Things have got to Change 

  Jamma Mokhriby

 

 

Genesis 1:2 reveals an ancient time before the creation of our universe when nothingness reigned.

In the Hebrew the word of solid interpretation for "void", "bohuw," means "emptiness." We quote, "The earth was without form, and void."

Verses 3-31 then reveals that the physical universe and the life sustained within it was brought into existence by God in 6 literal days. This fact of a literal 6 days is upheld in Exodus 20:11.

In the mighty power of God's thoughts and in His perfect time a change took place as is written in Romans 4:17, "…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did."

And by His all inclusive will He expanded His power of creation beyond His domain of Heaven according to Colossians 1:16-17. "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

Praise God that He is almighty and mindful of man's fate and be exceedingly joyful that the forgiveness of the Lord is not determined by chance or men (Psa. 8:4, Isa. 43:11 & Jn. 4:42).

A Denver Post article which headlined "Scientists find oldest galaxy yet" reported that "Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have peered…back into time, almost to the dawn of creation, to find the oldest, most distant object ever detected: a galaxy fizzing with new stars. The galaxy lies near the edge of the universe, 13 billion light-years from Earth…the deeper astronomers look into space, the further back in time they are looking. By some estimates, we are seeing the galaxy as it existed…after the Big Bang, the colossal explosion believed to have created the universe..." Finding the most distant galaxies is akin to finding the oldest fossils on Earth," said Patrick McCarthy of the Carnegie Institution Observatories in Pasadena, Calif. "They give you a handle on the timing and processes by which the first recognizable galaxies coalesced from the primordial sea of light elements."…Until recently, records for the most distant objects in space stood for years. But sensitive detectors on the Hubble and large ground-based telescopes are capturing the faintest light from the most distant neighborhoods of the cosmos, and the record books are being rewritten every few months" (D.P. 4/15/99).

It is fascinating to realize that what exactly scientists are looking for, is the moment everything changed. The instant when nothingness became physical substance and then even more miraculously, life. They are looking for the dawn of creation.

This is what is referred to as a paradox, that is, "an assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, although based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises."

They are searching for a creatorless beginning to creation!

They speak of the "big bang" without ever answering where the explosives came from, why they exploded and what ignited them.

The article touched on a puzzle that goes back even farther than when the galaxies were formed when it mentioned a mysterious "primordial sea of light elements" (see RW Message #165 "It's a Question of Faith" concerning this theorized sea of light).

Somewhere at the measurable start of what men know as "time", scientists agree things changed in an unimaginable way. It is impressive that men of learning have concluded that light must have been in existence before the celestial illuminaries called stars came into being, but it is unfortunate that they tend to avoid giving credit to God for His revelation of this same fact in the ancient Scriptures of Gen. 1:3-19.

It is certain that they will ever in this lifetime learn that plant life on this planet existed before there was a sun.

Just as there is no evidence of past evolution nor any evolution occurring today, this biblical fact refutes so-called believers that hold to the idea that some form of evolution took place over thousands or millions of years. Plants will not live that long without light. One day is no problem, see Gen. 1:11-19.

When a person has faith in God's Word they have access to the answers to the greatest mysteries facing the minds of men. We are shown when God changed things, what He is doing now and how He will change things in the future.

But God Himself never changes. In Malachi 3:6 we are told, "For I am the Lord, I do not change." The Scriptures tell us that God is Love, Holy and True and that He is not a man that He should lie (Jn. 4:8, Psa. 99:9 & Num.23:19). God has no reason or any desire to lie. What would God gain that He could not just will to be so?

This is why men need to rejoice and sing praises to His name. God's Word is the only sure anchor in an ocean of falsehood and confusion. Glory to the eternal God who fills the emptiness with majesty and the promise of the day when His love will reign supreme.

Now there are those who think that many of the things they count on will somehow remain unchanged. For example, the very earth and heavens may be accepted as being subject to changes on one level of their minds, but in all honesty most expect everything to continue on much as it always has for the remainder of their days. This same lackadaisical outlook permeates men's minds when they consider death. This process of thinking has been dubbed "the myth of continuity."

In II Peter 3:3-7 we are told of scornful scoffers who would come in these last days with this same attitude towards the promise of the coming of the Lord saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

The Scriptures go on to expose their willful ignorance pertaining to how change came to the void at God's command at His appointed time and how He then reshaped the face of the earth with the great flood. So too will the Lord Jesus Christ come suddenly to change all that man has known and put his confidence in.

A quick study of chapters 5-19 in the Book of Revelation reveals there will soon be dramatic changes throughout the earth. Continual famines, pestilences, economic chaos and supernatural manifestations will affect the lives of every person upon the planet. From beneath the earth to the heavens above, changes will take place; and those who mockingly challenged Jesus Christ to appear will find themselves living in the days when they will choke on their taunts as God changes things for them forever.

Of that day the Lord declares, "Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light" (Amos 5:18).

In verses 25-27 of Psa. 102 we read, "Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will endure; Yes, all of them will grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. But you are the same, And Your years will have no end."

It is with glorious joy that believers can look forward to the changes promised for them in their own lives. Changes made possible because of the unchangeableness of the Lord, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb. 13:8).

It is because of this unwavering steadfastness of God that His promise of salvation and redemption to every believer can bring forth the immediate, eternal change of a new born spirit the moment one puts their faith In His Son Jesus Christ.

We are told in II Cor. 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

This is in contrast to those spoken of in Psa. 55:19 who fail to undergo this change from death unto life. We quote, "God will hear and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old - Selah - because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God."

For those who have experienced the heavenly new birth the Apostle Paul explains that the change is not complete without one final incredible transformation.

Quoting I Cor. 15:19 & 50-52 we read, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable…Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (that is die), but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

For those who feel it is time for this change in their lives, the offer of a new life in Christ is as near as their heart. Acknowledging one's sinful condition and belief in the atoning blood sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross is all one needs to receive the promise of eternal life.

At the very moment of this glorious new birth all who have faith can rejoice in union with Paul when he revealed by the Holy Spirit in Phil. 3:20-21, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

Changes are coming for those who are ready or not, for those who are in belief or in denial. Drastic spectacular changes are on the immediate horizon. Men of science futilely search back in time for the day of creation while men of faith wait to witness it firsthand in the future.

Revelation 21:1, 5 & 6 reveals, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea…Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold I make all things new"…and He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful"…And He said to me, "It is done! I Am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."

The Lord Jesus Christ took the Apostle John from out of the past to witness this glorious change in the future - we plan to be there in the front row when this future arrives - where will you be?

For those who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior it's still not too late to have Him make a change.

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