Everything that exists has an origin and a beginning. According to Solomonia, the mother of the seven Maccabean martyrs, God created everything out of nothing.
I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and the Earth, and all that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise. (II Macc. 7:28)
God created a vast universe out of nothing. Photo courtesy: NASA
Imagine for a moment. Everything that you see and hear was originally nothing. There was no matter. There was no energy. There were no angels. There were no people. There were no plants and animals. Before God began His act of creation, there was God only. Out of nothing, He created everything. He did not create everything out of Himself. Otherwise, everything would be God and there would be no need for Him to give us this prohibition in Exodus:
Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the Heaven above, and whatever are in the Earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the Earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation to them that hate me, and bestowing mercy on them that love me to thousands of them, and on them that keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6, LXX)
If everything is God, then anyone who worships an idol would be worshipping God out of whom everything is made. Everything is not God, though. God made nothing out of Himself. He made everything out of nothing. Therefore, it is wrong to worship created things.
In the Wisdom of Solomon, it says that God loves everything that He made.
For Thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made: for never wouldest Thou have made any thing, if Thou hadst hated it. (Wisdom 11:24)
God is love. (I John 4:8) Therefore, God created things to be loved and not to be hated. God never would have created anything that He would hate. He only created things that He loves.
Closely in line with this thinking is that of St. Paul. St. Paul said that God created everything for Himself.
For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him. (Col. 1:16)
St. John the Theologian said that everything that exists exists because God wants it to exist.
You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. (Rev. 4:11, NKJV)
God loves everything that He has made. He wants it to exist. He created everything for Himself to be objects of His love. One of the other reasons for creation is existence. Just as God exists, so He desires that His creation have existence. In the Wisdom of Solomon, it says:
For He created all things, that they might have their being. (Wisdom 1:14)
One of the physical laws of the universe is the law of the conservation of matter and energy. According to this law, nothing ever really ceases to exist. It simply exists in one form or another. Matter can be recombined into form other chemical substances, but matter never ceases to exist. Energy, likewise, can be used, but it is never permanently expended. It is converted into other forms of energy or else it lies dormant as residual energy. Matter can be changed into energy. Energy can be changed into matter. Nowhere in the universe, according to this law, is there a permanent loss of this matter-energy substance.
So, God never had in mind the permanent annihilation of anything that He created. He wants things to continue to exist.
In the Book of Ecclesiasticus, it says:
The sun that giveth light looketh upon all things, and the work thereof is full of the glory of the Lord. The Lord hath not given power to the saints to declare all his marvellous works, which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, that whatsoever is might be established for His glory. (Ecclesiasticus 42:16,17)
Notice that it says "that whatsoever is might be established for His glory." (Ecclesiasticus 42:17) God created everything for His glory. In the 18th Psalm, it says:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. (Psalm 18:1, LXX)
In the 96th Psalm, it says:
The heavens have declared His righteousness, and all the people have seen His glory. (Psalm 96:6, LXX)
We can behold God's glory in His creation. In Isaiah, it says:
And one cried to the other, and they said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole Earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:3, LXX)
The whole Earth is full of God's glory and will continue to be filled with His glory. In the 71st Psalm, it says that the Earth shall be filled with His glory.
And blessed is His glorious name for ever, even for ever and ever: and all the Earth shall be filled with His glory. (Psalm 71:19, LXX)
The Psalmist is using the future tense. In the 103rd Psalm, it says that God's glory is forever.
Let the glory of the Lord be for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in His works (Psalm 103:31, LXX)
God's glory is eternal because God Himself is eternal. God will be glorified in His creation. Also, in this same verse, it says that "the Lord shall rejoice in His works." As we have already seen, the Divine Scriptures teach that God did not create anything to be hated. He created everything to be loved by Him. (Wisdom 11:24) He, therefore, rejoices in His works (that is, His creation). He enjoys what He has made.
In some future blogs, I will write about the creation of intelligent life — namely, angels and men.
Steve
I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and the Earth, and all that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise. (II Macc. 7:28)
God created a vast universe out of nothing. Photo courtesy: NASA
Imagine for a moment. Everything that you see and hear was originally nothing. There was no matter. There was no energy. There were no angels. There were no people. There were no plants and animals. Before God began His act of creation, there was God only. Out of nothing, He created everything. He did not create everything out of Himself. Otherwise, everything would be God and there would be no need for Him to give us this prohibition in Exodus:
Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the Heaven above, and whatever are in the Earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the Earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation to them that hate me, and bestowing mercy on them that love me to thousands of them, and on them that keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6, LXX)
If everything is God, then anyone who worships an idol would be worshipping God out of whom everything is made. Everything is not God, though. God made nothing out of Himself. He made everything out of nothing. Therefore, it is wrong to worship created things.
In the Wisdom of Solomon, it says that God loves everything that He made.
For Thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made: for never wouldest Thou have made any thing, if Thou hadst hated it. (Wisdom 11:24)
God is love. (I John 4:8) Therefore, God created things to be loved and not to be hated. God never would have created anything that He would hate. He only created things that He loves.
Closely in line with this thinking is that of St. Paul. St. Paul said that God created everything for Himself.
For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him. (Col. 1:16)
St. John the Theologian said that everything that exists exists because God wants it to exist.
You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. (Rev. 4:11, NKJV)
God loves everything that He has made. He wants it to exist. He created everything for Himself to be objects of His love. One of the other reasons for creation is existence. Just as God exists, so He desires that His creation have existence. In the Wisdom of Solomon, it says:
For He created all things, that they might have their being. (Wisdom 1:14)
One of the physical laws of the universe is the law of the conservation of matter and energy. According to this law, nothing ever really ceases to exist. It simply exists in one form or another. Matter can be recombined into form other chemical substances, but matter never ceases to exist. Energy, likewise, can be used, but it is never permanently expended. It is converted into other forms of energy or else it lies dormant as residual energy. Matter can be changed into energy. Energy can be changed into matter. Nowhere in the universe, according to this law, is there a permanent loss of this matter-energy substance.
So, God never had in mind the permanent annihilation of anything that He created. He wants things to continue to exist.
In the Book of Ecclesiasticus, it says:
The sun that giveth light looketh upon all things, and the work thereof is full of the glory of the Lord. The Lord hath not given power to the saints to declare all his marvellous works, which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, that whatsoever is might be established for His glory. (Ecclesiasticus 42:16,17)
Notice that it says "that whatsoever is might be established for His glory." (Ecclesiasticus 42:17) God created everything for His glory. In the 18th Psalm, it says:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. (Psalm 18:1, LXX)
In the 96th Psalm, it says:
The heavens have declared His righteousness, and all the people have seen His glory. (Psalm 96:6, LXX)
We can behold God's glory in His creation. In Isaiah, it says:
And one cried to the other, and they said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole Earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:3, LXX)
The whole Earth is full of God's glory and will continue to be filled with His glory. In the 71st Psalm, it says that the Earth shall be filled with His glory.
And blessed is His glorious name for ever, even for ever and ever: and all the Earth shall be filled with His glory. (Psalm 71:19, LXX)
The Psalmist is using the future tense. In the 103rd Psalm, it says that God's glory is forever.
Let the glory of the Lord be for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in His works (Psalm 103:31, LXX)
God's glory is eternal because God Himself is eternal. God will be glorified in His creation. Also, in this same verse, it says that "the Lord shall rejoice in His works." As we have already seen, the Divine Scriptures teach that God did not create anything to be hated. He created everything to be loved by Him. (Wisdom 11:24) He, therefore, rejoices in His works (that is, His creation). He enjoys what He has made.
In some future blogs, I will write about the creation of intelligent life — namely, angels and men.
Steve
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