Lesson 7 for February 16, 2013

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12) The psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We can find proof of the existence of a Creator in us and in the nature around us; a Creator who perfectly designed this world.

Nevertheless, when we seeing the predators, the natural disasters that kill thousands in a second, etc… many people doubt whether that Creator exists or is a kind Creator.

The truth is that we can only see the reality “darkly”. If we want to fully understand the relationship between God and His creation and how nature reveals Him, we must first understand some concepts.

1. God’s sovereignty.

2. The threefold curse of Earth.

3. Satan’s work.

4. The limitations of human wisdom.

5. The limitations of the general revelation in contrast to the special one.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2) The Bible states that God created everything we know. So God is owner and sovereign of everything.

Satan claims that he is the owner of this world, but God still is the absolute sovereign.

Nevertheless, He loves us and decided to pay a ransom for us. He then became our sovereign in two ways, as Creator and as Redeemer.

“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1)

FIRST CURSE, THORNS AND THISTLES

• “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife,

and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.”” (Genesis 3:17-18) SECOND CURSE, THE EARTH LOST ITS STRENGTH

• “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to

receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth” (Genesis 4:11-12) THIRD CURSE, THE FLOOD

• “And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I

will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done”” (Genesis 8:21)

“When the faithful dead shall be resurrected, and the king of glory shall open before them the gates of the city of God, and the nations who have kept the truth enter in, what beauty and glory will meet the astonished sight of those who have seen no greater beauties in the earth than that which they beheld in decaying nature after the threefold curse was upon the earth” (E.G.W., Spiritual Gifts, vol.3, p.88)

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”” (Revelation 12:10-12)

“Satan, with all his masterly power, has interposed himself between man and the law of God, that through falsehood and sophistry he may inspire men with the same rebellion against God and his law as actuates himself. Those whom he can not deceive, he hates. He misinterprets their words and actions, and causes the world to persecute and destroy, in order that earth may hold no soul who is not in league with the prince of this world and the ruler of its darkness. History testifies to the fact that no man can serve God without coming in conflict with the united forces of evil. The conflict between the believer and his foes may be painful and protracted, and at times the soul may, through manifold temptations, yield to the power of the evil one; but God will not give his servant up to be the prey of the destroyer as long as he cries unto him”

E.G.W. (The Signs of the Times, November 14, 1895)

“The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?” (Jeremiah 8:9) We may only understand the world around us when we see it from the divine perspective.

As humans, we have gained an incredible amount of knowledge and information, especially in the last two hundred years. Knowledge and information, however, are not necessarily the same thing as wisdom. We have also gained a much greater understanding of the natural world than our forefathers ever had. A greater understanding, however, isn’t the same thing as wisdom either.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul” (Proverbs 2:6-10)

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2) For the believer, the Creation surely speaks of God’s care. Nevertheless, although the testimony of Creation is strong, its revelation is incomplete because of the result of sin and the curse after the fall.

That’s the reason why God uses a special revelation through prophets, dreams and visions in addition to that general revelation. He specially revealed Himself through Jesus Christ, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)

“Creation speaks to us of the skill and power of God. In His goodness God has placed on the earth beautiful flowers and trees, wonderfully adapted to the countries and the climate in which they grow. And, though sin has marred the form and beauty of the things of nature, though on them there may be seen traces of the work of the prince of the power of the air, yet they still speak of God, and still reveal some of the beauty of Eden.

In the heavens above, in the earth, in the broad waters of the ocean, we see the handiwork of God. All creation testifies of His power, His wisdom, His love. Yet not from the stars, or the ocean, or the cataract can we learn of the personality of God. This Christ came to reveal… Christ came to reveal to a fallen race the love of God. He, the Light of the world, veiled the dazzling splendor of the brightness of His divinity, and came to live on this earth as a man among men, that they might, without being consumed, become acquainted with their Creator. No man has seen God at any time, except as He is revealed through Christ”

E.G.W. (The upward look, November 16)