“In the beginning, God created”— these five words form the premise of the entire scriptural narrative. They explain foundational truths that we hold as self-evident and infallible.

If we were to ask Gabriel concerning the conception of creation, how would he begin to explain those events which transpired over 6 millennia ago? Would his voice crack with emotion as he began to explain the unexplainable? The 1st day was like no other, instantly there was light; no, not the sun or moon, they were created on day four. No, not these, but the natural laws that make light (any light) possible. It was this primitive light which divided the evening and morning of the first day. The 2nd and 3rd days God divided the heavens, and the seas causing dry land to appear, all vegetation and seeds which produce after their kind were also created on day three. The 4th day God called the stars into being, as a Shepherd calls his sheep. He called Arcturus with his sons; Orion and the Pleiades, along with Mazzaroth in his season. after these, a greater light was fixed in its place to rule the day, with the moon as his helper. On the 5th day, the beat of wings and the song of whales could be heard. The 6th day all terrestrial life was created, the cattle and beasts of the field after their kind, and it was very good. Not yet satisfied in spite of all of this God said, “Let us make man in our image” and they will rule over this, which I have created. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” On the 7th day God rested from all His labors.

All are gifts, not given by right, but by grace; a starry sky, the oxygen man breathes, the fruit men eat, the water they drink, the consistency of the seasons; all serve as reminders of the goodness of God, not just of His goodness but also of His power. James underscored the thought in 1:16-17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Currently in Geneva, Switzerland, work is progressing on a very large 17 mile particle accelerator. The facility is part of a complex at the CERN research complex. CERN is a by name for the European Organization for Nuclear research. It was established for the purpose of collaborative (international) research into high energy particle physics. Construction began in the year 2000 and is nearing completion.

The intent is to create an accelerator large enough to send the constituent particles of atoms at enormous velocities (energy) around the accelerator and then guide the particles into a head-on collision. The particles would then be destroyed, allowing the latent energy to be reorganized, with the intent of creating the primitive conditions present during the big bang (so they think anyway), that they might observe the hitherto unobservable.

One particle of special interest is the Higgs particle. It is named after the scientist Peter Higgs, who in 1964 published a paper stating his belief in an elemental particle, nicknamed the “god particle,” due to the belief that it is this particle which imparts mass to all others particles.

A friend recently commented about CERN saying the project “is a total refutation that any ‘big bang’ could have happened with no brains, no machine, no cost and no one involved in some soupy mist 15 billion years ago.”

These scientists do not fully understand the nature of subatomic particles (I, even less); that is irrelevant. regardless of what the scientists learn or do not learn about subatomic particles, it will not change the fact that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” and it is He who is continuing to uphold “all things by the word of his power” (Heb 1:3).

Man may yet learn even more about God’s marvelous creation, all the while ignoring the possibility that it was created by Him and for Him. as they attempt to understand creation from an evolutionary perspective, their assumptions about origins lead them to believe complexity is the end of a long chain of simplicity. It is this sort of science that Paul warned Timothy to avoid in 1 Timothy 6:20, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”

As Romans 1 declares, professing themselves wise they have became fools, and as fools are treading the path of reprobation (a useless and corrupted mind). They are deceived. Deception is such a cold and unyielding word. The saddest awareness must come as one understands the full meaning of the word—to be wrong and not know it! While it is true that some may be deceived through a lack of knowledge, it is also true that many (maybe most) are deceived due to a rejection of knowledge! “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 3:7). Of nature’s witness they are willingly ignorant.

As we allow the seed of God’s Word to find lodging in our hearts, it will flower and bloom into a blessing, sweetly suited for both us, and others. And as we do so, we will find a safe haven from the beguiling deception that only seems to be on the increase in these last days. May we be lovers of truth, not willing to turn to the left hand or the right; but “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Ps 19:14). according to the psalmist, we may say with conviction that in all the world there is no people, no nation, or tongue which cannot understand this message which clearly speaks to the honor of God; for this reason those who reject God are without excuse. as Paul did just over 1,000 years later, the Psalmist proclaimed the glory of God through the message of creation. That message continues to speak yet today.

The diversity and scale of the universe is nearly beyond imagination, much less description. For example, consider some of the truly tiny participants in the message. I understand (although I shudder to think of it) that our bodies are a biosphere themselves. The smallest of animals and microbes find residence there. They live, reproduce, and die, all without our awareness. I find myself struggling to comprehend the smallness of atoms. All atoms are approximately the same size, whether they have three or 90 electrons, 50,000,000 atoms of solid matter lined up in a row would measure one centimeter (0.4 inch). The atom serves as the building block of all compounds. Although I have never seen one individually, as a collective body they make up everything we can see, touch or smell. From the Jell-O we eat to the concrete we walk upon, all are alive with their ceaseless motion. At its core, an atom has protons and neutrons, with electrons orbiting this nucleus. Due to the electrical attraction they share, they are drawn to one another; but the velocity of the electrons prevents them from combining with the nucleus itself. The atom is invisible to the eye yet is made up mostly of empty space. If the nucleus of protons and neutrons were the size of a marble placed in the center of a football field the electrons would orbit on the field’s outer limits.

Even at this tiny level, these, the smallest of God’s creation harmonize, singing the message that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Not only from the smallest, but also to the biggest, their message is understood. consider the vast distances represented by those pinpricks of light in a dark sky. Our sun is by no means close, yet relatively speaking it is a close neighbor. If the thickness of a piece of paper were to represent the distance from the earth to the sun (93 million miles), the distance to the nearest star would be an incredible stack of paper 71 feet high. Using the previous analogy, if the earth were scaled down to the size of a one-inch marble, the nearest star (excluding our sun) would need to be placed 51,000 miles away. are these calculations exact? Of course not. This side of eternity we will never know the width and breadth of the heavens; but the distances are to the order of the scales used, even if they are not exact themselves. all of the necessary conditions that make this possible God created on days one through four of the creation week.

Do all these things just happen by chance? No, it is Jesus who not only created all things but is presently “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Heb.1).

One must wonder why God bothers? It was in the counsels of our Triune God that it was agreed to make man in God’s image, for the purpose of fellowship. Was it not He (God) who first loved us that we might then also love Him? as Paul explained to the church at Colosse in Colossians 1:16, “all things were created by him, and for him.” It is a peculiar (a special) people whom He desires. a people which His Spirit can fellowship with in spirit and truth—as Enoch who walked with God, as Abraham who was the friend of God, and as David who was a man after God’s own heart!

The earth sits as a jewel among the constellations and planets, uniquely suited to provide a haven for a vulnerable people. amidst the great vastness and hostility of space, God has made it possible that man may live. He created all things for His honor. Does that make Him selfish? Perhaps it would, had the motive been anything less than what it was, and that was love. May we with gladness give all honor and praise to its rightful owner, our creator God.

We maintain thankfulness by understanding that we do not deserve these blessings. They are “gifts of God;” there is nothing that we could do that would then obligate God to bless us as He has. But there is much that we may do that will make Him glad that He does so. as David said in Ps 119:68, “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.”
~Elizabethtown, PA