1. WAS THERE EVIL IN THE BEGINNING? |
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Can we really understand the Creator better by studying the things that He has made? Let’s consider an illustrative story, as we will do in these lessons, to help shed some light on that subject.
Senem Hanim took her kindergarten class to the garden and sat the children down under a large g tree. The tree provided good shade from the late spring sunshine.
“O.K. children” she said, “we are going to play a little game. As you know, yesterday I asked each of you to give me the pictures and toys that you made last week in class. Today we are going to put each of the pictures and toys in front of the group. But I won’t tell you who made them. You are going to guess who made them.”
“Teacher.” said Ömer raising his hand impatiently. “Teacher!”
“Yes, Ömer,” Senem Hanim said. “Are you wanting to ask something?"
“How in the world can we guess who made a picture or something? We would just be guessing.”
“That’s a good question Ömer. But as you shall see, you can learn a lot about someone by the things that they make. For example, here is a toy made from our building-block set. Who do you think made it?”
Ömer shrugged his shoulders.
“How should I know?”
“Well, let’s look at it.” Senem Hanim said. “What is it?”
Ayşe raised her hand. “It is a truck.”
“That’s right!” said their teacher. “What does that tell you about the person who made it?”
“It’s a boy.” Elif said laughing.
“That may be.” said Senem Hanim. “Why do you think so?”
“Because boys like trucks and girls like dolls,” said Nurcan matter-of-factly.
“We can’t be 100% sure, but that is a very good guess, isn’t it children? What else can we say about the person who made this?” the teacher added.
“Maybe he likes to build things,” added Engin. “Why do you say that Engin?” Senem Hanim asked.
“Because he didn’t make a picture. A picture is more... well... at. A truck is well... a real toy.”
“Hmm” replied his teacher, “You may be right about that. What else can we say?”
“He wanted his truck to be very strong. It is not easy to break the truck. It is very strong.”
“That is right, Birgül. He made the truck very strong,” her teacher added.
“He sits on the right side of the class,” said Mustafa.
Senem Hanim was a little shocked at this observation. How could someone understand what side of the class the truck-maker sat on?
“Why did you say that Mustafa?”
“Because he painted it with that color green. I worked on the left side of the class and we don’t have that color green in our paint set.”
“That is a very good observation Mustafa, congratulations.”
“I know who made it,” said Sevim. “Sefa.”
“Oh really?” said Senem Hanim. “And how do you know that?”
“Two reasons. First, it has a sticker of a lion on the back window. Sefa has lots of animal stickers. Second, he is smiling!"
The children could understand some things about who made the truck by examining the truck. As we get older we can understand even more things about people by what they make and do. Can we understand the Creator better by examining the things He has created? Yes. Lets read what the prophet David thought as he contemplated the great works of God in Psalm chapter 8 verse 3 and 4:
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your ngers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?
When the prophet David considered how vast and incredible the universe is he marveled at the loving character of God to pay attention to such a small creature like himself. The creation revealed something to the prophet David about the Creator. So let’s take a look at Creation as recorded by God’s prophets in the Holy Books.
We can begin by looking at what Muslims, Jews and Christians have believed for centuries to be the clearest and most detailed record revealed by God about the creation. This record is found ina collection of sacred writings called by many the Kitabı Mukkades (Holy Bible). The Kitabı Mukkades contains the Tevrat (OT), Zebur (Psalms) and Incil (NT). One modern translation of this collection is called Kutsal Kitap. The quotations we are using largely come from this modern translation. Let's start in the rst book called Genesis chapter 1 verses 1-5:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
In the Kitabı Mukkades or Kutsal Kitap (Holy Bible) it says that God created the heavens and the earth. The scriptures do not try to prove God’s existence. The scriptures assert it as a fact. The scriptures also say that God creates by speaking. He said a simple sentence and light appeared, much like turning on a light switch. There is no record of a mixing of gases, a spark, or even a big explosion from which light emanated. Yes, the Holy Bible says that when God speaks, His Word has creative power to bring matter into existence. If you want to alter your future for the good, wouldn’t it be good to be in connection with One who can create something out of nothing?
Some people want to interpret the word of Moses’ “day” to mean “an inde nite period of time”. But in other parts of the Holy Bible they want the word “day” to mean “a 24 hr period of time". Let’s look at the scriptures in a consistent way. After all, if a being can create matter by speaking, why would it be hard for Him to make the world in a short time? Let's continue in chapter 1 by reading verses 6-8:
6 Then God said, "Let there be a rmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the rmament, and divided the waters which were under the rmament from the waters which were above the rmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the rmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Here again we see that God, on the second day of creation and through His spoken word, formed what we call the sky. The Bible paints us a clear picture of what the earth would have looked like. There was water on the surface of the earth, a clear expanse of air and a layer of water above the sky. It is believed that this layer of water was like a thick cloud, which ltered the sun's harmful rays, and enabled creatures to live longer and grow larger. It is amazing that God knew what He wanted to do down to the smallest detail. Let's look at some more details in verses 9-13:
9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
So on the third day, God separated the water by forming land and filled the land with plants. There is an interesting observation we can make here. Up to this point, the Bible makes no mention of God creating any animals. In fact, He has only made plants. But we know from observing nature, that many plants need insects and birds to survive. Their owners need to be pollinated and it is the work of bees, hummingbirds, and other insects that make much of this pollination possible. Evolution says that millions of years are required to develop animal life. If evolution were true, how were the first plants pollinated and where did the first bee come from? Could it have been a queen bee, a drone, or a worker bee? A queen bee needs a drone to reproduce and drones need a queen to reproduce. And as for worker bees, they cannot reproduce themselves. It makes clear sense that all three types of bees came into existence at the same time with their various qualities working interactively. It wouldn't work otherwise. The plants need the animals and the animals need the plants for survival. Did they all evolve exactly at the same time just ready for one another? No, the statistics against that render the likelihood impossible. This leaves us with the only plausible reality that God created everything the way it is and in an instant. But the story doesn't end there. Let's see what happened in Genesis chapter 1 verses 14-19:
14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
If the sun and moon were made after the plants, then it must have occurred very quickly because plants need the sun to survive. The first, second, third and fourth days could not have lasted eons and eons of time. No, the “days” mentioned here in the Bible are literal 24 hour days, the same that we experience today. Thus the words of the Prophet Moses are both logical and accurate. This brings us to the fifth and sixth days, which can be found in verses 20-31:
20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds y above the earth across the
face of the rmament of the heavens." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and ll the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So the evening and the morning were the fth day. 24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the sh of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; ll the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the sh of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
In many books you have to read several pages before the story unfolds and becomes interesting. But right here in the beginning of the sacred writings of the Prophet Moses we learn many fascinating things. We have read that God created everything through the power of His Word and in a mere six days. At the end of his creative work He declared everything to be very good, not just mediocre or okay.
Humans were made to be vegetarian as well as all living animals and thus there was no death. God did not create us to die. He created a paradise for man and animals to live together eternally. That is what we would expect if God is love and all-powerful.
But those who teach evolution tell us a different story. According to their account, death has always been a fundamental part of the evolutionary process. They say that death of weaker species paves the way to stronger and more ef cient life forms. But it is interesting to note that instead of witnessing the birth of new species, we are actually seeing their decline. Things naturally go from a state of order to disorder, not the other way around. We are born, and then we die. If God used evolution to create the world, then God would have intentionally created death and everyone agrees that death isn't good. If God created death, then we would have to ask the fundamental question: Is God good? But if God did not create death, where did death come from? And why is our planet so different from the one God originally created? (We will discover the answer to these questions in a future lesson.)
Scientists like to aunt the idea that evolution is extremely efficient in selecting which animals continue to exist and how they reproduce. However, all of the animal creation, with very few exceptions, requires a male and female to reproduce. This is a complex system of reproduction. A more of ancient and streamlined approach would be auto reproduction. That is, organisms would be able to reproduce on their own and without the need of a partner. But we see very little of it. Why? The reason is because God designed animals to reproduce in twos, not by chance and evolution. The very complexity of the system points to a Designer who systematically created every component of our universe. Now the creation story continues with what that Designer did on the seventh day. Let's look at Genesis chapter 2 verses 1-3 for that description:
1Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
God ended His creation on the sixth day and He did not work on the seventh day. Instead, he made the seventh day of the week a holy day, a day of rest from labor. Have you ever wondered where the week came from? One day is the time it takes for the earth to revolve one time on its axis. One month is the time for the moon to make one revolution around the earth. One year is the time for the earth to revolve around the sun. Where does the seven-day week come from? It comes from the fact that God created the world in six days and He rested on the seventh day. And He not only blessed it, but He made it a holy day. That is not evolution, that is creation!
Some people put their trust in uranium and carbon dating systems to evaluate the words of the Bible. It is claimed that those scientific methods prove evolution. But there is a fundamental problem with that approach. Those methods are based only on what we see now.
Once a man was going from Burdur to Antalya but he had no money and no car. So he began to walk hoping to hitch a ride. Along the way someone saw him, took pity on him and drove him almost the whole way to Antalya. But because the driver was going somewhere else, the man had to get out and walk the remaining few kilometers to town. Shortly thereafter, the Jandarma who were looking for a man who had stolen someone’s purse stopped him. They began to question him,
“Where are you coming from and where are you going?” they asked.
“I started walking to Antalya this morning from Burdur,” the man replied.
“That is impossible” the soldier said, “You can't walk here from Burdur in one morning. You are lying.”
“I am not lying,” said the man, “you are simply judging the whole event by what you see now.”
People judge the history of the world by what they see now. Just as the Jandarma didn’t see the man getting a car ride for much of the trip, so evolutionists do not see God speaking matter into existence in front of their eyes and so they think it never happened. Instead they base their ideas on methods that merely evaluate what we see now. And based on what we have read, it is clear that the world God created and the world we live in now are not the same. Something happened and the world changed! It became more dangerous.
So how can you alter your fate in a dangerous world? Many people believe that science can nd the answer. But if science is limited in that it can only study current conditions, how will it ever nd a solution that will return our planet to its original condition? Moreover, can our planet be returned to its original state or did something happen that can't be reversed? If you are willing to put all your faith in that type of science, then you might be waiting a long time. Countless explorers and scientists have been searching for a remedy to the greatest fate of all – death. But they still haven't found a way to alter that one. What are you going to do in the meantime, wait to die like the millions before you?
The other option is that you can explore the possibility of altering your fate in a dangerous world through a relationship with the One who created you. By learning about the Creator we can understand what He will and will not alter in our lives. We can see what is and is not fate.
When we looked at the creation of our world as recorded in the sacred writings, what did we learn about our Creator? We learned that He has all power to change anything and everything by speaking! We learned that He made everything very good. There was no sickness, death, or killing. We saw that God is not only powerful, but a lover of all that is good. Doesn't that make you want to get to know Him better?
Now if we had only the natural world to examine, where animals eat other animals, where buildings fall on innocent people in earthquakes, where terrorists kill, we could come to wrong conclusions. We see death and sickness on every side and some people say,
“If God made this, He is not good. I choose not to believe in God.”
But we learned in our illustration that what we see now is not necessarily what has been. Our world has not existed continuously as it is now with thorns and viruses, but rather a change has occurred that we did not see. We learned about how the world used to be from the scriptures, not from science.
We need both science and the scriptures together to come to right conclusions. Together they form a more complete picture of our Creator. With a more complete picture of our Creator, we can understand what God will and will not alter in our lives. We can learn the roles that faith, prayer, and sacrifice play in our relationship with God.
To do this, we need to study the Creator not only in nature, but also in His actions in past history; a history that has been recorded by his holy prophets. The creation reveals things about the Creator. But the actions of the Creator reveal even more about His character. Do you want to know about altering your fate in a dangerous world? Yes, of course you do! In your hands you hold a key to unlock your destiny. Will you turn it and open the door?
Discussion Questions
Senem Hanim took her kindergarten class to the garden and sat the children down under a large g tree. The tree provided good shade from the late spring sunshine.
“O.K. children” she said, “we are going to play a little game. As you know, yesterday I asked each of you to give me the pictures and toys that you made last week in class. Today we are going to put each of the pictures and toys in front of the group. But I won’t tell you who made them. You are going to guess who made them.”
“Teacher.” said Ömer raising his hand impatiently. “Teacher!”
“Yes, Ömer,” Senem Hanim said. “Are you wanting to ask something?"
“How in the world can we guess who made a picture or something? We would just be guessing.”
“That’s a good question Ömer. But as you shall see, you can learn a lot about someone by the things that they make. For example, here is a toy made from our building-block set. Who do you think made it?”
Ömer shrugged his shoulders.
“How should I know?”
“Well, let’s look at it.” Senem Hanim said. “What is it?”
Ayşe raised her hand. “It is a truck.”
“That’s right!” said their teacher. “What does that tell you about the person who made it?”
“It’s a boy.” Elif said laughing.
“That may be.” said Senem Hanim. “Why do you think so?”
“Because boys like trucks and girls like dolls,” said Nurcan matter-of-factly.
“We can’t be 100% sure, but that is a very good guess, isn’t it children? What else can we say about the person who made this?” the teacher added.
“Maybe he likes to build things,” added Engin. “Why do you say that Engin?” Senem Hanim asked.
“Because he didn’t make a picture. A picture is more... well... at. A truck is well... a real toy.”
“Hmm” replied his teacher, “You may be right about that. What else can we say?”
“He wanted his truck to be very strong. It is not easy to break the truck. It is very strong.”
“That is right, Birgül. He made the truck very strong,” her teacher added.
“He sits on the right side of the class,” said Mustafa.
Senem Hanim was a little shocked at this observation. How could someone understand what side of the class the truck-maker sat on?
“Why did you say that Mustafa?”
“Because he painted it with that color green. I worked on the left side of the class and we don’t have that color green in our paint set.”
“That is a very good observation Mustafa, congratulations.”
“I know who made it,” said Sevim. “Sefa.”
“Oh really?” said Senem Hanim. “And how do you know that?”
“Two reasons. First, it has a sticker of a lion on the back window. Sefa has lots of animal stickers. Second, he is smiling!"
The children could understand some things about who made the truck by examining the truck. As we get older we can understand even more things about people by what they make and do. Can we understand the Creator better by examining the things He has created? Yes. Lets read what the prophet David thought as he contemplated the great works of God in Psalm chapter 8 verse 3 and 4:
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your ngers, the moon and the stars which You have ordained, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?
When the prophet David considered how vast and incredible the universe is he marveled at the loving character of God to pay attention to such a small creature like himself. The creation revealed something to the prophet David about the Creator. So let’s take a look at Creation as recorded by God’s prophets in the Holy Books.
We can begin by looking at what Muslims, Jews and Christians have believed for centuries to be the clearest and most detailed record revealed by God about the creation. This record is found ina collection of sacred writings called by many the Kitabı Mukkades (Holy Bible). The Kitabı Mukkades contains the Tevrat (OT), Zebur (Psalms) and Incil (NT). One modern translation of this collection is called Kutsal Kitap. The quotations we are using largely come from this modern translation. Let's start in the rst book called Genesis chapter 1 verses 1-5:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
In the Kitabı Mukkades or Kutsal Kitap (Holy Bible) it says that God created the heavens and the earth. The scriptures do not try to prove God’s existence. The scriptures assert it as a fact. The scriptures also say that God creates by speaking. He said a simple sentence and light appeared, much like turning on a light switch. There is no record of a mixing of gases, a spark, or even a big explosion from which light emanated. Yes, the Holy Bible says that when God speaks, His Word has creative power to bring matter into existence. If you want to alter your future for the good, wouldn’t it be good to be in connection with One who can create something out of nothing?
Some people want to interpret the word of Moses’ “day” to mean “an inde nite period of time”. But in other parts of the Holy Bible they want the word “day” to mean “a 24 hr period of time". Let’s look at the scriptures in a consistent way. After all, if a being can create matter by speaking, why would it be hard for Him to make the world in a short time? Let's continue in chapter 1 by reading verses 6-8:
6 Then God said, "Let there be a rmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the rmament, and divided the waters which were under the rmament from the waters which were above the rmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the rmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Here again we see that God, on the second day of creation and through His spoken word, formed what we call the sky. The Bible paints us a clear picture of what the earth would have looked like. There was water on the surface of the earth, a clear expanse of air and a layer of water above the sky. It is believed that this layer of water was like a thick cloud, which ltered the sun's harmful rays, and enabled creatures to live longer and grow larger. It is amazing that God knew what He wanted to do down to the smallest detail. Let's look at some more details in verses 9-13:
9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
So on the third day, God separated the water by forming land and filled the land with plants. There is an interesting observation we can make here. Up to this point, the Bible makes no mention of God creating any animals. In fact, He has only made plants. But we know from observing nature, that many plants need insects and birds to survive. Their owners need to be pollinated and it is the work of bees, hummingbirds, and other insects that make much of this pollination possible. Evolution says that millions of years are required to develop animal life. If evolution were true, how were the first plants pollinated and where did the first bee come from? Could it have been a queen bee, a drone, or a worker bee? A queen bee needs a drone to reproduce and drones need a queen to reproduce. And as for worker bees, they cannot reproduce themselves. It makes clear sense that all three types of bees came into existence at the same time with their various qualities working interactively. It wouldn't work otherwise. The plants need the animals and the animals need the plants for survival. Did they all evolve exactly at the same time just ready for one another? No, the statistics against that render the likelihood impossible. This leaves us with the only plausible reality that God created everything the way it is and in an instant. But the story doesn't end there. Let's see what happened in Genesis chapter 1 verses 14-19:
14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
If the sun and moon were made after the plants, then it must have occurred very quickly because plants need the sun to survive. The first, second, third and fourth days could not have lasted eons and eons of time. No, the “days” mentioned here in the Bible are literal 24 hour days, the same that we experience today. Thus the words of the Prophet Moses are both logical and accurate. This brings us to the fifth and sixth days, which can be found in verses 20-31:
20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds y above the earth across the
face of the rmament of the heavens." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and ll the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So the evening and the morning were the fth day. 24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the sh of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; ll the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the sh of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
In many books you have to read several pages before the story unfolds and becomes interesting. But right here in the beginning of the sacred writings of the Prophet Moses we learn many fascinating things. We have read that God created everything through the power of His Word and in a mere six days. At the end of his creative work He declared everything to be very good, not just mediocre or okay.
Humans were made to be vegetarian as well as all living animals and thus there was no death. God did not create us to die. He created a paradise for man and animals to live together eternally. That is what we would expect if God is love and all-powerful.
But those who teach evolution tell us a different story. According to their account, death has always been a fundamental part of the evolutionary process. They say that death of weaker species paves the way to stronger and more ef cient life forms. But it is interesting to note that instead of witnessing the birth of new species, we are actually seeing their decline. Things naturally go from a state of order to disorder, not the other way around. We are born, and then we die. If God used evolution to create the world, then God would have intentionally created death and everyone agrees that death isn't good. If God created death, then we would have to ask the fundamental question: Is God good? But if God did not create death, where did death come from? And why is our planet so different from the one God originally created? (We will discover the answer to these questions in a future lesson.)
Scientists like to aunt the idea that evolution is extremely efficient in selecting which animals continue to exist and how they reproduce. However, all of the animal creation, with very few exceptions, requires a male and female to reproduce. This is a complex system of reproduction. A more of ancient and streamlined approach would be auto reproduction. That is, organisms would be able to reproduce on their own and without the need of a partner. But we see very little of it. Why? The reason is because God designed animals to reproduce in twos, not by chance and evolution. The very complexity of the system points to a Designer who systematically created every component of our universe. Now the creation story continues with what that Designer did on the seventh day. Let's look at Genesis chapter 2 verses 1-3 for that description:
1Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
God ended His creation on the sixth day and He did not work on the seventh day. Instead, he made the seventh day of the week a holy day, a day of rest from labor. Have you ever wondered where the week came from? One day is the time it takes for the earth to revolve one time on its axis. One month is the time for the moon to make one revolution around the earth. One year is the time for the earth to revolve around the sun. Where does the seven-day week come from? It comes from the fact that God created the world in six days and He rested on the seventh day. And He not only blessed it, but He made it a holy day. That is not evolution, that is creation!
Some people put their trust in uranium and carbon dating systems to evaluate the words of the Bible. It is claimed that those scientific methods prove evolution. But there is a fundamental problem with that approach. Those methods are based only on what we see now.
Once a man was going from Burdur to Antalya but he had no money and no car. So he began to walk hoping to hitch a ride. Along the way someone saw him, took pity on him and drove him almost the whole way to Antalya. But because the driver was going somewhere else, the man had to get out and walk the remaining few kilometers to town. Shortly thereafter, the Jandarma who were looking for a man who had stolen someone’s purse stopped him. They began to question him,
“Where are you coming from and where are you going?” they asked.
“I started walking to Antalya this morning from Burdur,” the man replied.
“That is impossible” the soldier said, “You can't walk here from Burdur in one morning. You are lying.”
“I am not lying,” said the man, “you are simply judging the whole event by what you see now.”
People judge the history of the world by what they see now. Just as the Jandarma didn’t see the man getting a car ride for much of the trip, so evolutionists do not see God speaking matter into existence in front of their eyes and so they think it never happened. Instead they base their ideas on methods that merely evaluate what we see now. And based on what we have read, it is clear that the world God created and the world we live in now are not the same. Something happened and the world changed! It became more dangerous.
So how can you alter your fate in a dangerous world? Many people believe that science can nd the answer. But if science is limited in that it can only study current conditions, how will it ever nd a solution that will return our planet to its original condition? Moreover, can our planet be returned to its original state or did something happen that can't be reversed? If you are willing to put all your faith in that type of science, then you might be waiting a long time. Countless explorers and scientists have been searching for a remedy to the greatest fate of all – death. But they still haven't found a way to alter that one. What are you going to do in the meantime, wait to die like the millions before you?
The other option is that you can explore the possibility of altering your fate in a dangerous world through a relationship with the One who created you. By learning about the Creator we can understand what He will and will not alter in our lives. We can see what is and is not fate.
When we looked at the creation of our world as recorded in the sacred writings, what did we learn about our Creator? We learned that He has all power to change anything and everything by speaking! We learned that He made everything very good. There was no sickness, death, or killing. We saw that God is not only powerful, but a lover of all that is good. Doesn't that make you want to get to know Him better?
Now if we had only the natural world to examine, where animals eat other animals, where buildings fall on innocent people in earthquakes, where terrorists kill, we could come to wrong conclusions. We see death and sickness on every side and some people say,
“If God made this, He is not good. I choose not to believe in God.”
But we learned in our illustration that what we see now is not necessarily what has been. Our world has not existed continuously as it is now with thorns and viruses, but rather a change has occurred that we did not see. We learned about how the world used to be from the scriptures, not from science.
We need both science and the scriptures together to come to right conclusions. Together they form a more complete picture of our Creator. With a more complete picture of our Creator, we can understand what God will and will not alter in our lives. We can learn the roles that faith, prayer, and sacrifice play in our relationship with God.
To do this, we need to study the Creator not only in nature, but also in His actions in past history; a history that has been recorded by his holy prophets. The creation reveals things about the Creator. But the actions of the Creator reveal even more about His character. Do you want to know about altering your fate in a dangerous world? Yes, of course you do! In your hands you hold a key to unlock your destiny. Will you turn it and open the door?
Discussion Questions
- When Charles Darwin proposed his ideas about origins of species and evolution, he thought that single cell organisms were very simple. But modern science has revealed them to be so complex it takes the world’s biggest computers to map their organization! What does that say to you about creation and the Creator?
- If we want to alter our fate, we need to understand what con- trols our fate. What do you think controls your fate?
- What steps did we learn in this lesson that will be helpful in our quest to altering our fate in this dangerous world?
- Go back and reread God's words in creating our world. Note how many times He says, "It was good." Do you think God takes pleasure in perfection? If so, how might he feel about the world in its present condition?