"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" ( Psalm 19:1, NKJV).
In 1924, when Edwin Hubble first peered through the lens of his new 100-inch telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory, he was dumbfounded by what he saw. Objects that had once been fuzzy luminaries now displayed as brilliant galaxies in various shapes, colors, and sizes -- millions of them! Previously thought to be the only galaxy, it was now seen that the Milky Way was one of millions -- or billions -- of galaxies in the universe! *
Further, the galaxies were all shifted to the red, meaning they were receding away from earth in every direction Hubble looked. It was as though he had just seated himself in the center of a perpetually exploding fireworks sparkler; except it was galaxies, not sparks, that he saw. Stunned, Hubble could not escape the obvious. Earth seemed to be positioned at or near the heart of the universe. Every fiber of his being recoiled at the thought.
In science, an axiom called Occam's razor states that the simplest solution is probably the right one.
In medicine, doctors follow the diagnostic rule: when you hear hoofbeats don't look for zebras.
But what happens when the simplest solution points to a Creator God? Such was the conundrum facing Edwin Hubble. In his book The Observational Approach to Cosmology (1937), Hubble wrote, "The unwelcome supposition of a favored location must be avoided at all costs" (p. 51).
"There must be no favored position in the universe. No center, no boundary; all must see the universe alike" (p. 54). Why did Hubble also refer to this conclusion as "intolerable?" and why did he seek for some way to "escape the horror of a unique position"?
Because to the unconverted scientific mind -- then and now -- an ordered universe points to an all-powerful Creator Who planned every detail of His creation and made it according to His divine purpose.
We should not let this testimony escape our notice.
"The heavens declare the glory of God." Hubble had made a stupendous observation: the earth occupies a privileged location in the universe; astronomically, it is very close to the center, and within 1,500 light years of the open space in Orion. "The Lord has established His throne in the heaven, and His kingdom rules over all" ( Psalm 103:19).
Instead of praising God for this undeniable evidence of His creative power, the most eminent scientists of that day, while "professing to be wise," "became fools" (Romans 1:22)
Satan guided minds in developing a preposterous and unsupportable theory to explain Hubble's receding galaxy observation. The cornerstone of this Big Bang theory postulated that the universe is constantly expanding in every direction; that it has no center and no boundaries, and that every particle of matter is moving away from every other particle without reference to anything. Since this is obviously not happening on this earth -- none of us are exploding into atomic fragments -- the theory is said to only apply on a galactic scale, not locally.
How can it be that the world's greatest minds have foisted this lie upon the world as the gospel truth? The theory of evolution rests on the Big Bang model, which is still considered "the best-supported theory of our universe's origin," according to a National Geographic post published January 18, 2017, online, thus confirming the Scripture: "For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden" (Isaiah 29:14).
Application to Scripture
Our Sabbath School lesson this quarter discusses how to interpret Scripture. We can read the words of the Book, but how can we arrive at its correct meaning without falling into error? Through what lens do we study God's word and His creation?
In his study of the prophecies, William Miller employed only his Bible and a Cruden's concordance, allowing Scripture to be its own expositor. When determining whether a passage was literal or figurative, Miller stated, "If it makes good sense as it stands, and does no violence to the laws of nature, then it must be understood literally; if not, figuratively" (#11 of William Miller's Rules of Interpretation).
The Bible is True
We live in an age of skepticism. It’s politically correct to question everything and be certain of nothing. In many circles people who accept the Bible just as it reads are considered unlearned, bigoted or naive.
But the Bible stands on its own. It does not need the endorsement of well-known scientists, theologians, scholars, or historians to corroborate its veracity. The Bible is true whether I believe it or not. The Bible is unabashedly bold. It is just what it claims to be: "Every word of God is pure" (Psalm 30:5). "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, . . . and is profitable for instruction" (1 Timothy 3:16).
This point is underscored because the topic of today's lesson -- the creation record and the fourth day -- has been subject to higher critical analysis by some who have concluded that we know more today than God Himself about the creation of our world. These ideas are especially seductive when coming from scientists who claim to be Christians.
"But the assumption that the events of the first week required thousands upon thousands of years is infidelity in its most insidious and hence most dangerous form. . . . the Bible recognizes no long ages in which the earth slowly evolved from chaos. Of each successive day of creation, the sacred record declares that it consisted of the evening and the morning, like all other days that have followed.
"Geologists claim to find evidence from the earth that it is very much older than the Mosaic record teaches. Bones of men and animals much larger than any that now exist have been discovered, and from that it is inferred that the earth was populated long before the time brought to view in the record of creation. Such reasoning has led many professed Bible believers to adopt the position that the days of creation were vast, indefinite periods.
"But apart from Bible history geology can prove nothing."
"There is constant effort to explain creation as the result of natural causes, and human reasoning is accepted even by professed Christians in opposition to Scripture facts. Many oppose the investigation of the prophecies, especially Daniel and the Revelation, declaring that we cannot understand them. Yet these very persons eagerly receive the suppositions of geologists in contradiction of the Mosaic record. Just how God accomplished the work of creation He has never revealed to men; human science cannot search out the secrets of the Most High." EP 65, 66
Of all the days of creation, upon none has greater doubt been cast than the fourth when God said, "'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day" (Genesis 1:14-19).
Even those who profess to believe in six literal, 24 hour periods of time, struggle to believe that God really accomplished all He said He did on the fourth day.
"The Bible is not to be tested by men's ideas of science. Human knowledge is an unreliable guide. . . . Moses wrote under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and a correct theory of geology will never claim discoveries that cannot be reconciled with his statements" (PP 114).
The Gospel Foretold on the Fourth Day
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:6, 9).
This text is clear. The heavens and "all the host of them" were created in a moment by the breath of His mouth. He spoke and it was done. There is no time lapse or gap in time from when God spoke and when our starry universe came into existence.
The effects of sin have been far reaching, even to the limits of God's creation, as Peter explains: "For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men" 2 Peter 3:5-7.
Here Peter intimates that not only our world, but the heavens, will be destroyed in the day of judgment. The apostle John concurs. "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away," and "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:1, 5).
Hubble's discovery of earth's privileged position in the universe -- a conclusion he and others wished to deny -- speaks to us nonetheless. The heavens declare the glory of God. He has not left our little planet to self-destruct in the distant reaches of space to be abandoned like a wrecked car in the desert. No. Despite our rebellion and unbelief, God has made our little world an object lesson for the universe. "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach)" (Romans 10:8).
All heaven is watching the unfolding of the great controversy between Christ and the usurper of our planet, Satan. It is as though God designed our universe as a vast amphitheater, in which events on earth would be a "spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men" (1 Corinthians 4:9). Geographically, we are near the center of the universe; and spiritually, God has come even nearer to us by sending Jesus to become one with us in our humanity.
Seventh-day Adventists were raised up to proclaim the last warning message found in Revelation 14 to our world. We should not equivocate on the call to "worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water" (Revelation 14:7). In preparation for earth's final hour, the Lord in His mercy sent a most precious message of Jesus' righteousness through Brothers Waggoner and Jones. In His humanity He has come even closer to us than a brother. Every Sabbath we are especially reminded to worship Him that made us and has joined us to Himself with a tie that will never be broken.
