CHAPTER 3

Understanding Creation

How can I learn about CREATION? How were the heavens and the earth (the UNIVERSE) brought into existence? How was the whale created? The eagle? The alligator? The shark? The giraffe? The praying mantis? The elephant? The baboon? The skunk? The porcupine? The dolphin? How was the redwood tree made (often 300 feet tall, which is the length of a football field)? How were the mountains formed? How was man created? Did man evolve from ape-like creatures? What did the first men look like? Did they look like apes? Were they intelligent?

How can I answer these questions? How can I understand creation?

	How can I understand how a clock is made? I can go to a clock maker and see a clock being made! I can watch the different springs and gears and wheels being put together by the skilled clock maker. I know how that clock was made because I WAS THERE! I saw it happen!

How is a car made? an airplane? an ocean ship? I can visit the places where these are being built and see how they are made! I can watch them as they are built in factories and in shipyards by intelligent men!

How does your mother make a CAKE? To see how it is done you simply need to OBSERVE the cake-making process! Watch her do it! See for yourself, and before long you will be able to make a cake yourself!
 

How is a church building constructed? To find out all you need to do is look and see! You can watch the workmen as they break the ground and lay the foundation and erect the actual building. So I can easily learn how clocks, cars, airplanes, ships, cakes and buildings are made because 1) They are being made today 2) I can watch them being made. But when I try to learn about the creation of the sun, moon, stars, plants and animals, it is not so easy! I have two great problems: 1) Nothing is being created today! 2) I cannot observe creation because I was not there!

1) Nothing Is Being Created Today!

Creation took place thousands of years ago! We can read about God’s work of creation in two chapters in the book of Genesis: Genesis chapters ____ and ____. How long did God take to make the heavens and the earth and everything that is in them (Exodus 20:11; see also Genesis 1:31)? _____________________ After this time "the ________________ and the __________ were _____________" (Genesis 2:1). God has FINISHED His work of creation!

Today we cannot see things being created; we can only see things that have already been created. We can see GOD’S CREATION (Psalm 19:1) but we cannot see GOD CREATING. We can see the things that are made (Romans 1:20) but we cannot see things being made. We can see the CREATOR’S WORKS (Psalm 8:3,6) but we cannot see the CREATOR WORKING, because God has E____________ His ________ which He had made (Genesis 2:2) and because God has R______________ from all His ________ (Genesis 2:3). We can see the finished PRODUCT but we cannot see the creative PROCESS which brought it into existence. This is like seeing a finished CLOCK (product) without being able to see how the clock was MADE (process). I can go to a zoo and see a kangaroo, but I will never see a kangaroo being made!

I can watch kittens being born, but I will never see kittens being made! I can observe the expiration (death) of a mouse suddenly caught in a mousetrap, but I can never watch the creation of a mouse! It is possible to see a baby being born but it is impossible to see a person being created because this happened only once many thousands of years ago (Matthew 19:4).

There are three methods that God uses to bring a person into the world. Two of these are UNIQUE methods--they happened only once and will never happen again. One of these is a COMMON method--this is the way YOU came into the world! Here are God’s three methods:

Today it is possible to see people born by procreation but it is impossible to see people made by creation! Adam and Eve were created directly by God.

2) I Cannot Observe Creation

Several thousand years ago (about the time of Abraham), God asked JOB a very interesting question: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare [tell Me], if thou hast understanding" (Job 38:4). If God were to ask YOU this same question how would you answer?

To observe a clock being made, you must BE THERE.  You must see and witness the clock maker at work! To observe creation, you must BE THERE. You must see and witness the Creator at work!  Is this possible? _______

How can I learn about creation if I was not able to BE THERE when creation took place?

How can I learn who won the ball game if I was not able to BE THERE when the game was played? I must go to someone who WAS THERE, someone who SAW the game, someone who will tell me the TRUTH about what really took place on that ball field!

Likewise, if you really want to understand CREATION you must go to someone who was there. You must go to someone who SAW the creation of the universe, someone who was a WITNESS of all that happened during those six days and someone who will tell you the TRUTH about what really took place at that time. Thus, to learn about CREATION you must go to:

(circle the correct answer)

1. a scientist
2. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)--the father of the theory of evolution
3. your science teacher or biology teacher
4. your pastor
5. the One Person who WAS THERE (Genesis 1:1)

Thus, the only way to learn about Creation is to go to the CREATOR and LISTEN TO HIM, and HEAR WHAT HE SAYS about creation. When a person really LISTENS to what the CREATOR says, and when that person really BELIEVES what the CREATOR says, then this is called FAITH:

It is only BY FAITH that the CREATURE (man) can learn how the CREATOR CREATED!

This is not a blind faith (a foolish leap into the dark) but it is a living faith in a living and intelligent CREATOR (a wonderful leap into the light).

Those who do not listen to the CREATOR are called evolutionists. The evolutionists also operate BY FAITH. However, their faith is not in the Creator, but IN THEMSELVES (they think that they know more than the Creator). Instead of Hebrews 11:3, the evolutionists would say something like this:

By faith we understand that the worlds were not framed by the word of an almighty Creator, but they came about through natural (not supernatural) processes through millions of years (the god of the evolutionists needs lots of time), so that the plants and animals which are seen have been made from lifeless chemicals which evolved into simple one-celled organisms which evolved into more and more complex organisms (including whales, birds, reptiles, mammals, etc.) from which evolved certain ape-like creatures who after countless thousands of years finally evolved into men!! And through faith we believe that all this happened not by God, but by chance (by accidents of nature!).

If you want to believe this you can! But the Creationist (the person who believes in Creation) is not ashamed to put his faith in the CREATOR!

MY FAITH IS IN A CREATOR WHO IS:

OMNIPRESENT--When the heavens and the earth were created, HE WAS THERE (Genesis 1:1). Job was not there (Job 38:4)! The evolutionist was not there! The Creationist was not there! But God was! He was personally PRESENT to WITNESS all that took place. The Creator has been around longer then I have!

OMNISCIENT--God knows all! He has all the answers! When it comes to understanding creation, He is the EXPERT! The Creator knows more than I do! He is more intelligent than the most intelligent scientist the world has ever known! In fact, a wise scientist will realize that God knows more than he does!

OMNIPOTENT--The Creator is all-powerful! If your friend told you that he just jumped over a tall building, I am sure that you would not believe him! He does not have the power to do it! But if God tells you that all things were made by the word of the Lord (Psalm 33:6-9), then you can easily believe Him, because He has the power to do it! Consider the creation of man (Genesis 1:26-27): The evolutionist says that it took his god (the god of chance) 4,000,000,000 years (4 billion) to make man! Our God is an almighty God! It took Him one day!

FAITHFUL--You can always count on the Creator! He never lies (Tit. 1:2). He is never wrong! Scientists are often wrong. Scientists once believed that the earth was flat! They once believed that the earth was the center of the solar system! Even today science books need to be constantly changed and updated. The Creator’s Book never needs to be changed and it is always up-to-date! The Creator always speaks the truth! He never tries to fool us or deceive us! We can always trust His Word. Jesus Christ is not a deceiver! And Jesus Christ is not an evolutionist (Matthew 19:4). In fact, Jesus Christ is the CREATOR (Colossians 1:16)!!

It is sad, but true, that most scientists are evolutionists (they believe in evolution). Only a comparatively few number of scientists are creationists (they believe in creation), but it is also true that:

1. Most scientists are unsaved (Matthew 7:13-14).
2. Most scientists are blinded by Satan who is a liar and who does not want men to know the truth about the Creator (2 Cor. 4:4).
3. Most scientists do not understand the Bible because they do not have the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14; Jude 18-19).
4. Most scientists place doubt on God’s Word, even as Satan did in Genesis 3:1: "HATH GOD SAID?" The Creationist says, "THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HATH SPOKEN IT" (Isaiah 40:5).

Question: WHO WILL YOU LISTEN TO? WILL YOU LISTEN TO THE CREATOR or WILL YOU LISTEN TO "MOST SCIENTISTS"?

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased:
H_______ Y_____ H_______"

(Matthew 17:5)

Review of Chapter 3

Please answer TRUE or FALSE: