. FORGIVENESS--read Psalm 103:12; Hebrews 10:17. You will never learn about forgiveness by star gazing! 3. PEACE--read Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:21 (those at war with God were reconciled). You will never learn how a sinner can find peace with God by watching a peacock! 4. ETERNAL LIFE--read John 10:10; 1 John 5:12. You will never learn how to have eternal life by watching a thunderstorm! 5. RIGHTEOUSNESS--read 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21. You will never learn how to be in a right relationship with God by studying the law of gravity! ONLY IN BOOK TWO CAN YOU LEARN ABOUT THE SAVIOR!!!! Here are 20 questions. If the answer to the question is Book One, then write the number 1 before the question in the blank provided. If the answer to the question is Book Two, then write the number 2. You are now ready to answer these 20 questions: 1. Which book shows us the heavens (Genesis 1:1)? 2. Which book teaches us about how to get to heaven (John 14:6)? 3. Which book teaches us about the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)? 4. Which book do all scientists read? 5. Which book do most scientists not read? 6. Which book do evolutionists reject? 7. Which book will pass away (Matthew 24:35)? 8. Which book will never pass away (Matthew 24:35)? 9. Which book contains 66 books? 10. Which book is clearly understood by all men (Romans 1:20)? 11. Which book is never understood by the unsaved man (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14)? 12. Which book can make a person wise unto God s power and greatness and glory (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1)? 13. Which book can make a person wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15)? 14. The Hymn, THE SPACIOUS FIRMAMENT ON HIGH, is about which book? See words at the end of this chapter. 15. Psalm 119 is about which book? 16. Psalm 19:1-6 is about which book? 17. Which book is able to convert the soul (Psalm 19:7)? 18. Psalm 139:14 is about which book? 19. Which book do the HEATHEN (uncivilized people in far off lands) understand? 20. Which book contains the gospel (GOOD NEWS)? See1 Corinthians 15:

22 QUESTIONS FOR YOU WHAT DOES BOOK TWO MEAN TO YOU? DO YOU READ BOOK TWO? DO YOU LISTEN TO THE CREATOR S WORDS? HAS BOOK TWO MADE YOU WISE UNTO SALVATION? REMEMBER: It is not enough just to know about the Creator. You must KNOW THE CREATOR!! And to know Him is to have life eternal (John 17:3)! The Spacious Firmament on High 1) The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled heavens, a shining frame, Their great Original proclaim. The unwearied sun from day to day, Does his Creator's power display, And publishes to every land The Work of an Almighty Hand. 2) Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale, And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her birth: Whilst all the stars that round her burn, And all the planets in their turn, Confirm the tidings as they roll, And spread the truth from pole to pole. 3) What though in solemn silence all Move round this dark terrestrial ball? What though no real voice nor sound Amidst their radiant orbs be found? In reason's ear they all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice; Forever singing, as they shine, "The hand that made us is divine." Amen. Joseph Addison (based on Psalm 19) 22

23 CHAPTER 3 Understanding Creation How can I learn about CREATION? How were the heavens and the earth (the UNIVERSE) brought into existence? How was the whale created? The eagle? The alligator? The shark? The giraffe? The praying mantis? The elephant? The baboon? The skunk? The porcupine? The dolphin? How was the redwood tree made (often 300 feet tall, which is the length of a football field)? How were the mountains formed? How was man created? Did man evolve from ape-like creatures? What did the first men look like? Did they look like apes? Were they intelligent? How can I answer these questions? How can I understand creation? How can I understand how a clock is made? I can go to a clock maker and see a clock being made! I can watch the different springs and gears and wheels being put together by the skilled clock maker. I know how that clock was made because I WAS THERE! I saw it happen! How is a car made? an airplane? an ocean ship? I can visit the places where these are being built and see how they are made! I can watch them as they are built in factories and in shipyards by intelligent men! How does your mother make a CAKE? To see how it is done you simply need to OBSERVE the cake-making process! Watch her do it! See for yourself, and before long you will be able to make a cake yourself! 23

24 How is a church building constructed? To find out all you need to do is look and see! You can watch the workmen as they break the ground and lay the foundation and erect the actual building. So I can easily learn how clocks, cars, airplanes, ships, cakes and buildings are made because 1) They are being made today 2) I can watch them being made. But when I try to learn about the creation of the sun, moon, stars, plants and animals, it is not so easy! I have two great problems: 1) Nothing is being created today! 2) I cannot observe creation because I was not there! 1) Nothing Is Being Created Today! Creation took place thousands of years ago! We can read about God s work of creation in two chapters in the book of Genesis: Genesis chapters and. How long did God take to make the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them (Exodus 20:11; see also Genesis 1:31)? After this time "the and the were " (Genesis 2:1). God has FINISHED His work of creation! Today we cannot see things being created; we can only see things that have already been created. We can see GOD S CREATION (Psalm 19:1) but we cannot see GOD CREATING. We can see the things that are made (Romans 1:20) but we cannot see things being made. We can see the CREATOR S WORKS (Psalm 8:3,6) but we cannot see the CREATOR WORKING, because God has E His which He had made (Genesis 2:2) and because God has R from all His (Genesis 2:3). We can see the finished PRODUCT but we cannot see the creative PROCESS which brought it into existence. This is like seeing a finished CLOCK (product) without being able to see how the clock was MADE (process). I can go to a zoo and see a kangaroo, but I will never see a kangaroo being made! I can watch kittens being born, but I will never see kittens being made! I can observe the expiration (death) of a mouse suddenly caught in a mousetrap, but I can never watch the creation of a mouse! It is possible to see a baby being born but it is impossible to see a person being created because this happened only once many thousands of years ago (Matthew 19:4). There are three methods that God uses to bring a person into the world. Two of these are UNIQUE methods--they happened only once and will never happen again. One of these is a COMMON method--this is the way YOU came into the world! Here are God s three methods: 24

25 1) CREATION (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7,21-22) Adam & Eve (UNIQUE) 2) PROCREATION (Genesis 5:3-32) you & me (COMMON) Procreation is God bringing children into the world through parents by natural birth. This is how you came into the world. 3) INCARNATION (Luke 1:31-37) the Lord Jesus Christ (UNIQUE) Incarnation (GOD IN FLESH-John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16) is God bringing His Son into the world through the virgin Mary by supernatural birth. This is how our Saviour came into the world. Today it is possible to see people born by procreation but it is impossible to see people made by creation! Adam and Eve were created directly by God. 2) I Cannot Observe Creation Several thousand years ago (about the time of Abraham), God asked JOB a very interesting question: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare [tell Me], if thou hast understanding" (Job 38:4). If God were to ask YOU this same question how would you answer? To observe a clock being made, you must BE THERE. You must see and witness the clock maker at work! To observe creation, you must BE THERE. You must see and witness the Creator at work! Is this possible? How can I learn about creation if I was not able to BE THERE when creation took place? How can I learn who won the ball game if I was not able to BE THERE when the game was played? I must go to someone who WAS THERE, someone who SAW the game, someone who will tell me the TRUTH about what really took place on that ball field! Likewise, if you really want to understand CREATION you must go to someone who was there. You must go to someone who SAW the creation of the universe, someone who was a WITNESS of all that happened during those six days and someone who will tell you the TRUTH about what really took place at that time. 25

26 Thus, to learn about CREATION you must go to: (circle the correct answer) a. a scientist b. Charles Darwin ( )--the father of the theory of evolution c. your science teacher or biology teacher d. your pastor e. the One Person who WAS THERE (Genesis 1:1) Thus, the only way to learn about Creation is to go to the CREATOR and LISTEN TO HIM, and HEAR WHAT HE SAYS about creation. When a person really LISTENS to what the CREATOR says, and when that person really BELIEVES what the CREATOR says, then this is called FAITH: It is only BY FAITH that the CREATURE (man) can learn how the CREATOR CREATED! This is not a blind faith (a foolish leap into the dark) but it is a living faith in a living and intelligent CREATOR (a wonderful leap into the light). Those who do not listen to the CREATOR are called evolutionists. The evolutionists also operate BY FAITH. However, their faith is not in the Creator, but IN THEMSELVES (they think that they know more than the Creator). Instead of Hebrews 11:3, the evolutionists would say something like this: By faith we understand that the worlds were not framed by the word of an almighty Creator, but they came about through natural (not supernatural) processes through millions of years (the god of the evolutionists needs lots of time), so that the plants and animals which are seen have been made from lifeless chemicals which evolved into simple one-celled organisms which evolved into more and more complex organisms (including whales, birds, reptiles, mammals, etc.) from which evolved certain ape-like creatures who after countless thousands of years finally evolved into men!! And through faith we believe that all this happened not by God, but by chance (by accidents of nature!). If you want to believe this you can! But the Creationist (the person who believes in Creation) is not ashamed to put his faith in the CREATOR! MY FAITH IS IN A CREATOR WHO IS: OMNIPRESENT--When the heavens and the earth were created, HE WAS THERE (Genesis 1:1). Job was not there (Job 38:4)! The evolutionist was not there! The Creationist was not there! But God was! He was personally PRESENT to WITNESS all that took place. The Creator has been around longer then I have! OMNISCIENT--God knows all! He has all the answers! When it comes to understanding creation, He is the EXPERT! The Creator knows more than I do! He is more intelligent than the most intelligent scientist the world has ever known! In fact, a wise scientist will realize that God knows more than he does! 26

27 OMNIPOTENT--The Creator is all-powerful! If your friend told you that he just jumped over a tall building, I am sure that you would not believe him! He does not have the power to do it! But if God tells you that all things were made by the word of the Lord (Psalm 33:6-9), then you can easily believe Him, because He has the power to do it! Consider the creation of man (Genesis 1:26-27): The evolutionist says that it took his god (the god of chance) 4,000,000,000 years (4 billion) to make man! Our God is an almighty God! It took Him one day! FAITHFUL--You can always count on the Creator! He never lies (Tit. 1:2). He is never wrong! Scientists are often wrong. Scientists once believed that the earth was flat! They once believed that the earth was the center of the solar system! Even today science books need to be constantly changed and updated. The Creator s Book never needs to be changed and it is always up-to-date! The Creator always speaks the truth! He never tries to fool us or deceive us! We can always trust His Word. Jesus Christ is not a deceiver! And Jesus Christ is not an evolutionist (Matthew 19:4). In fact, Jesus Christ is the CREATOR (Colossians 1:16)!! It is sad, but true, that most scientists are evolutionists (they believe in evolution). Only a comparatively few number of scientists are creationists (they believe in creation), but it is also true that: 1. Most scientists are unsaved (Matthew 7:13-14). 2. Most scientists are blinded by Satan who is a liar and who does not want men to know the truth about the Creator (2 Cor. 4:4). 3. Most scientists do not understand the Bible because they do not have the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14; Jude 18-19). 4. Most scientists place doubt on God s Word, even as Satan did in Genesis 3:1: "HATH GOD SAID?" The Creationist says, "THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HATH SPOKEN IT" (Isaiah 40:5). Question: WHO WILL YOU LISTEN TO? WILL YOU LISTEN TO THE CREATOR or WILL YOU LISTEN TO "MOST SCIENTISTS"? "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: H Y H " (Matthew 17:5) Please answer TRUE or FALSE: Review of Chapter I can witness a clock being made. I can witness a chicken being made. I can witness a chicken being born (hatched!). I can witness a person being created. I can witness a virgin birth (a baby being born without any human father). 27

28 I can witness a baby being born (or I can see the baby soon after birth). God continues to do the work of creation even today! Job watched God as He created the great whales. Everything was created in seven days. It is impossible to learn about creation. Charles Darwin was a creationist. Faith is listening to the Creator and believing what He says. The theory of evolution is based on facts and not faith. To believe in Creation is to take a leap into the dark (Blind Faith) The scientist knows more than the Creator. A wise scientist will realize how ignorant he really is. People once believed the world was flat. The Bible teaches that the world is flat. The Bible needs to be rewritten. The Bible needs to be translated so that people can read it in their own language. The sun is the center of the solar system. The Son of God should be the center of our lives (Col.1:18). Jesus Christ is a creationist. Most scientists believe the Bible. Most scientists listen to the Creator. I AM A CREATIONIST!!!!! "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Heb. 11:3). The key to understanding creation is to simply take God at His Word. "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). If we ignore or reject what the Creator has said about the origin of all things, then how can we expect to understand? If we reject the truth, we are left with nothing but error. 28

29 CHAPTER 4 The Six Days of Creation Were they days or ages??? 1. There are those who believe that the days in Genesis chapter 1 were normal 24 hour days (just as Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are normal 24 hour days). 2. There are others who believe that the days in Genesis chapter 1 were not 24 hour days, but that each day represented an age (a long period of time). They believe that each "dayage" lasted thousands or perhaps even millions of years. This is called the "day-age" theory. WHAT DOES GOD SAY? EXODUS 20:11 "For in the LORD heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." Why do some people say that these 6 days were really ages? Evolutionary scientists BELIEVE that life in its present form (including men, monkeys, giraffes, kangaroos, birds, fish, plants and all life as we know it today) is the product of an evolutionary process that has lasted about 4 BILLION YEARS (more or less, depending on the latest theories)! That is a very long time! For the evolutionists it would be appropriate like to RE-WRITE Exodus 20:11 as follows: "For in 4,000,000,000 years there evolved the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." How many DAYS is 4,000,000,000 years? How many days are there in one year? DAYS 4,000,000,000 YEARS (the time needed for evolution) X 365 DAYS (number of days in a year) 1,460,000,000,000 DAYS or 1 TRILLION, 460 BILLION DAYS!!! 29

30 God God says in Exodus 20:11 that it took DAYS to create the world and all of its life forms. EVOLUTIONISTS Evolutionists say in their science books that it took DAYS for life to evolve to its present form. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It is amazing and wonderful what our GREAT GOD can do in just six days! It is sad and pitiful that the god of the evolutionists (the god of chance) needs so much time to get his work done! But the evolutionists believe that if you have enough TIME, anything is possible! They believe in this simple formula: PLENTY OF TIME + PLENTY OF CHANCE (lots of luck!) = AMAZING RESULTS (plants, fish, birds, reptiles, mammals, people, etc.) Let s see if this is really true: 1. Suppose you had a monkey pounding away at a typewriter at a record speed of 12 keys each second. The monkey strikes the keys in a random fashion. How long would it take the monkey to type the entire book of Genesis (all 50 chapters)? Even if the monkey typed 24 hours each day without stopping and did this for hundreds of years, do you think the monkey would ever get "lucky" and actually type all those words? Could he do it if he had 50 million years of constant typing? 2. Suppose you were to line up a series of alphabetical blocks so that they spelled your name: R I C H A R D W I L L I A M S If you were to carefully drop the blocks out of an airplane, do you think they would fall on the ground in just the right way to spell your name? If you repeated this experiment 50 times each day, do you think the blocks would ever fall in the right way and in the right order? If we depend on luck and chance, do things normally fall into order or into disorder? 3. If you were to take apart a watch and put all of its parts into a box and then shake the box for 10 billion years, do you think the parts would ever "accidentally" shake back into their proper place so that the watch would work? Are animals and plants more complex and complicated than a watch? *************************************** The evolutionists admit that evolution seems impossible and that the chances against it ever happening are great, but they claim that if you have enough TIME, anything is possible: "The odds against the right molecules being in the right place at the right time (to form the first living cell) are staggering. Yet, as science measures it, so is the TIME SCALE on which nature works. Indeed, what seems an impossible occurrence at any one moment would, given untold eons (ages), become a certainty." (National Geographic Magazine, September 1976, page 390) 30

31 With time all things are possible! And the evolutionists believe that 4,000,000,00 years is enough time for all life on this planet to reach its present form, and all by chance! GOD SAYS: "It took six days!" EVOLUTIONISTS SAY: "It took 1,460,000,000,000 days!"? Whom will you believe?? 1. A few people listen to God and believe that creation took place in 6 literal 24 hour days. 2. Most people listen to the evolutionists and believe that 4 BILLION years were needed for all life to evolve into its present form. 3. Some people think that they can listen to God and also listen to the evolutionists. They believe both are true. They believe that the days of Genesis 1 were not really days but long ages ("day-ages"). They believe that God made all things in 6 ages (6 long periods of time). Let s think about this. If each of these "AGES" were of equal length, then how long would each "day-age" be? 4,000,000,000 years divided by 6 days = 666,666,666 years (in each "day-age") Each "DAY-AGE" would be more than 666 MILLION YEARS! That is a very long day! Were the days of creation really long periods of time? Were these days really AGES? Before we answer this, we must first realize that the word "DAY" is sometimes used to describe a long period of time. Here are some examples: 1. We are now living in the day of grace (the day of God s longsuffering; see 2 Peter 3:8-9). Certainly the day of God s grace and longsuffering lasts much more than 24 hours! 2. The "day of the LORD" refers to an extended time when God will directly intervene in the affairs of men (2 Peter 3:10). 3. The day of Jacob s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) is a period of time when the nation Israel will go through a time of severe difficulty and trouble. This same period of time is described in Revelation chapter 12. How many days will this "day" be (verse 6)? How many years (see verse 14)? (TIME = 1 YEAR) + (TIMES = 2 YEARS) + (½TIME = ½YEAR) which makes a total of years 31

32 4. We might use the word "day" in this way: "We are living in a day when men love themselves, love money and love pleasures, rather than loving God" (compare 2 Timothy 3:1-4). Has this kind of day lasted for more than 24 hours? 5. "George Washington lived in a day when there were no cars and no telephones and no airplanes!" Did Abraham and Moses and Paul also live in this same day? From these examples we see that it is possible to use the word "day" to describe a long period of time. The word "day" can also be used to describe a 12 hour period of time: "The sky was clear and the sun was shining all day!" Most of the time, however, we use the word "day" to describe a 24 hour period (scientifically defined as the time that the earth spins once on its axis). We might say, "There are seven days in every week." Here we are obviously referring to normal 24 hour days. The important question for us to ask is this: How is the word "day" used in Genesis Chapter 1? 10 Reasons Why the Six Days of Creation Were Literal 24 Hour Days 1. "EVENING AND MORNING" God has carefully defined the word "day" by the expression "evening and morning." "And the and the were the first " (Genesis 1:5 and see verses 8,13,19,23,31). There is something that every day contains: AN EVENING AND A MORNING!! How many days are represented below? E-M-E-M-E-M-E-M-E-M-E-M DAYS Daniel 8:14 (according to the Hebrew text) says "Unto 2,300 evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." How many days is this? DAYS. See also Daniel 8:26. Every 24 hour day has an evening and a morning. Does an AGE have an evening and a morning? (a long period of time would have many, many evenings and mornings!) An age may have a beginning and an ending, but it does not have just one evening and morning!! 2. Numerical Adjustive God also defines the word "day" by putting a NUMBER before it: "And the evening and the morning were the day" (Genesis 1:5). God tells us exactly what day it was. It was the FIRST DAY. See also Genesis 1:8,13,19,23,31 and Exodus 20:11 ("SIX days"). When a number comes before the word "day," it almost always refers to a literal 24 hour day. Compare Numbers 7:12,18,24,30,36,42,48, etc. Let us consider these examples: 1. a) We are living in the day of manned space flight. (Is this a 24 hour day?) b) Have you learned in history class about the first day of manned space flight in1961 when a Russian cosmonaut became the first man to leave our earth s atmosphere? (Was this a 24 hour day?) 32

33 2. a) "I can remember the day when I was in the first grade." (Was this a 24 hour day?) b) "I can still remember the third day of first grade when the teacher told me to stand in the corner of my classroom because I was not behaving." (Was this a 24 hour day?) 3. a) GENESIS 2:4 "in the day the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (How long was this "day"? See Exodus 20:11) b) GENESIS 1:31 "And the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (Was this a 24 hour day?) 3. Day and Night In Genesis 1:5 God has told us what happened on "the." What kind of a day was this first day? Was it an age? In verse 5 God has said that this first day was made up of a period of light called and a period of darkness called. So we know that this first day was a day-night period. DAY 1 of the CREATION WEEK was a period of 12 HOURS OF LIGHT and 12 HOURS OF DARKNESS. DAY (LIGHT) NIGHT (DARKNESS) 12 Hours 12 Hours 24 TOTAL HOURS = THE FIRST DAY! How many days are represented above? Every 24 hour day has a DAY (period of light) and a NIGHT (period of darkness). Does an AGE have a DAY and a NIGHT? (An age has many, many days and nights!) 4. The Fourth Day Genesis 1:15-19 describes the fourth day of creation. In these verses the word "day" or "days" is used 5 times. Please match the following: 1. Verse 14 "to divide the day from the night" 2. Verse 14 "for days, and years" 3. Verse 16 "to rule the day" 4. Verse 18 "rule over the day" 5. Verse 19 "the fourth day" A. A literal 12 hour day B. A literal 24 hour day C. An AGE (a long period of time) 33

34 5. The Seventh Day The seventh day was a 24 hour day also (Genesis 2:1-3). On what day were Adam and Eve created (Genesis 1:26-31)? Did God curse the earth on the seventh day, the day which He blessed (see Genesis 3:17-19 and Genesis 2:3)? Did Adam and Eve live beyond the seventh day? How old was Adam when he died (Genesis 5:4-5)? The seventh day was not a long age lasting thousands or millions of years. It was a 24 hour day just like the first six days. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS 6. The Fourth Commandment The fourth commandment is found in Exodus 20:8-11 and in these verses the word "day" or "days" is used 6 times. To see how the word "day(s)" is used in these verses, please do the matching problem. EXODUS Verse 8 "sabbath day" 2. Verse 9 "six days" 3. Verse 10 "seventh day" 4. Verse 11 "six days" 5. Verse 11 "seventh day" 6. Verse 11 "sabbath day" A. Literal 12 hour day(s) B. Literal 24 hour day(s) C. An age (a long period of time) Notice in Exodus 20:11 that the number is placed before the word "days" (see pages 32-33). Your friend might say to you, "I worked on a paper for school and it took me six days to finish!" Do you think your friend meant days or ages? (When you are doing schoolwork, it may seem like ages but it is really only days!) How long did it take God to finish His work of creation (Exodus 20:11)? Do you think these were 24 hour days? In these verses we learn that God s WORKING AND RESTING was to serve as a pattern for Israel s WORKING AND RESTING. God told the children of Israel that He wanted them to work six days (Sunday through Friday) and rest on the seventh day (Saturday) because this was exactly what God did when He created the heavens and earth (Exodus 20:11). 34

35 If the days of creation were ages, then the WORK DAYS for the children of Israel must also be ages (if we are to be consistent). Can you imagine a hard working Israeli man coming home after a day s work and collapsing in his wife s arms, saying, "My dear wife, what a long and hard day of work I had! Today I worked 500 million years and I am really tired!! I can t wait for the Sabbath to come so that I can rest!" Of course, this would be ridiculous! This is what happens when a person tries to make DAYS mean AGES. It becomes silly. On the following page we will learn that DAYS (PLURAL) can never be ages. 7. Days (plural) In Exodus 20:11 we are told that the LORD made everything in six days. The word "DAYS" is plural. When the word "day" is used in the plural (DAYS), it almost always refers to literal 24 hour days. The word "day" (singular) can be used of a period of time that is longer than 24 hours: "the day of the LORD" "The day of grace" "the day of trouble" "the day of modern science" etc. (see pages 31-32), but the moment a person speaks about DAYS (plural), he is talking about 24 hour days. Consider these examples: 1. How many days are there until your birthday? 2. It took the children of Israel 7 days to capture the city of Jericho (read Joshua chapter 6). 3. Mark 14:1 "two days." 4. Revelation 12:6 (the last half or the final 3½ years of the tribulation period). 5. Exodus 20:11 SIX DAYS. 8. The Basic Meaning of the Word "DAY" We have already seen that the word "day" can be used to describe a 12 hour period of light (Genesis 1:5,14,16,18). The word "day" can also be used of a longer period of time (2 Peter 3:8-10; Jeremiah 30:7). But most of the time when we use the word "day" we are speaking of a 24 hour day. This is the normal and basic meaning of the word "day." When we study the Bible we always should understand a word in its literal, normal, natural and basic meaning unless this meaning does not make sense. Here is our rule If the basic sense makes good sense, then seek no other sense, lest it result in nonsense. Here are some examples: 1. The basic meaning of "LAMB" a four footed animal, a young sheep. a. Does Isaiah 11:6 use the word according to its basic meaning? b. Does John 1:29 use the word according to its basic meaning? 35

36 2. The basic meaning of "DOG" a four-legged animal often used as a pet. a. Does Luke 16:21 use the word according to its basic meaning? b. In Philippians 3:2 and Revelation 22:15 is this word used according to its basic meaning? 3. The basic meaning of "BLOOD" the red liquid in the veins and the arteries. a. Does John 19:34 use the word according to its basic meaning? b. Does Matthew 26:28 use the word according to its basic meaning? Note: Roman Catholics have misunderstood this verse because they wrongly understand "blood" according to its basic meaning, and thus when they take the MASS they believe that the juice of the grape becomes the actual blood of Christ. Compare John 6:54 with John 6:40 where we see that eating His flesh and drinking His blood is equivalent to believing on Him. Should we understand the days of creation to be literal 24 hour days (this is the basic meaning of the word)? Does this make good sense or does this make nonsense? Consider these questions: 1. Can an Almighty God complete His work of creation in 6 literal days? Is anything too hard for the Lord (Genesis 18:14)? 2. Could God have done this in one literal day? In one second? 3. Why did God do it in 6 days (Exodus 20:11)? 4. Did God need millions of years to make our world the way it is? 5. Does it make good sense to say that the days of creation were ages? The only reason some people think they need to make the six days of creation long periods of time (ages) is because they feel they need to give the "god" of the evolutionists enough time to do his work. The god of chance needs plenty of time (see page 30)! He could never have done it in six days! In fact it is doubtful that he could have done it even if he had 6 quadrillion days (6,000,000,000,000,000)! 9. What did Moses Think? Moses was the man God used to write the book of Genesis (Luke 24:27,44). Whenever you study the Bible you must ask yourself this important question: How did the original writer (in this case Moses) and the original listeners (the children of Israel) understand what was written? Do you think Moses understood the days of creation to be long ages of time? Would the people who lived in the time of Moses have thought of these days as normal 24 hour days? Did they have any reason to think of these days as ages? Moses and the people of his day believed that God began His work of creation on Sunday, created man on Friday and rested on Saturday. Do you believe what Moses believed? 10. Make Your Choice: Genesis or Evolution? Some people believe that if you make the days of creation ages (long periods of time), then Genesis chapter 1 teaches the same as evolution. They believe that the order of events in Genesis 1 is the same order of events as given by the evolutionists. Let us see if this is really true: 36

37 1. Evolutionists say that the SUN came before the EARTH. But God says the sun was made on DAY and the earth was made on DAY. Therefore the earth is days older than the sun! Was there LIGHT even before the sun was made? On what day was this LIGHT created? DAY 2. Evolutionists say that life must first begin in the sea (in the ocean). They teach that after millions of years some life forms eventually moved onto the land. But God says life in the ocean appeared on DAY and life on land first appeared on DAY (plant life). Thus, life on land appeared DAYS before life appeared in the oceans (marine life). 3. Evolutionists say that reptiles came before birds (because they believe that birds evolved from reptiles). But God says that birds were made on DAY and land animals (which would included land reptiles) were not made until DAY. Birds are DAY older than reptiles! Could birds have evolved from reptiles? Certainly reptiles did not evolve from birds! (Not even the evolutionists would say this!). The Bible says God made the birds and God made the reptiles. Reptiles did not precede birds by hundreds of thousands of years. "Every thinking person knows that birds were created before reptiles, because that is what God has told us in His Word." 4. Evolutionists say that land mammals came before whales (because they believe that whales evolved from land mammals). But God says that whales and other great monsters of the sea were created on DAY and land mammals were not made until DAY. Which came first, the whale or the pig? Do you think the whale has evolved from pig-like animals? Therefore whales are DAY older than land mammals! For a land mammal to become a whale he would need to return to the water, lose his hair and grow about 50 times as big! Do you think this really happened? A large elephant (the largest land mammal) weighs about 7 tons! A blue whale (the largest kind of whale) weighs about 150 tons! The whale did not evolve by chance; it was created by God! 5. Evolutionists say that plant life is impossible without insects because the pollination process (the way plants reproduce) requires insects such as bees. But God says that insects (creeping things) were not created until DAY and plant life appeared on DAY. This means that plant life appeared DAYS before insects. Do you think plants and flowers could survive for 3 ages without insects? Do you think plants and flowers could survive for 3 days without insects? "I was on time! The all-wise Creator created me at just the right time on the sixth day of the creation week! That s when I started making honey!!" 37

38 6. Evolutionists say that ape-like creatures came along thousands of years before man (because they believe that man evolved from ape-like creatures). But God says that men and apes were both created on DAY. 7. Evolutionists say that the sun must have been here before life could begin (because they believe life began as the sun s rays beat down upon the primitive oceans). But God says that life (vegetation) appeared on DAY and the sun was not made until DAY. It is possible for life to begin without the sun but can life begin without the CREATOR? Who is the source of life, the sun or the CREATOR (see Acts 17:28)? Life owes its existence not to the SUN but to the SON OF GOD (see John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16). Please indicate on which DAY of creation the following were made: 1. Whales 2. God rested on this day 3. Fish 4. The earth 5. The stars 6. Insects (bees) 7. Land Reptiles 8. Trees 9. Flowers 10. Monkeys 11. The Sun 12. Birds 13. Elephants 14. Man 15. Sharks 16. Light 17. Dry Land 18. Turtles 19. Firmament (an expanse of space) 20. Eagles You cannot listen to both God and the evolutionists! They do not teach the same thing! If Genesis chapter 1 is true (and it is!), then evolution is false. If evolution is true, then Genesis chapter 1 is false, and the Bible is filled with errors. But the Lord Jesus said that the Word of God is (John 17:17) and we know that God s Word is from the (Psalm 119:160). Who should you believe the CREATOR or the evolutionists? Will you put your faith in the false god of the evolutionists who needs billions of years to do his work, or will you put your faith in an Almighty Creator who can create all things in 6 DAYS? As you observe and study the world around you, you will discover that all the true facts of science and all the true laws of science agree perfectly with the Bible and with the book of 38

39 Genesis! Do you think it is possible for BOOK 1 (God s revelation in nature) to contradict BOOK 2 (God s revelation in His Word)? (see pages 14-21). Who wrote Book 1? Who wrote Book 2? God is the Author of both! This is why both books say the same thing. And both books point to the greatness of the C, who is blessed forever, Amen (see Romans 1:25). Sad to say, the books that the evolutionists write often do not agree with the true facts of science and they certainly do not agree with God s Word the Bible! CHOOSE you this day! (See Joshua 24:15.) Choose the true God of creation or the false God of the evolutionists (the God of chance)! 39

40 CHAPTER 5 The Gap Theory The KEY question: Is there a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? The KEY phrase: "without form and void" (Gen. 1:2) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the. And the was and " (Genesis 1:1-2). 1. Many people believe that there should be a GAP between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 as illustrated below: They believe that the GAP involved a very long period of time many millions or perhaps even billions of years. During this period of time they believe that some very important events took place (as we shall soon see). 2. Some of the people who believe in this GAP say that there was once a race of men living on earth during this GAP period (some kind of "prehistoric men"). We know that ADAM was not created until which day of the creation week (Gen. 1:26-31)? This means that if there were men that lived on earth during this GAP, then they must have lived BEFORE Adam! PRE-ADAMIC MEN (Men Living On Earth Before Adam) ADAM + EVE (Created on Day 6 of Creation Week) 40

41 What happened to these "pre-adamic" men? We are told that they were destroyed by God in a world-wide judgment. Some even say that though their bodies were destroyed, the spirits of these evil men continued to live on, and these evil spirits are in the world today! We now call them DEMONS! Is this really the best explanation for the origin (beginning) of demons? Are demons really the disembodied spirits of a race of evil men who lived before Adam? Actually demons are angels who sinned and followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God see our notes on ANGELS. 3. Why was there such a terrible judgment upon the earth during this GAP? Those who believe in the GAP say that it was during this time that Lucifer (Satan Isaiah 14:12) fell into sin and was then judged by God. Because of the fall of Satan, the earth experienced a terrible worldwide judgment, and as a result the earth became without form and void. When was Lucifer created? When did Lucifer fall into sin? When did God judge Satan? 4. Because of Lucifer s fall into sin, we are told that God judged the entire earth. What kind of a judgment was this? Some who believe in the GAP think that God judged the earth with a terrible worldwide flood. This was not Noah s flood because that did not happen until Genesis chapters 6-8. This was supposedly an earlier flood which some have called "Lucifer s Flood." Was there really such a flood? Does the Bible say anything about such a flood? Does the Bible teach that there have been two worldwide floods? 5. As a result of "Lucifer's Flood," all the plants and animals and living organisms that were supposedly living on earth at this time suddenly died in this judgment. They were buried in mud and many FOSSILS were formed. Were there really plants and animals living on earth during the GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? Is this really the way fossils were formed? When did DEATH first enter the world? 41

42 [Remember, plants were not created until Day 3 and animals not until Days 5 and 6, according to Genesis chapter 1]. 6. Those people who believe in the GAP say that the earth BECAME "without form and void" (Gen. 1:2) as a result of God s judgment on the earth following Lucifer s sin. FIRST, they believe that God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). This was a perfect creation. SIN had not yet entered the universe! SECOND, they believe Lucifer fell into sin (Isa. 14:12-14) and for the first time sin entered the universe. This event supposedly took place during the GAP (between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2). THIRD, they believe God judged Satan and as a result of this terrible judgment, the earth BECAME without form and void (ruined and desolate)--see Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23 where these two words ("without form and void") are used to describe the destruction and desolation which followed God s judgment. Thus, these people believe that the earth BECAME ruined and destroyed (without form and void) because of God s judgment. They believe that Genesis 1:2 describes a ruined earth that is no longer perfect an earth that has been MARRED and SPOILED by sin and judgment. If you had a delicious ripe apple (without blemish and without spot!) and then several months later you returned and found the apple in a rotten, spoiled, worm-filled condition, you would logically conclude that though the apple was once "perfect," something happened in the GAP of several months, and the apple BECAME ruined and spoiled! Those who believe in the GAP believe that Genesis 1:1 describes the PERFECT EARTH. Then something happened in the GAP (Lucifer s fall and God s judgment) and the earth BECAME spoiled and ruined (Genesis 1:2). But, does Genesis 1:2 really describe a ruined earth? Did the earth really become spoiled at this time? Is there really such a GAP? We all know that the world became ruined and spoiled as the result of man s sin (see Genesis 3), but did the world also get spoiled in the GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? 7. Genesis 1:2 says "and was upon the face of the deep." Those who believe in the GAP tell us that the word "darkness" in Genesis 1:2 describes SIN and JUDGMENT. Sometimes the Bible does use the word "darkness" to describe a sinful condition. For example, John 3:19-20 says that men loved the darkness of sin rather than light (see also John 1:5; 8:12; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 1:5-7; 2:9-11). What happened when Christ was judged for our sins (Matthew 27:45)? Does God sometimes judge the earth by sending darkness (see Exodus 10:21-23; Revelation 8:12; 16:10)? Thus we are told that the DARKNESS in Genesis 1:2 proves that God judged the earth sometime during the GAP. But is this really true? Is "darkness" always used to describe something evil? Can darkness be found on a perfect earth? Did God create the darkness? 8. The earth was originally created perfect (Genesis 1:1). If the earth was later judged and ruined and spoiled during the GAP, then God must do His work of creation all over again! He must create the heavens and the earth a second time! Thus the 6 days of creation that we read about in 42

43 Genesis 1 are not really days of creation, but they are days of "RE-CREATION" (creating again). During these 6 days God re-created (re-made) the heavens and the earth. Before the GAPjudgment, there were plants and animals and even men living on the earth. But they were all destroyed in the judgment of Lucifer, and God must create life once again. So these people believe that Genesis chapter 1 does not describe God s original CREATION but it describes God s RE-CREATION of the heavens and the earth. Is this the way it really happened? Does Genesis chapter 1 describe a CREATION or a RE- CREATION? 9. Those who believe in the Gap Theory tell us that the earth was once filled with animals (including dinosaurs), plants and even a pre-adamic race of men! But we are told that these were all destroyed Lucifer s judgment and the earth then became void or empty (Genesis 1:2). So it was necessary for God to refill the earth. It was once filled (with plants and animals and men), but now it must be filled again! This is why God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful, and multiply and the earth" (GENESIS 1:28). But does the word "replenish" really mean "to fill again" (or does it simply mean "fill")? Is Genesis 1:3-31 really a description of God filling the earth for the second time? 10. Is there really a GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? Does God want us to read between the lines or between the verses? If there was really a GAP, why are there not any verses which tell us about this GAP and which describe what really happened? 10 GREAT PROBLEMS OF THE GAP THEORY 1) The Problem of the Gap Is there really a GAP of millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? Read Exodus 20:11. How long did it take God to make the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything that is in the heavens, the earth and the sea? Was the creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) included in this six day period? If all of God s creation from Genesis 1:1-1:31 took only 6 days, then how can there be a GAP of millions of years between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2? 43

44 "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Exodus 20:11). There is no room for a GAP! The creation of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1) took place on DAY (see Genesis 1:5). One week later everything was (Genesis 2:1). 2) The Problem of Pre-Adamic Men Were there really men living before the time of Adam? In 1 Corinthians 15:45 Adam is called "." If Adam is the FIRST MAN, then there can be no other men before him! The first place in the Bible that mentions the word "man" is in Genesis 1: Do these verses describe the creation of men who lived on the earth before Adam, or do they describe the creation of Adam and Eve? The Bible says nothing about "pre-adamic" men! If a scientist were to discover the bones of a "pre-historic man," we would know that this man was a descendant of ADAM! (Unless they were the bones of some ape or monkey mistakenly thought to be human). All men have come from Adam. Is Adam your ancient ancestor? See Luke 3: What about DEMONS? Where did they come from? Are demons the spirits of wicked men who once lived on earth before Adam was created? No, the BIBLE teaches that demons are ANGELS who joined in Satan s rebellion and who sinned against God Almighty. Please do the following MATCHING problem: 1. The holy angels. 2. The devil s angels. 3. One third of the angels follow Satan. 4. Satan is the prince of the demons. 5. The angels who sinned. A. Matthew 9:34Matthew 12:24 B. 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 C. Matthew 25:31 D. Revelation 12:4 E. Matthew 25:41Revelation 12:7 3) The Problem of Lucifer's Fall When did Lucifer fall? When did Lucifer become the devil (God s accuser) and Satan (God s enemy)? Those who believe in the GAP say that Lucifer fell sometime during the GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. But the Bible indicates that Lucifer was created and fell into sin even before Genesis 1:1. 44

45 Genesis 1:1 describes the creation of the heavens and the earth (this Hebrew word "heavens" has the plural ending -IM and it can be translated "heavens"-see page 5 in these notes where the Hebrew plural is discussed). The 3 Heavens The Bible indicates that there are 3 heavens (see 2 Cor. 12:2 "caught up to the heaven"): 1) THE FIRST HEAVEN is that which can be seen in the daytime, where "the birds fly and the clouds go by." This is the atmospheric heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, "Behold the (birds) of the (heaven)." See also Psalm 8:8 ("the fowl of the air [heaven]"). 2) THE SECOND HEAVEN is that which can be seen at night the stars, the moon and the planets. This is the stellar universe with all of its billions of suns and galaxies! David referred to the second heaven in Psalm 8:3,"When I consider thy, the work of thy fingers, the and the which thou hast ordained." 3) THE THIRD HEAVEN is that which cannot be seen except through the eyes of faith. It is sometimes called "the heaven of " (Nehemiah 9:6). It is the "H " of all the heavens (Luke 2:14). Today the third heaven is also called "P " (2 Corinthians 12:4). Paul was once taken there (2 Cor. 12:2). The Lord Jesus is there today (Hebrews 8:1; 9:24). This is where God the Father manifests His presence (Matthew 6:9) and we know Him as our Father" (Matthew 6:26). This is where the believer goes when he dies (Phil. 1:23). This is also the abode or home of the angels (see Rev. 5:11; Mark 12:25, 13:32; Luke 2:13; Matthew 28:2). When God says that He created the heavens (Gen. 1:1; Exodus 20:11), which of the heavens does He mean? To answer this question, please do the following MATCHING problem: 1. Where in Genesis 1 does it mention the FIRST HEAVEN? (Hint: the creation of A. GENESIS 1:

46 the birds!) 2. Where in Genesis 1 does it mention the SECOND HEAVEN (moon, stars, galaxies, etc.)? 3. Where in Genesis 1 does it mention the THIRD HEAVEN God s throne, the angels, the cherubim, the heavenly paradise? B. GENESIS 1:20,26 C. NOT MENTIONED IN GENESIS CHAPTER 1 Therefore, "the heavens" in Genesis 1:1 (and in Exodus 20:11) must refer to the HEAVEN (atmospheric heaven) and the HEAVEN (the stellar universe). The creation of the THIRD HEAVEN is not mentioned in Genesis chapter 1. How long did it take the Creator to create the FIRST and SECOND HEAVENS and all that is in them (Exodus 20:11)? Does this mean that God did not create the angels? NO, the Bible says that "by Him (Christ the Creator) were created" (Col. 1:16; see page 2). Also in Nehemiah 9:6 the people praised God because He created ALL THINGS: "Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven,, with all their (angels), the earth, and all things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in them, and Thou preservest them all; and the (angels) worshippeth Thee." Notice that Nehemiah 9:6 mentions the THIRD HEAVEN ("heaven of heavens") and it mentions ANGELS ("host of heaven"). The following is a comparison between Nehemiah 9:6 and Exodus 20:11. Exodus 20:11 Nehemiah 9:6 GOD MADE: HEAVEN (including all that is in the first and second heavens) [No mention of "the heaven of heavens" or of angels] EARTH (including all that is in or on the earth) SEA (including all that is in the sea) The purpose of the verse: To set forth God s creation week as a pattern for the children of Israel (as God worked and rested, so they were to do the same). THE LORD MADE: HEAVEN (including all that is in the first and second heavens) HEAVEN OF HEAVENS (including angels) EARTH (including all that is in or on the earth) SEA (including all that is in the sea) [No mention of the length of creation or of how many days it took] Purpose of the verse: To praise the LORD as the Creator of ALL THINGS. 46

47 Some Observations: 1) When God mentions the creation of the UNIVERSE (first and second heavens), He gives the length of creation as 6 days (Exodus 20:11; Genesis 1). 2) When God mentions the creation of ALL THINGS (the UNIVERSE and the THIRD HEAVEN including angels), He does not give the length of creation (Nehemiah 9:6 and Colossians 1:16). 3) Angels must have been created prior to Genesis 1:1 because when the earth was being created they were there to praise God and to witness the creation of the UNIVERSE (see Job 38:4,7 on the next page). JOB 38:4,7 "Where were you when I laid THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH?... When the morning stars (leading angels) sang together, and all the sons of God (angels, see Job 1:6; 2:1) shouted for joy." Job was not there when God laid the foundation of the earth, but the angels were! When God created the earth in Genesis 1:1, the angels were already there witnessing the event. At the very beginning of DAY 1, the angels were already there watching what the Creator was doing. This is why Genesis 1 does not mention the creation of angels. They had already been created! 4) It was not Satan s sin that spoiled and ruined the earth, but it was man s sin that did this. The earth was cursed, not because of Lucifer s fall, but because of Adam s fall (see Genesis 3:15-19). Consider the following TIME LINE: To help you better understand SIN, SATAN, SALVATION and THE SAVIOUR we are going to tell you a true story. It is the greatest story ever told! The living GOD wants men and angels to understand WHO HE IS and WHAT HE IS LIKE. On the next page we will consider GOD S GREAT DRAMA OF REDEMPTION. 47

48 THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION The main characters in this drama are: 1. The living God, the CREATOR of ALL THINGS. 2. Lucifer (Satan). 3. The angels. 4. Sinful men like you and me. SCENE 1--IN HEAVEN In the very beginning, even before the beginning of the universe in Genesis 1:1, God created the third heaven ("the heaven of heavens"--nehemiah 9:6) with all of its host of angelic creatures, more than any person could count (Rev. 5:11). One of these created angels was Lucifer, the cherub who covered and protected the very throne of God (Ezekiel 28:12-16). One day this angel s heart was lifted up in pride because of his beauty (Ezekiel 28:17) and he thought too much of himself, a mere creature, and he began to think wrongly about God, the unique Creator. He tried to claim for himself what only belonged to God. Being lifted up in pride (1 Tim. 3:6), he sinned by putting himself in the place of God (notice the five "I WILL s" of Isaiah 14:13-14). For the first time, a creature had sinned against the Creator! This was not an outward sin, it took place inwardly ("For thou hast said in thine heart"-isa. 14:13), but God who sees into the heart of His creatures must judge sin immediately. God the Righteous One exercised perfect justice and sentenced him to the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). The other angels were amazed. This was something they had never witnessed before. Never before had God judged anyone. There had never been an occasion for Him to do so. God s perfect justice was seen for the very first time. FACE="Verdana" SIZE="3"> We are told in the Bible that following his fall into sin, Lucifer became the DEVIL. The word "devil" means "THE ACCUSER." It is not unreasonable to say that the devil accused God of being unfair and unjust before the other angels. You can just imagine the accusation that Satan hurled at the Creator: "HOW CAN A LOVING GOD SEND ONE OF HIS CREATURES TO HELL? THAT S NOT FAIR!!" (Unsaved men, who are children of the devil John 8:44, often hurl similar accusations today). Apparently Satan managed to convince one third of the angels that God was unloving and unfair (Revelation 12:4) and by doubting the character of God, they too fell into this terrible sin. These fallen angels are also called demons or unclean spirits or Satan s angels. Even though God had prepared the lake of fire for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41), we are amazed to learn that He did not send them there immediately. God wanted to first teach all the angels something. God wanted to vindicate His character and prove once and for all that He was a Just God and also a loving God. It was as if God were saying to all the heavenly host, "I will show you how holy and just I am (how much I hate sin and how I must judge sin) and yet I will also show you how loving and gracious I am. Just watch what I am about to do." The angels are very curious as to what God is about to do! 48

49 SCENE 2--IN HEAVEN As all the angels watch with interest, God begins His great work of creation. By the word of His mouth (Ps. 33:6-9) the heavens and the earth are created (Gen. 1:1). The holy angels rejoice as God lays the foundation of the earth (Job 38:4,7). The earth (which was created even before the sun, moon and stars) becomes the stage of this great drama. The earth becomes the focus in Genesis chapter 1 (See Gen. 1:2-"AND THE EARTH..."). The trillions of stars are mentioned almost as an afterthought (Gen. 1:16). Planet earth becomes the focal point for all that God is going to do, as He begins to demonstrate and exhibit His perfect character. Finally the climax comes as the Saviour steps out of heaven s glory and humbles Himself by becoming a Man (Phil. 2:6-8). Later He humbles Himself further by going to the cross of Calvary. It was here that God showed how much He hates sin. It was here that God showed how He must judge sin. And yet it was here that God showed how loving and gracious He is towards His creatures, even towards man. Thus it was at the cross that Satan was defeated and God s character was vindicated. Satan s charges were once and for all proven to be false! Today the angels are intently observing the church and learning of God s manifold wisdom (Eph. 3:10) and His bountiful grace (Eph. 2:7). Finally the drama of redemption will be complete at the close of the millennial kingdom and Satan and his angels will finally face their doom in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10), realizing fully that God is absolutely right and fair in all that He does. TO GOD BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER!!! [Note: For a much more complete study of these things, see Pastor Parson s study on ANGELS] 4) The Problem of the Worldwide Judgment ("Lucifer s Flood") The Bible only speaks of one worldwide, universal judgment which has fallen upon wicked men. What kind of judgment was this and when did it occur (see Luke 17:26-27; Matt. 24:37-39; Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5; 3:5-6)?. God has told us much about Noah s flood. He has given us 3 chapters in the Bible that describe this worldwide judgment Genesis chapters 6-8. It is also mentioned elsewhere in the Bible as seen from the verses given above. But God tells us nothing about Lucifer s flood! This is because THERE NEVER WAS SUCH A FLOOD! God has not bothered to tell us about something that never happened! 5) The Problem of Fossils Were fossils really formed during the gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? What is a fossil? A fossil is the remains of an animal or plant which has been preserved in hardened mud or coal, etc. Genesis 1 teaches us that plant life was not created until DAY. Also we know that the first animal life did not come into existence until DAY. But those who believe in a GAP say that there was animal and plant life on Planet Earth even before Genesis 1:2. They say that by the time Adam was created on DAY there were thousands of fossils under the ground, including the bones of dinosaurs and even pre-adamic men! They believe that all these 49

50 animals must have died in the judgment that fell upon the earth as a result of Lucifer s sin, and thus long before Adam was created millions of animals and plants had already died! It was as if Adam was walking on a graveyard, with numerous animals buried under his feet! Is this really true? When did death first enter the world? "Wherefore, as by (ADAM) sin entered into the world, and by sin, and so passed upon all men" (ROMANS 5:12). Death entered the world as the result of Adam s sin! Read Romans 8: The entire creation is under the terrible corruption (disease, decay and death) and curse that resulted from man s fall into sin. But before Adam s fall into sin and the curse that resulted, there could be no death. What chapter in the Bible describes the sin of Adam and the curse that resulted? Could death enter the world before this time? 6) The Problem of the Word "BECAME" Those who believe in the GAP want to re-translate Genesis 1:2 so that it will read this way: "And the earth BECAME without form and void." But the Bible says, "And the earth without form and void." (Note: Most translations of Genesis 1:2 have "was" and not "became." Also the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint has the verb "was" and not "became.") Genesis 1:2 says that the earth WAS this way, it did not become this way. What was the earth like when God first created it? It was without form and void! Why was it without form and void? Because that is how God made it! But God was not finished with the earth yet! It was only DAY of creation! Genesis 1:2 describes an earth at the early stages of creation, but it was an earth that had never been cursed. It was UN- CURSED, but it was also UNFINISHED. Before this chapter ends we will study the meaning of the phrase "without form and void." 7) The Problem of Darkness God says that "the earth was without form and void and was upon the face of the deep" (Gen. 1:2). What is darkness? Is it something evil? Is it something wicked? When you put a young child to bed certainly you do not tell him that an evil darkness will come when the lights go out! Darkness is not morally evil. Darkness is simply THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT! If you do not have any light, then you will have darkness! When the light of the sun is shielded by the moon in a solar eclipse, it becomes dark! If you turn the lights out, it becomes dark! When did God first create light? Genesis chapter 1 verse. Does this explain why there was darkness in verse 2? In Isaiah 45:7 God the Creator says, "I form the and I create." Also in Psalm 104:20: "Thou makest and it is," and we learn in verse 24 that it is in God s W that all of this is done! In Genesis 1:2 "darkness" does not mean judgment! It means just what it says "darkness" See also Psalm 139: ) The Problem of a Re-Creation As you read through Genesis chapter one, does this seem to be describing a creation or a recreation? Is God creating everything all over again, or is God creating everything for the first time? Genesis 2:3 says that "He (God) had rested from all His work which God 50

51 and. It does not say that "He rested from all His work which God RE-CREATED and RE-MADE." Also, Exodus 20:11 does not say "For in six days the LORD RE-MADE the heavens and earth!" Sometimes we make mistakes and need to do something all over again! But God s work of creation was a perfect work and it only needed to be done once! See Psalm 18:30! God makes no mistakes. 9) The Problem of the word "replenish" Genesis 1:28 says, "Be fruitful, and multiply and the earth." The word "replenish" does not mean "to fill again" or "to refill," but it simply means "to fill." In 1611 when the King James Bible was published, the word "replenish" meant "to fill." So God was telling Adam and Eve to fill the earth! It had never before been filled with people, and it was God s will that the earth should be filled up with people. God wanted the earth to be FILLED with life, and this would include plants, animals and people! 10) The Problem of Reading Between Verses Please do not look for a GAP or for anything else between two verses. In reading the Bible, God wants us to read the verses, not between the verses. We need to read the lines, not between the lines! Your heart will never be blessed by reading the gap between Hebrews 13:5 and Hebrews 13:6. But if you read Hebrews 13:5 and then read Hebrews 13:6 and then if you believe those verses (wonderful promises!), your heart will be greatly encouraged! We must read Genesis 1:1 and then read Genesis 1:2. Do not read between these verses, because there is nothing there! The person who reads between the verses can make the Bible say anything he wants. The person who reads only the verses is better able to see what God has said. Read God s Word, not the GAPS! Do not look for secret messages that are not even there! WHAT DOES GENESIS 1:2 REALLY MEAN? "without form and void" Genesis 1:2 is closely related to Genesis 1:1. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Verse 2 then gives us a break in the action [Note for teacher: Verse 2 is called a disjunctive clause]. In Genesis chapter one there is a great deal of creative action taking place, and throughout the chapter God is describing His work of creation. He created the heavens and the earth (v.1), then He created the light (v.3), then He made the firmament (v.7), then He gathered the waters unto one place (v.9), then He made vegetation (vs.11-12), then He made the sun, moon and stars (vs.14-16), and so forth to the end of the chapter. But when you come to verse 2, instead of continuing the action and telling us the next thing that He did, God stops for a moment and there is a break in the action. It is as if God were saying, "Let s stop for a moment, and before I tell you about the rest of My work of creation on DAY 1, let Me describe what the earth was like when it was first created. When I first made the earth, it was without form and void." So Genesis 1:2 describes the earth and tells us what it was like when God first created it! God could have omitted verse 2 and gone from verse 1 immediately to verse 3, and there would have been no break in the action: 51

52 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and God said, Let there be light" (Compare Genesis 1:1 and 1:3) But God wanted to stop and explain to us what the early earth was like. Genesis 1:2 describes the newly created earth of verse 1 and tells us what it was like it was "without form and void." Another example of this is found in Genesis 2: In these verses the names of four rivers are given: "The name of the first...the name of the second...the name of the third... etc." In verse 11 we are given the name of the first river ("Pishon") and also we are told of the land of Havilah where there is gold. Then in verse 12 there is a break in the action. Instead of giving the name of the second river (that is not given until verse 13), God stops to describe what that gold was like ("And the gold of that land is "). Another example is found in Jonah 3:3. We are told that Jonah went to Nineveh. The next thing to happen is that Jonah entered the city (verse 4). But in verse 3 there is a break in the action as the city of Nineveh is described: "Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city." Before continuing the action God wanted to stop and tell us what kind of a city Nineveh really was. [Please note: it would be silly to translate the verse this way: "Now Nineveh became a great city." It was already a great city, even before Jonah arrived there!] Other examples are found in Zechariah 3:1-3 and 1 Samuel 4: Let us now compare all these examples: 1) Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was without form and void. 2) Genesis 2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. Genesis 2:12 Now the gold of that land is good. 3) Jonah 3:3 Jonah went to Nineveh. Jonah 3:3 Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city. 4) Zechariah 3:1 And he showed me Joshua... Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel. 5) 1 Samuel 4:14 And the man came in hastily and told Eli. 1 Samuel 4:15 Now Eli was ninety eight years old, and his eyes were dim. Genesis 1:2 is God s perfect description of the early earth on the first day of creation! What was the earth like at that time? It was without form and void! If the earth was originally WITHOUT FORM and VOID, then what does this mean? Why would God create the earth this way? What do these words mean? "Without form" simply means UNFORMED! The earth was UNFORMED. It needed to be formed and shaped and prepared for man! It was also "void" which means devoid of life, empty or UNFILLED. The earth at this point was very empty (no plants, no animals, no people, etc.). The original earth was not ruined and spoiled but it was UNFORMED and UNFILLED!! In other words, it was UNFINISHED! 52

53 There were two things that God needed to do to finish his work of creation--he needed to FORM the earth and FILL the earth! The expression "unformed and unfilled" does not mean that the earth was imperfect. Even in Genesis 1:2 the earth was PERFECT in the sense that it was everything that God intended it to be at that point in time! God does everything perfectly! He makes no mistakes! The earth was perfectly created, but it was not yet finished. It was not yet complete. Was Adam created perfectly in Genesis 2:7? But before God created Eve, was the creation of man complete (see Genesis 2:18)? Even though Adam was created perfect, he was not really complete until God brought him a woman! And when God saw Adam alone (in his pre-eve condition) He said, "NOT GOOD!" (Gen. 2:18). Likewise, when God saw the unfinished and incomplete earth in Genesis 1:2, He could have said, "NOT GOOD!" It would have been terrible if God had stopped all His work of creation after DAY 1! But when you come to the end of the creation week, God looks at the earth which He had formed and filled and completed and He says "V G " (GENESIS 1:31). Unformed Isaiah 45:18 tells us that God "formed the earth." Genesis 2:7 tells us that God "formed man of the dust of the ground." Think of a master potter. He starts with an unformed and unfinished lump of clay! It doesn t look very good! But there is nothing evil about an unfinished lump of clay! Just give the potter time to do his work! He will begin to form it and shape it and prepare it in just the right way! God is the Master Artist! He formed the earth and perfectly prepared it for life. He has given our earth the touch of the Master s Hand! If you ever doubt this, just take a look outside at the world He has made! God s artistry and wisdom and masterful design are seen everywhere. Unfilled Was the earth really unfilled in Genesis 1:2? Was it filled with plant life yet? Was it filled with rays of light at this point? Was it filled with plants and trees? Was it filled with birds and fish and land animals? Were the heavens filled with planets and stars? Was the earth filled with men? The earth was quite unfilled! But as you read Genesis 1 you see that the Lord did a wonderful job of filling His earth with life! See Psalm 24:1. God s purpose was to prepare the earth for man! Read Isaiah 45:18. For what purpose did the Lord create the earth? " T B I." God wanted to fill the earth with men (see Gen. 1:28). God wanted to fill the earth with living things! If God wanted to have an unfilled and uninhabited earth, then He would have stopped after Genesis 1:1. But God formed the earth and made it and established it and created it TO BE INHABITED! God spent the 6 days of creation getting the earth ready for men! NOW THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION IS READY TO BEGIN!! 53

54 The following is supplemental material which goes into more detail concerning the question, WHEN DID SATAN FALL INTO SIN? THE FALL OF SATAN When Did This Take Place? Satan's fall took place in the gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. This is the position of those who hold to the "gap theory." This view teaches that God originally created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), including angels and also including (as some would say) a race of pre-adamic men (ape-men?) and animals (such as dinosaurs). In the so-called gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 there is a vast amount of time, even millions of years. During this time many things are said to happen. Satan falls into sin, the earth is judged, dinosaurs become extinct, etc. This theory was devised in order to try to harmonize the facts of Genesis chapter 1 with evolutionary theory and their so-called geological ages. This view understands Genesis 1:1 as describing the original creation; Genesis 1:2 as describing conditions as a result of God s judgment on the world; and Genesis 1:3 and following as describing a "re-creation" of the world. For a refutation of the Gap Theory, see pages Satan's fall took place in the gap between Genesis chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 3. This is the position of many fine creationists and Bible teachers. These people hold to a recent earth (the age of the earth in terms of thousands of years, not millions of years) and they hold to a literal 6 day creation week. For this they are to be commended. Why do they believe that Satan's fall took place after Genesis 2 and before Genesis 3? One key reason is that they assume that the creation of Satan took place during the creation week (on the very first day of the creation week). They base this on Exodus 20:11, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." They would argue, "The Creator made the heaven(s) and the earth in 6 days and He made all that is in the heaven(s) and the earth in six days. Since the angels, including Lucifer, are part of all that is in heaven, then we conclude that the creation of Lucifer took place during the 6 days of creation." They would also draw our attention to Colossians 1:16 where the Bible includes angels in God's work of creation: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that 54

55 are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16). Another key verse which they appeal to is Genesis 1:31, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." They would say, "How could God pronounce His VERY GOOD upon a universe which contained a wicked, fallen angel, whom we now know as Satan? It seems far more reasonable to think of Satan s fall as occurring sometime after God gave this pronouncement." Another argument is based on Genesis 1:26,28 (in these verses God gives man rule and dominion over the animals). They believe that if Satan had already fallen, then this would compromise the total dominion of the world that God entrusted to Adam, because then Adam would have Satan as a rival who would be working against him. This argument is weak, however, for all would agree that Satan is a fallen creature as Genesis chapter 3 begins. And yet in Genesis 3 (prior to man's fall) Adam still had dominion even though a fallen devil was present. Adam's total dominion was affected by Adam s sin, not by the presence of a fallen devil. Thus the two major arguments of this view center around Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 1:31. The key to understanding when Satan fell is to understand when he was created. If a person places the creation of Lucifer within the 6 day week of creation, then he is forced to say that Satan's fall took place after Genesis chapters 1 and 2 (while Adam and Eve were alive). This view is forced to conclude that the fall of Satan and the fall of Adam were events that took place at about the same time in history, and that these two events were not separated by a very long period (perhaps by only a matter of days?). The fall of Satan took place prior to Genesis chapter 1. This assumes that the creation of Satan (Lucifer) and his fall both took place prior to Genesis 1:1 and that his fall took place prior to the creation of Adam and Eve, not after their creation. Consider the following: 1. Genesis chapter 1 describes in detail the 6 days of creation and what was created on each day. The chapter talks about the creation of the earth, the atmosphere, the sun and moon, the stars, the dry land, the plants, the animals, etc. In this chapter nothing is said at all about the creation of the angels. Was this simply an omission or is it possible that the creation of the angels did not fall within these 6 days? 2. Exodus 20:11 places the creation of Lucifer within the creation week only if it is assumed that the expression "heaven" (or "heavens") refers not only to the first and second heavens, but to the third heaven as well. [Footnote: The first heaven is the atmospheric heaven, that which can be seen during the day; the second heaven is the stellar universe or that which can be seen at night; the third heaven is the "highest" heaven which is the abode of God and the original home of angels and which can be seen only with the eyes of faith. See 2 Cor. 12:2.] 3. It is helpful to compare Exodus 20:11 with another verse on creation found in Nehemiah 9:6. The Nehemiah passage definitely refers to the creation of angels. Notice the expressions that are used: "For in six days the LORD made heaven (or heavens) and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Exodus 20:11). "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven (or heavens), the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is 55

56 therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven [angels] worshippeth thee" (Neh. 9:6). Notice the additional phrase used in the Nehemiah passage, "the heaven of heavens." This is the Hebrew way of making a superlative. "A superlative sense is expressed by joining a noun with its own plural in the genitive" (Hebrew Syntax by Davidson, p. 49). We even use this in English. We might say, "The Bible is the Book of Books!" By this we mean that the Bible is the greatest Book of all. Here are some Bible examples: "Slave of slaves" means the lowest slave (Gen. 9:25). "Holy of holies" means most holy (Exodus 26:33). "Song of songs" means the most excellent song. "King of kings" means the greatest of all kings (Ezekiel 26:7 and see 1 Tim. 6:15: Rev. 17:14; 19:16). For other examples see Gesenius Hebrew Grammar, p. 431 (Section 133i). Thus, "the heaven of heavens" means "the greatest of the heavens" or "the highest of all heavens" (see Brown, Driver and Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, p.1030). The highest of all heavens can only refer to the third heaven, which is the abode of God and angels. The expression "heaven of heavens" is found in the following passages: Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 68:33 and Psalm 148:4. In each of these passages the phrase clearly refers to the third heaven, "the highest of all heavens." Notice also that Psalm 148:1-4 is another passage (like Nehemiah 9:6) which mentions the angels (v.2) and in the same context mentions the highest of all heavens (v.4). Exodus 20:11 does not mention the heaven of heavens and Genesis chapter 1 does not mention the heaven of heavens either. Neither of these passages mention angels. Could it be that Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 1 have reference only to the first and second heavens and not to the third heaven? And if so, does this indicate that the third heaven with all its host had already been created prior to the six days of creation? [Footnote: There are 5 passages which make a distinction between the heavens and the heaven of heavens (see Deut. 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6; 6:18; Neh 9:6), and this many imply that the "heaven" of Genesis 1:1 may not include the heaven of heavens (the third heaven). Also Psalm 68:33 refers to the heavens of heavens which were of old. This indicates that the highest heaven is in some sense ancient of old. Why would this be said if the first, second and third heavens were all created recently during the six days of the creations week? But if the creations of the third heaven pre-dated the creation of the first and second heaven, it would be appropriate to speak of the third heaven as being "of old" or ancient.] The Hebrew word "heaven" always occurs in the plural form and may be translated "heavens" if the context so demands. Thus Genesis 1:1 could be translated "God created the heavens and the earth" (referring to the first and second heavens). There are times in the Bible when "heaven" can refer to the third heaven (Matt. 6:9), the second heaven (Psalm 8:3), or the first heaven (Matt. 6:26 "fowls of the heaven"), but the expression "heaven of heavens" only refers to the third heaven. 4. The expression "the heaven(s) and the earth" (found in Genesis 1:1 and Exodus 20:11) refers to the UNIVERSE (the Hebrew language did not have a word for universe as we do). The universe is made up of the earth, the first heaven and the second heaven. It includes the earth with its solar system, its galaxy and the millions of galaxies around it. The third heaven is beyond our universe and unseen by any telescope. 5. Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 1:1 both refer to the creation of the universe (the heavens and the earth), and this took place in 6 literal 24 hour days. In both Exodus 20:11 and Genesis chapter 1, no mention is made of the heaven of heavens or the creation of angels or the creation of the throne of God or the creation of anything else which relates to the third heaven. Also in Ezekiel chapter 28 which tells us of Satan before his fall, there is nothing in the description which speaks of the earth. It all appears to be a heavenly scene, not an earthly scene. Thus the focus of Ezekiel 28 is upon the third heaven (prior to the creation of the universe) and the focus of Genesis 1 is upon the earth. 56

57 6. In the passages which do clearly mention the third heaven and the creation of angels (Colossians 1:16 and Nehemiah 9:6) nothing is said concerning the time frame of creation. The main point being stressed in these verses is that He is the Creator of all things. 7. A comparison of Exodus 20:11 with Nehemiah 9:6 would indicate that the expression "heaven(s)" does not necessarily include "the heaven of heavens." A distinction seems to be made. If Nehemiah felt he needed to add the expression "heaven of heavens" to include the creation of angels, then it seems possible to say that the omission of this expression in Exodus 20:11 suggests that the creation of angels is not in view. 8. It would be nice and neat to be able to say that everything (including the "heaven of heaven" and its host) was created within the 6 day creation week, but does the Bible actually say this? It may seem awkward to posit a creation of the third heaven prior to the creation of the universe. However, this actually harmonizes more easily with Job 38:7 ["When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"]. This passage in the ancient book of Job is referring to the time when God laid the foundation of the earth. The angels were already there as witnesses and they were rejoicing at God s work of creation. A natural and normal reading of Job 38 seems to indicate that when God created the earth (Genesis 1:1 on the very first day of creation), the angels were already there witnessing this event. The text in Job 38 does not seem to imply that these angels were recently created just moments before. One would assume, by just reading Job 38, that the angels were created PRIOR to the creation of the earth. Genesis 1:1 seems to put the creation of the earth at the very beginning of DAY 1 of creation. [Note: Those who place the creation of angels within the six days are thus forced to say that they were created at the very beginning of the creation week so that they could thus witness the laying of the foundation of the earth, which also took place early on the first day of creation. This understanding seems strained and forced.] 9. Genesis 1:31 says that God looked at everything which He made (cf. Exodus 20:11) namely, the entire created universe which He had so wondrously filled and formed during these six days and He said, "VERY GOOD." It does not say that He looked at Satan and said, "VERY GOOD." Satan's "VERY GOOD" had already been pronounced in Ezekiel 28:15 ("perfect in they ways"), prior to his fall. There is not really a problem with God saying, "VERY GOOD" even though Satan had already fallen. All would agree that a fallen Satan was present in the garden in Genesis 3, but this did not make the universe any less "good" prior to the curse. It was not Satan's sin that spoiled and ruined the earth and caused all of creation to be subject to vanity (Rom. 8:19-23). It was Adam s sin which did this. The earth was not cursed because of Lucifer s fall, but because of Adam's fall. Before the earth was cursed, was it not a VERY GOOD paradise even though Satan was present? 10.A detailed study on Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 (Lucifer before and after his fall) will assist the student in understanding the nature of the fallen One. From this study it can be seen that one of the key reasons God created the earth was to vindicate His character against the false charges of the devil (the accuser) and to demonstrate something very important to the angels, both good and bad. If one of the key reasons for creating the earth was to demonstrate certain things to angels, then it makes much more sense to say that the angels existed prior to the creation of the earth. 57

58 CHAPTER 6 The Age of the Heavens and the Earth and Man How old is the UNIVERSE? How long has the earth been here? The Bible says that "in the God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). When was this BEGINNING? When did this wonderful work of CREATION take place? Hundreds of years ago? Thousands of years ago? Millions of years ago? Billions of years ago (as the evolutionists now believe)? What does the BIBLE teach about the AGE of the heavens and the earth? Problems in Determining Age You might be curious about how old your school building is. When was that school built? Your Grandfather might say, "I remember when that school was built. I was 18 years old when that building was constructed." Grandfather could tell you the very year that your school was built. He was a witness. The problem with determining the age of the earth is that no one was alive to witness this great event. A scientist might say, "The earth is four or five billion years old." This is what he believes, but does he really know this? Was he there when it happened? Does he know anyone who witnessed this event? The Lord Jesus was present when the world was first made because He was the Creator (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Eph. 3:9). We can fully trust what He says about the creation of the world. The angels also witnessed the creation of the earth (Job 38:4-7). But there were no people to witness this event. Suppose you were to enter an abandoned house (no one is home) and you see a candle burning on the table. The candle is 5 inches tall. As you watch this candle, you notice that it is burning at a rate of 1 inch every hour. HOW LONG HAS THAT CANDLE BEEN BURNING? Suppose that someone told you that the candle was originally10 inches tall. HOW LONG HAS THE CANDLE BEEN BURNING? To answer how long the candle was burning, you must know the STARTING POINT. You must know how tall the candle stood IN THE BEGINNING. [Note: you also must assume that the candle has always burned at the same rate from the time it was first lit. If the candle was made so that it was thinner on the top, then it would have probably burned at a faster rate at the beginning, perhaps at a rate of 2 inches per hour. These factors are difficult to determine if you did not see the candle when it was first lit.] In this same house you also notice a clock on the wall. It is an 8-day windup clock (if you wind it up all the way, it will run for 8 days). Soon after you enter the house this clock stops ticking. HOW LONG HAS THE CLOCK BEEN TICKING? You might think that the clock has been ticking for 8 days, but this may not be the case. Perhaps someone entered the house the day before and wound it up only partially. If so, then it has only been running for 1 day! Here again, 58

59 you need to know the STARTING POINT. You need to know when the clock was first wound up and whether or not the clock was wound up all the way. If you assume that the clock was wound up all the way you might be making the wrong assumption. How can we learn about the BEGINNING or the STARTING POINT of the UNIVERSE? "Through we U " (Hebrews 11:3). Faith is simply taking God at His Word and believing what He has said. Our faith is in the Almighty CREATOR who was there at the STARTING POINT and who has given us the book of GENESIS which tells us what the heavens and the earth were like when God created them IN THE BEGINNING (when God wound them up and started them ticking!) We were not there when everything STARTED (Job 38:4), but God the Creator was! Let s believe what He tells us about the origin of our planet. The Creation Week In our study of the DAYS OF CREATION (chapter 4) we learned that the earth was created on DAY, the sun, moon and stars were created on DAY, and man was created on DAY. The earth, the sun, the moon, the stars and man were all created in the same week (Exodus 20:11), and so they are really all the same age! [The sun and earth are not billions of years older than man, as evolutionists teach. Actually the earth is only five days older than Adam!] If we know how old the earth is, then we know how old the sun is and we know how long man has lived on the earth. If we know when Adam was created, then we also know how old the earth, sun and moon are! They were all made at the same time, during six days of the CREATION WEEK. How long ago was this week of creation? BILLIONS of years? MILLIONS of years? THOUSANDS of years? This is the question we will seek to answer in this lesson. CREATION WITH AN APPEARANCE OF AGE When something is created, it may look like it is old, but it is not really old at all. It was just created! Let s look at some examples: 1. Adam When God created Adam, did He create a baby and then wait 25 or 30 years for the baby to grow up) or did He create a full grown man (Genesis 2:7,15,20,23,25)? If it were possible for you to see a picture of Adam on DAY 6 of creation, he would probably look like a 25 or 30 year old man! Was he really 25 or 30 years old? He was really less than one day old! This seems very strange to us. When we have a birthday party for a one year old, we expect to see a small baby. But when Adam had his first birthday, he was a full grown man even though he was only a year old! Adam was created with an APPEARANCE OF AGE! He seemed to be much older than he really was. 2. Trees and Mountains When God created the trees, did He first create a seed and then plant it in the ground and wait for it to grow or did He create a full grown tree (see Genesis 1:11)? If a scientist were to observe this tree 5 minutes after creation, without knowing anything about how that tree started, he might guess that the tree was 59

60 100 years old or older. Was it really this old? How old was it? It seemed to be 100 years old because it was created full grown and thus it has an APPEARANCE OF AGE. The same is true with the mountains. If a scientist were brought to the scene one day after the mountains were created, he might look at those majestic peaks and assume that those mountains had been there for centuries. But his assumption would be wrong because they had just been created. Those mountains were really only one day old even though they looked much older. 3. The Chicken and the Egg Which came first, the hen or the egg (Genesis 1:21)? This question has puzzled many people but the Bible gives a clear answer. All the animals were created fully mature. God first made the hen, and then the hen laid the eggs! The person who does not believe the Bible has a problem answering this question! If the egg came first, who laid it? If the hen came first, who hatched it? But if the CREATOR created it as a full grown adult hen, then there is no problem! The Bible gives us the STARTING POINT. God started with THE CHICKEN. The first eggs came later! 4. The Light From Stars Think of a star that is 80 million light years away! That means that the light now being produced or radiated by that star would take 80 million years to reach the earth so we could see it through our giant telescopes. Even the light from the sun, our nearest star, takes several minutes to reach the earth. Today we can see the light from stars that are millions of light years away. Does this mean that the earth must be millions of years old? Not at all. First, we must remember that a LIGHT YEAR is a measurement of DISTANCE, not a measurement of TIME. When an astronomer tells us that a star is a certain number of light years away, he is telling us how far away the star is (DISTANCE), not how old the star is or how long the star has existed (TIME). Second, the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:17 that God set the stars in the sky to give light upon. Do you think the Creator made the stars and then waited millions of years for their light to reach the earth? NO, He not only created the stars, but He also created the beam of light connecting the distant star to the earth, so that the light from these far away suns would shine upon the earth as soon as they were created. If God had only created the stars but not the light beam stretching from the star to earth, then Adam would look up at the heavens at night and would see no stars at all. It would take several years for the light of the closest star to reach earth. At that point, only one star would be visible to Adam. But Adam and others were able to see a sky full of stars even from the beginning (compare Genesis 15:5). 60

61 5. Soil and Sand Trees and plants need soil in which to grow. If we were to look at soil today, we would assume that the soil had a past history! The soil was probably once hard rock and through the years the forces of nature (erosion, weathering, the addition of decaying organic matter, etc.) broke up the rock into smaller pieces until finally we have soil! Do you think God created soil for the first trees and plants, or did He just create rocks and then wait thousands of years for the rocks to break down into soil? Did God create sand, or did He wait thousands of years for the action of the waves and weather to produce sand? [Most sand consists of quartz grains derived from the weathering of granite or other siliceous igneous rocks.] God equipped the early earth with some wonderful sand beaches right from the beginning! 6. The Creation of a Rock What if you had the power and ability to create a rock! Of course, we know that only the Almighty Creator can do this, but let us suppose that you were able to create a rock out of nothing. Suppose you were to take this newly created rock to a geologist. He would study the rock and analyze it and probably tell you that it was millions of years old! Was he correct in saying it was that old? The rock was just created!! A Young Earth With An Old Look If you could look at the earth immediately after it was created, it would have an APPEARANCE OF AGE, and it would seem that the trees and the mountains and the oceans and the beaches and the rocks and the sun had all been around for a long time! But the fact is, they all were just created. Is God trying to trick us and deceive us by creating things with an APPEARANCE OF AGE? No! God has told us all about His methods of creation, and anyone (including scientists) can read the book of GENESIS and learn the truth about Creation! God is not deceiving men, but men are deceiving themselves when they refuse to take the Bible seriously. They refuse to believe God and take Him at His Word. Just as a magician would not be tricking anyone if he carefully told his audience how he did his tricks, so God is not deceiving anyone since He has fully explained how He created the world. The Creator At Work 2000 Years Ago! Many years ago (approximately 2000 years ago) the CREATOR actually walked on this earth and people were able to see a public demonstration of His creation methods as they watched His amazing miracles! Let us consider some of these miracles: 1. Water Turned to Wine In John 2 we learn about our Lord s first miracle which took place at a wedding feast. The Lord told them to fill 6 waterpots with water (verses 6-7). Each waterpot held about 20 or 30 gallons of water! So by His creative power the Son of God transformed about 150 gallons of water into unfermented wine. Soon after this the ruler of the feast tasted the wine. Did he know that a miracle had just taken place (see verse 9)? He probably assumed that the wine had been kept and stored somewhere and that it had come from the juice of grapes that had once been on a grapevine. These grapes grew on the vine and then one day when they were ripe, men picked them and then 61

62 squeezed the juice out of them. But the ruler of the feast was wrongl This wine had never come from grapes and there was never any vine! This wine was produced by the Word of an omnipotent CREATOR! Do you think that Jesus really needed water to perform this miracle? By His creative power, the Lord Jesus changed the water into the best grape juice ever tasted by human tongues. 2. The Storm Stilled Read Luke 8: Here is another miracle performed by the CREATOR. Instantly the Sea of Galilee was calmed and the storm ceased (verse 24). Suppose a man were to fly over this lake in his helicopter soon after the seas were calmed (of course we know that there were no helicopters in those days). He would look down and see this calm, peaceful lake. Do you think he would ever guess that just minutes before there had been a raging storm on this lake? Even the winds and the waters obeyed their Creator! 3. Feeding the Five Thousand Read Matthew 14: Suppose that you came along during the middle of this meal, not knowing that a tremendous miracle had just taken place. One of the men holds up a fish for you to look at and he asks, "Do you think you can give me the life history of this fish?" You would probably think that this was an odd question, but you do your best to answer, "Well, as far as I can tell this fish must have been hatched from eggs and was swimming around in the Sea of Galilee. One day a fishermen must have caught it in his net and then it was prepared for eating." But the man would then say, "No, I m sorry, but you are wrong. This fish was never hatched, it was never in the water, it was never caught it is a fish that was never even wet! Jesus the Creator just made this fish! Not only that, but these barley loaves which we are eating were made of barley which never grew in a field, was never harvested and was never gathered or processed or baked in ovens. These loaves have an appearance of history which they never really had!" [Only the two fish and the five loaves had any real history; the rest of the fish and loaves were created for the occasion.] 4. Healing Miracles Every diseased and crippled and leprous person that Jesus ever healed instantly took on the appearance of previous health which he never really had. Because of their miraculous healings, these people were perfectly healthy and if you did not know about their healing you would assume that they had enjoyed such health for quite some time. Consider the man in John 9 who was blind from his birth. Jesus healed him completely and instantly. Imagine if this man were to go to an eye doctor for an eye examination: BLIND MAN: "How are my eyes, doctor?" DOCTOR: "Sir, you have vision. You really have been blessed with good vision!" BLIND MAN: "No, doctor, you do not understand. I was blind all my life until yesterday, but the Creator healed me!" [The doctor would normally assume that this man had always had good vision, but this assumption would have been wrong]. The same is true with the man in Acts 3 who was from his (Acts 3:2). God healed him (verses 6-7) and all the people were amazed as 62

63 they saw him walking and LEAPING (verses 9-11), because they knew he had a history of lameness, but he was acting as if he never had such a history at all. If you had met this man after his healing you never would have guessed that he had been lame from birth. 5. Lazarus Read John 11 (the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead). Just suppose Lazarus were to go to a doctor for a physical examination: DOCTOR: "Well, Lazarus, you pass the test, you seem to be in very good health! Your physical condition is excellent" LAZARUS: "Doctor, from your experience, what would you say my past history has been?" DOCTOR: "Well, I m sure you must have been getting plenty of good exercise and eating well and enjoying overall good health for quite some time." LAZARUS: "Doctor, this may be a surprise to you, but I recently was DEAD and my body was decomposing and rotting away for 4 days in a tomb (even to the point where it was starting to smell John 11:39), but my CREATOR and my SAVIOUR brought me back to life!" How Old is the Earth? People who do not believe in the God of Creation and who do not believe the book of Genesis believe that the earth is very old. Evolutionists in 1900 believed that the earth was about 50 million years old. Today, more than 100 years later, they believe that the earth is much older: "The history of the earth spans a period of more than 4 billion years" (from a 1998 Encyclopedia). The god of CHANCE needs much time to do his work (see Chapter 4)! Most evolutionists today say that the earth is about 4,600 million years old (which is the same as 4.6 billion years). This means that now they believe that the earth is nearly 100 times older than what they thought it was in How old will they say the earth is fifty or one hundred years from now? Their theories keep changing and their textbooks need to be revised constantly to keep up with their newest theories. In this chapter we will learn that the earth is not MILLIONS of years old and it is certainly not BILLIONS of years old, but in reality its age is only THOUSANDS of years. The earth is not nearly as old as many people think. We know that written documents only go back several thousand years. Sumerian writing and Egyptian writing were among the earliest. Today it is very rare to find written documents even before the time of Christ. Some trees are very old. There are Sequoia trees that are 3,500 years old. These trees began growing around the time of Moses and they are still living today! Some Bristlecone Pine trees are 4000 years old which means that they started growing during the time of Abraham! The Biblical Record The Bible has much to tell us about the age of the earth and the age of man. Remember, the age of the earth and the age of man are basically the same (the earth is five days older than man, according to Genesis chapter 1). The earth was not here millions or billions of years before Adam. 63

64 The Bible, in different places, gives us detailed genealogies which help us to determine the approximate age of mankind (the length of time man has been on the earth starting with Adam). For example, in Luke chapter 3 we have a lengthy genealogy. This genealogy begins with J (see verse 23) and goes all the way back to A (see verse 38). We know that from the time of Christ to the present is approximately 2000 years (Christ died approximately 30 A.D.). We also know that from the time of Abraham to the time of Christ was about 2000 years (Abraham lived on earth approximately 2000 B.C.). There are two other periods of time which are not as easy to determine (for reasons which we will discuss): 1. The Period from the Creation of Adam to the Flood. 2. The Period from the Flood to Abraham. But for each of these periods God does give us a GENEALOGY. In Genesis chapter 5 we have a genealogy covering the time from Adam to Noah (from Creation to the Flood). In Genesis chapter 11 we have a genealogy covering the time from Shem (Noah s son) to Abraham (from the Flood to Abraham). Thus to determine the age of the earth and the age of man, there are four main period of time that we must add up: From Creation to the Flood (Genesis 5)? Years From the Flood to Abraham (Genesis 11)? Years From Abraham to Christ (Matthew 1) From Christ to the Present 2000 Years (approx.) 2000 Years (approx.) DATE OF CREATION? Years Genealogical Gaps The reason we can not be sure about the length of time represented in the first two categories is because of the possibility that there could have been some gaps in the genealogies. A gap occurs when one or more generations are skipped. For example, in Matthew 1:1 Christ is called the " Abraham" but between Christ and Abraham there is a big GAP of many generations (see Matthew 1:2-16). One example of a gap is the gap between Joram and Uzziah. In Matthew 1:8 (KJV) we read that J begat Ozias (who is also called Uzziah or Azariah). Does this mean that Joram was the father of Uzziah? Actually as we study the Old Testament carefully we discover that Joram was actually the great, great grandfather of Uzziah. 64

65 Who was the son of Joram (2 Kings 8:24)? Who was the son of Ahaziah (2 Kings 11:2)? Who was the son of Joash (2 Kings 12:19-21)? Who was the son of Amaziah (2 Kings 14:21)? [Note: Azariah is the same person as Uzziah.] Matthew 1:8 Joram Uzziah A gap of three generations! (A gap of about 50 years!) Symmetry but not Completeness As we study the genealogies in the Bible, we discover that the Bible writers were more concerned about symmetry (having a regular and balanced arrangement of names) than they were about completeness (listing every father and every son without any gaps). As we compare the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 we find that they are in perfect balance and symmetry. In each case there are 10 patriarchs (fathers) with the 10 th patriarch having 3 important sons: Please fill in the missing names: Genesis 5 Genesis ADAM 1. SHEM ARPACHSHAD CAINAN 4. KENAN 4. SHELAH 5. MAHALALEL JARED REU SERUG 9. LAMECH 9. 65

66 (SHEM,, JAPHETH) (, NAHOR, ) Perhaps the genealogies were given in such a symmetrical way to help the people in memorizing these lists of names. In these genealogies we have the line of the Messiah. Christ the Messiah was a descendant of these men (see Luke 3:23-36). In Matthew chapter 1 we also have a symmetrical genealogy in which we have 3 sets of 14 generations each (see verse 17): Matthew 1:17 1) FROM FATHER ABRAHAM TO KING DAVID 14 NAMES: see Matthew 1:1-6 2) FROM KING DAVID TO THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY 14 NAMES: see Matthew 1:6-11 3) FROM THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY TO CHRIST 14 NAMES: see Matthew 1:12-16 We have already seen that in Matthew 1:8 there is a gap of 3 generations (the names of three kings are missing). Matthew, who wrote under God s direction, only wanted to include 14 names in this section, so he left this gap in verse 8. It is easy to remember three groups of 14 each. We know that the genealogy in Matthew 1 is symmetrical but it is not complete. It is missing some names and some generations. We know that there are gaps in the Matthew 1 genealogy (from Abraham to Christ). Could there also be gaps in the Luke 3 genealogy (from Adam to Christ)? Could there be gaps in the Genesis 5 genealogy (from Adam to the Flood)? Could there be gaps in the Genesis 11 genealogy (from the Flood to Abraham)? If there are no gaps, then we can very accurately determine the time from Adam to the Flood and from the Flood to Abraham. In the 17 th century, an Irish Archbishop by the name of USSHER worked out a system for dating the key events of the Bible. Archbishop Ussher dated the creation of the world at 4004 B.C. In doing this Ussher interpreted the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 in a very strict way and he assumed that there were no gaps at all. If there are some gaps in Genesis 5 and 11, then the date for creation would need to be pushed back some more. TIME PERIOD No Gaps Gaps From Creation to the Flood (Genesis 5) 1656 Years 2000 Years? 66

67 From the Flood to Abraham (Genesis 11) 291 Years 1000 Years? From Abraham to Christ (Matthew 1) From Christ to the Present 2000 Years (approx.) 2000 Years (approx.) 2000 Years (approx.) 2000 Years (approx.) DATE OF CREATION 6047 Years Ago (approx.) [4047 B.C.] 7000 Years Ago (approx.) [5000 B.C.] Whether there were gaps or no gaps, the earth was created only 6 or 7 millennia ago. How different this is from the evolutionary time scale! They teach that the world is over 4 billion years old and that man is over 1 million years old! According to the Bible the world is not billions of years or millions of years old. Indeed it is less than 10,000 years old. For Further Study For a discussion of the possibility of gaps especially in Genesis 11 see The Genesis Flood by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris (Appendix II). See also Chart of the Period from the Creation to Abraham by John C. Whitcomb. For literature written by those who do not believe there were gaps in Genesis 5 and 11 see Longevity Chart Adam to Joseph, by Nathan Meyer and Alice Hoover (BMH Books). See also The Genesis Record by Henry Morris (Morris favors the "no gap" view but he does allow for the possibility of some gaps in Genesis 11, see pages ). If there are no gaps in Genesis 11, then this would mean that all of the fathers living after the Flood, including Noah, would still be alive when Abraham was fifty years old. Three of the fathers who lived before the Tower of Babel (Shem, Salah and Eber) would have outlived Abraham. Also Noah and Abraham would have been living on earth at the same time (they would have been contemporaries for 58 years) and Abraham would have died 35 years before Shem did. It seems more likely that Noah and Shem (Noah s son) would have died years before Abraham came on the scene. 67

68 Appendix 1 Scientific Evidence For a Young Earth There is much scientific evidence that points in the direction of a young earth. This evidence points to the fact that the earth is only thousands of years old, not millions or billions of years old. Much of this evidence is ignored by the scientific community which is dominated by evolutionists. Scientists are aware of over 70 methods that can give us the earth s age, all of which are based on the reality that natural processes occurring steadily through time produce cumulative and measurable results. Since many of these clocks do not agree with the billions of years the evolutionary theory needs, they are often ignored by the scientific community. Let us look at some of them: Interplanetary dust - the earth and the moon are collecting dust from the cosmos. On the moon erosion is very limited and there is no wind or precipitation of any kind. Evolutionists expected to find a significant layer of dust (many feet thick!) on the moon, due to its supposed 4 or 5 billion year age. What the astronauts did find was 2 to 4 inches of dust or less, about what could be expected to accumulate in 10,000 years or less. Juvenile water - when volcanoes erupt they bring to the surface of the earth water that has never before been there. The estimated output of all volcanoes per year is one cubic mile of juvenile water. At that rate, it would have taken only 340 million years to produce all the water on our earth today, leading one to conclude that there were no oceans on the earth 340 million years ago. Unfortunately, this was right in the middle of the evolutionary chart s age of fishes. If the earth is 5 billion years old, what has happened to all the excess water that would have been produced by volcanoes? Where has all the lava gone? - If only 1000 volcanoes were producing lava, then the entire earth s crust would have taken just 20 million years to be formed by volcanic action alone. There are about 600 active volcanoes today and 10,000 dormant ones (sleeping ones), not including the ones under the ocean. Most scientists believe that volcanic activity was much greater in the past than in the present. But when we examine the crust of the earth, we do not find huge amounts of lava which we would certainly expect to find if the world were as ancient as evolutionists teach. Only a small percentage of crustal rocks are formed from volcanoes. Where have all the meteors gone? - If the earth has really been around for over 4 billion years, then during this time it would have been bombarded by meteors. One scientist from the Swedish Oceanographic Institute calculated that about 14.3 million tons of meteoritic dust settle to the earth each year (dust that is rich in nickel content). If the earth were 4 billion years old, then we would expect to be buried in about 54 feet of meteoritic dust. However, the amount of meteorites accumulated in the strata and meteoritic dust in the crust, in relation to amounts reaching the earth at present, would indicate an age in thousands of years, not millions or billions (What is Creation Science?, by Henry Morris and Gary Parker, page 250). Comets - are very fragile structures. Each time a comet circles the sun the solar wind blasts matter from its surface to become part of its tail. Measuring the observable rate of comet disintegration, evolutionists realize that all the comets would be gone in as little as 10,000 years. Yet there are up to 5 million comets still orbiting in our solar system. Unwilling to admit that the earth might not be that young, evolutionists theorize that there is a huge nest of comets far in 68

69 the outer reaches of the solar system that every once in a while kicks some new comets out into orbit. But there is no evidence of this. The real reason that the comets have not all been destroyed is that the universe is not millions or billions of years old. Oil deposit pressure - the pressure that sends a gusher of oil spouting into the air when a well is drilled is gradually being dissipated through the porosity of the rocks containing the pocket of oil. This dissipation of pressure can be measured. Dr. Melvin Cook (a chemist who earned the Nitro Nobel Gold Medal in 1968) has concluded that it is impossible for oil to be contained in these deposits for periods greater than 10,000 to 100,000 years (this is because the great pressure would cause the oil to leak out after a certain number of years). If the oil deposits have been there more than 5,000 years, in many cases there would be no pressure left. Obviously these oil deposits were suddenly encased in these layers just a few thousand years ago (probably at the time of Noah s Flood). Evolutionists believe oil was formed 25 million years ago, but how could the pressure be contained for such a long period? Erosion - at the present rate of soil erosion all the continents on earth would be worn down to sea level in just 14 million years. There should have accumulated at least 150 times more sediment in the ocean than there actually is, if the earth is 4 or 5 billion years old. Top soil - scientists estimate that the combination of plant growth, bacterial decay, and erosion produces six inches of top soil in 5,000 to 20,000 years. The average depth of top soil over the earth is 7-8 inches. If the earth has been here 5 billion years, why isn t it buried in top soil? Mississippi River delta - at present erosion rates the entire Mississippi River delta would have accumulated in only 5,000 years. If the earth is really as old as evolutionists teach, then we would expect that delta to be much, much, much larger and more massive than it is. Niagara Falls - because the rim of the falls is wearing back at a known rate every year, geologists recognize that it has taken only about 5,000 years to erode from its original precipice. Stalactite growth in caves - under the Lincoln Memorial stalactites have grown to five feet long in less than 50 years. Evidence shows that all cave formations could easily be formed in a few thousand years, not the 100,000 that evolutionists claim. Indeed, the discovery was made of a bat cemented inside a stalagmite at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. The process occurred so rapidly that the bat was entombed before the action of bacterial decay and/or predators could take their effect (Speak to the Earth Creation Studies in Geoscience, George Howe, ed., chapter XVIII, pages ). Receding moon - the moon s distance from the earth is increasing two inches a year. Working back, it would mean the moon and earth would have been touching only two billion years ago. If the earth is five billion years old, the moon should be out of sight by now. How do evolutionists explain this? Population Statistics - If the rate of population growth has been the same throughout man s history, then man could not have been on earth for a million years, as evolution teaches. The traditional Biblical chronology is infinitely more realistic than is the million-year history of mankind assumed by the evolutionist. For the over 28,600 generations assumed in a supposed million years of man s life on earth, the world population should now be over people! This number, which could be written as one followed by 5000 zeros, is inconceivably large. Even if we eventually are able to colonize other worlds and to build space cities everywhere in the interstellar spaces, it can be shown that a maximum of no more than people could be crammed 69

70 into the entire known universe! (Henry Morris, hydraulic engineer). Evolutionists suggest that the rate of growth during man s first 990,000 years (about 99 percent of his history) was exceedingly small, the annual rate of increase being only 15 additional persons per million of population. But are we really to believe that after one year 1,000,000 people would only increase to 1,000,015? (Think of families you know that have increased by one person in the last year!). This is even more difficult to believe when we realize that the annual rate of increase today is about 20,000 additional persons per million of population! Why would the world s population increase so slowly during man s first 990,000 years and increase so rapidly during man s last 10,000 years? If the earth is really as old as evolutionists say, then why aren t there more people? The Decay of the Earth s Magnetic Field - the earth has a magnet in it, a very strong magnet! The strength of the earth s magnetic field has been measured accurately for over 100 years. Scientists have learned that this magnetic field has been decaying and losing strength. This great magnet is much weaker now than it was in the past. Indeed, if the trend continues, in a few thousand years the earth s magnetic field will be gone. The earth s magnetic field has a half-life of 1400 years. This means that 1400 years from now the magnetic field will be only half as strong as it is today; 1400 years ago it was twice as strong as it is today. Dr. Thomas Barnes, Professor of Physics at the University of Texas in El Paso has concluded that due to the rapid decay of the earth s magnetic field, the age of the earth itself is less than 10,000 years. Evolutionists believe that there have been reversals in the earth s magnetic field. Amount of Minerals in the Ocean - Suppose a man constructed a man-made pond on his property. Every year he throws 5 quarters into the pond. After the man s death the pond is drained and 110 quarters are found. How old is the pond? The age of the pond is easily determined. Likewise we can determine the age of the ocean. Rivers empty into the ocean and deposit chemicals and minerals and sediment into the oceans of the world. Take nickel for example. It is possible to calculate how much nickel is being deposited into the oceans today and it is possible to measure how much nickel is in the ocean today. We can then figure out how long it took for the ocean to reach its present level of nickel (assuming that the rate of deposit has always been the same and assuming that the ocean had no nickel at the beginning). The conclusion: the nickel content of the ocean would argue for an age of the ocean of 8,000 years! Similar studies have been done with respect to ocean levels of carbonate, sulphate, chlorine, calcium, uranium, sodium, magnesium, silicon, potassium, copper, gold, silver, mercury, lead, tin, aluminum and many others. The results of each of these show that the age of the ocean is much younger than evolutionists believe [see Chemical Oceanography, Ed. By J.P. Riley and G. Skirrow (New York, Academic Press, Vol. 1, 1965)]. Amount of Helium in the Atmosphere - Helium 4 is the most abundant isotope of helium. Scientists know that Helium 4 is being fed into the atmosphere and if the earth were really 4 billion years old then we should expect to find much higher levels of Helium 4 in the atmosphere (100,000 times as much Helium 4 as we find today). Evolutionists assume that much of the Helium 4 somehow escaped from the atmosphere but this is doubtful. The main reason why there is not much Helium 4 in the atmosphere is because the earth is very young. 70

71 CHAPTER 7 The Creation Of Man One of life's most basic questions is this: WHERE DID I COME FROM? If a person does not know the correct answer to this question, then he will never be able to answer the other two basic questions of life: WHY AM I HERE? WHERE AM I GOING? In the Bible we find God's answers to all three of these important questions. Evolutionists believe that man has come from "simple" one-celled organisms which evolved into more and more "complex" organisms (such as fish and reptiles and mammals) from which evolved certain ape-like creatures who after many thousands of years finally evolved into men! Of course, this evolutionary process (from a one-celled animal to modern man) is said to have taken millions and millions of years! Now let us see what the Bible says. Read Genesis 1:27. Did man evolve from other animals (such as ape-like creatures) or was man specially created by God? In this brief verse how many times are we told that God CREATED man? Can you find another verse in Genesis chapter one which tells of the creation of man? Genesis 1: Genesis chapter two also relates the creation of man. Some people think that Genesis chapter two contradicts (says the opposite, disagrees with) Genesis chapter one. Actually both chapters say the same thing! God s Word is from the (Psalm 119:160). Genesis chapter two perfectly agrees with Genesis chapter one. In Genesis chapter two God tells us many things that we were not told in Genesis chapter one. In Genesis chapter one, God gives us a brief description of the six days of creation. Please MATCH the following: 1. DAY 1 (Genesis 1:1-5) A. The creation of plant life (vegetation)--life BEGINS! 2. DAY 2 (Genesis 1:6-8) B. The creation of land mammals and creeping things (insects & reptiles)--the CREATION OF MAN!. 3. DAY 3 (Genesis 1:9-13) C. The creation of the sun, moon and stars 4. DAY 4 (Genesis 1:14-19) D. The creation of the heavens and the earth--the creation of light. 5. DAY 5 (Genesis 1:20-23) E. The creation of the firmament (heavenly expanse) 6. DAY 6 (Genesis 1:24-31) F. The creation of sea life (including sea mammals) and fowl (birds) 71

72 In Genesis chapter two, God gives us more information about what really happened on DAY SIX of creation. There are many things we can learn from Genesis chapter two which we would never learn from Genesis chapter one. Here are some examples: 1. In 1 Timothy 2:13, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the ORDER OF CREATION: "For Adam was formed, Eve." Did Paul learn this important fact from Genesis chapter one or Genesis chapter two? Does Genesis chapter one give the order of man's creation? Genesis chapter one only tells us that God made man "M and F " (Genesis 1:27). Did Paul believe that man evolved from animals? Did Paul believe what God said in Genesis? Did Paul believe Adam and Eve were real people? Was Paul a creationist or an evolutionist? 2. Read 1 Corinthians 11:8-9. Did Paul learn these facts from Genesis 1 or from Genesis 2? 3. In Matthew 19:4 the Lord Jesus said, "Have ye not, that He which them at the beginning them and." Did the Lord Jesus expect people to read and understand the book of Genesis? Where in Genesis does it say that God made them male and female? Genesis. Does Genesis chapter two teach the same thing? Did the Lord Jesus believe Adam and Eve were real persons (real people)? Was the Lord Jesus a Creationist or an evolutionist? Indeed, HE IS THE CREATOR (see John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16)!!! Read Matthew 19:5. Can you find the verse in Genesis chapter two which teaches the same thing? Genesis 2:. Does the Lord Jesus expect us to read and believe the first two chapters of the book of Genesis? Genesis is the first book of Moses (the human author). Does the Lord Jesus expect us to believe what Moses wrote (John 5:46-47; Luke 24:27)? Can a person believe in Jesus and also believe that man evolved from animals? The Creation of Man Genesis 2:7 says that "the LORD God (as a POTTER would shape the CLAY) man of the (dirt, soil) of the, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of, and man became a living (PERSON)." Does this verse describe the creation of Adam or the creation of Eve? Did God create Adam from other animals (such as ape-like creatures) or from the dust of the ground? Did God create Adam suddenly in one day, or did God allow Adam to gradually evolve over thousands and thousands of years? Read Genesis 3:19 carefully. Man was taken out of the G ; man is nothing but D (see Psalm 103:14), and someday when man dies his body will return unto D (see Psalm 104:29 and Ecclesiastes 12:7). If a man and his horse both die in the middle of a desert, what would be left of the man and the beast a year later (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20)? Yes, man is a frail creature of the dust (Psalm 39:4)! 72

73 The Creation of Woman After God created Adam, He said, "It is that the man should be " (Genesis 2:18). Even though God had created all the animals, Adam was still very much ALONE, and God said, "NOT GOOD!" After Eve was created, God saw everything that He had made and it was " " (Genesis 1:31). WITHOUT EVE, Adam's situation was N G. WITH EVE, Adam's situation was V G. Read Genesis 2: Why did God have Adam give names to all the animals? What did God want to teach Adam through this animal naming experience? Consider three important lessons which God taught Adam as he named the animals: 1. The King (Adam) is Introduced To His Subjects! Adam was able to personally get acquainted with all of God s creatures, as the Lord brought them to him! God gave Adam a systematic course in zoology (the study of living creatures). Instead of going to the zoo, God made the zoo come to him, and Adam was able to meet and get to know all the land animals and birds which God had made! According to Genesis 1:26 and 1:28, God gave man D over all the animals, which means that man was to rule the animal kingdom as their master and king! Many people think of the LION as the "KING OF BEASTS," but according to Genesis 1:26,28 who was really told to be the king of beasts? Thus, God gave King Adam a wonderful opportunity to get to know his subjects--by NAMING them! Genesis 2:20 says that Adam to all these animals. What does this mean? Did Adam just make up whatever name came to his mind? How did he know what to call each animal? In the Bible, names were very meaningful. A name meant something! Today we sometimes give names to people or things without really thinking about what the name means. Do you know what your name means? What is your first name? What does that name mean? Names were very important in the Bible. Use your Bible to find the meaning of these names: 1. JESUS (Matthew 1:21) means 2. MESSIAH (John 1:41) means 3. EMMANUEL (Matthew 1:23) means 4. RABBI (John 1:38) means (teacher) 5. CEPHAS or PETER (John 1:42) means 6. MELCHISEDEC (Hebrews 7:1-2) means 7. SALEM (Hebrews 7:2) means 8. BOANERGES (Mark 3:17) means 9. BETHEL (Genesis 28:17,19) means 10. ADAM (Genesis 2:23) means 73

74 In Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 we find several names which were given to Christ the Messiah. When Jesus lived on earth, did people call Him by these names? By what Name was He called (Matthew 1:25)? But all of the Names in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6 perfectly describe WHO JESUS WAS! Read Revelation 12:9 and write down four names which describe our great enemy and which tell us what he is like: So when Adam gave names to the animals, he very carefully gave to each animal that name which would perfectly describe it! He studied each animal and carefully classified it and gave each animal the appropriate name: "and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the thereof" (Genesis 2:19). Some animals today have very descriptive names (names which describe the animals and tell what they are like). Here are some examples: 1) ANTEATER (describes what it eats); 2) HAMMERHEAD SHARK (describes the shape of its head); 3) PAINTED TURTLE (describes the colors on the backside of its shell); 4) TREE FROG (describes where it can be found); 5) BULLFROG (describes what animal it sounds like when it talks); 6) WOODPECKER (describes what the animal does to get food); 7) PRAYING MANTIS (describes what it looks like when it clasps its prey in its forelimbs); 8) RED WINGED BLACKBIRD (describes its appearance) Can you think of other names which accurately describe the animals they represent? Adam described and classified and gave just the right names to these animals. Do you think Adam was a brilliant and intelligent man, or was he a stupid, savage, "caveman" type of a person? 2. What a Difference! The second important lesson Adam learned was that he was totally unique and different from all the animals! He learned that there was a great difference between a PERSON and an animal! Read Genesis 2:20. As Adam gave names to all the animals which God brought to him, was he able to find for himself a helper and companion? Adam soon discovered that there was a great chasm and gulf between himself and the animal kingdom! He was unable to communicate with any of the animals. If friendly Adam would say, "How are you, Mr. Gorilla?" he would get no vocal response, except perhaps for some unintelligible grunts! Mr. Gorilla would not even respond with a smile! An animal may make a good pet, but it will never make a close companion. Even with all the animals around, Adam was still basically ALONE (Gen. 2:18,20). It is sometimes said that the dog is man's best friend. That is false! The 74

75 dog may be man's best pet, but man's best friend and companion on earth is the woman that God has especially created for him. You may love playing with your pet animals, but it is much more fun to spend time with brothers and sisters and friends. Just think what it would be like if there were no people around, only animals! You would soon cry out, "IT IS N G THAT MAN SHOULD BE ALONE!" Adam knew that none of the animals could qualify as the Helper and Companion which he knew he needed. Even the monkeys and the apes would not make good companions! Who would want to marry an ape? So before Adam was one day old, he knew that there was a great difference between man and animals! It is sad that many men today (even scientists) have not yet learned this basic lesson that God taught Adam on Day Six of Creation. 3. Something is Missing! The third important lesson that Adam learned was that there was something missing! He soon discovered that there was a missing factor! As Mr. Rabbit hopped by, Mrs. Rabbit was with him! Mrs. Skunk was sweetly escorted by Mr. Skunk. Mr. and Mrs. Chimpanzee may have swung down together from the nearest tree! As all the other animals came along two by two, Adam discerned a definite male-female pattern! It was not long before Adam probably asked, "Where is my Mrs.? Where is another PERSON like me who will be an appropriate mate and partner, my counterpart and companion, one that I can speak with and laugh with and fellowship with and truly love?" Yes, Adam was now fully prepared for what God was going to do next! The Creation of Eve Read carefully Genesis 2: The Lord was not only the Great Creator, but He was the Great Surgeon as well! He performed the first operation! Before He operated, He gave Adam a supernatural anesthetic: "And the LORD God caused a to fall upon Adam and he " (Genesis 2:21). In this operation, what did the Lord remove from Adam (Genesis 2:21)? From this, what did He make (Genesis 2:22)? PLEASE NOTICE: Eve was not taken from Adam's head (she was not to be SUPERIOR). Eve was not taken from Adam's foot (she was not to be INFERIOR). Eve was taken from Adam's rib- -the place closest to his heart to be his helper, lover and companion. Did God make Eve from an ape? Genesis 2:22 says that she came not from the animal kingdom, but F M. All people who have ever lived have come FROM ADAM! Even Eve came directly from Adam! Where did Adam come from (Genesis 2:7)? Who is the only Person who did not come from Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45,47)? Where did He come from (1 Corinthians 15:47-48)? Genesis 2:23 says that the WOMAN was of MAN. A woman was taken out of a man (see 1 Corinthians 11:8,12 where the word "of" means "out of")! Today it is impossible for medical doctors or nurses or anyone to see a woman coming out of a man! They can take a man out of a woman but they can never take a woman out of a man! In the beginning, God did something that has never happened since! He made a woman out of a man! Of course, this took place not by a birth process, but by a unique operation performed by the Divine Surgeon, God Himself. 75

76 Who brought Eve to Adam (Genesis 2:22)? Who performed the first marriage ceremony? Who joined together the husband and the wife (Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:6)? Read what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 19:3-6. Does it please the Lord when a husband and wife leave each other and get a divorce? How long should a husband and wife remain married? Circle the correct answer: a. Until the husband finds another woman that he loves b. Until all the children are grown up and leave the home c. Until the husband and the wife get tired of each other d. Until God breaks the marriage by death (marriage is meant to be a life-long relationship) The Image of God Why was man created? Why are we here? What is our purpose? What are we to be doing? To answer such questions we must understand Genesis 1:26-27: "And God said, Let Us make man in Our, after our...so God created man in His own in the of God created He him. See also Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9. Adam was created in the image and likeness of God! What is an image? We know that an image can be found on most coins. Read Matthew 22: Whose IMAGE was on this Roman coin? When they looked at this coin, whose face did they see? Whose IMAGE is found on our penny? On our nickel? On our dime? When you look at a quarter, whom do you see? Whose LIKENESS is on a half-dollar? Whose IMAGE is on a dollar bill? When you look into a mirror in the morning, whose IMAGE do you see? Does the mirror accurately reflect you? Your IMAGE is in that mirror! According to Genesis 1:26-27, God's IMAGE was in man! Man was created to reflect God and to mirror God! If you were to look at Adam, whom would you see? 76

77 ADAM (Before he sinned) In Genesis chapter three a terrible change took place. Adam sinned, and the image of God was marred and spoiled and ruined. Have you ever found a coin that was so scratched and worn that the image on the coin could not be seen? Or, have you ever looked into a mirror that was so dirty you could not even see your face? This is what sin did to God's image in man! Adam, instead of reflecting God, began reflecting SIN, SELF and SATAN! ADAM (After he sinned) After his fall into sin, Adam gave birth to several children. Whom did Adam's children reflect? The answer is found in Genesis 5:3: "And Adam lived 130 years and begat a son in his own (in Adam s LIKENESS), after his (after Adam's IMAGE); and called his name Seth." Whom did Seth reflect? If you were to look at Seth, whose image and likeness would you see? 77

78 SETH (Adam's Child) Are you a child of Adam? Every child that has ever been born, was born in the image and likeness of Adam (Psalm 51:5)! The one exception to this was the Lord Jesus Christ who was born of a virgin. The Bible says that the Lord Jesus was the "L A " (1 Corinthians 15:45). Complete the following chart: ADAM 1. The F A (1 Corinthians 15:45) 2. The F M (1 Corinthians 15:47) 3. Of the E (1 Cor. 15:47) See Genesis 2:7 4. E (1 Cor. 15:48) 5. Head of the OLD CREATION "IN ADAM" (1 Cor. 15:22a) CHRIST 1. The L A (1 Corinthians 15:45) 2. The S M (1 Corinthians 15:47) 3. From H (1 Cor. 15:47) See John 6:33,38,41,51 4. H (1 Cor. 15:48) 5. Head of the NEW CREATION "IN CHRIST" (1 Cor. 15:22b) See also 2 Cor. 5:17. According to Colossians 1:15 and 2 Corinthians 4:4, Christ, the last Adam, is said to be "the of God." Whom did Christ perfectly reflect? If you were to look at Christ, whose image would you see? Which one of the 12 disciples needed to learn a lesson about the image of God (read John 14:7-9)? To see Jesus was to see (John 14:9). 78

79 The Lord Jesus Col.1:15 2 Cor.4:4 Every person is either IN ADAM (related to the OLD CREATION) or IN CHRIST (related to the NEW CREATION). Those who are IN ADAM perfectly reflect their father A. Those who are IN CHRIST are able to reflect the Lord Jesus (although they sometimes still reflect Adam). The believer has put on "the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the of him that created him" (Colossians 3:10; see Ephesians 4:24-the new creation!). The following diagram may be of some help: Someday the believer will perfectly reflect the Lord Jesus (see 1 John 3:2 and Romans 8:29). Today, as the believer grows, he learns to reflect Jesus more and more, and to reflect Adam less and less: "But we (the believers) all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are into the same from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Are you being changed into that IMAGE? Are you reflecting Jesus more and more? Is God's IMAGE being formed in you (Galatians 4:19)? When people see you do they see "Christ in you" (Galatians 2:20)? 79

80 Think of yourself as a mirror. Can a mirror reflect something that it does not see? A mirror can only reflect what it sees! That which is to be reflected must come into the mirror's view. If the mirror is looking the other way, it will never reflect the object. Likewise, if the believer is going to reflect Christ (as a faithful mirror), then he must see Christ! The more you see Christ and behold Him (2 Cor. 3:18), the more you will reflect Him! According to 1 John 3:2, why will we be like Christ? "because." When we are face to face with Jesus we will perfectly see Him as He is. Today as we grow in the Lord, the same thing is true. The more we see Christ as He really is, the more we will reflect Him. How can we see Christ today? The answer is found in the following passages: John 5:39; Luke 24:27; Luke 24: What is the answer? FILL ALL MY VISION Fill all my vision, Saviour, I pray Let me see only Jesus today! When through the valley Thou leadest me, Give me Thy glory and beauty to see! Fill all my vision, Saviour divine, Till with Thy glory my spirit shall shine! Fill all my vision, that all may see Thy holy image reflected in me! -by Avis B. Christiansen 80

81 CHAPTER 8 Similarities And Differences Between Men And Animals Similarities Between Men And Animals Everyone must admit that there are striking similarities between men and certain animals! For most people, the leading attraction at the zoo is the monkey house, because monkeys resemble humans more than any other animals do, and it is amusing to watch them! If you were to look at the skeleton of an ape and the skeleton of a person, you would discover many similarities! How can we explain these remarkable similarities? Evolutionists believe that similarity points to a common ancestry. Animals resemble each other because they are related to each other, and thus they believe that RESEMBLANCE indicates RELATIONSHIP. They would say that man looks like a monkey because he is KIN to a monkey (related to a monkey through a common ape-like ancestor). Man does not look too much like an elephant, but he looks more like an elephant than he does a jellyfish, so this means that man is more closely related to the elephant than he is to the jellyfish (he is a close cousin to the elephant, but he is a distant relative to the jellyfish!). Evolutionists believe that man is related to all plant and animal life because they say that all life began from that first living cell which they think evolved in the primitive ocean millions of years ago. Thus, evolutionists even believe that we are related to the moss we walk upon, to the mosquitoes which bite us, to the worms we fish with and to the fish we catch with the worms! They believe that all living things can trace their ancestry back to that first living cell. Below is a diagram of an evolutionary family tree. "The base of the trunk represents unknown, primitive forms of life from which all plants and animals arose" (Zoology, A Golden Science Guide, p. 6). This family tree shows how the evolutionists believe that all plants and animals are related to each other. [Perhaps the teacher or someone in the class could bring in a science book or biology textbook which has an evolutionary family tree.] 81

82 The theory of evolution (Darwin's theory) teaches that all life started from a simple organism and evolved into the complex forms of life that we see today. 82

83 A forest of Family Trees "In total contrast to the evolutionary view that all living things to this planet developed gradually through billions of years, like a gigantic tree from one speck of life, the Biblical model teaches us that God directly created a vast forest of permanently separate 'trees of life.' According to this creationist perspective, all of the basic 'KIDS' of living things that have ever existed (such as men and gorillas and dogs and cats) were created within less than one week and have reproduced 'after their kind' since then (Genesis 1; Leviticus 11). God did create these 'kinds' with rich potential for genetic variation into races, breeds, hybrids, etc." - John C. Whitcomb, The Early Earth, Revised Edition, p. 94. Within each "kind" there can be amazing changes and variation, but there can never be a change from one kind to another kind, such as a reptile changing into a bird or a pig changing into a whale or an ape changing into a man. A Forest of Family Trees (Creationist View) 83

84 Illustrations taken from Origins--Two Models: Evolution, Creation by Richard B. Bliss (Creation Life Publishers, 1978), p.32 and The Early Earth (2nd edition) by John Whitcomb (Baker Book House, 1986), p. 95. Creationists recognize that similarity sometimes does indicate close relationship (but not always). For example, why do identical twins look so much alike? Obviously it is because they are closely related. On the other hand, there are other people who look very much alike who are not closely related at all. Even two brothers from the same family can look quite different! Thus creationists believe that similarity and resemblance does not always indicate close relationship. Some light bulbs are made in almost the same shape as eggs! They may be similar in appearance, but does this mean that eggs and light bulbs are related? The atom resembles our SOLAR SYSTEM (electrons orbit around the nucleus of an atom just as planets orbit around the nucleus of our solar system, which is the sun). Does this mean that our solar system evolved from an atom? Can you think of some ways in which airplanes are similar to birds? Does this mean that airplanes evolved from birds? Cars may be made by different companies (and thus they are not related), but they all have many similarities. List several things that are found in all cars: 84