Westview Church of Christ  

We are told in Genesis 1:1 that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Six days later we are also told, in Genesis 1:27, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." This is not a popular explanation among most of the so called "intellectual" community of the world as to how the human race appeared on the newly created earth. In fact, most would argue that the earth had been here for billions of years before man inhabited it, but that is a subject for another study

We have just completed, in Lesson One, a rather detailed study to give evidence that the Bible is the Inspired Word of God and is the only worthy guide for mankind in this life. It is then, to the Bible we must turn, in order to answer the question, "From Where Did Man Come?" If one ignores and refuses to accept the Story of Creation, revealed in the Bible he has only one other philosophy to which he may turn, i.e. the "Theory of Evolution." Both of these concepts must be taken by Faith. No man living today was there, either at the Creation or during the long eons of time required for Evolution to occur. Most evolutionists would admit this. No man can testify that he has seen or has any scientific evidence that evolutionary processes has actually occurred. Thus we present, briefly two cases as to how we came to be and you the reader can decide which is the more credible.

The two most basic and certain laws of modern physical science are the first two laws of thermodynamics. The first law is the law of conservation of energy, i.e. though energy can be converted from one form to another, the total amount of energy cannot be changed. Energy is neither being created nor destroyed. The second law states, "although the total amount of energy remains unchanged, there is always a tendency for it to become less available for useful work." In any closed mechanical system, in which work is being done, entropy increases. Entropy is just a mathematical expression of the Non-availability of energy. These two laws are universally accepted by scientists in every physical situation which they may encounter and provide the very foundation upon which the superstructure of modern science has been erected. ( R. B. Lindsay, Dean of Brown University Graduate School). These laws teach therefore that the creation of matter or energy is not now taking place. In fact, they show the available energy of the universe as a whole is becoming less and less useful, more disordered, or greater in entropy. But, during the six days of creation both matter and energy were being created! Remember in Lesson One we alluded to Herbert Spencer's Five Manifestations, one of which was " Matter" and how Genesis 1:1 supported that conclusion. In fact, in Genesis account of the "Beginning" newly created Matter and Energy were being organized into increasingly more complex and highly ordered systems. This continued until Day 7, when God rested and declared that everything he had created was very good. The processes which God used in the Beginning was very unique. God introducing Order, Organization, and a High Degree of Energization.

So, the Biblical view is as follows:

God is the Creator. His power and will are manifested in His bringing the earth and all living things into existence. Matter and energy was brought into existence through the creative activities of God and order and harmony with the two scientifically accepted laws of thermodynamics being established. This was demonstrated by the creations of plant and animal life, Culminating in the Creation of Man and Woman. With Man being last in the Creation process but first in importance, since he was created not only with a wondrous body but "a living Soul, in the image of God"

Animals and Man were given the ability to reproduce offspring as Recorded in Genesis 1: 24 -25, and 28. "Let the land produce living creatures after their kind , cattle and creeping things and beast of the the earth after his kind : and it was so." And God said of man, " Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. The Hebrew word used here for "kind" i.e. min, means, not species but " families or orders" according to the Linnean system of taxonomy used today. Understanding the limits of the word "kind" used here is critical in realizing that one family of animals cannot produce a different family of animals. They may however produce a different "specie" within the family.

The fundamental teaching of Evolution is that the concept of development is from a very small disordered, primitive beginning to one that over eons of time has developed into the complex being we know today as Man. In other words the position of this concept is presented today in our classrooms across the world as a proven fact of science, that unlike the scientifically accepted Laws of Thermodynamics presented above, the reverse actually hold true, That is, contrary to the second law, matter and energy starts out in a very random, disordered state after being acted upon by undefined processes, it finally develops into the well organized, ordered human form. And, it is continually going on even though it cannot be observed.

Evolutionists themselves have attempt to harmonize and even essentially equate entropy ( degree of randomness) and evolutions. ( See H.F. Blum: Time's Arrow and Evolution, 1951, Theodosius Bobzhansky, 1958, and H.J Muller, 1955) All of these giants of evolution recognize that the second law of thermodynamics is a proven scientific law and continue to try and reconcile it with their evolutionary positions. This is an impossible task. Evolution is simply assumed to be the universal principle of change in nature despite the fact that there is no experimental facts supporting their position. In fact the opposite is repeatedly demonstrated. i.e. observed experimentation shows the law of deterioration is in fact operating.

Arguments then for evolution being the mechanism by which man appeared on the scene fall into three categories: Historical, Comparative, and Genetic Mutations. These theories will not be dealt with in detail in this lesson but briefly: The Historical or fossil/geologic record is much more easily explained by the action of the great flood than any evolutionary argument that can be presented. The Comparative arguments speculating that "similarity shows common ancestry" has long since been adequately refuted by recognized scholars, and Mutations as a mechanism for evolution has been discounted by many recognized evolutionists who show that mutations are "almost always detrimental to the organisms in its job of surviving and reproducing."

Evolution then, like Creation must be based on Faith. Neither can be shown to be operating today and one must decide which is more in harmony with established, proven Laws of Science. As we have attempted to show in this Lesson we believe that Creation events shown in Genesis offer the only real knowledge of the mode of origin and these came down to us by means of divine revelation. We thus agree with David in Psalms 33:6 "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth".

Furthermore we also believe that the Theory of Evolution as the means of man's existence today is both atheistic and satanical. We believe that untold evils have been thrust upon man as a result of this teaching, from Nietzsche and Marx to Adolph Hitler. It is our belief that the only reason for it's propagation is because man refuses to Believe in the One Jehovah God. We also reject the claim that only ignorant and unlearned masses believe in the Bible Story of Creation. Literally thousands of scholarly men and women of Science find no conflict with their chosen profession and their Biblical Faith.

The second part of this lesson is perhaps the more important part. No one can deny that we exist, this can be easily shown by observation. However to say what will happen when man's brief existence ceases on this earth must be taken entirely by our Faith. Only one man has ever taken that journey out of this life and returned to tell about it. He is of course, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The Bible is clear. It tells us in Psalms 90:10 " The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have strength." This of course is a general statement, but is it not amazing how accurate this statement is even though made hundreds of years ago? But, sooner or later we all die. What happens then? Is that the end? Is there anything after that hour in which the Spirit leaves the body? According to Ecclesiastes 9:2 " All share a common destiny - the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who sacrifice and those who do not." Men are confused and divided about Death. Many think that once a man dies he ceases to exist. Others think that no matter how one lives in this life that somehow he will go to a beautiful place of rest called Heaven and have everything he has missed in this world, or it will just be a continuation of his life here on earth. Where can we turn for answers to this question and does it really matter anyway?

In order to get any satisfactory answer to these question we must turn to God's Word. No other book can be trusted to give us a truthful answer.

The Bible is filled with statements concerning life after this one. We will mention only a few. One of the most revealing is told in a story that Jesus relates in Luke 16:19-31.about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man had a good life on this earth, but Lazarus had to beg for food and was covered with sores. They both died and the Bible tells us the rich man awoke in Hell, (hades) while the poor man went to a place of peace and rest where Abraham was. The rich man was aware of what was happening and was in torment. He could not leave the place where he was and could not communicate with anyone back on earth, but he knew who and where his five brothers were. So, it is obvious that there were at least two places those who die go, one of rest and peace the other of torture and these seem to be dictated by their actions while still alive on the earth! The Bible speaks often about two and only two places where people will go after this life is over, one is called Hell and the other Heaven. How is it decided who will go where? The Bible tells us in Revelation 20:11-15. It is a scene of the Judgment and Christ is seated on his Throne. Everyone is there and the people were judged in verse 12, according to what they had done ( before coming there) as recorded in a book." If their name is not recorded there they were thrown into a "lake of fire". Some acts which caused one to wind up in this lake are revealed in Revelation 21:8. The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murders, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, idolaters and all liars. Please note that one thing that would cause one to be cast into this lake was simply "unbelievers"

But, what about those whose name were written in the "Book Of Life". In the same 21st Chapter of Revelation we find the place these people would occupy. In verse 22 we see the beauty of Heaven revealed, a city beyond our imagination where God is and where his Son is and this is where those whose name is in the book will live forever! How does one get his name into this book? In a general way we are told in the last Chapter of Revelation, chapter 22 verse 17 and put simply it is those who come to the Lord" These are the "Believers" unlike the "unbelievers" mentioned as being in the Lake of Fire. How does one then " come to the Lord" and How does one get listed among the "believers?" The final Lesson in this course, Lesson 4 will deal with this explicitly, but briefly John 6:44-47 tells us we must be drawn to the Lord." And how does this happen? Verse 45 says we are taught something and verse 47 says we must BELIEVE it and we will have everlasting life.. The thing that we are taught is the Gospel or Good News of Christ. The Book of Acts is filled with stories of people who asked this very question, "What Must I Do To Be Saved? And they were told again: To Believe, Acts 16:31, To Repent, Luke 13:3, To Confess that Jesus was the Son of God , Roman 10:9, and to buried with him in Baptism. Romans 6:3,4..

So, where are you going when your life here is finished? One of two places just described. It is with this knowledge in mind that we are presenting these lessons. We would encourage and beg you to do what those just mentioned in the Book Of Acts did, to come to the Lord and get your name listed in the Book of Life. If we can be of any service to you, please Contact Us or at Westview Church of Christ P.O. Box 796, Athens, AL 35612

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