Chapter 11

Birth of a World

All around, for vast distances, can be seen island universes. 100 million of these galactic nebulae are within reach of our present telescope lenses. And each island universe contains perhaps 200 quadrillion immense suns—stars.

Circling each of these stars there are probably planets, and some of them will be inhabited. We know this, for Scripture tells us that God creates with a purpose: He creates that there might be inhabitants (Isaiah 45: 18).

Countless millions of people love God and obey Him throughout the vast depths of space. Keep this thought in mind as you trace your path through this present life. It you love God and are trying to obey Him, you are on the side of the majority.

Scriptural records indicate that it was about 6,000 years ago, that a new world was created—ours!

The day came when the inhabitants of all those earths paused to watch God make an entire world and everything in it. And what they saw took place within a single week.

Here are the first words of holy Scripture: "In the beginning God created the heavens 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.

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 1:1-5.

And reading further, we find that on each successive day more things were made. We are told repeatedly that each day was composed of the night and the day portion, each was one twenty-four-hour day, as we would call it.

How did God make everything in one week? If you and I wanted to make something, we would form it out of something already in existence. But God made this world and everything in it—out of nothing! Scripture tells us that He simply spake it into existence.

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and I all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."  Psalm 33:6-9.

God made this world for you and me. He made it to be inhabited. "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited." Isaiah 45:18.

God the Father made this world—and everything else—through God the Son:

"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." John 1:3. "For by Him [the Son] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible. .all things were created by Him and for Him." Colossians 1: 16. "God ..hath ..spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." Hebrews 1:1-2.

And God, who made all things by His word, sustains it by His word.

"Upholding all things by the word of His power." Hebrews 1:3. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being." Acts 17:28.

Never forget that there is power in everything that God says. By the enabling grace of Christ,—listen to those words, think about those words, and obey those words—and you will inherit eternal life. .

The Creation of this world reveals the massive immensity of God's power. It also reveals the fathomless depths of His love.

"As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth's rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. There were no loathsome swamps or barren deserts. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proudest palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God. E. G.. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 44.

God made this beautiful world in six literal days, and at its close gave mankind the Seventh-day Sabbath. Wisely, He knew that if we were to forget Him and His Creatorship, we would turn this world into a hell.

Why is it so important that we remember our Creator?—Because it is our Creator—alone—who is to be worshiped. Only the One who made us is our God; only He is to be bowed down before and given our heart's deepest devotion.

Never underestimate the Bible Sabbath. You need it and everyone else does also. A people that knowingly leaves the Sabbath will always leave the God of the Sabbath. All true worship of God is based on Sabbathkeeping.

On the Sixth Day of Creation Week, God made the land animals and man. Then, on the Seventh Day He rested. And that day He did something else: He blessed that last day in the weekly cycle and hallowed or dedicated it for mankind to sacredly observe thereafter.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the Seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the Seventh day from all His work which He had made.

"And God blessed the Seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made."Genesis 2:1-3. 

This is God's own day—the day of the Lord—the Lord's Day—given to mankind to worship Him upon.

We have just learned that Jesus Christ created all things (Col 1:16; Jn 1:3; Heb 1:1-3). He calls Himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8; Mk 2:28). It is His day: the Lord's Day. He calls it, "My holy day" in Isaiah 58: 13, and He not only wants us to keep it, but to restore it in the hearts and lives of those around us who may have forgotten it:

"And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places. Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, not speaking thine own words;

"Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isaiah 58: 12-14.

Jesus made the Seventh-day Sabbath for man—all mankind—2000 years before the first Jew, Abraham, was born. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, and if, as sincere followers of Christ, we would keep the Lord's Day, we must rest from our labors on the Seventh-day Sabbath and worship Him on that day.

“And He said unto Them, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27.

2500 years after this world was created and the Bible Sabbath was first given to mankind—the Moral Law of God was written down for the first time.

Some people think that there was no moral code for people before it was written down on Mount Sinai. But this is not true. If there were no Ten Commandments before that time, then it would have been all right for Cain to kill Abel. But it is clear from Genesis 4 that it was not right for him to do this. Can you imagine a parent bringing a child into the world—and then raising him without teaching him any moral standards? It would not be a very good parent who would do such a thing. And our Father, the God of heaven, is a good parent. We can know that He immediately explained the principles of morality to Adam and Eve.

And then, 2500 years after giving them the Seventh-day Sabbath, He wrote it on the most enduring thing in the world—rock.