1. Introduction
The God of the Bible is known by several names, descriptions
and titles. I list a few:
- JEHOVAH: Psalm 83:18: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. (Mentioned 7 times in Scripture)
- The LORD: (Mentioned 6510 times in Scripture)
- The Almighty God: Genesis 17:1: And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Mentioned twice)
- The God of Abraham: Exodus 3:14: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15: And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Mentioned 12 times)
- The Holy One of Israel: Isaiah 10:20: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. (Mentioned 31 times)
- The God of Israel: (Mentioned over 200 times)
- The Lord of Hosts: (Mentioned over 223 times)
2. Creation: A Basic Bible Doctrine
This article, however, is not about Sacred Names:
it is about creation and whether or not the God of the Bible is the Creator
of the universe. Note His claim:
| Isaiah 45: | 11: “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. 12: I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” |
Everyone will agree that this is a stunning claim
to say the least. It is either true or it is a colossal falsehood.
God either created the heavens and the earth and all their host
or He didn't. These options force us to treat the matter of the
creation as the foundation doctrine in the Bible.
All other scriptural doctrines, laws, prophecies and instructions
hang on this single fact that the entire universe came into being
by the Word of the Almighty God. I repeat: Jehovah's claim
that He created the universe is either true or it is a monumental
lie. There really is no other conclusion one can arrive at.
Millions of people in the West do not believe the Bible account of
the creation. They believe in the theory of evolution, that the
universe began with a big bang billions of years ago, and that
life on earth evolved to its present state. Almost every
day we see brilliantly produced TV programmes about
‘Mother Nature’ of how, all of her own accord,
by some inexplicable, inherent power, nature produced our
magnificent world and its myriad life forms. Our article entitled
Evolution
exposes this theory for what it really is - a fantastic fallacy: a fallacy
which is now being rejected by thousands of scientists and other intellectuals.
The Psalmist came to the same conclusion hundreds of years
ago when he wrote in (Psalm 14: 1)
3. Faith Is Needed
To begin with let me make one point perfectly clear:
no mortal is able to scientifically demonstrate the processes
of EVOLUTION or its alternative SPECIAL CREATION. The
first would require limitless matter, time and chance,
the second limitless intelligence, skill and power:
none of which are currently held by mankind. This means that
since we cannot scientifically prove either evolution or special
creation, we are left with no other alternative but to accept
one or the other by FAITH: the kind of faith that underlies
all religious belief. Broadly speaking people fall into one of
three categories:
- Creationists:
- Those who believe that a supernatural Being (God) made the universe as recorded in Genesis chapter one. Along with millions of Bible-believing Jews and Christians we fall into this category.
- Evolutionists:
- Those who believe that the universe came into existence billions of years ago: and that life on earth evolved of its own accord by some inexplicable power. One does not have far to look to find many who hold this view.
- Theistic Evolutionists:
- These folk believe that God was involved in the creation; but that He took thousands - perhaps millions, or billions - of years to do so. Many Christians hold this view. In October 1996 the Pope made this astonishing declaration: “Today new discoveries lead one to acknowledge in the theory of evolution more than a hypotheses… The convergence, of results of work done independently one from the other, constitutes a significant argument in favour of this theory.” However, he added, “the soul was created by God.” You can be sure that the Pope's ‘theistic evolutionary’ stand will soon be followed by multitudes of Roman Catholics; because what the Pope teaches today, the cardinals, bishops, priests, monks and church members of the Roman Church will believe tomorrow. Sad to say many millions of Protestants are also ‘theistic evolutionists.’ They believe that God made the universe: but that He took thousands - perhaps millions or billions - of years to do so. Because ‘theistic evolutionists’ do not believe the Bible account of creation as found in Genesis chapter one and John chapter one, they can hardly be called true believers!
4. Does it Really Matter?
Does it really matter what one believes concerning the origin
of the universe?It matters a great deal: because IF
the universe and life on earth evolved over billions of years, then:
- The Genesis account of creation and the hundreds of Bible verses which refer to the creation are pure fiction.
- In other words the so-called Holy Bible is, itself, riddled with falsehood - the very thing it strictly forbids.
- Virtually all the Old and New Testament writers were deluded: because they all believed in the creation.
- This would include all the prophets of old, all the apostles and even Jesus Christ. These all believed in the creation account in Genesis.
- In the final analysis, if life on earth evolved of its own accord,
- It would mean that man is not accountable for his actions to a supernatural Being. That we could make or break ‘so-called moral laws’ with impunity. After all ‘if there is no God, there cannot be a Judgment Day’. So why bother about moral behaviour: ‘let us eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die.’
These are the inevitable thoughts and actions that will flow in the
wake of a society which rejects the Bible teaching that the universe
was created by God. Oh yes, this matter of origins is very important:
because society’s behaviour and destination depend upon it.
In his book Evolution or Creation (page 2) Henry M Morris Ph.D.
confirms this point: he writes:
“Each person needs, more than anything, a sense of his
own identity and personal goals, and this is impossible without some
sense of his origin. What a person comes to believe about his origin
will inevitably condition what he believes about his destiny.”
5. What Does The Bible Teach Concerning Creation?
Before we answer this question let us look at a few facts about the universe. I understand that:
- “Our earth is a tiny planet, about 8,100 miles (13,000 km) in diameter, which circles the sun, an average sized star some 93,000,000 miles away.
- The sun is about 870,000 miles in diameter. It forms part of a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way which contains some 200 billion stars. In fact most of the 6,000 stars we see with the naked eye are part of the Milky Way. No one really knows how many stars there are in the Milky Way.
- A light year is the time light, travelling at over 186,000 miles per second, takes to travel in one year.
- The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is approximately 200,000 light years
away which is a distance of (wait for it) 1,175,722 trillion, 568 billion,
640 miles … And there are approximately 100 billion galaxies,
each containing 100 billions stars. Does your head spin with these numbers?
Can your mind comprehend such figures? Is not our God an awesome god?”
(When Day and Night Cease page 34 (Published by Shikinah Books Ltd, Box 846, Keno, OR 97627 USA.)
Man is diligently searching the heavens for information
as to when and how the universe began. More often
than not a CREATOR GOD doesn't figure in that search. So
I repeat the question: does the Bible provide an answer? Yes
it does. Prophets, psalmists, apostles and God Himself all testify
to the fact that the universe was created. Let me list some Bible
quotations which tell of the creation. Remember, it takes faith
to believe in either evolution or special creation.
If you believe the universe evolved then this article may no longer
interest you. But if you believe there is a God in heaven and
that He created the universe then the following Bible texts, and there
are scores more, will certainly strengthen your faith.
- Genesis 1:
- 1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” ((Read the whole chapter)
- Genesis 2:
- 1:“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
- 1:“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
- Genesis 2:
- 4: “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”
- Proverbs 3:
- 19: “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.”
- Psalm 86:
- 9: “All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.”
- Isaiah 40:
- 26: “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number? …”
- Isaiah 41:
- 20: “That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”
- Isaiah 42:
- 5: “Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:”
- Isaiah 45:
- 8: “Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together;I the LORD have created it.”
- Isaiah 45:
- 12: “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.”
- John 1:
- 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2: The same was in the beginning with God.
3: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
- 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Mark 10:
- 5: “And Jesus answered and said unto them...
6: But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.”
- 5: “And Jesus answered and said unto them...
- Acts 4:
- 24: “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:”
- Acts 17:
- 24: “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”
- Ephesians 3:
- 9: “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”
- Colosians 1:
- 16: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that 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:”
- Revelation 10:
- 6: “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:”
Christians either accept these Bible passages as fact or they
should not classify themselves as true believers! The Bible is
either God’s Word or it isn't. God is either telling
the truth, or He is telling us a string of lies. There really is no other
logical conclusion one can arrive at.
6. Why Was The Universe Created?
Believe it or not, the vast universe was created for extremely good
reasons. Man spends millions on examining the universe, to find out
IF there is life somewhere out there in space. But WHY
did God create mankind and the mighty universe in the first place?
Again the Bible provides the answer and it is found in these verses:
| Isaiah 45: | 18: “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited …” |
| Isaiah 43: | 7: “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” |
| Revelation 4: | 11: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” |
In short, the mighty universe was created to be inhabited by beings who
would glorify God and - wonder of wonders - bring Him pleasure!
7. The Everlasting Gospel
As its name implies this Gospel message is everlasting. It will never
cease to be good news. It will never become obsolete. The Everlasting
Gospel has been proclaimed since the dawn of time and it will continue
to be proclaimed throughout eternity. What is the Everlasting
Gospel? It is the age-old invitation to faith and obedience.
| Revelation 14: | 6: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7: Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” |
How should one respond to the everlasting gospel: particularly
to that second part which calls upon mankind to worship the Creator?
The answer is: believers must begin to keep the seventh day Sabbath,
which is the divinely appointed memorial of the creation. The
Sabbath command lies at the heart of the Ten Commandments. Notice
how it is linked to the creation account in Genesis.
| Exodus 20: | 8: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 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.” |
It is vital that you recognize the fact that acceptance of the
‘Everlasting Gospel’ is directly linked to
faith in a Creator God. Sad to say, multiplied millions of
people will refuse to accept the Everlasting Gospel and
its call to faith and obedience. Already they
baulk at the idea that God created the world in six literal (24 hour)
days. The Bible says that they are without excuse and will
be judged accordingly.
| Romans 1: | 20: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even
his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” |
8. The New Universe
The Bible tells us that this old universe is scheduled to be replaced by
new heavens and a new earth. Here is a prophecy of this
coming event.
| 2 Peter 3: | 10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night; in t he which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. 11: Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12: Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13: Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” |
Incredible as it may sound, the Almighty's power to create will then be
demonstrated before our very eyes: and He'll not need billions of years
to
complete His work. He'll create a new universe just as He did the
present one - by His Word! He will once again speak matter into
existence: and the new universe will come into being.
| Isaiah 66: | 22: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I
will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed
and your name remain. 23: And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” |
| Revelation 21: | 1: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” |
9. Where Do We Fit Into This Picture?
The Bible makes it perfectly clear that all who accept the Almighty's
offer of mercy and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ
(Yeshua the Messiah) will inhabit the new universe for His
pleasure and His glory. Are you willing to accept that fact? Believe
us the new universe will be as big - if not bigger - than the present one.
Every planet and moon in it will teem with life: and the redeemed of the
LORD will inhabit it for all time. No more cramped cities and
disease-ridden slums; no more deserts and
desolate places; no more sickness, pain, sorrow and
death: but eternal glory, peace and happiness!
| Revelation 21: | 5: “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son ...” |
Oh yes: the new heavens and new earth will be created to be inhabited for Yahweh’s glory and pleasure. The question is:
Will you be there? Do you want to be there? You can if you want to: because entry does not depend on how good or bad you are.
Entry depends on faith in Yahweh and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Pause awhile, dear reader, and think about so glorious a
prospect. And it's yours for the taking. See our pages on Salvation for more
details about how to be there.
10. Summary
- The God of Israel is known by several names and
descriptions: Jehovah, the Almighty, I AM, the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel etc.
He also refers to Himself as the CREATOR of the mighty universe!
Isaiah 45: 11: Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. 12: I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. - Creation is a Basic Bible Doctrine. The credibility of all the prophets of old, the apostles and Jesus Christ himself all depend on whether or not the creation account in Genesis is true: because they all taught or wrote of it. Indeed, the Bible is either God's Word or it is a monumental array of lies.
- Since it is not possible to scientifically demonstrate Evolution or Special Creation one needs FAITH to accept either teaching. The evidences pointing to Special Creation being the truth, are legion. The amazing wonders of the natural world and the wonders of the heavens all tell of the glory and power of a Creator!
- It matters a great deal what we believe: because all our subsequent actions are influenced by our beliefs. If there is no God, then moral standards mean very little in a 'dog-eats-dog world.' But if we must all one day stand before the Judgement Seat of a Creator God, then how we live our lives matters a great deal.
- The Bible contains scores of texts concerning the creation. Virtually every Bible writer refers directly or indirectly to the creation.
- The Almighty God of Israel created the universe to be inhabited by human and angelic beings who would be His companions for all eternity. It is impossible to fully grasp or appreciate the weight and worth of such a fact.
- The Everlasting Gospel The Everlasting Gospel. The ageless message scheduled to go to all the world in the last days, calls upon all nations to: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Those who accept this end-time message will begin to keep the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday) as an act of faith in the Creator.
- Jehovah has scheduled Himself to make new heavens and a new earth. Only then will we fully appreciate His creative powers. In that coming paradise there will be no more pain, suffering, sickness or death. All are invited to be there. This article may well be part of that invitation to YOU! Think about it.
- Where do we fit into this picture. That is a question which every person must answer for him/herself. No issue is more important than the salvation of your soul. As the Master so truly said in Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
My earnest prayer is that YAHWEH, the God of Israel,
the Creator of the mighty universe, will grant you the
faith to believe and obey His Word.
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