Hi guys,
I believe that Hebrews 11:3 sums up the understanding of God's children:
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
For me, anyway, it's not about whether or not science can 'prove' some contradictory theory of how all that is came to be. Once understanding the God that is revealed to me in the Scriptures, I also understood that miracles can't be scientifically proven or disproven. There's not a single piece of, what man calls scientific theory or understanding, that can explain in logical and natural terms, how an embryo became attached to the uterine wall of a simple Jewish girl in Israel about 2,000 years ago. There just isn't any explanation...other than it was the work of God. Whose works are not done by natural and logical progressions of events, but merely by the command of Him who lives forever.
She just was pregnant by the work and desire of God. She had never had relations with a man. There was never a moment in time where a man's sperm traveled through her vaginal tube to find an egg to penetrate and fertilize to become a living zygot. One moment she had a barren womb and the next, by the will of God, she had a baby forming and growing in her body. There is no scientific speculation that can explain that.
There was a point in time when a fairly large group of people stood on the shore of a fairly vast body of water, known as the Red Sea. They were being pursued and it was God's desire that they not perish, but be saved to continue the work for which He had built them up from the loins of Abraham to do. In a mere matter of moments that vast and deep sea just split, parted, divided so that there was literally a wall of water, which itself is a scientific impossibility, so that they could escape to freedom. Not only that but that same 'miraculous' parting of that sea, was then closed up and the deep waters drowned all of the pursuing soldiers.
There's no scientific, logical, natural explanation as 'how' such a thing could have happened. Winds that might be strong enough to hold open such great chasm of water would not then have allowed people with all of their life possessions to just pass through. Some mighty earthquake that might have caused such a split in the water only, the land underneath it was dry and at least firm and level enough, and dry, that the people just walked through the open chasm without slipping and sliding in a muddy bog, was an impossible explanation. God just willed that the water split and stand as a sentinel on both sides of them. God just willed that in a mere moment the dirt and sludge underneath where that sea had just been, was dry and firm as the thousands of people with their belongings, and a lot of the belongings of the Egyptians, just passed through. A seabed that would, by all natural properties have taken days just for the ground left open to dry up and be firm enough to walk across the chasm. Then pretty much just as quickly closed up and swallowed up all of the pursuing army.
By faith, I believe that those events happened just as God's word tells me that it did. I can't prove it or disprove it and neither can anyone else. I just believe by faith that the events did happen, despite any supposed evidence that might try to convince me otherwise. Why? Because the Scriptures contain a fair amount of prophecies that prove, for my mind anyway, that there is a God who knows the end from the beginning and now, having come to know Jesus, I know that He loves me. He cares about me, and as His Scriptures declare...He cannot lie. There is no reason for Him to lie even if He could. What? Does God live in fear that I might chastise Him for something and therefore He needs to make up lies for me? God fears no man. His lip doesn't tremble because some man may not approve of what He's done. Why would God lie? He's not running for some political office of 'best god ever', and therefore must lie to me to get me on His side. Jesus said that God's word is truth and knowing Jesus, and who he is, I believe him.
So, here we are at a crossroads. The Scriptures give a fairly concise account of 'how' this realm of creation, from the billions of stars in the night sky, to every molecule of matter upon the earth was created. The Scriptures then give a fairly concise genealogical record of 'when' all of this creating took place. The science of man, however, tells us that such an account cannot be believed. That it's absolutely impossible because the things that God created don't act that way. That everything works on a natural and logical level and, therefore, the creation must be a loooooooong progression of events. Reason number one: The light of a star some 100's or 1000's of light years distant from us couldn't be seen by our eyes or our telescopes unless this realm existed at least as long as it takes for the light of that distant star to get to us.
Such an understanding completely discounts the miraculous power of God. Such an understanding would then deny that the Jewish woman in Israel had conceived a child without sperm somehow being put in her body. Such an understanding would also deny that a deep and vast sea could just open up, in a mere moment of time to allow the passage of thousands of people, as a wall of water stood as a sentinel on both their right hand and on their left hand. And that wall of water on either side of them held that position for at least a period of time that it would take for the thousands with their belongings to pass through.
But for God's children, truth is in His word and not in scientific explanations and understandings. God's children live with the understanding that by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. It is really, for us, of no account that man says that the works of God are impossible.
Now, I can't tell you 'how' God made the light of those distant stars visible upon the earth, but my faith tells me that when they were all created, that every one of them was visible to Adam just a few days later. That Adam could see the stars that comprise the big dipper and the little dipper and Orion's belt and arms and legs. That as he lay down in the cool of the evening to go to sleep, he looked up into the heavens and saw even more stars than we see when we lay down to sleep because there was no surrounding light to blind any of them out.
That's what my faith tells me. Now, I fully understand that if one's faith is in the 'truth' of scientific theory, then they're not going to believe me. That's ok with me and I don't particularly feel the need to 'prove' it to them because I know that proving such things as God's miracles is a futile endeavor. I would just caution them, if they claim to be of the fellowship of God's people, that God does say that His righteous ones shall live by faith. I believe He's referring to that same faith that is explained in this passage of Hebrews. That He's asking His children to live by a strength of faith that understands that all that God has revealed to us in His word, is truth. God has no reason to lie to us. He is beholden to us for nothing!!!
Now, some of the fellowship will explain that while God isn't lying to us, we just don't understand the genre in which He was explaining things to us. For me, that argument doesn't hold water. Again because I now know Jesus and through him, and the work of God's Spirit, I understand that we live in a created realm. Created in mere moments in time. Created for a purpose which is explained in the last words of the Revelation.
And I heard a great voice out of Heaven, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.
God has created this realm of existence for a purpose and He has been working to accomplish His purpose since the beginning. He will cull from those many, many millions who have ever existed a body of people from every tribe and tongue and nation; a body of people who will eternally love and honor and worship Him for who He is. A people who will understand that the very reason they exist is because He created both them and all that exists to sustain the life of man. The earth and the heavens are a created realm in which this God has worked out a plan in which some might be saved for Him. What the Scriptures call a 'priesthood' of believers. That's why God created this realm in mere moments and will likewise bring it all to a close just about as quickly. And those who have lived by faith in Him who lives forever will share in the wedding feast of the Lamb and gain eternal life with Him where there will be no more tears or crying. No more hardships of life that we now experience because, in this realm since the days of Adam and Eve, man denies God His rightful place in their heart.
God bless you all,
Ted
