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Introduction |
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In meditating on God it becomes
clear that the entire scriptures are
a collection of the unveilings of
God. We use the word
“manifestations” because without
divine revelation there would be no
knowledge about creation, the future
and the need for salvation etc. Man
can never know God, for there is a
difference between knowing about God
and knowing Him. God gave Solomon
great wisdom and his recording is,
“He hath made every thing beautiful
in his time: also he hath set the
world in their heart, so that no man
can find out the work that God
maketh from the beginning to the
end” (Ecc. 3:11). Job asks the
questions to the intellectualists of
his day and it is the same
today, “Canst thou by searching find
out God? canst thou find out the
Almighty unto perfection? (Job
11:7). |
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a) |
A famous atheist was asked, “Where
does matter come from?” and the
answer was astounding. It was, “I
do not know.” Those who believe the
scriptures to be the inspired word
of the living God know where it
comes from because He has revealed
it. |
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Every title, name, or activity is a
manifestation of Himself, but the
richest fullest manifestation is our
Lord Jesus Christ. He alone could
say, “He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father” (Jn. 14:9). When the
Lord said He had seen the Father, it
is much more than seeing visibly, it
means to see Him in the loveliness
of His actions, reactions,
sympathies, grace, and moral
integrity.
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Genesis 1:1
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In the first verse of Genesis there
is given the first manifestation of
God, “In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1). |
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a) |
What did He bring into existence but
not mentioned? The following are a
few of them: |
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i) |
The law of centrifugal energy |
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ii) |
The law of magnetism |
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iii) |
The law of gravity |
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iv) |
The law of vibration |
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v) |
The law of cause and effect |
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vi) |
The celestial hosts and the
celestial government |
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b) |
What He did not bring into
existence? |
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i) |
The 2nd law of thermodynamics, that
a result of sin |
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ii) |
Sin |
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c) |
What can we learn about God in this
verse? |
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i) |
He is the exclusive creator of all. |
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ii) |
He had the wisdom, knowledge and
understanding to create everything
perfect the first time. |
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iii) |
Since He alone is true and was there
at creation, He is pleased to reveal
to humanity of how and by what order
it occurred. |
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d) |
He did reveal |
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i) |
The order itself so He is the
communicating God. |
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ii) |
In the providing of light before the
sun and moon indicates He is not
locked into natural creation. He
operates outside of the natural,
illustrated by: |
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1. |
The Sun going backwards |
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a) |
“Behold, I will bring again the
shadow of the degrees, which is gone
down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten
degrees backward. So the sun
returned ten degrees, by which
degrees it was gone down” (Isa.
38:8). |
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b) |
The supernatural darkness at Calvary
(Matt. 27:45; Lk. 23:44). |
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c) |
The darkness in Egypt, “And Moses
stretched forth his hand toward
heaven; and there was a thick
darkness in all the land of Egypt
three days” (Ex. 10:22). |
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d) |
The moon standing still, “And the
sun stood still, and the moon
stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is
not this written in the book of
Jasher? So the sun stood still in
the midst of heaven, and hasted not
to go down about a whole day” (Josh.
10:13). |
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2. |
Sun and moon standing still |
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a) |
“The sun and moon stood still in
their habitation: at the light of
thine arrows they went, and at the
shining of thy glittering spear” (Hab.
3:11). |
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iii) |
He is the God of Distinctiveness.
The heaven and earth were created by
Him but are not part of Him or He
part of the creation. |
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iv) |
He is the God of Supremacy. He is
above all creation and has placed
man as the highest form of life on
the earth. |
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v) |
He is the God of Authority. He
spoke and named, He saw and
described, He set and perfectly
placed size, distance and effect.
All creation depends on Him. |
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vi) |
He is the God of Successive
complexity. Each creative act was
more complex than the other,
requiring different breathing
methods, fish via gills, land
animals by nose or mouth, different
to act naturally, and untaught,
ducks to water, birds to air. |
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vii) |
He is the God of wisdom, knowledge,
understanding, i.e. of how birds
etc. interact in creation. |
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viii) |
He is the God of orderliness. In
the first three days God laid the
foundations and in the second three
days He filled with life forms and
non life forms. |
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e) |
Who |
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i) |
It is not until Genesis 2:4 that
another title is used of God, not in
replacing the first, but in adding
another truth about God. |
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ii) |
In the first creation narrative
(Gen. 1:1-2:3) there are 32
references to God; God created, four
references; God said, eight
references; God saw, seven
references; God made, three
references; It was so, six
references. |
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iii) |
In Genesis 2:4, there is an abrupt
change, it reads: “These are the
generations of the heavens and of
the earth when they were created, in
the day that the LORD God
made the earth and the heavens”.
For the balance of the second
creation narrative (ch. 2:4-4:26)
that is repeated another 18 times.
By the inclusion of LORD there is
brought in the truth of morality and
man’s acceptance of the good and
perfect will of God or the
consequences for disobedience and
defying God. |
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1. |
Therefore, in the first two
narratives God is manifested as
having all power and being the Moral
Absolute of the universe. |
Concluding Comments
What a dark day it was when Adam
partook of the fruit of the tree,
when he rejected his
responsibilities and let a woman
take the lead, and led humanity into
Godless insolence against God
instead of fearing Him, and set
aside His moral principles for
living.
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. . . . Rowan Jennings |
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