Some of the questions to be addressed include:
- What are the primary components God created in the universe? By components I mean realms, beings, important things/places. Visible and invisible.
- What Biblical names and roles are associated with each component?
- What metaphors, imagery and symbolism does God use to communicate the reality of the universe so that all people (ancient and modern) can comprehend it? It is assumed this language transcends civilizations, cultures and empirical knowledge (pre-scientific vs. now).
- How are the various components of the universe structured and related to each other?
- Which beings/things inhabit each realm? What movement or relocation from one realm to other realms exists?
- What components of the universe have changed or will change over time and how?
- Where do we fit in? What is our place and purpose in the cosmos?
A structural overview diagram is provided to help visualize the topics being discussed. The link to it is: https://blog.burningthrone.org/2019/08/biblical-cosmography.html
Some Biblical Terminology for Universe
The Hebrews, who God used to write the Old Testament, did not have any word to represent the universe as an integrated whole. When they wanted to speak about all of creation they would use the following:- "the heavens and earth"
- this can be a merism which is a phrase by which an entirety is referred to by naming some of its parts
- similar to saying "head to toe" in English
- may include everything from the highest heaven where God dwells to the lowest parts of the earth (the underworld), and everything in between
- example: Gen. 1:1; Psalm 115:15; Isaiah 37:16
- "the all / the whole"
- Hebrew hakkol or without the article kol
- context determines the scope of the meaning
- example: Jer 10:16; Psalm 103:19; Isaiah 44:24
- "the all things"
- Greek "ta panta"
- context determines the scope of the meaning
- example: Rom 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 Cor. 15:28; Eph. 3:9; Col 1:16; Heb. 2:10; Rev. 4:11
- "the world"
- Greek "kosmos" from which we get our English word cosmos
- an ordered arrangement of things
- context determines the scope of the meaning
- example: Mat. 24:21; John 17:5; Acts 17:24; Rom. 1:20; Eph. 1:4
- "heaven and earth"
- Jesus and His earliest followers who wrote the New Testament had a Jewish background so adopted "hebraisms" found in the Hebrew Scriptures.
- example: Mat. 5:18; Mark 13:31; Luke 10:21
Before Creation of the Universe, There Was God
God existed prior to creation. He alone is uncreated.In the beginning God...
Genesis 1:1 (NASB)
Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalm 90:2 (NASB)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (NASB)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8 (NASB)
The Method of Creation - Divine Speech
Creation was initiated by divine fiat. God spoke, and then it came to be.The word "fiat" is Latin for "let it be done." A fiat is an authoritative command to do something.
God, as King over all, issued creational decrees by speaking forth the commands. In response to the authoritative speech, the making and forming began until the command was fulfilled.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host...
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
Psalm 33:6, 9 (NASB)
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.
Hebrews 11:3 (NIV)
Then God said, "Let there be light..."
Then God said, "Let there be an expanse..."
Then God said, "Let the waters... be gathered..."
Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation..."
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of heaven..."
Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures..."
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures..."
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image..."
Genesis 1:3-26 (NASB)
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.
Psalm 148:1–6 (NASB)
God Created All Things Visible and Invisible
The Bible tells us that God (through Christ) created all things, visible and invisible. Apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.We must begin here if we wish to learn the picture of the universe as the Bible paints it.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 (NASB)
All things (Gr. panta) came into being through Him (Christ), and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:3 (NASB)
I, the LORD (Yahweh), am the maker of all things (Heb. kol),
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth all alone.
Isaiah 44:24 (NASB)
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the LORD (Yahweh) his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all (Heb. kol) that is in them.
Psalm 146:5–6 (NASB)
The God who made the world (Gr. kosmos) and all things (Gr. ta panta) in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Acts 17:24 (NASB)
For by Him (Christ) all things (Gr. ta panta) were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible...
Colossians 1:16 (NASB)
God's Fingerprints Are On Creation
The Bible doesn't attempt to prove God's existence, or His role as Creator. It simply proclaims the truth about it with beauty and authority, and tells us that the evidence is right in front of our eyes... the creation itself.It's as if God is saying to us, "My work speaks for itself... you shouldn't need any other proofs."
The Bible declares that all people are intuitively aware at some level of a Creator God by observing the created cosmos He made around them.
Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made.This is because God has left His fingerprints all over creation. This makes sense when we consider that Scripture refers to creation as the work of "His hands." Hands leave fingerprints.
Romans 1:20 (NASB)
The creation witnesses to its creator because it has the imprint of God's hands and fingers upon it.
Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together.We are told that God makes this type knowledge of Himself evident to every person. He has taken the initiative at self revelation, and has implanted this basic understanding within each of our hearts and minds.
Isaiah 48:13 (NASB)
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained...
Psalm 8:3 (NASB)
That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Romans 1:19 (NASB)
Two Books - Nature and Scripture
Galileo, the famous Christian astronomer and physicist (also called the father of modern science), was convinced that God has given humanity two great books, the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture. Both of these books have the same divine author and teach us about Him:- The Book of Nature teaches us of the existence, glory and power of God, prompting us to seek Him to find out more
- The Book of Scripture (Hebrew and Christian Bible) reveals more fully God's character and His redemptive acts on our behalf so that we may know Him personally, follow His instruction, and experience His covenantal love and salvation
Power, life force, and energy are not to be worshiped. They exist because of "the Almighty" (Rev. 19:6) who "alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light" (1 Tim. 6:16). Power belongs to God (Psalm 62:11) and His Christ (Psalms 2).
This is where pantheistic / Eastern and "new age" religions get it confused. These "life forces" exist within creation, but are there because "the Living God" (Jer. 10:10) created all living things. Creation and Creator are not to be conflated as one and the same. God exists within Himself outside of His creation (His transcendence) but has chosen to dwell and interact within creation (His immanence). Creation depends upon its Creator for its continual existence.
God is personal... not an impersonal life force. He thinks, speaks, hears, sees and loves. And He is moral, with a value system of right and wrong. The patriarch Abraham calls Him the "Judge of all the earth" (Gen. 18:25).
Creation is wonderful and awesome. But we must worship the Creator, not the things created.
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.The Book of Nature is valuable but it only gives us limited knowledge of the Creator. It reveals the glory and power of God but not His heart, His grace, His sacrificial love, His ways. We need more than nature to instruct and guide us.
1 Chronicles 29:11 (NIV)
To reveal Him more fully we need the Book of Scripture, which records the words of God and His prophets in the Hebrew Writings (Old Testament).
Christian Scripture also includes the New Testament "gospels" which record the words, works, death and resurrection of Jesus "the Beloved" son of God, the Messiah of Israel. And it includes the acts of Jesus' apostles, and their letters to the churches.
Jesus (Hebrew "Joshua"; the name means "Yahweh Saves") is the fullest revelation to us of the heart of God the Father, and He is the one who died and rose again to save us from our sins (Heb. 1:1-3).
The Skies Will Not Be Quiet
King David, who as a shepherd in his youth spent many nights outside under the open sky, writes in Psalm 19 that nature, particularly the heavens, "pours forth speech" of a glorious God.This non-verbal communication from the skies is ongoing, nonstop, every day and night, year after year. The language spoken is said to be universally heard and understood throughout the earth:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.It is no wonder we feel somehow close to God when we gaze upon the Milky Way galaxy on a clear night away from city lights, or when we experience a beautiful sunset over the mountains, or behold a rainbow after a thunderstorm.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1–4 (NIV)
This is by design of our Creator.
If this is the case, then why are there so many people who refuse to believe in a creator God, and choose to embrace other explanations of the universe which omit any reference to a Creator? The Bible tells us why...
Suppression of Evidence
Instead of honoring and thanking the powerful, artistic God of creation, the Bible informs us that we may choose to suppress and ignore the evidence He has provided, believing ourselves to be wise and intelligent in promoting other theories which leave no room for a majestic creator.If we suppress the truth this way, the Bible doesn't mince words... it calls us "fools" with "darkened hearts," chasing after "futile speculations." And it says God will hold us accountable for our choice. Ignoring what God considers "clear" and "evident" will leave us without excuse before Him.
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”Let us not suppress the truth which God has said He has made evident to us.
Psalm 14:1 (NASB)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.
Romans 1:18–22 (NASB)
Faith and Reason
To summarize: God exists before creation, He created all things by His word, His creation witnesses to His existence and power, and He warns us not to become fools by suppressing this evidence.We may have honest questions about an invisible God and how He created all things. This is a common experience for us who live in a postmodern, pluralistic, scientific age. God knows and understands our need for heart and mind to align.
We should realize that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive. However, one must be master and the other its servant.
If we will take a humble posture of faith in an all-wise, Creator God, and allow our minds to be informed by His written word, and our hearts instructed by His holy Spirit, we will find in Him all that we need: heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).
To be continued
Prayer: To Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, we fall down in worship to You. Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created. (Rev. 4:11) Amen.
Published 9/4/2019 Last Updated 9/30/2019