Ask Mr Bible

Today there is much discussion and scientific research in regard to the origin (big bang?), size and shape of our universe.  Here is the Divine Author’s account:

A. Who created the universe?

1. According to David, the Father created all things.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psa. 19:1).

2. However, John declares the Son did it.  “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3-4).

3. Finally, in other passages, the Holy Spirit is said to have performed the initial act of creation.  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:1, 2).

4. What are we to believe?  The answer is, of course, that all three persons in the Trinity had a part.  As an illustration let us consider an important executive who determines to build a spacious and expensive home.  He, thus, employs an architect to design the necessary plans for this home.  The architect then secures a competent contractor to follow his blueprints.  In this illustration the executive is the Father, the architect is the Son, and the contractor is the Holy Spirit.  The following verses then refer to the work of this Divine Contractor.  “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth” (Psa. 104:30).  “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent” (Job 26:13).  “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job 33.4).

B. How vast is our universe?  It is so vast that it takes a beam of light (which travels some 700 million miles per hour) over 100,000 years just to cover the distance across our galaxy called the Milky Way.  But our galaxy is only one among many billions in the known universe.  To illustrate the size of our universe, consider the following examples:

1. Paper tack model

● Let us say the thickness of a sheet of paper represents the distance from the earth to the sun (some 93 million miles).
● To represent the distance to the nearest star we would need a stack of paper 71 feet high.
● To cover the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy would require a stack 310 miles high.
● To reach the edge of the known universe would demand a pile of paper sheets 31 million miles high.

2. Orange and grain of sand model

● Here an orange would represent the sun.
● A grain of sand is the earth, circling the orange at a distance of 30 feet.
● Pluto, the most remote planet in our solar system, is another grain of sand, circling the orange at ten city blocks away.
● Alpha Centauri, the nearest star, is 1,300 miles away from the orange.

C. How minute is our universe?  Simply stated, it is as unbelievably small as it is big.  Consider the following:

1. All material in the universe consists of atoms.  Atoms in turn are made up of three “building blocks,” which are protons, neutrons (which two go to make up the center of an atom called the nucleus), and electrons (which circle the nucleus as our earth does the sun).

2. On the tip of a ballpoint pen are so many atoms that if they were carried by an army, marching four abreast, an atom to a man, it would take over 20,000 years for a march-past.

3. It would take 25 trillion protons laid side by side to span a linear inch.

4. There are as many protons in a cubic inch of copper as there are drops of water in the oceans of the world or grains of sand on the seashores of our earth.

5. The size of an electron is to a dust speck as the dust speck is to the entire earth.

6. The space between an electron and the nucleus is 10,000 times as great as the size of that nucleus.  For example, if the outer shell of electrons in an atom were the size of the Houston Astrodome, the nucleus would be the size of a ping-pong ball in the center of that stadium.

There are exactly 1189 chapters in the English Bible.  I believe it can be rightly concluded that the first eleven of these chapters are some of the most important ones.  Certainly they comprise the foundation upon which the remaining 1178 securely rest.  The following attempts to offer a unique and (hopefully) useful overview of these Bible verses.

He stood up, spoke out, and sat down (1:1-2:3)

• The One who stood up was God.  The words He spoke out brought all things into existence.  Following this He sat down, for the work of creation was complete.

• All it required was six sovereign “Let there be” commands, and there was!
• But the divine language regarding the second part of the sixth command suddenly changes from “Let there be,” to “And God said, let us make man in our own image … and let them have dominion over all the earth.”  Thus, God’s final act was to create a TAKE CHARGE CREATURE MADE IN HIS OWN IMAGE!

A Somber Warning followed by a Sensational Wedding (2:4-25)

• The somber warning: Here was God’s tale of two trees which He invited Adam to partake of the tree of life, (and all other trees) but forbade eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

• The sensational wedding.  Following Adam’s naming of the animals the wedding took place.  It was not only history’s first, but the most unusual of all in that the groom gave birth to the bride he married!

“TRUST ME,” he said, “go ahead, you won’t die!”  So they did and they did!  (3:1-24)

What a tragic and shameful story we have here of deceit, disobedience, despair, and     spiritual death.  But the account concludes with God cleansing and clothing His erring         children, along with the promise of a future Savior who would do the same for all who       would accept it.  Just think of it—long before the star of Bethlehem, Christmas is       anticipated in the Garden of Eden!  Marvelous and mysterious are the ways of God.

A farmer and a shepherd: Why the first murdered the second (4:1-26)

The reason was tragically simple: the farmer (Cain) had offered God a bloodless sacrifice and his brother, the shepherd (Abel) had presented a blood offering.  The first was rejected by God, the second accepted by Him.  For this, the unrepentant Cain is driven from God and becomes the founder of a godless Cainite civilization.

History’s First Obituary Column, listing those who died and the one who did not (5:1-32)

·         Those who died: Eight names of the deceased ones (not counting Noah and his three sons) are listed, along with their age at death.  Among these eight was history’s oldest human being (before or after) Methuselah, whose final birthday celebration required 969 candles on his gigantic cake!

·         The one who did not die: speaking of Methuselah, the one who did an end run of death, the first to get out of this life alive, was his father, Enoch!

Why and How the Creator Destroyed His Creation: A tale of madness and mercy, of punishment and protection (6-8)

·         The madness:  In the days of Noah, gross sin and universal iniquity had reached the level that could not be tolerated a moment longer by a holy and righteous God.  

·         The mercy:  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (6:7, 8).

·         The punishment:  The divine method of destruction would entail no less than a global flood, meant to destroy all humans and animals with the exception of those gathered in a huge floating barge which Noah was commanded to build. 

·         The protection:  Exactly one week fter Noah and his family, along with a male and female of all animals (7 pairs of the clean ones) were safely aboard the Ark, the rains began to fall in Niagara-like torrents. 

A Sign in the Sky and a Sot in a Tent (9)

·         The sign:  A rainbow now appears as a reminder of God’s promise never to destroy the earth again by a global flood.  Question: Is there really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?  Spiritually speaking, in God’s case, the answer is YES, and that rainbow is the Redeemer who assures His own that they need never fear divine judgment of any kind!

     “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world

     through him might be saved” (Jn. 3:17).

·         The sot:  “And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent”

     (9:20, 21).

Descendants by the dozens!  What a family tree it was!  (10:1-31; 11:10-30)

·         There were three main branches extending from this tree, namely, the descendants of Noah’s three sons, Japheth, Ham, and Shem.

·         If you read the record closely it will reveal your lineage!                             

How, when, where, and why the Gate of God would become the City of Confusion (11:1-9)

• Following the flood some descendants of Noah’s three sons began construction of a tower and city on the fertile plains near the Euphrates River.  The city would be known as Babel. 

        The Gate of God!  But the God of Heaven viewed this as a wicked attempt rebellious      people to unify against Him.  Acting swiftly He stopped the project in its tracks by           confounding and confusing their common language, breaking it into many dialects.  Thus      was the meaning of Babel changed from Gate of God to City of Confusion.

Then Complete the Following Assignment:

List everything that God has ever done in the past, plus everything He is now doing at the present, and, finally, all He will do in the future!

Give up?  Impossible you say?  Not really.  In fact, not at all, for a well-informed Bible student could ace the test in about 30 seconds or less, depending on how fast he or she could write down two words:
C-R-E-A-T-I-O-N and R-E-D-E-M-P-T-I-O-N!

That’s right, this covers it all, past, present, and future.  In fact, God Himself has provided several reminders for us regarding these two all important works.  For example:

● There are nine sacred feasts in the book of Leviticus.  Three of these celebrate creation and the remaining six speak of redemption.

● In the book of Revelation we hear two great hymns of praise coming from heaven.  The first (Rev. 4) is the song thanking and praising God for His creative work, and the second (Rev. 5) for His redemptive work.

● Finally, consider the seven weekly days: Saturday is set aside commemorating His finished creation, and Sunday reminds us of His completed redemption!

And the bottom line?  He wants you today to thank Him for creating you in His own image, and in the fullness of time redeeming you by the blood of His Son!

How many false philosophies does the first verse in the Bible refute?

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

● It refutes atheism, for creation is the work of God’s hand.
● It refutes evolution, for the universe was created and did not evolve.
● It refutes materialism, for the universe did not always exist.
● It refutes polytheism, for there is only one God.
● It refutes pantheism, for God is apart from and independent of his creation.

When did the Holy Spirit first appear on earth? Many erroneously believe he originally came at Pentecost in Acts 2, but here he is seen at the very beginning of creation.

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).

However, a comparison may be seen between Gen. 1 and Acts 2: In Gen. 1 the Holy Spirit is seen hovering over the waters, infusing it with life and energy. In Acts 2 He did the same with the 120 believers assembled in Jerusalem.

Who created the universe?

● According to David, the Father created all things.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psa. 19:1).

● However, John declared the Son did it.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3-4).

● Finally, in other passages, the Holy Spirit is said to have performed the initial act of creation. What are we to believe? The answer is, of course, that all three persons in the Trinity had a part. As an illustration let us consider an important executive who determines to build a spacious and expensive home. He, thus, employs an architect to design the necessary plans for this home. The architect then secures a competent contractor to follow his blueprints. In this illustration the executive is the Father, the architect is the Son, and the contractor is the Holy Spirit. The following verses, then, refer to the work of this Divine Contractor.

“Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth” (Psa. 104:30).

“The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job 33:4).

How many heavens are there? The word heaven in Gen. 1:1 is plural in the Hebrew. Actually there are three heavens mentioned in the Bible and in the beginning God created all three.

● First heaven: home of the birds and clouds—“The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it” (Dan. 4:12).

“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matt. 6:26).

● Second heaven: home of the sun, moon, and stars—“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psa. 19:1).

● Third heaven: home of the angels and departed saints—“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).

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