In the beginning, there was nothing, not a single thing, except God. God made light. This "light" should not be understood through the primary definition of "light" because "light," in its primary meaning, does not yet exist. There is no physical universe, no stars, no sun to provide "light" in its primary meaning. Consider a secondary definition of light: perception, cognition, illumination, not the luminosity of the physical universe, but something non-material. Consider something spiritual like thought. We all have a spiritual capacity to think, to perceive, to "catch on," to "see the light."
The first thing God created was the spiritual world, uncountable spiritual beings brought into existence out of nothing, having no mass, no size, occupying no space, suddenly appearing, and appearing before the physical universe was made. They came into existence fully potent: no infancy, childhood, adolescence like we experience. They were fully able, immediately, to perceive what God made: every spiritual being, all individuals, everything open, nothing hidden, each of them perceiving the whole harmonious spiritual world. They discovered things as things really are, true, because God is true, everything wonderful because God is full of wonders, everything lovable because God is love. God loves them all.
But there's more. God made each spirit a person. God granted each person autonomy, the ability to choose to love and serve, or to refuse and pursue their own ambition. What an honor: to be able to freely choose, without compulsion, what God offers. What a risk! being capable of rejecting what Gods offers and choose differently. That would lead to chaos. Because who, other than God, would know what should be chosen to keep what was made in complete harmony? Choosing against God would bring chaos, disorder, not the "light" that was omnipresent to begin with, but darkness, blind darkness, night.
In the beginning, that's what happened. God created "light," presenting each spirit with free will that each spirit might be a real person, not an automaton, a robot, a thing that appears conscious, but actually has no choice. Such a thing's not really "alive." It's not a person. Each free spirit chooses, and, with that choice, darkness can enter. God separated the darkness from light, and now the spirits are in two camps. One camp remained light, perfect harmony, perfect love, unending happiness and purpose. All are persons, free to choose, freely choosing to love and serve God. The other camp pursued their own ambitions, knowing full well that they are free persons. How can one choose wrong, if one isn't free? Free persons now out of harmony with God and everything God made. God separated that camp so that disharmony will not disturb the perfect expression of God's love among those who exist in light. This was the first act of creation.
Then God made the physical universe, and, with it, three-dimensional space and time, matter and energy. Who can say how long it took or how long ago it happened? It started at the beginning of time, when darkness was separated from light.
We humans start existence extremely small and develop slowly, so slowly that none of us can recall the events of our first few years, yet we know we were alive and active those first years even if we can't remember. We live, grow old and die, all in the matter of a hundred years at most, and, for many, far less.
Scientists say the physical universe began 13.7 billion years ago. What a long time that is for us who are locked in the dimension of time. I wonder how long it seems to God, who exists outside of time, or for the spiritual beings who were made before time and who, like the spiritual souls animating our bodies, will never cease to exist. I wonder how it seems to the spiritual beings of darkness, separated now from light, probably interacting with the physical universe, there to express their self-ambitions, their rebellion against the one who must be obeyed so that light can permeate everything.
How illustrating the "Big Bang" theory is. An unimaginably huge explosion from an infinitely small, infinitely dense, origin at the beginning of time, exploding and expanding with immense force and power, seemingly ordered but filled with chaos, collisions, explosions, perils at every quarter; and, for us, accidents, sickness, sadness, and physical death, for us and every other living, physical being.
This is not light. It is far closer to darkness than light. This physical universe is a long night of darkness. Do you realize that none of us can perceive God? Maybe some of us can realize that God must exist, but we have almost no perception of any details about God. We live all our days in darkness. It's almost the same with our knowledge of the physical universe. Of the immense vastness and intricate complexity of the physical universe, we know very little, far less than a fraction of one percent of all there is to know. Similar with each other. We know very little of what goes on in other person's hearts and souls, even within our own family, even within the children we've raised all through their formative years.
A far cry from those who dwell in light. For them, every thing is knowable. No thing is hidden, even the spiritual lives of others. For us here in the physical universe, every thing is barely perceived, and very little is agreed upon. Argument, conflict, disagreement, darkness confronts us on all sides.
Doesn't it seem possible that the spirits who chose against God would perceive, through the physical universe, the consequences of disharmony with God? It starts with the stars and planets, with the cataclysmic way the universe began: horrendous explosion, unimaginable temperatures, colliding bodies, matter forming stars, blowing up, condensing, colliding, forming planets, some re-igniting into new stars, continuing until our own day. It all seems ordered, but there's much chaos and uncertainty, ruin and sometimes destruction.
The same continued when living organisms appeared on our planet. Organisms seemingly ordered and in ecological balance, but, with these organisms, chaos and destruction reigns on an individual basis, especially with animals. Strong animals hunt down and devour weaker animals, in many cases their own offspring. Frightening as the animal world is with dinosaurs, for example, the insect world is even more brutal. Surely, intelligent persons ought to get the point that the physical universe mirrors the chaos that follows from choosing for self regardless of what God chooses.
Then human beings appeared, the first physical life forms able to think, to realize they exist, persons, really. Is it really true that the first human beings were enticed to disobey and do what God did not want them to do? Is it true that from that first disobedience, the human race plunged into the same darkness and disorder that the whole physical universe is in?
Interesting, if it's true! The knowledge of such information would have to be sustained by Divine Revelation for humans to remember it for so long. Just consider what is said. After the separation of darkness from light and the creation of the physical universe (who knows how long that took?), God created the first human beings. They were perfect: no sickness, no accidents, no sorrow. They were in harmony with all nature. They were told to fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over every living thing that moves upon the Earth. They were also given a simple test of obedience: don't eat the fruit of one tree. No special reason, just an opportunity to show they were willing to freely obey. The same opportunity that was given the angels, to demonstrate that, as free persons, without any compulsion, they would freely choose to obey. If every person chose to obey, all persons would dwell in the happiness and harmony that God provides.
The tradition passed down to us, most likely preserved by Divine Revelation, is that one of the fallen angels, the most powerful one, took the form of a snake and moved on the Earth. That would put that angel under the dominion of the first human beings, wouldn't it? No wonder the mandate was "subdue and rule over" everything that moves on the earth. It's no simple task for a human being to subdue and rule over a rebellious angel.
The first human beings were misled by the fallen angel and disobeyed God, and chaos came to them and all their offspring because we all, even today, possess the same genome, biological DNA, inheritable traits, that they had after they disobeyed. Enlightening story! They and the fallen angel, all three, were judged. Human beings from now on would experience nature opposed to them. Humans would have to provide for themselves. They would experience hardships and bodily death. Tough punishment! But they were offered a promise of redemption. It was much more severe for the fallen angel. "Because you have done this . . . I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your brood and hers. They shall strike at your head, and you shall strike at their heel.
"Now we have some explanation of what is going on. We are in a titanic struggle, we humans, against the spirits of darkness. God has decreed the impossible task that we will subdue and dominate them, have dominion over them and rule over them. If these stories really are preserved by Divine Revelation, our situation is further clarified when the very first human being (that we know of) is born in the natural way we are born. Cain was jealous of his brother and was sulking. God told Cain: "Why are you so angry and cast down? If you do well, you are accepted; if not, sin is a demon crouching at the door. It shall be eager for you, and you will be mastered by it." How would you feel if you heard God tell you that directly? Would you then murder your brother?
I believe these stories are true and are preserved by Divine Revelation. They are the only sources that allows one to make sense of this world. We are immersed in darkness, and our own sins make us so deeply immersed, we can't possibly bring ourselves out of it. The woman's seed is one of her descendants. That descendant will carry out the mandate to subdue and dominate. As Divine Revelation continued through the years, it becomes obvious that the woman's descendant will make remedy for all sin and will bring salvation to all who are repentant and want salvation. This Divine Revelation was preserved, and later ratified, through one race of people. Consider the situation with the vast majority of people who, within their races, did not preserve the traditions of what happened in the beginning. Their offspring have no idea of what is going on. Like us, they do not remember the first instant of their existence.
Whatever interaction the spirits of darkness previously had with the physical universe, these spirits now have to deal with persons, physical bodies with spiritual souls that do not automatically comply with whatever they are prodded to do. They question the prodding and are able to resist. They have minds of their own. Look at the misery the human race experiences, the aggression, hatred, wars, murders, people grabbing for themselves whatever they can take. Doesn't this mirror the darkness among spirits who refuse to obey? However, even with many thousands of years of human beings questioning their inspirations, the rebellion continues. So, a few thousand years ago, a Divine Revelation is made through Moses to the Israelites. They are given God's ordinances that must be obeyed even if free persons are not inclined to obey. Now a small beacon of light illumines the darkness.
Even so, the rebellion continues. So, in the fullness of time, the promised descendant of the first woman appears. He is the one who will carry out the mandate to subdue and dominate everything that moves on the earth. After 13.7 billion years, he appears. Surely this has to be the "End Times." How much more time should be given to those who, after observing the physical universe for billions of years, still refuse to obey? The promised descendant came with a "gospel." The original meaning of "gospel" was not "good" news, as we understand it today, but "good" in the sense that it is reliable. It is the official news that should not be doubted. It's not rumor or speculation. It's authentic! Roman magistrates used to send messengers ahead of them to tell the people whom they are going to visit what to expect when they arrive. Their "gospel" will dispel all doubt, so that persons will have no delusions when the magistrate arrives. The news is still "good" in that some persons will be glad to hear it, but, primarily, it is "good" because it is unerring.
The promised one came. His "good news" was and still is accepted by, but not by all. He set up a procedure to offer salvation to all who are willing, but many do not accept it. For two thousand years, persons have fought against it and are still trying to destroy it. If this revelation is true, how close can we be to the end of God's patience, to the end of time, to the end of all rebellion? At the end of time, as we know time, all persons will experience the final separation of darkness from light, we humans also. We humans too will be separated into children of light and children of darkness.
Doesn't this seem a more plausible explanation of the origin and purpose of the physical universe that the theories of evolution?
Maurice A. Williams
Author of
Apocalypse: Four Horsemen Three Woes
http://www.lulu.com/maurice-williams
http://www.geocities.com/mauricewms2003
Labels: Creation, Evolution, God, Revelation
posted by Maurice A. Williams @ 8:50 AM
0 comments
