THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Genesis 1:1

We don’t really know anything to be true before the day we were born and became aware of our world. We begin hearing about the history of what happened before we were born, and we believe what we hear, so this begins our “knowledge” of history. We read ancient books about the history of the origins of peoples and nations, and we believe that too if we trust the authors of the books. Who was actually around when the human race began? Only He who formed us from the dust of the ground. We believe the Bible like we believe other ancient books only because we are convinced by the available evidence that it is trustworthy. We live in a generation in which our teachers are not all Bible-believers but trust more in the alternative theories of the origins of our race. That is their faith. Is it more reasonable?  Please join me as I examine the Bible worldview as expressed in Psalm 104 in contrast to the worldviews or faith of the unbelievers.

Recently I went on a cruise to the Western Caribbean and found myself surrounded by a vast expansion of waters, the Gulf of Mexico.  I could not miss the glory and greatness of God reflected in all of His marvelous creation.  As I looked around me, all I could see was ocean.  I was amazed at how our God sustains His world with order!  Indeed, God is wiser than any human being and worthy of all praise and adoration.  He is the One from beginning to end who created, provides for, and controls His creation with a marvelous and supreme power.  I am always in awe of God's majestic glory as it is displayed in His creation!  It brings me to my knees in praise, for His glory is revealed in all of His marvelous creation.  As I look around me with eyes wide open, I see God's goodness, greatness, and uniqueness.  My heart is full and grateful to Him and eager to praise and bless Him from the depth of my soul as I contemplate the awesome sky above me, all the living creatures, the expansion of waters around me, and all that God's creation contains.  I stand in awe of His glory as revealed in His creation!  "Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, You are very great!  Praise the LORD!”

God's glory is reflected in the way He sustains the earth and in the way, He governs in righteousness.  Our gracious God loves, provides, nourishes, and feeds His creation.  God's creation shouts out, declaring His greatness, for He is the Originator of all things.  Psalm 104 is a great praise to God for His creation.  It displays for us God's glory, genius, beauty, intelligence, artful design, and the greatness of His personality.  God's creation finds its completeness in God's will.  All life, this world, and the heavens belong to God, for He created them, and nothing can exist apart from God.  He is the LORD of life and supremacy of eternity.  As I think of God's marvelous handiwork in the Creation, I cannot stop myself from turning my mind back to the sea, its diverse and mysterious dimensions.  

"Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.  26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it."  (Psalm 104:25-26) 

Both the heavens and the seas speak of God's glory and praise Him, for they praise God with their origin (Psalm 95:5).  The seas praise God by their size and their obedience, for God set the boundaries for them.  As someone who recently saw the depths of the sea, the ocean, I can speak of God's wonders with awe and praise. The seas indeed declare their Maker's praise (Isaiah 42:10-12)! God created the seas and designed them to offer service to mankind.  He did not create man for the seas but the seas for man.

I.   WHERE DID EVERYTHING COME FROM?

When I look around, I see God's magnificent and majestic creation.  I see the sky above me, the earth, the stars, the galaxies, the vast waters (the ocean), all kinds of living creatures around me, the cattle, the birds, and sea creatures.  Think of the human body, the wonderful complexity of our organism, even the human spirit.  Guess who created all these? You can be sure that someone made all of these wonderful things, for they did not create themselves.

1. Who made the trees and rocks? 
2. Who made man with such an amazing organ called the brain, the more complex of our organs?
3. Who made man with the ability to think and make choices? 
4. Who made man with the intelligence to build houses, cars, planes, and all kinds of inventions?

Only One is great enough and powerful enough, and that is God, our Creator!  Many people disagree with this explanation of the origin of all things.  Almost everyone will agree that rocks and trees are necessary for the building of houses and cars.  But where did the trees, rocks, and everything else come from? Consider three possible explanations:

1. Nothing and no one made the trees, people, and everything else, because they have always existed. 
2. Trees, people, and everything else are the products of accident in a chance universe. 
3. Someone made the trees, people, and everything else. 

Only one of these explanations can be true.  Only one of the three indeed explains how everything came into existence. There is a Book that tells us exactly how God created everything:  The Bible. When we study it, we realize that the Bible is amazingly intelligent and accurate, just like our universe.  Neither one could have just happened!  The view that everything happened by chance claims that a "Big Bang" started our universe billions of years ago.  The “matter” which was produced from such an unexplained explosion just happened to cool into stars.  Among those stars is the sun, which just happened to have planets around it.  Among these planets, the Earth just happened to be at the right distance from the sun, having the right mixture of water and other elements, so that as the Earth cooled, chemicals in an ancient sea just happened to come together in the right way so that these dead chemicals came to life. Over a period of time, the first living cells just happened to organize themselves into plants and animals. And as more time passed by, these tiny cells just happened to cluster together, developing into larger living creatures.  As strange and unlikely as that may seem to reasonable people, many actually believe that that is precisely the way everything came into existence.  My question is:

1. What would happen if you were to put a firecracker in a bowl of sand and decide to watch it blow up? 
2. Do you think that such sand would turn into a sandcastle?  
3. Do you think the sand would turn into a jumping frog? 
4. Don´t you find this very hard to imagine?  

The issue in question is that there is no "absolute truth" or "scientific explanation" for something like the so-called "Big Bang" (Theory of Evolution) of the origins of life (beginnings).

This so-called "scientific" view of origins is called the Theory of Evolution.  Unfortunately, all of our public school books and many of our school teachers, newspapers, magazines, and videos assume that this theory is a proven fact.  The fact is that there is more "scientific" evidence against this theory than there ever was for it. Sadly, most people who have been educated in our universities teach the "Theory of Evolution." These "smart" people believe that everything, including man, evolved by accident in a chance universe.  Of course, no one can claim to have actually seen this happen. They don't know how it could happen. Consider the following:

1. When these "scientists" have tried to prove that life came into existence as of a certain mixture of chemicals, they have failed every time. 
2. The mathematical probability that life could have ever begun from nonliving chemicals is astronomically remote. 
3. There is just no evidence that a single-celled living creature turned into a many-celled creature.
4. When they tried to make living things evolve by mutation, they failed.
5. After over a century of research and study, the fossil evidence still provides no evidence of transitional forms from one phylum to another, or even from one kind to another. 
6. The missing links are still missing. There is precious little evidence to support the speculations of Evolutionary Theory. 
7. Science is knowledge. This theory is not science! 

The other view of the universe, of Earth and life, the view that is Divine and True, is that everything that came into existence was created by a living, powerful and intelligent Being Who planned and made all things. The evidence against Evolution is evidence for Creation!  In Romans, we read that man has always known some things about God.  All that our Creator has made shows that He must exist because they just could not have happened!

"Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."  (Romans 1:19-21)

This leads me to my next question:  How did everything come into existence?  Christians must answer this question with two big words: "creation" and "providence."  The truth is that our God, our Creator, made everything out of nothing by merely speaking the word, the word of His power. In six days, He was done, and all that He made was very good.  So what are God's works of providence? They are His holy and wise works of preserving and governing all of His creatures and all of their actions. 

II.   THE VOICE OF CREATION:

Many "philosophers" and "scientists" sit comfortably in their easy chairs of ignorance, wondering about basic questions such as: Where did I come from? or Am I real?  They are not able to answer the most basic questions regarding the beginnings or origins of life.  They just don't know where they came from and who they are.  Is that not sad?!  They don't see the Truth because they refuse to believe in God or in His revelation, the Bible.  The beauty of the Bible, the Word of God, is that it does not leave us wondering about the origins of life or about how all came into existence.  In Genesis 1:1, we find the absolute Truth concerning where we came from and everything else.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  

The Bible is crystal clear about creation. True science easily uncovers the evidence that shows that creation is the best explanation for what exists.  But we believe in creation mainly because we trust the Bible and believe what it tells us.  At the beginning of creation, our God provided the materials for the heavens and the earth. Then, He created the first plants and animals and then the first human beings, Adam and Eve.  All living things reproduced after their own kind. This all happened during a period of six days.

"For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."  (Exodus 20:11)

The Book of Genesis is crystal clear about the period of time that took place in creation. The account is very specific!  God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested (Genesis 1:1-2:4).  Notice that the Bible speaks of the events of each day, saying, "there was evening, and there was morning."  Therefore, there is no reason to doubt that God's creation took place in six literal days. Remember that time places no limits on a God Who can create by simply uttering a word.  Sadly, some Christians would deny the fact that the creation took place in a single week! They support their claim by directing our attention to what the Bible says about a "day" in 2 Peter 3:8.  Many argue that since there is no mention of an "evening" for the seventh day, then that "day" had not ended yet.  Several other suggestions have come along to explain away the seven days of creation.

There is "the gap theory," which suggests that God used a 24 hour day to accomplish each of the events described in Genesis. This theory suggests that there may have been long ages between each creative day. For example, they say that perhaps God waited a long time before He created plant life. And that perhaps He waited millions of years while plants grew and developed over the whole earth.  The “Balance of Nature” demonstrates the absurdity of this theory!

Then there is "the day-age theory," which suggests that the "days" of Genesis 1 were not exactly 24-hours long.  According to this theory, the word "day" must mean a "long period of time." Now, those Christians who support and suggest this theory point out that if "day" does not mean just a period of time, what Genesis teaches fits quite well with what most scientists think about the age of the Earth. Again, this is absurd! 

Today the so-called "theistic evolutionists" hold this ridiculous theory.  By the way, the phrase "theistic evolutionist" means that a person believes in God (he is a theist), but he also believes and supports the atheistic Theory of Evolution. Such a one thinks that God created the Earth billions of years ago and that He then used evolution as a tool to make it livable. They also claim that God created the first life using evolution to shape the plants and the animals that exist today. They even go further, claiming that human beings evolved from animals and then were given a special spiritual life by God to be different from their animal ancestors. Again, this is absurd!

The "revelatory-day theory" claims that the "days" in Genesis were not really days of creation. They say the seven days were days in which God showed Moses what He had done! What that means is that God showed Moses how He had divided light from darkness. Then the next day, God showed Moses how He separated the waters, making the Earth's atmosphere. Then the next day, God showed Moses how He gathered the waters of the Earth, making dry land appear. This theory suggests that seven days were days in Moses' life, not days when creation actually took place. While some Christians may disagree about whether the days of Genesis are 24-hour days, we cannot disagree about creation itself. It is a fact that the Bible, the revealed Word of God, does teach that God created everything, including the universe and our world. It is undeniably true that God made living creatures and that He also made human beings the most special of all His creatures.

The Bible's claim to be the revelation of our Creator demands that we accept its explanation about our origins. That means that the Bible has been communicated to us by God Himself. It is a declaration, not just another theory among all other theories of origins postulated by speculating men. By contrast, the Theory of Evolution appears weak. The Bible gives us an accurate account of all the historical events of creation. 

For many years, unbelieving scholars have attacked the accuracy of the Bible, saying that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible because there was no written language in his day. They are quiet now because the Code of Hammurabi was discovered that dates back to Abraham's day over four hundred years before Moses. The same scholars also doubted the trustworthiness of Daniel.  Daniel prophesied of events that took place long after he wrote about them. That in itself was proof that he could not have written it according to the unbelieving scholars. Of course, they assumed that God, who can see the future, did not inspire Daniel's words.  

They also argued, for example, that the author of the Book of Daniel was wrong about the names of rulers and other details of that time.  They argued that only a person who wrote much later would have made such mistakes. What silences these scholars is archaeology, which has helped us confirm the Bible's historical accuracy.  Does this make believers of those who refused to believe? What do they do when their arrogant complaints are answered and are proven wrong time after time?  They just look for other excuses to doubt the Divine Nature of the Sacred Text.  It is a relevant fact that although historical accuracy does not prove that the Bible is the Word of God, historical accuracy is evidence that we can trust the Bible. 

III.   GOD'S CREATION AND PROVIDENCE:   (PSALM 104)

Psalm 104 praises God in verses 1 and 35, declaring, "Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, you are very great!  Praise the LORD!"  The Psalmist gives us a beautiful description of creation and praises God for being great.  His praises follow the chronological order of the Genesis account of  God's creation.  We can see in verse two the expansive sky.  In verses 5-9, the waters and dry land appear.  Verses 14 and 16 describe our vegetation and trees.  In verse 19, we can see the luminaries of the sky (the moon and sun).  This remarkable Psalm focuses primarily on God and how He caused His creation to exist and obey Him. We call that the Laws of Nature.  This Psalm lifts up only God as the Creator and never worships the created things, as did the Pantheists or Idolaters.

We know and believe that after God created all things, He did not abandon them to chance or accident, but He leads and governs them all according to His divine will. He leads and governs them so that nothing happens in this world without His orderly permission. Although our God is the Author of all the creation of this world and we can see all His divine attributes, existence, and His wisdom and power behind it all, yet He cannot be charged with the sin that occurs within His own creation. Though men had known God of his own free will, he decided to disobey God and not honor Him, nor did he give thanks to God. Men became fools in their speculations rendering their hearts weak and lost in darkness. They preferred to worship the king of darkness, Satan, rather than their Creator, God (Romans 1:20-25).

In the Bible, we are told that God "did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17).  Let us consider Psalm 104, which praises our God for His divine creation and for His care, His providence for all His works.

• A Description of God's Greatness And Majesty:  (Psalm 104:1-4)

"Bless the Lord, O my soul!  O Lord my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.  3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire."

• "Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty."  (verse 1)

In Psalm 104:1, the Psalmist begins with a blessing and praise to God.  

"O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty."  

We can clearly see God's greatness. The Psalmist is compelled to recognize God's greatness and express grateful praise to Him.  As he contemplates the world around him and all it contains (verses 1-35), the prayer of the Palmist offers praise to God from the depth of his being.  He becomes immersed in God's glory as he contemplates God's creative power.  So he turns his heart in awe toward God, the Creator in worship, with a deep and grateful admiration for what he sees in the sustenance and structure of God's creation.  

Indeed, God has manifested Himself to man as "very great," for He has displayed His supreme power and glory through His genius and artistic acts and providence.  God is wrapped in resplendent glory and light.  "You are clothed with splendor and majesty."  God's created world reflects His glory, grace, and strength, for it rises up and encircles Him like a cloud.  The word "splendor" in our context means "beauty," "glory," or "honor."  The word "majesty" also means "glory," "respect," or "dignity."  The two words are synonyms used to intensify the praise given.

The word "clothed" means arrayed or adorned, with the "splendor and majesty" that shines out from God for what He has made.  This Psalm rejoices in God's creative acts and follows Moses’ account of creation, as found in Genesis 1.  The Psalm begins with the creation of light and proceeds to the creation of animals, cattle, fish, and fowl.  God's creation displays His love for us.  God spoke, and everything came into being one by one.  He chose to put everything in place in six days to teach us His providential care for us, addressing our different needs even before we were born.  

"His invisible attributes," that is, His divine power and nature are all seen in His majestic creation (Romans 1:20), and so is His love for us. In Psalm 48:1, we see this as another praise, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain."  In another Psalm, he writes, "For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God" (Psalm 86:10).  In Psalm 135:5, we read of His greatness, "For I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods." His works are numerous, "O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions"  (Psalm 104:21). We can clearly point out God's many works that demonstrate His divine wisdom as logical, sensible, and sufficient.

• "Covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent"  (Verse 2).

God's light is like a cloak that covers Him.  In Genesis 1:3, God said, 

"Let there be light,' and there was light."  

Here the Psalmist moves from the actual "light" of creation to the glorious "light" of God's nature.  The word "light" expresses purity, truth, and righteousness throughout the Scriptures (1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 1:5).  God created the world with great ease, "stretching" out the heavens as one who opens a "tent"  or "curtain," draping it over a vast expanse.  In the Hebrew, the word "heaven" is the "expanse" of Genesis 1:6-8.  This Psalm is in harmony with Genesis 1:7, which speaks of God filling the expanse with stars, sun, and moon.  How can one not behold the light that surrounds God when he looks at Him, for He is light, and in Him, there is no darkness at all (1 Jn. 1:5)?  That light reveals His glory, His goodness, and those who walk in the shadow of that light have salvation.  John puts it this way, 

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin"  (1 John 1:7).

• "He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind." (Verse 3)

The Psalmist speaks of God's creation of the atmosphere, the sky, dry land, the ocean, the sun, the moon, and the sea creatures.  God created the heavens first and then put the foundations of the earth into place.  The "waters" refer to the seas He made.  God is the Carpenter who laid the foundational "beams" of His dwelling on the waters of the firmament.  He made the lower part, the "flooring," of His upper chambers.  God makes the clouds His chariot for His transportation and walks on the wings of the wind.  He rides on the clouds and makes them His chariot.  They are the platform on which He sits, walks, and moves.  

This Psalm shows God's ownership, absolute control, and constant use of the earth's elements. The Psalmist praises God for His greatness, but he also praises Him for all His glory, which is greater than His creation. What a beautiful way to describe God! What great majesty and power our God displays through His Creation! How exalted is He!

• "He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire."  (Verse 4)

The "winds" and "fire" characterize them as "messengers" and "ministers" of God as well as servants of God to help Him in His work.  Verse 4 is also quoted in Hebrews 1:7 to describe the angels as inferior to Christ:  

"Of the angels he says, 'He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.'"

  

The writer of Hebrews uses this Psalm to describe God's angels as ministers instead of describing them as forces of nature.  The Hebrew word for "angels" can be translated as "messengers."  The word "winds" is translated as "spirits."  The Psalmist describes God's power, using figures from the natural and angelic world.  The writer explains how God controls and uses all things (the world of nature and the unseen beings).  

Hebrews 1:7 also switches the subject from God to Jesus, using the pronoun "His" twice for Jesus.  This Psalm glorifies God, while Hebrews 1:7 is glorifying Jesus.  Why?  Because Jesus is part of the Godhead and created all things.  Thus the angels are continually carrying out His will with delightful obedience to Him, for Jesus is the Master and greater than the angels (His faithful servants).  The point is that our God is the Creator of ALL and over ALL. He uses them ALL for His righteous purpose.

As we read through the pages of that divine Book, the Bible, we find God using His Creation for His purposes.  All throughout the Bible record, God demonstrates His power over it ALL.  From the inspired and revealed Word of God, we know that there was a huge worldwide flood that must have formed and reshaped the continents and the entire surface of the earth.  

Do you think this flood came about by accident? What about the thousands of earthquakes, volcanoes, and floods that happened all around the globe over thousands of years?  One example is the volcano of Mount St. Helens, which suddenly made large rocks and deep canyons in 1980.  Do you think that all these natural disasters, including Noah's big flood, just happened by accident? OF COURSE NOT! Many believe that it required a long period of time for the volcanoes and floods to form the rocks that sit on the surface of the Earth today. In Truth, the Bible provides us with a record of these historical events. The Scriptures say that Noah's flood covered the entire earth. God meant it to happen!

"For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made" (Genesis 7:4). 

From Genesis 7:4, we learn that God wanted to kill all plants, animals, and man on the earth. God brought on this flood because He wanted to do it and because man had become very wicked. Everyone died except Noah and his family.  All died because God brought that flood to destroy them, along with their lawlessness.  Needless to say, many today find this very upsetting!  But we must never forget that our God cares for His Creation, and He is watching those who persist in doing evil. He is very involved, and He will bring judgment on ALL.

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment"  (Hebrews 9:27). 

We know from His revealed Word that God sent a storm to intercept Jonah when he tried to flee from his duty (Jonah 1:4). We know that He withheld rain from Israel (I Kings 17:1). He sent thunder to confuse an army (I Samuel 7:10).  It was He Who sent hail to destroy an empire (Exodus 9:18).  It was He who made the sun stand still (Joshua 10:12-14). And He Who opened up the earth to swallow those who rebelled against Him (Numbers 16:28-35). And although we cannot see God, we must know that He is involved with His world, His creation. We must be aware that He is in control and that He rules. In all these ways, God showed His power over His Creation and His ability and right to use it ALL to His purposes. 

• God's Handiwork And Sustaining Power:  (104:5-9)

"He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.  6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.  7 At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.  8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.  9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth."

• "He set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be moved."  (Verse 5)

The writer of this magnificent Psalm is in awe of God's formation of the earth's terrain, how He shaped the land and water, and the wholeness of the earth.  God established and put into place the "foundations" of the earth.  He set the earth within its orbit and initiated its path of travel in space, making it with perfection an essential part of our great solar system.  Here, the Psalmist gives us a specific description of what God had done when He created our wonderful earth and ALL that is in it. He begins by speaking of our earth's foundations; the land and soil were put in place to be unmovable and to accomplish their purpose according to His divine will.   The earth's "foundations" "should never be moved," for it will stand forever (serve forever).  It will end when the earth is destroyed, according to the New Testament prophecy.  Indeed, God created a wonderful place for us to live! 

• "You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains."  (Verse 6)  

Verses 6-9 point out the creative work of the third day and repeats the order of Genesis 1:9-10.  The primeval cover of water and the ensuing appearance of dry land as described in Genesis 1:2, 9.

"The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  9 And God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so."'  

God covered His creation with a watery atmosphere when He created the earth.  He wrapped it with a "garment."  God spread the whole earth with a vapor-like covering and encircled it as a cloak that covers a body.  The word "deep" indicates the "waters" that covered the earth in its beginning.  He covered the land with the oceans.  The waters covered the earth with its mountains at God's command. Also, at His command, the waters receded, establishing a boundary between them so that they could never trespass. Our God knows no limits!  Even the oceans are limited by our great God.  How majestic is our God! The earth is full of ALL His glory!

• "At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight."  (Verse 7)

God's Word goes forth in His commands.  In the beginning, the waters were higher than the mountains, for they covered the earth.  "They took to flight" or "hurried away" and were gathered into oceans and seas, to let the dry land appear in obedience to their Creator's voice.  God spoke with a voice like "thunder," and the waters gathered together at His command. The "waters" fled at His rebuke.

•  "The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them."  (Verse 8)

At God's command, the mountains, valleys, islands, elevations, and depressions on the surface of the land sprang out of the ground and came into existence.  God spoke, He changed the whole surface of the earth, for they came quickly and miraculously at His command!  Genesis 1 pictures for us this miraculous origin.

• "You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth."  (Verse 9)

When God created all things, He established limits and boundaries for the waters to function.  God's great purpose set the "boundary" of the waters permanently.  However, He removed that boundary during the flood (Genesis 6-8).  At His command, the boundary was set to limit the waters to the ocean beds that He prepared for them (Job 38:8-11).

• God's Glory In Nature:  (104:10-13)

"You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; 11 they give drink to every beast of the field;  the wild donkeys quench their thirst.  12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.  13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work."

God's glory is demonstrated in the sustenance of His creation.  God gave order to His creation and continues to maintain it. It takes a lot of wisdom to create such a world as ours.  God's immense complexity is mind-blowing, amazing!!  Every form of life that our awesome God created must continue to grow, live, and reproduce.  This magnificent Psalm moves from God's creative handiwork (verses 1-9) to the glory of His continuing providential care.

• "You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills."  (Verse 10)

The springs and streams provide drink and food to men, animals, and birds.  God has set boundaries on the waters, sending them to definite beds and holding places.  But in His wisdom, He provides moisture for His land (through the process of evaporation and condensation).  The dry land becomes fertile and fruitful through the water produced by God's heavenly storehouses.  Streams and springs provide the necessary water for the earth.  Although the waters were used to cover the earth to punish the evil in it, the Psalmist reminds us of the benefits of the water God created. Not only did our God place the water on this earth for the beauty of sunrises and sunsets, but also for the care of animals and the nourishment of the land itself.

• "They give drink to every beast of the field;  the wild donkeys quench their thirst."  (Verse 11)

God sustains both domesticated and wild animals.  The streams, springs, rivers, and rain supply enough drink to every beast of the field.  Through them, the wild donkeys quench their thirst.  The phrase "beast of the field" means all living creatures.  The earth can produce energy and life to provide for the living beasts who live near and far away from man (such as the wild donkeys).  Thus, the donkeys quench their thirst with the water that God provides.

• "Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches."  (Verse 12)

Besides God's providential care for man and the wild animals in the dense forest, He also reaches out to the birds.  He cares for all His creation (the living creatures that walk, crawl, and fly).  He gives the birds dwelling places.  He also gives them life, sustenance, and daily care.  "They sing among the branches," in the midst of the trees that God has grown for them, chirping of God's glory.

• "From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work."  (Verse 13)  

God's providential care covers the whole earth both in a secluded place and the mountains' high elevations.  The "mountains" vegetation is watered by the rain from the heavens, "His upper chambers."  The lower regions, their valleys, and dry creek beds are renewed by streams and rivers.  Because of God's continual care, the earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.  Surely God is a gracious God who cares and gives life to His entire earth.  God's land is grateful and rejoices in His providential care, flourishing and fulfilling His purposes.  Our God is not just the great Creator, but also the Great Sustainer of all!

• God Provides For All His Living Creatures:  (104:14-17)

"You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth 15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart.  16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.  17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees."

• "You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth."  (Verse 14)

God not only cares for the land, but He also nurtures it to serve His living creatures.  He causes the grass to grow for the cattle.  He does not ignore or neglect the cattle that roam the pastures and hills.  He makes the grass grow.  In some translations, the word "cattle" is used in place of "livestock" to mean domesticated animals used by man and for man.  The word "vegetation," and "herbs" is used in other translations as in place of "plants" which includes food for the cattle, livestock, and man.  God provides the land for man to cultivate, but even without man’s effort, the land nourishes and sustains man, fowl, and beasts so that he may bring forth food from the earth.  

God provides vegetation so that “food" and “bread” bring life to animals, birds, and man.  This growth of plants, herbs, and grass is mentioned in Genesis 1:11-12.  God indeed provides food and shelter by using the land.  The land and its vegetation were created to show His wisdom and power and to be cultivated by man for food as God originally intended in His creation of mankind (Gen. 1:29-30).

• "And wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart."  (Verse 15)

God designed the earth to produce oil, wine, and bread for mankind.  He provides for mankind through the earth that He has given him to cultivate.  "Wine" was the daily beverage of many peoples, especially where good water was harder to find.  It was diluted with water to reduce the effects of alcohol (an intoxicating element).  It brought gladness and contentment.  "Oil" came primarily from olive oil and was used for cooking, lotions, medicine, and fuel for lamps.  "Food" or bread is a necessary nourishment to strengthen man.

• "The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted."  (Verse 16)

In like manner, the trees were also created to be the homes of many creatures, as were the hills and mountains to be homes for others.  All these things that were created are for our visual pleasure and as the sources of food and shelter for God's living creatures. God sustains the trees also to provide for man, the birds, and the earth.  The region of Lebanon is well known for its great cedars (1 Kings 4:33).  Trees grow without being planted by man and are nurtured by the hand of God, for they are "the trees of the LORD."  They show God's providential care.

• "In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees."  (Verse 17)

The "cedars of Lebanon" provided an entry for extolling God's tender care of the birds.  God cares even for the smallest sparrow that falls in the dense forest (Matt. 10:29).  He provides for the small and as well as the great birds.  The word "birds" is often used for sparrows.  God uses the trees to provide a place for the birds to build their nests and make their homes.  The word "stork" refers to the larger birds.  They are known for their gentleness and kind affection.  There is no doubt that God's lovingkindness is bestowed on all His creatures!

• The God of All Places:  (104:18-23)

"The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.  19 He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.  20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about.  21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.  22 When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.  23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening."

• "The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers."  (Verse 18)

Our wise God has provided a living place for all His creatures:  trees for the birds, mountains for the wild goats, and rocks or cliffs for the rock badgers.  He provides for the seas, winds and clouds, and food and drink for each animal, fish, and bird.  All His living creatures enjoy the grass and the herbs to which the rivers and springs give life.  The "wild goats" in the cliffs of the mountains and the "rock badgers" are an excellent example of God's design for each creature and the habitat He has given them.  Our God thought of everything for the earth to be the source of food and the home for all living creatures. He placed everything on this earth with provision, including man! 

• "He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting."  (Verse 19)

God created the sun and the moon to mark times of light and darkness, so that man might work during light, and the animals could hunt by night.  God did not miss a single detail, for He created order and precision!  The moon identifies the monthly cycle, and the sun marks the days, rising and setting, making day and night.  Isn't it outrageous that man can recognize the great precision of this universe along with all the planets, moons, stars, and suns and still claim it all just "happened" to end up this way!  NO, God made it this WAY!

• "You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about."  (Verse 20) 

The night with its design and function, speaks of God's glory.  God has put "darkness" in its place for the well-being of mankind and the other living creatures.   His great wisdom is also seen in the habits of those creatures He placed on this earth.  Many of God's creatures do come out at night seeking their prey and sleeping during the day, this being their instinct in the wild. The Psalmist further notes that the source of their food is not just nature but the One Who created them!  It is our God Who provides their prey on the earth, and it is God Who gives each living creature its breath and thus its life. Isn't it awesome!  The Psalmist took this illustration from Genesis 1:14-18.

• "The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God."  (Verse 21)

God indeed sustains all His living creatures, for each animal, according to God's design, has his own unique place to live and a specific time to hunt and provide its food.  The "lion" is an excellent example of how God provides a unique lifestyle for all animals and living creatures.  His creatures seek their food eagerly from God, for they are not sustained by just fate but by God's providential care.  Our world is not held together by mere natural law but by God's providential care and vigilance.

• "When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens."  (Verse 22)

God regulates even the daily rhythm of the great predators. He has set a time-sequence for work and rest among His creatures.  They know instinctively when to search for food and when to return to their hiding places to rest.

• "Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening."  (Verse 23)

Man also participates in God's elaborate design for the earth because he works primarily in the daytime.  The order and balance that God has arranged for each of His creatures is another reason to praise Him.  He works with precision, accuracy, timing, kindness, and understanding!

• The Manifold Wisdom of His Works:  (104:24-26).

"O LORD, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  25 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.  26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it."  

• "O LORD, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."  (Verse 24)

When I read this passage, I cannot help but be lost in amazement of God's marvelous works!!  I cannot help but think of the sea, the sky, and the mountains and burst into praise to God for all that I see around me!!!  The writer speaks of His works' threefold wonder:  their number, variety, and God's wisdom.  The earth abundantly gives testimony of God's power, His love of beauty, and His surpassing wisdom.  God's wisdom is reflected in the quality, function, and diversity of His works.  His actions are tireless, endless, and prevailing.  He has provided for each of His living creatures' needs.

• "Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great."  (Verse 25)

The "sea" in its vastness, mystery, and all that lives in it manifest the glory of God.  Its dimensions and strength compel us to praise our Almighty God, for His immense beds of water are "great" and "wide" in dimension and divisions.  The sea's teaming creatures, both large and small, look to their God for food in season.  Isn't that beautiful!

• "There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it."  (Verse 26)

The expansiveness of the sea is shown by the way it supports the ships and the giant sea creatures that use and live in it.  Only the largest ships can move across the sea.  No matter how big man may build a ship, it is still small compared to the sea's waves and vast surface.  "Leviathan" refers to the largest of the sea creatures.  His size does not weaken the strength of the sea, for its immense expanse provides expansive room for him to play in.   Although man tries to discover many and various creatures in this world, he is still not able to find them all.  Why?  Because many of these creatures reside in the depths of the oceans, making them difficult to be seen by human eyes. We have yet to discover them all!  Perhaps we may never. Notice that the Psalmist describes all these living things in the oceans as "innumerable."

• He Satisfies His Creatures With Food:  (104:27-30).

"These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.  28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.  29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.  30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."

• "These all look to you, to give them their food in due season."  (Verse 27)

Nowhere else in this Psalm do we see God's wisdom better displayed in His creation and providence than in verses 27-30.  All living things look to their Creator for food and breath.  This magnificent Psalm shouts with a loud voice of God's faithfulness.  All God's living creatures trust in Him to feed them and give them air to breathe.  Surely, all living things wait upon God's caring hand to provide them with their food in due season.  Not just the sea creatures but also the land creatures depend on Him.  They all look to Him, for there is no other source of sustenance but God.  He provides all their food in due season that they might live. What a faithful and glorious God we serve!!

• "When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things."  (Verse 28)

God provides, and His creation gathers the provisions.  He supplies and sustains every creature daily as a gift from His loving hand.  They are satisfied with good.  God's glory is seen in His creation and in His sustenance for them.  He keeps all His creation running on schedule, providing food, living spaces, and a rhythm for life.  How can we not praise and bow down before our Creator for His great glory and faithfulness!!  Even the animals acknowledge their Creator who feeds them, for they know He is the Source of it all!

• "When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust."  (Verse 29)

God is the Author of life and death.  When God removes His face (His approval and sustenance), the earth descends from lofty heights of peace and tranquility to valleys of discouragement, despair, deprivation, and death.  When God hides His face and removes His care, all His living creatures are dismayed or terrified, for they depend on Him to keep on living.  Because of God's favor, all living creatures survive but die when He takes away "their spirit," the breath of life.  At His command, they live or die. Indeed, God is in control of life and death.  Departure from this life is part of His sovereign design, as is His sustenance of life.  The phrase "to their dust" points to Genesis 2:7, where man's creation is summarized, and also to Genesis 3:19, where God said, "For you are dust, and to dust, you shall return."

• "When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."  (Verse 30)

God is the Ruler of all His creation, for He is the Source of all life.  He creates life and sustains it.  "Your Spirit" means the spirit of life that dwells only in God.  He gives life and takes it away.  He renews the face of the ground when one generation passes, and He sends another one, for He renews the ground by repopulating it.   Ecclesiastes 1:4 fulfills God's actions.  "A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever." In the beginning, God gave life through His divine power and He continues to provide it through His sustaining power of procreation.

• God's Righteousness Is His Glory:  (104:31-35)

"May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works, 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!  33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.  35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more!  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!"

•  "May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works."  (Verse 31)

God's glory is revealed in His righteousness, for He is not just a powerful God but also a God of Truth, trustworthiness, and faithfulness.  The Psalmist breaks into praise at this point for God's beauty and grandeur in all of His works. Every single thing that He created is stamped with His artistry and wisdom. That means the grass, the water molecules, trees, insects, birds, animals, and of course, human beings, all these things are all stamped with God’s peculiar mark.  So, the Psalmist urges us to speak of God's everlasting glory and rejoice in His works unceasingly.  God's handiwork must compel us to praise Him and give Him all the glory forever and ever!

• "Who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!"  (Verse 32)

God rules over all the earth, and it is under His control, for the earth acknowledges who He is and "trembles" before Him.  With just one touch of His hand, He could set the mountain on fire and burn them up.  With one glance from His eyes, He could send away the earth into oblivion.  So we must revere and worship Him, for this is our duty before our Creator.  All of God's creation must reflect the glory of its King.  Isn't it a marvelous thing that with just His Word, ALL these wonderful things were created!  Moreover, with a word or touch, they can be shaken or destroyed.

• "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being" (Verse 33).

When we meditate on God's greatness, recognizing such greatness and power, we can do nothing but be in awe.  The Psalmist is singing of God's greatness. In Psalm 145:1, 2 and Psalm 146:2, we read of other praises to God for His wonderful works. Let us purpose in our hearts to always find a reason to praise our Creator as long as we live with all of our breath. So the writer is resolved to sing to God as long as he lived, and so must we also.  Like the Psalmist, we must worship our God for His love, power, and glory all the days of our life and with all our being.

• "May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD."  (Verse 34)  

This is one of my all-time favorite verses!  It is like saying, "let my meditation be sweet unto Him."  The phrase "be pleasing"  implies sweetness, pleasure, and approval.  The writer prays the same thoughts as in Psalm 19:14, for he wants his thoughts to be acceptable before God.  Such uttered meditations are sweet to our soul, for they bring gladness, joy, and satisfaction to God.  This is the mark of a true and sincere follower of the LORD. His main desire is to wisely spend time in God's Word as he thinks and meditates on God's ways, seeking diligently to please Him, even as he himself is pleased by all these things. 

Without a doubt, we see a love for righteousness when he, the true follower, desires that God would indeed be pleased in this meditation itself. The Psalmist desires God's ways and pleases God in all that he seeks and does. This is what a true child of God, a follower of God, longs for. The translated word "meditation" means to converse with oneself. It also implies a serious thoughtfulness and consideration of one who has heard and read the subject matter at hand.

• "Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more!  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!"  (Verse 35)

The Psalmist ends this magnificent Psalm with a petition to remove sin and those living under the power of sin.  He asks God to destroy the earth with all its elements.  He wants God to blot out the filth and corruption caused by sin and sinners, for he wants God to remove them.  The Psalmist wants the earth to be in harmony with God's righteousness, for he wants all of God's creatures to appreciate, obey, and praise their Creator.  The writer is constrained by all that he sees and rejoices in the beauty of God's marvelous works and obedience to His will.  He marvels at God's creation and wisdom and His concern for men.  

As the Psalmist looked around in awe, he could only praise God for His providential care and the sustenance of all His living creatures on the earth.  I wonder what it would be like for this world to be without sin and distraction, moving only under God's rule, surrendering only to His will?!  The Psalmist’s final words are, "Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!  In Hebrew, "Hallelujah!"  It means praise.  All of His creation must respond with praises to God.  That's what the writer of this Psalm compels us to do.  This Psalm is one of the most beautiful Psalms of praise to God, our Creator!  

Sadly, so few are willing to recognize the great beauty and wonder of God's creation. They fail to understand that He still cares for it all. What is even sadder is that they fail to know about it for fear that they might see something that would demonstrate God's existence, wisdom, and power.  It is ALL there with lots of evidence to demonstrate and prove God's existence whether we choose to see it or not. Let us never forget Who is behind it ALL!

IV.   SO WHAT IS REAL? 

We all know that some things are real and others are merely pretend and imaginary. For example, a writer named J.R.R. Tolkien came up with a story about a funny little hairy-toed creature called a "hobbit." These creatures were supposed to be like little men with hairy toes who ate a lot. We all know these hobbits do not really exist. They are only pretend creatures!  But how do we know that these creatures, "hobbits," are pretend? Has anyone ever seen a hobbit? How do we know that animals such as dogs are real? Have you ever seen one?  This is the only way we can confirm that something is real.  If we cannot see it, then it is not real. 

Sadly, many do not believe that God is real.  They say that God is not real because they have not seen Him. This leads me to a question:  Have we ever seen God?  Of course, we all have seen Him!  We see all His creation, big and small, surrounding us from man, trees, animals, skies, sun, moon, seasons, rain, wind... The list is too long! We all can see His majesty and glory.  But have you and I ever seen God face to face? There are things that we know are real, but we cannot see and have not seen, such as love. We speak of love, but have we ever seen it?  But don't be confused about the existence of God just because you cannot see God. The Bible, the Word of God, tells us that God is a Spirit (John 4:24). No one can see God because He is a Spirit. 

My next questions are:  

1. Should we always believe our eyes?  Our eyes fool us at times. 
2. What is a mirage in the desert? It looks like a pool of water, but when one comes closer, he finds nothing more than desert sand. 
3. What happens when your eyes fool you, and you cannot trust your eyes? 
4. Can you believe at all? 

Remember the absolute Truth we can trust, rely on, and believe in. The Truth that never lies. The Truth that is the God-breathed Word, the Bible.  So, when you want to find out what is true and real, you must go to the only absolutely reliable source of Truth, the Bible. It is the only Book where you can learn about God's world and God's reality. 

As we glance through the pages of this Holy Book from the first chapter, we start learning about all the true and real things. As we read, we realize that our God is real. So it is the same for plants, animals, and man. If God has declared through His inspired Word that these things are real, then we must believe they are.  Even the blind who cannot see a bird can believe that birds are real because the Word of God tells us they are real.  Likewise, we also believe that God is real because of the Bible.  His breathed Word tells us that He is real. 

V.   OUR GOD IS SOVEREIGN: 

When one says that God is sovereign, he is saying that God is ultimately in control.  Have you ever seen a bird lying on the ground, wounded or dead? Do you think God is aware of that? Of course, He is! God knows about everything that surrounds us, and He cares even more for us! 

• Man wants to Be Sovereign:  

It is true that, to some degree, we have control over what happens. One example of that is when we flip the light switch on.  Question:  Did you make the lights turn on by just turning on the light switch? Yes! But what if the light switch broke just before you turned on the light? What if, for some reason, the electricity was cut off just as you tried to turn the switch on? You see, you cannot be absolutely sure that the lights will turn on. Only God can determine and plan something causing it to happen with absolute certainty.

We know that God is sovereign. But there is a problem. Man wants to be sovereign too. He wants to be in absolute control of everything that happens to him. This is called "humanism." Man likes to think that he can make his government powerful enough to control what happens in the future. They are deceived into thinking that their governments can save them from starvation and diseases and take care of their needs and problems. But what they don't realize is that no matter how much power men may have through their civil governments, they still cannot solve all of man's problems. They cannot foresee all the things that can go wrong to spare and save them from all these problems. When we give the government too much control and power, they make even more mistakes. They often make problems worse for their people. We are responsible for obeying God, but we must not forget that we must also trust in God to take care of us even as He takes care of the little birds and the lilies of the field as we read in Matthew 6:28-32. God is in control! 

• King Nebuchadnezzar:  

Not only is our Almighty God in control of the birds, the plants, and everything around us, but He is also in control of the most powerful men on this earth. Do you remember the story of King Nebuchadnezzar? He was the most powerful man who lived 600 years before Christ. He was the king of Babylon. Often such powerful men are arrogant and proud, and this king was a good example of that. So to humble this king, God made him look and act like a beast. God made him eat grass like the animals. In Daniel 4, we read of this powerful and proud king:

"This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you."  (Daniel 4:18) 

• But God in All His Mighty Power Humbled Him: 

"While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.'" (Daniel 4:31-33) 

You see, God taught this proud king a good lesson. This old king Nebuchadnezzar learned that God always rules over all the kingdoms of men and that God also gives that power over to those He chooses to rule over kingdoms. Today, those who have the power to vote think that they rule. They believe they can control who gets elected because they have the privilege to vote on election day. 

We must never deceive ourselves into thinking that God is not in control. He is ultimately in control over everything. If a man such as Barack Obama was elected as President, that was because God wanted him elected. If a man such as Donald Trump was elected, again, we must accept that it was by the decree of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So it is true with anyone He wants to rule as president or ruler over any kingdom. Ultimately, God is in control! 

"The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:3). 

CONCLUSION:

I have really enjoyed this study precisely because of the experiences I had during my school years at the universities.  It reminds me of the great battles that young students must face in the universities, especially in the fields of science and medicine. If one is not grounded in his faith, the endless lies and intimidation can take us captive. That was my experience!  I had to challenge myself and keep my eyes on God's glory and the glory of His creation.   Such struggles make us appreciate the beauty and majesty of the creation account in the Bible as the Scriptures nourish our faith and lift our eyes to see the glory of God.  

The Bible asserts that God exists and there is no other before Him. He is the only true God, and men must believe that He exists (Hebrews 11:6).  God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning (Genesis 1:1).  The Bible declares itself to be God's inspired revelation, for all the Scriptures are inspired by God to provide mankind instruction for living in righteousness and doing every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  

The apostle Paul affirms that the things he wrote are God's commands (1 Cor. 14:37).  The Bible also asserts that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Son of God and that we must believe in Him to have eternal life (John 20:26-31; John 4:42).  Thus each one of us is responsible for examining and judging whether or not these claims are true!  It demands further examination, a consideration of all the bits and pieces of evidence presented in the Bible.  Man's eternal destiny hangs on such truths!  And once we conclude that such claims are true, we must be prepared to make a defense of our faith, presenting and confirming the evidence of those claims and presenting that evidence to others with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15; Phil. 1:7, 17).  Thus, both believers and unbelievers must carefully consider the evidence of the Bible's claims (John 1:1-3, 14; 8:24; Lk. 19:10; Matt. 16:15-18; 10:37; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:2, 8-9; Phil. 2:5-8).

There is no middle ground for these claims. You either believe them, or you don’t. The Bible claims to be God's own Word.  Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh.  So, if these two claims are false, then the Bible is a fraud!  Bible writers constantly warned us about those who falsely claimed to be spokesmen of God and those who followed myths and fables rather than divine Truth.  According to Jeremiah 14:14, those who falsely claim to be messengers of God, presenting false claims and message, must be rejected and punished.  A prophet was not allowed to speak unless God opened his mouth, and when God allowed him to speak, it was a “thus says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 3:26-27).  

Jesus also claimed that when the apostles spoke, it would not be them who spoke but the Spirit of the Father in them (Matt. 10:19-20).  Paul's preaching was not of words of human wisdom but of the power of God, for the message was not the word of men but of God (1 Cor. 2:4-5; 1 Thess. 2:13; Gal. 1:8-12).  So we must reject "old wives' fables" but instead follow after godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).  Thus, the Bible writers claimed not to write fables, legends, or human doctrines.  If their claims are not true, then they must be rejected entirely as frauds and false pretenders (2 Cor. 11:13-15; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; Acts 20:28-30; 1 John 4:1; Titus 1:9-14; 2 John 9-11; Romans 16:17-28; 2 Peter 2).  

Bible writers and prophets often rebuked severely those who made or accepted false claims (Matt. 23:5-11; Acts 10:25-26; 12:20-23; 14:11-18).  There is no middle ground, for either the Bible claims are true, or else we must entirely reject the Bible and even Jesus as being false and unworthy of our trust.  However, the claims of the Bible and Jesus mutually support their claims.  You see, the Bible supports the claim that God exists and that He created all things, providing abundant evidence and grounds for our faith.

The Bible often claims that God created everything:  the earth, the heavenly bodies, plants, animals, and people.  We believe this because Genesis 1:1 claims that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning.  God simply spoke, and everything came into existence (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26).  Psalm 33:6-9 claims that the heavens were made by the Word of God, the breath of His mouth.  God spoke, and the earth and its inhabitants were made.  He simply spoke and commanded, and it was done!  

Psalm 148:3-5 asserts that God commanded and the heavenly hosts were created. By faith, we understand that the universe was created by the spoken Word of God (Hebrews 11:3).  Thus the doctrine of creation proves that God exists and He is the only true God.  No other god can be the only true God unless He is the true Creator (Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 86:8-10; Psalm 95:1-7;  Psalm 96:1-10; Psalm 100:3; Isaiah 45:18; Jeremiah 10:11-12; 1 Chronicle 16:25-36; Acts 4:24; 14:15; 17:24-29; Rom. 1:20).  

In both covenants, the Old and the New, the creation account is proof of who is the true God of the Bible.  The true God is the One who created the heavens and the earth.  So no one can be God if he did not make heaven and earth!  We can indeed confirm the Truth of creation when we observe the Universe!  From the universal evidence, we can recognize that God's glory is revealed in His creation of the world.  God spoke, and the earth, the stars, the galaxies, and the expanse of space came into existence.  God spoke, and light was created. 

God's glory is also seen in His sustaining care of the earth, the righteousness of His being.  God's glory is seen everywhere!  God's creation declares God to be the Original Creator of all things (Romans 1:20).  He is the "First Cause" for every living thing, both great and small.  Every single part of the Universe came into existence at the command of His voice (Psalm 104:2, 5, 19-20).  God’s creation reflects His glory, beauty, intelligence, and artistry (Psalm 104:10, 14, 24).  

All that God made proclaims the power and glory of the true God, the only One who made it all (Psalm 104:31; Psalm 19:1-2).  God's creation fulfills His eternal purpose.  He provided an earthly home for His creatures and continuing sustenance for them.  God has crowned man with His glory to rule over the works of His hands. He has given man the responsibility to take charge of His world.  Thus, His creation finds its completeness in God's will, for all life. The world and the heavens belong to Him, for He is the Creator, Lord of life and eternity!

Thus, creation proves God's eternal existence, for He is older than the universe, and everything came from Him (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17; Isa. 40:28; Psalm 90:2; Rev. 10:6).  Creation proves that God is the living source of all living things and all life, for He made all forms of life at the beginning.  All life came from Him (Genesis 1:11, 12, 20, 21, 24-27; 2:7, 21-23; Job 33:4; Isa. 42:5; Acts 14:15; 17:24-29; 1 Tim. 6:13; Rev. 10:6).  So how can life exist from a non-living source?  The sun, the oceans, mountains, rivers, or any created thing cannot be God.  Neither can metal, wood, or a stone statue, for they are not living things.  So creation proves that God must be alive, for He gives us life, and He is the living God.  Creation proves God's infinite power, for no other human or physical power can create a universe such as ours (Psalm 89:11-13; 65:6; Jeremiah 10:12; 27:5; 32:17; Job 9:8-10; 26:7-14; Romans 1:20).  No other god can be the true God unless He is infinitely powerful!  

Creation proves God's infinite wisdom, for no human is so wise that he even understands all of our Creation completely, much less can he create a universe such as ours (Psalm 136:5-9; Jer. 51:15; Prov. 3:19-26; Eccl. 11:5; Isa. 40:28; Rom. 11:33-36).  Creation proves God's right to rule over His universe, for He made the universe and it belongs to Him, (Psalm 24:12; 89:11-12; 95:5; 74:16; 100:3; Isa. 29:16; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 2:10; 1 Peter 4:19; Rom. 1:25; 11:36).  Creation proves God's right to be worshiped, for He made us and deserves our worship (Deut. 32:15-18; Psalm 86:8-10;139:13-14; 8:3-9).  God deserves to be worshiped for His greatness in all that He made (Neh. 9:6; Psalm 33:6-9; 95:1-7; 148:1-6; Rom. 1:25; 11:36; Rev. 4:11; 14:6-7).  Thus the Bible explicitly confirms itself to be the true revelation of God.  Man must believe that the Bible is true about the doctrine of creation.

The “Theory of Evolution” conflicts with the Bible account of creation.  But Genesis 1:1, 14-10 asserts that the earth, sun, moon, and stars were all created by direct orders from the eternal and living God.  The fact that in only six days, God brought into existence all kinds of living things on earth (plants, animals, and man, of course, Acts 17:24-29; Gen. 1; Ex. 20:11) contradicts the evolutionary view that claims that all living things developed during millions of years from simple forms into the more complex.  You see, each kind of living thing that God created reproduces after its own kind even though there are natural variations able to adapt to its environment (Gen. 1:11, 21, 24-25).  This same principle applies to man's eternal destiny (Gal. 6:7-8). 

Good conduct leads to a good destiny, and bad conduct leads to an evil one.  Evolution conflicts with creation, for it claims that kinds of living things developed into different kinds in time.  So they say that all that we see today must have come from one original kind.  In fact, man was NOT made from lower animals, as the Theory of Evolution claims but was created directly by God in His likeness.  Although evolution claims that man is continually progressing, creation claims that man's conditions are worse than originally.  Thus, man needs a Savior! He needs everlasting life.  

Indeed, creation conflicts with evolution with major consequences.  When we accept either theory of origins, there will be major consequences.  If God created us, He must have a purpose for us, and He would certainly have communicated His will to us.  So man is expected to live by a standard of right and wrong revealed by God, for He will hold us accountable and reward us according to those standards (Prov. 3:5-6).

On the other hand, the consequences of evolution are just as profound, leading to false conclusions that evolutionists accept.  The Bible tells us how we must approach the evidence.  God's deity and power can be seen by the things He made.  So we don't need to be scientists to prove the existence of God, for the evidence is clearly seen when one observes the universe (Romans 1:20-25; Psalm 19:1-4; Job 12:7-10; Psalm 139:13-14; Acts 17:24-29).  

Despite the lack of solid evidence for evolution, evolutionists give no proof of creation, for they flatly claim that there is no evidence against evolution.  Even if we should grant that all living things evolved from a single organism, no laboratory experiment could prove it.  As a matter of fact, both evolution and creation are matters of faith and not personal observation!  For faith involves believing in something by evidence even though we have never seen it. 

In the case of origins, the evidence consists of inferences drawn from scientific evidence.  Creation has the eyewitness testimony of the Creator, who inspired many writers to record what God did.  Undoubtedly, evolution conflicts with the scientific evidence, for it claims that life came from non-life, ignoring and rejecting the demonstrable science that living things reproduce after their kind.  Surely, this principle of life can be easily proved by observation, even scientific observation!  

Genesis 1:1 claims that God commanded all things to reproduce after their own kind.  This claim disagrees with evolution because evolution claims that all kinds came from an original kind.  Laws of heredity agree with the creation account and not evolution theory (Gen. 1:21, 21, 24, 25; Jer. 2:26-27).  Evolution finds it difficult to explain the significant difference between man and animals.  But creation can indeed tell us that man was made "in the image of God" (Gen. 1:26-28; James 3:9-10; Psalm 8:4-8).  God placed traits such as intelligence, beauty, the sense of right and wrong in man's heart and mind, for we are made in His image.  Animals lack these qualities, for they are not made in God's image.

The laws of thermodynamics agree with Special Creation, for it confirms that energy is continually being converted into unusable forms which escape and are permanently lost, although it cannot be destroyed.  Why?  Because Nature goes from the state of order to that of disorder.  For instance, metal rusts, tools wear out, all living things become old and eventually die.  This principle disagrees with evolution, which claims that the universe is improving, building up, and becoming more complex and orderly.  

Although science claims that there is a contradiction between the Bible and science, the truth is, science has never disproved creation, and such an assertion is just not true. In fact, science continues to disprove many evolutionary theories presented over the past 120 years!  Scientists do not want to accept God, so they look for evidence that proves their belief.  Creation explains our existence and gives our lives purpose, value, and meaning, but evolution does nothing for its believers because they claim that our lives have no purpose or meaning.  According to evolutionary theory, we are merely cosmic accidents, and everything around us came into existence just by chance.  Life came to be out of nothing and became more complex.  But God says that He made us in His image.  

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  (Genesis 1:1)  

Thus in Romans 1:20-22, we read that men prefer to trust human wisdom more than God's wisdom, but God makes them fools since they choose to trust in human wisdom.  They reject God, the One who gives life and sustains it.  The One who gives energy, endurance, eternal life, and peace.  God's supreme acts give Him glory and praise and tell others of His infinite power and glory!  I will leave you with the following questions.  

1. Why are we here, and what is our purpose?  
2. Do you want to know the meaning of life?  
3. Don't you think there is more to life?  
4. Do you think life has no value?  
5. Are you simply an act of random chance and luck?  
6. Have you not been given any purpose in life?  
7. Do you not think there must be a reason?  God says there is a reason; evolution says there is no reason, just luck! 
8. So if there is no God, how do you explain this immense universe?  
9. Do you really believe and accept that everything that exists in perfect balance did so against all the odds? 
10. Can you flip a coin hundreds of times and get heads each time? 

You see, faith does not contradict science, for faith is built on science.  There is no blindness in believing there is a Supreme God, the Creator of all things!  God has given mankind abundant evidence to believe in Him. The Bible tells us over and over that the universe tells of the glory of God!  From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly observed in what He made (Romans 1:20).  The eyes of the believer are wide open.  It is the unbeliever whose eyes are closed and whose faith is blind.  If there is no God, then all of our answers will be pointless!  

Your faith in these odds is greater than the faith required to look around and acknowledge that someone Supreme and Perfect made all that your eyes see.  And though I have not seen God, I know deep in my heart that God exists because of the great complexity and glory of the Universe, its perfection and power.  The Bible asserts that God exists and there is no other before Him. He is the only true God, and men must believe that He exists (Hebrews 11:6).  So why do you find it so hard to believe in God, for the weight of the evidence is overwhelming, and it stands against all disbelief?  I stand in awe of the glory revealed in God’s creation!!  

"Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, You are very great!  Praise the LORD!

May the Lord help us to be set for the defense of the Gospel (Philippians 1:16; 1 Peter 3:15).  May we always examine the evidence for the Bible's major claims of the existence of the only true God who created the heavens and the earth in the beginning.  May we believe and teach others the Bible claims that the Bible is God's inspired revelation and will for us.  May all men accept that Jesus is the Son of God whom they must believe and obey to have eternal life.  May all men consider all the Bible claims to be true, for it provides overwhelming evidence for its claims.  May they examine and give careful consideration to the evidence presented in the Bible and share it with others.  May this overwhelming evidence lead others to believe and produce faith in them to change their lives.  May all men accept their need for Jesus and obey the Gospel before it is too late.  May we bow down to God and worship Him and glorify Him, for He made us, and He alone is the true God.  May we fear God and keep His commands, for He is our Maker who created us for that purpose.  May we commit our souls to Him alone, for He is the Creator and deserves our worship and devotion.  May all men look around the universe and believe in the existence of a Supreme God.  May we burst into praise to God for His majestic creation, uniting our voices proclaiming, "Bless the LORD, O my soul!  You are very great!  Praise the LORD!!

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." 

1 Peter 3:15

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