I would like for you to take a moment to think about, well, nothing. Imagine you don't exist, neither do your friends, family, home, planet, sky, or even heaven. It used to be that way. There was just God. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He-they-were complete, sharing thoughts, each others' company. Then, as the Bible describes in one little sentence, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." God had decided to invent, well, inventing! There was absolutely nothing at all except God, and he decided to invent dirt. Air. Dark. Light. Life. Impossibly invisible particles and vast galaxies, all made from the same raw material-all made from nothing. God even invented time itself! From an unimaginable beginning, we have what you see today. As the saying goes, anyone can count how many apples are in a tree, but only God knows how many trees are in an apple!
In an 'apple' in a garden was the power to live forever, but God also trusted his plan enough to include an 'apple' that would bring death-and the opportunity to choose. With God's love for us, he gave us freedom to choose not to return his love. With one bite of that apple, death and decay and sin entered the world. The clock has been winding down ever since.
A few observations: we used to be able to live forever, eating fruit and walking with God. Sin, decay and death brought huge changes-such that God destroyed all life in a flood and started over. Suddenly living things could eat each other. It is beyond all comprehension what life must have been like originally-the very laws of physics were different; maybe light was faster, gravity stronger. Perhaps friction and radioactive decay and corrosion and rot didn't occur, nothing was poisonous or had fangs. No disease, no fatal injuries. Evil itself wasn't allowed to run the world; there was just one snake in the grass. The pervasive destruction of the flood has utterly and fundamentally changed the oceans, land, and sky in unimaginable ways, leading rapidly to much shorter lifespans.
There were a few promising signs. Enoch and Elijah never died. Many were raised from the dead and healed of diseases. Other miracles appeared. God promised that the seed of the woman would be victorious over the serpent, meaning Christ over the devil. When Christ died, many righteous people were resurrected.
A few exciting things are still to come! Many more people will never die, joined by many more resurrected people who will ascend into heaven. Jesus will come back. God will fundamentally change the universe again, back to perfection, and there will be a new heavens and a new earth, renovated by fire.
I am deeply moved to worship my Creator. From nothing he created it all, the huge from the invisible. The dying from the living, and life from death. He will fix all we've wrecked. More importantly, he created this whole plan with us in mind because he loves us with an everlasting love and will grant the willing the opportunity to live in his presence forever!
The following verses were my material for this essay. Read on; you'll find some amazing supernatural occurrences and inspiration to worship!
Hebrews 1:1-3 KJV: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, ...."
Heb 1:3 NIV84: "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."
Genesis 2:9: "The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
3:15 KJV: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Genesis 9:3: " Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
GE 5:23: "Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."
2 Kings 2:11: "As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind."
MT 27: 50: "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son[e] of God!”
2 Peter 3:3: "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Revelation 21:1 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[a]
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation,...."
1 Thessalonians 4:15: " According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words."
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