End of Times Report

 

   

The Bible teaches clearly and unmistakably that God is the creator of heaven and earth. Contrary to this the scientific materialists are convinced that the creation of life and the universe are merely coincidental.

The concept of the «self organisation of matter» is occasionally considered unrealistic by the most engaged representatives of the theory of evolution. As J. Monod stated: «It is absurd and absolutely foolish to believe that a living cell develops by itself; but nevertheless I believe this because I cannot imagine anything else.» (Factum 9/82, p. 15)

This comprehensive study not only establishes the reliability of the Genesis and describes the true structure of our universe described based on Biblical information but it also answers the topical question concerning the meaning of life and the purpose of the creation of the world.


 

The Mystery of the Creation of the World
and/or
The Meaning of Life and the Purpose
of the Creation of the World

A Report by
Helmut Seeger


 
 
Back to overview

 

Contents

The History of Cosmology.                                                     1

Is the Genesis Actually a Creation of Israeli Theologians?            5

Did Noah Possess Pre-Deluge Texts?                                        6

Is our World a Product of Blind Coincidence?                            7

Is the Nebula Recession an Established Fact?                             8

Does a Non-Material, Spiritual Universe Exist?                         13

Photosynthesis in the Dark                                                        17

The Meaning of Life
and the Purpose of the Creation of the World
                     21

The Philosophical Discussion between Good and Evil               26

Bibliography                                                                          33


 
 

The History of Cosmology.

«And I saw a new heaven and a new earth;
because the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared,
and also the sea is not there any more!»

Just like Jehovah’s Witnesses promise the so-called «other sheep» a paradise here on earth, the church communities obviously assume that the paradise promised in the Bible will be re-established on a renewed earth. This is a misinterpretation of Biblical prophecy and in particular of the Biblical Creation Report that can easily be verified. Already in the apocalypse of John it is emphasised that the present heaven and the present earth will forever disappear. John writes:

«And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it; from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them...And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared; and there was no more sea...

And he that sat on the throne said, „Behold, I make all things new!“ And he said to me: „Write! For these words are true and faithful!“ - Rev. 20; 11;  21; 1 and 5.

It seems almost incomprehensible that at the «end of times» our heaven and our earth and also the sea (!?) should disappear; particularly if one also takes into account the «resurrection from the dead».

Questions arise for which we search an answer. But it is of no help if due to lack of understanding the following explanations are given in Bible commentaries: Heaven and earth would only disappear so that they can be renewed (Stuttgarter Jubilaeums-Taschenbibel of 1964). (Stuttgart Jubilee Pocket Bible of 1964)

If this emergency solution were really true one would have to ask oneself why John whose statements are very precise hasn’t also written down this version! Instead he emphasises:

«I saw a new heaven and a new earth; because the first heaven
and the first earth had disappeared,
and also the sea is gone,
and no place was found for them any more».

Where can the new heaven, the new earth and paradise be found is a question that can be answered without difficulty; as the explanation is already hidden in the Biblical Creation Report - a divine report transmitted to us in the Genesis which we shall now peruse in detail. Until the cosmological recognitions of the 20th century it was as the following explanations vividly confirm still a long and thorny path full of mistakes and confusions.

«In the beginning God created heaven and earth». For nearly two thousand years this Biblical statement was the foundation of Christian cosmology. Just like ancient cultures believed that the earth was flat Christians believed this until the beginning of the 16th century although Aristotle in the 4th century BC wrote in one of his books that the earth must be round because the border of the earth ‘s shadow visible during an eclipse of the moon always describes an exact circle. Obviously the time was then not ready for such far-reaching recognitions that apparently contradicted all logic. Therefore this knowledge was forgotten during late antiquity and remained so throughout the middle ages. In any case it was not taught in school. The knowledge that the earth was round was certainly of interest only to philosophers, astronomers and mathematicians.

In the 15th century finally the idea that the earth is round became of speculative interest. When Columbus set out to reach India via the western seaway it was feared that he, the further he sailed westward, would fall into nothing upon reaching the border of the earth with his ships.

The first available and practical evidence that the earth is round was supplied by the Portuguese navigator, Fernando Magellan (1480-1521), after sailing around the world.

At the beginning of the 16th century the earth was still considered the centre of the universe around which moon, sun, stars and planets orbited. The knowledge however grew. In 1543, in the year of his death, Nicholas Copernicus published his famous book in which he allocated the sun in the centre of the universe.

Copernicus’ work dealt only with the planets and their orbits. The stars themselves were regarded merely as shining specks stuck to an enormous ball; and the sphere of fixed stars was wrapped around the entire universe with the sun in the centre.

Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) later informed that fixed stars are in reality suns equal to our own in size, strength and brightness. He also recognised that the universe is infinitely larger than the limited system occupied by the solar system. In 1592 he was betrayed and fell into the hands of the inquisition that took him to court particularly because of his teachings concerning the infinity of the world and the multitude of world systems (which were against the science of Aristotle and the Christian cosmology). Bruno was sent to Rome in 1593 where he was burnt at the stake after seven years imprisonment.

Galileo Galilee (1564-1642) discovered in 1609 with a Dutch telescope that he had rebuilt that the star clusters and the milky way consist of individual stars. In a letter to the Benedictine B. Castelli he wrote his view about the relationship between the Bible and the nature discoveries, especially with regard to the heliocentric system (Copernican’s system with the sun in the centre of the planetary system) necessitating a reinterpretation of the Holy Scripture. This lead to a first controversy with the Roman Church at the end of which Cardinal R. Bellarmino (1616) admonished that all of his “deceptions“ were to be given up. When Cardinal Barberini (1616) as Urban VIII ascended the throne, Galilee hoped to find in this learned religious emperor an advocate for the teaching of Copernicus. In 1625 he published arguments for this teaching but without expressly declaring them to be true. He travelled to Rome in 1630 to attain imprimatur for his «dialogue about the two main world systems, the Ptolemean and the Copernican». Due to a delay by the censorship the book was not published until 1632 and withdrawn by the church already in the same year. Galilee was summoned before the inquisition on 1st October 1632 and convicted on account of misdemeanour of an order that was allegedly decided in the year 1616. On 22nd June 1633 he gave up «his error» as a faithful Catholic.

Now at least the Roman Church should have taken the opportunity to welcome the scientific recognition of Galilee and reconsider its existing false interpretation of the Biblical Creation Report. The truth was instead trampled underfoot and upright men with much more knowledge of cosmic relations persecuted.

The Roman Church however was not able to suppress the truth forever. The cosmological conceptions of science became more precise. By the 18th century the universe was imagined to be a mighty cloud of stars in the shape of a lens appearing like a silver band of the milky way.

Immanuel Kant was the first to interpret the dim nebulas between the stars as foreign milky ways.

When in 1917 the at that time largest telescope of the world on Mount-Wilson-Observatory in South California, was pointed to the nebula, individual stars were detected in the brightest part of the nebula. At last final evidence of the existence of other milky ways was obtained.

Owing to its narrow-minded perspective, the church was in severe distress. It was no longer considered as being serious. Even worse was the fact that it extensively lost its credibility. It was thus not difficult for the sceptics of the Age of Enlightenment, when the world was changing and one was in search of new values, to turn away from the yoke of the church and to turn toward scientific materialism.

In the 20th century when people withdrew from the church at an alarming rate and the interest in religious life in the Christian West declined, the church in its plight searched for a solution out of the crisis. Instead of searching for evidence for a belief such as Abraham’s and through trust in God at last - as already demanded by Galilee - welcome a since long required new interpretation of the Biblical Creation Report, the church helplessly went from one extreme to the other. The church is in a hurry obviously in view of the scientific discoveries to ensure that the Genesis merely corresponds to the ancient world view of the Biblical authors and is for this reason no longer applicable for scientific research. Or, as the theologian, Hans Küng, expesses in his book „To be Christ“: the Biblical stories about God’s Creation Report are based on the ancient environment.

In a five volume strong edition of the Bible recommended by Catholic and Evangelic bishops and appraised by the Austrian Catholic Bible Work, we read the following commentary on the Genesis:

«As long as man’s conception of the world was rather uncritical, one was able to read the first chapters of Genesis in view of its essential theological statement and unconcernedly accept its presupposed conception of the world as the natural component of the story. This changed when one started to take scientific interest in the beginnings of the world and mankind and hoped to be able to find an answer in the story of the Bible. A division was inevitable and scientific discoveries had to clash with the naive ancient oriental conception of the world. Creation and paradise myths, deluge stories among many more were the foundation of religious literature in the ancient Orient. Knowing this, Israel had to find a way to make mythological facts coincide with its own experience: The questions that these myths were able to answer were not only of concern to Israel but were of general interest: From where did the world emerge? From where does man come from? From where the evil of the word, if it was created by God? What is the origin of men’s discord, visibly expressed in the confusion of languages? These and similar questions had to be answered by Israel as well.

Israeli theologians provided the answers by comparing the ancient myths with their experience of God and verifying them with their own life experience... From their experience of the present and from personal God experience the Biblical theologians arrived at their own vision of the beginnings in comparison with the myths of the environment... This opinion was put into the story form of the time without any intention of transmitting „how it really was“». 30

 

Is the Genesis Actually a Creation of Israeli Theologians?

If it were really true that the Genesis is merely the «miserable effort of Israeli Theologians» as suggested in the commentary of Catholic and Evangelic Bishops - a combination of ancient oriental mysticism and Israeli experience - and not, as Jews and Christians have believed since ancient times, the written word of God (2. Peter 1; 21), then this would not only shake Christian belief to its foundations but also the credibility of Jesus himself would be doubtful. Because no less a person than him, the true and faithful witness, has demanded the observation of the historical exactitude of the Old Testament in general (Mt.5; 18; Joh.10; 35) and the Genesis in particular. (Mt.19; 4; 23; 35; 24; 37).

Not all theologians have devoted themselves to the unfortunate spirit of the age and succumbed to the immense deceptions of modern times. They have maintained their faith and uninterruptedly adhere to the reliability of Biblical facts (2. Thess 2; 9-12). This applies also to the evangelical religious scientist, Jakob Kroeker. After a detailed examination of the origin and authenticity of the Biblical Creation Report he arrives at the following conclusion:

«Israel’s chief goods of revelation were not heathen wine in Israeli tubes, but divine life in human realisation. This also applies to the Biblical Creation Report. Isn’t it unprecedented among all the other cosmogonies of nations, particularly in view of its marvellous simplicity, inner truth and factual solemnity. Isn’t the story of Genesis extensively devoid of all national limitations and mythological speculations and arrays compared to other creation myths!

It will be more difficult to answer the question to whom the divine Genesis of the primeval creation was revealed. It can barely be a revelation that was only revealed to a later prophet in Israel: The writer of the Creation Report must have already adopted it from the divine heritage of his nation’s great history. Because the content of his report is much older than the Hebrew nation, whose greatest sons were the embodiment of the prophet of God in ancient history. This is clearly indicated by the cosmogonies of other nations with their frequently distorted mythological creation legends. These legends have lost the purity and magnificence of the original revelation of the primeval creation and have become myths of bizarre fantasy, but in many a creation legend there are certain utterances and imaginations related to the Biblical Creation Report that continue to live on... These and other reminiscences of the distorted creation legends of ancient nations to the Biblical Creation Report allow the assumption that once all have emerged from a mutual tradition. We believe that we should find this primeval tradition when dealing with the first man with God as the creator and Father». 31

Did Noah Possess Pre-Deluge Texts?

It will certainly be impossible to trace the origin of the Biblical Creation Report, especially since our investigations chiefly depend on presumptions.

In Jewish mysticism there is a very interesting aspect concerning the origin of the Biblical Creation Report throwing a completely different light on our problem. First of all it reinforces our presumption that - as Jakob Kroeker later expressed - the Genesis was adopted by the writer of the Biblical Report already as divine heritage from the great history of his nation. According to Jewish tradition, Adam received a book from God after being expelled from paradise which supposedly answers his obsessive questions about the future.

This divine book also known as «the book of the first man» was handed to Adam by the angel that said:

«Adam, stand up and strengthen yourself with courage, you shall not have fear and anxiety but take the book from my hand and take good care of it, as it will give you wisdom and knowledge and you may make it known to anybody who is worthy that it becomes his part
And in the hour that Adam received the book a fire ignited at the bank of the river and the angel rose to heaven in a flame. Then Adam recognised that the messenger was an angel of God and that the book was sent to him by the Holy King. And he kept it in sanctity and purity.

Hennoch stood up four generations after Adam. The place where Adam’s book was hidden was revealed to him in a dream. And the book gave him insight and wisdom. Therefore he knew all about the seasons of the year, the planets and the stars that did their duty every month. He also knew the names of every cycle; he knew the names of the earths, the names of the heavens, the names of the sun and the moon. Hennoch continued to wholeheartedly honour the book and understood all wisdom even better than Adam, the first man. He also foresaw that the generations that were to follow him would have no power to bear the book because it was mighty and magnificent. So he concealed it, and it remained concealed until Noah, the son of Lemechs came a just and innocent man in his line.»32

According to the transmitted report in the «book of the first man» it is absolutely imaginable that pre-deluge texts about the early beginnings of the history of mankind reached Moses via Noah. The Creation Report must have been among these texts - presumably in cuneiform writing on clay panels - that Moses after Israel’s exodus from Egypt placed at the beginning of his recordings as «sacred heritage of his forefathers».

Thus the Bible has its very own cosmology that is neither applicable to the myths of ancient times complete with numerous godheads nor to the modern world view of the scientific materialists. For this reason when interpreting the Creation Report care must be taken not to interpret the obsolete philosophy of the antique into the Genesis out of prejudice. If we strictly follow only the wording of the Bible will we be able to conceive the full significance of the divine report and solve problems that to this day appeared insoluble. (Dan.12;4; Rev.13;18; 17;9).

Is our World a Product of Blind Coincidence?

Contrary to the clear and unmistakable teaching of the Bible that God is the creator of heaven and earth, the scientific materialists are convinced that the origin of life and the creation of the universe are purely coincidental. They admittedly also presume that everything must have initially had a beginning. Contrary to the Bible that postulates a closed «three-world-system» (1.Mos.1; 2.Petr.3; 2 Cor.12;Rev.21), they believe that the universe was created by the explosion (Big Bang) of high density matter. It still continues to expand. The distances between galaxies and groups of galaxies that emerged after the Big Bang are increasing faster the farther they are apart. Prof. Isaac Asimov assumes the following position in a magazine:

«The research results obtained by us indicate that thousands of millions of years ago the entire substance and energy of the universe was compressed to infinite density. This infinite density exploded in an unimaginably tremendous outbreak of energy under extremely hot temperatures - the Big Bang. The temperature of the exploding universe however dropped quickly. Matter developed from the sea of energy that existed first. Matter concentrated as galaxies. In these milky ways on the other hand the mass concentrated as stars - billions of stars in each milky way. Finally our universe developed and while it developed into its present form it cooled down increasingly during many billions of years. Today it is very large, very cold - and still continues to expand.» 33

Is the Nebula Recession an Established Fact?

Astrophysicists see proof of the «Big Bang-theory» in the redshift of the spectral lines in the stellar spectrum and define it as Doppler effect. Accordingly the wavelength of light emitting from a mobile light source is perceived by an unmoving observer as larger if the source moves further away, and as smaller if it comes closer. Therefore, they also assume that the redshift is an indicator for the speed at which the galaxies move farther away.

Of course they know that the «Big Bang» cannot be explained by physics; because if one imagines that the unimaginable amount of substance of all galaxies, yes, the entire matter of the whole universe was infinitely concentrated, it is absolutely illusory to obtain any scientifically satisfying concepts about the condition of matter at the time of zero, i. e. at the outbreak of the explosion. They would largely contradict all existing and recognised natural laws. The American scientist and Noble Prize Winner, Steven Weinberg, states:

«I cannot deny that I have a slight feeling of unreality when writing about the first three minutes pretending we actually know of what we are talking about.» 34

Certainly also the global idea of an expanding universe is not accepted without objection, especially as it is absolutely speculative and practically nothing has been verified. Weinberg points out to the following in his book „The First Three Minutes:

«I don’t want to give the impression that everybody accepts the interpretation of the redshift. It has actually not been observed that the galaxies are moving farther away from us; in fact we only know for certain that the lines in their spectrums have moved towards the red, that is toward the longer wavelengths. Eminent astronomers doubt that the redshift causes Doppler shifts or an expansion of the universe. Halton Arp of the Hale-Observatory has persistently referred to the fact that groups of galaxies exist in space in which some galaxies show a very deviating redshift: in case the groups should be true physical associations of neighbouring galaxies, they shouldn’t present with hardly any major speed deviations. Apart from this Maarten Schmidt discovered in 1963 that a certain class of objects that look like stars also show enormous redshifts in some instances more than 300 percent! In case the „so-called stellar objects“ are so far away as must be assumed in view of their redshift, it would necessitate an enormous emission of energies for them to appear so bright.» 35

The Universe is not Expanding.

According to an article in „Naturwissenschaften“ (Science) (Issue 17 - 1962), a magazine of the Academy of Science in Goettingen, the Soviet physicist, N. P. Suworoff, Moscow, has examined the connection of the Hubble-constant, that describes the apparent expansion of the universe, with the effect that a gravity field has on light quantums:

«…Since it has become possible with the help of the Moessbauer-effect to measure extremely small time intervals or energy differences, Pound and Rebka have investigated the speed changes of light quantums in the earth’s gravity field, and discovered that they principally agree with the general theory of relativity.

Suworoff has calculated the effect of the gravity fields of the galaxies on the light quantums that they emit. He discovered that the observed redshift is exclusively due to the gravitational effect. Thus the universe is not expanding. This has also clarified numerous contradictions concerning the age of the universe.» (FAZ - Natur und Wissenschaft dt. 25.9.1962). (FAZ - Nature and Science).

The physicist, civil rights campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Andrej Sacharov, who also played a leading role in the development of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, stresses the lack of knowledge and unsatisfactory concepts regarding the condition that prevailed before the so-called «Big Bang». He writes:

«We cannot explain the modern picture of the universe without possessing specific concepts or at least hypotheses about the conditions that prevailed at the beginning of its evolution. The following questions have not yet been satisfactorily solved:

1. What was  b e f o r e  the time of infinite density?

2. What was the degree of inhomogeneity of the original „infinitely dense“ substance?

3. Did this substance consist of an equal amount of particles and anti-particles,
or was it asymmetrical?

4. Was this substance absolutely cold or „infinitely“ hot?

5. Did any „primeval“ magnetic field exist?

6. Is space flat or „bent“ or does it correspond to
the geometry of Lobatchevski?

A clear answer to all these questions cannot be given as we stated already. Their investigation is of utmost necessity as they are the crucial problems of astrophysics.»36

The same objections against the Big Bang theory, as submitted by Sacharov in 1968, can be read in the PM-Magazine 3/1997. Under the title: «News about the Big Bang: It never happened» the following questions were raised:

Problem No. 1: Where did the anti-matter disappear to?

Problem No. 2: How is it possible that the world is so consistent?

Problem No. 3: The oldest stars are older than the universe.

Problem No. 4: From where does the structure in the universe come from?

Problem No. 5: What was before the Big Bang?

The «Big Bang theory» established in 1948 by the Russian-born American, George Gamov, and since then taught as „standard model“ at the universities, is also subject to categorical doubt. Substantial doubts have been raised for quite some time; because scientists recently discovered countless new mysterious phenomena that question the Big Bang. Is the explosion in space possibly only an illusion? Astronomers had for instance calculated that the Big Bang must have left behind a kind of „echo“, a weak, but a to this day measurable radiation. In fact: It was coincidentally discovered in 1964 by the US researchers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson. Apparently one more evidence of the Big Bang. But appearances are deceptive: This radiation that according to the theory should be consistent from all directions showed minor irregularities - thus the Big Bang cannot have occurred in this way, as we have assumed....

Another aspect makes it increasingly difficult for astronomers to arrive at a uniform theory: The abundant data attained by increasingly better telescopes and more ingenious methods. Steven Weinberg, one of the most famous US astronomers and critiques of the Big Bang theory: „The more details we discover about the universe the more difficult it becomes for us to reconcile them.

As we can gather from the explanations of leading scientists, it is not possible for them despite all endeavours to state something concrete about the origin of the universe. All knowledge that we have to this day gained is either wild speculation - in no other field are there so many speculations as in cosmology - or daring presumptions for which the initial conditions for the development of the universe were partly based on assumptions that contradict the natural laws of current physics.

It is certainly discouraging for scientists when they have to admit that they have reached the limit of their understanding of science that is fixed by dogmas. But even if they should succeed in achieving clarity about the early conditions of the universe despite all obviously insurmountable difficulties, the decisive questions about the origin of the infinitely dense matter will remain unanswered. Did it develop out of an absolute NOTHING? Did it arise out of itself? Has it always been there? Or, how can its existence be explained from a materialistic point of view?

Many scientists deny that these questions are meaningful. According to their opinion they are beyond the range of exact sciences. They object that to find an answer one would have to return to a past time that existed even before the Big Bang. This is impossible as the origin of space and time and the laws of physics that describe space-time was the Big Bang.

Prof. Hoimar v. Dithfurt, who has become popular through various TV programmes, expressed the following in his book „In the Beginning was Hydrogen":

«From where does the hydrogen of the beginning come from? is a question that cannot be answered any more scientifically just as little as the already in this book discussed question: What existed before the origin of the world, the Big Bang, and what caused it?».

Steven Weinberg gives the following suggestion:

«Naturally one will ask how big the early universe was. Unfortunately we do not know this and we are uncertain whether this question is meaningful. As indicated in Chapter II it is perfectly possible that the universe is currently infinite and if this is true then it was also infinite at the time of the first picture and will always be infinite. It is also possible that the universe presently has an infinite circumference that has occasionally been estimated at approximately 125 thousand million light-years» 37

Today’s cosmologians are not omniscient as has been verified by their hypothetical theories about the origin of the universe. Obviously they have reached the limits of their rational conceptions with their materialistically characterised atheistic world view - the «space-time-continuum»

The difficulty in exploring the mystery of the creation of the universe as well as the evolution of life lies predominantly in the fact that, although they look over the wall of finity like through a dense veil, their materialistic world view - a world without God - doesn’t allow them to go beyond what is concealed behind the border to metaphysics that for them is strictly out of bounds.

The well-known Bio-informatic scientist Hubert Yockey writes: «Since science does not dispose of any concept about the evolution of life on earth... it would only be fair to admit this to the scientists, the moneylenders and the general public. Leading scientists that speak ex cathedra should stop polarising the mind of students and younger productive scientists with statements that are exclusively based on faith.» (factum 10/83, p. 23).

It appears to even the most engaged representatives of the atheistic theory of evolution that the ideas about «self-organisation of matter» are occasionally unrealistic. As J. Monod stated: «It is absurd and absolutely foolish to believe that a living cell develops by itself; but nevertheless I believe this, because I cannot imagine anything else.» (factum 9/82, p. 15)

The English anthropologist and Darwinist Sir Arthur Keith (1866-1955) arrived at the following conclusion: «Evolution is unproved and not provable. We believe this, as its only alternative is the act of creation of a God and that is unthinkable.» (PM 3/1983)

Does a Non-Material, Spiritual Universe Exist?

Not all leading scientists have adapted the view of established sciences. The German astronomer, Peter v. d. Osten-Sacken in his book „The New Cosmology“ - Astronomers in Search of the Reality of our World - arrives at the following conclusion regarding these questions:

«Let us yet observe another issue. Does an intrinsic non-material sphere exist or can we ultimately attribute everything to physical and chemical processes?... It is not easy to imagine a process without a cause and therefore it is searched for in the spiritual. But if a spiritual sphere exists - substantiated by other criteria - it is not only possible but even likely that in it lies the origin of the universe. Let us view this more concretely: Supposing the universe originated at one point in time and an intrinsic spiritual sphere exists, the origin of this creation could be something unimaginable, different, non-material: many religions describe this as „divine“. Evidently the „divine“ is given attributes that satisfy our intellect. We must consider the fact that they can merely be images that only give a vague description the real, the truth, they can by no means describe it exactly.

Assuming the origin of the primeval creation is non-material this would naturally open the door for corresponding creations in the present and with it an acausality in the natural sphere according to our first limited definition. In this way also the sources of matter could be viewed as a current act of creation by an intellectual force. Because why should this „divine“ something be limited merely to the time of the primeval creation? There is no reason for this. Moreover this would explain all „real miracles“ more easily.

In the otherwise fairly comprehensible evolution of animated and unanimated nature there are two incidents that present with a „crack“, incidents in the chain of events where a new element arises the origin of which we cannot really justify. On the one hand there is the evolution of life and on the other the evolution of the human „intellect“. It would be too much here to concern ourselves also with this problem. Literature about this subject fills a whole library.» 38

Dr. Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, has given the following explanations in an interview on current themes of our time:

«I believe that it is indeed possible for a scientist not to have any belief at all. But I don’t think it is possible that such a person can actually be a good scientist. Not believing in God he finally has to assume that everything occurs merely coincidentally. It is known that even a novice in any science could never earnestly advocate such a theory.»

The essence of the opinion that Millikan further developed is approximately the following: Whoever is familiar with the problems of modern physics and has for half a century had the opportunity to go increasingly deeper into „the matter“ finally arrives at the inevitable conviction that there are at least two universes, speaking in human terms.

The first is the material world about which we have recently discovered quite a lot, the world of atomic and the stars. The other world is the spiritual world, about we know almost nothing. But the little we know about these spiritual world, force us to believe in it.
We measure space, time, weight and the like. We can transform energy into heat or light and measure this as well. But we can neither produce nor measure goodness, love or self-sacrifice. Nevertheless we know that these things are in some way or other real although they obviously don’t owe their existence to this, our physical world. Since these moral values are real - everything that has an effect is real - but since they did not attain reality from this physical world they must derive from a metaphysical world, from a spiritual universe. (Lippische Landes-Zeitung 187)

The Biblical Creation Report also assumes the existence of a spiritual universe; because if we read in the Genesis: «At the beginning God created heaven and earth», this does not mean that God originated at the time of creation. This image of God is found in ancient myths. Therefore it can only mean that God was there before he started creation.

With this we arrive at the fundamental question of Christian cosmology: Where was God before he created heaven and earth and assumed residence in heaven? (Is. 66; 1-2).

This is certainly the most difficult question. If we presume that God is «spirit» and if we out of logical considerations proceed from Millikan’s world view then the only possible answer is that God before he starting creation and before the origin of space and time must have dwelled in a different, unmanifested universe in which neither space nor time has any significance and which is unimaginable for our «limited» possibilities. The Biblical Creation Report, provided we interpret it correctly, gives us the possibility to draw a corresponding picture of  o u r   world:

The First Day of Creation

«In the beginning God created heaven and earth; but the earth was a desert and barren, and darkness lay over the vast waters (= primeval sea), and the spirit of God moved (pondering) above the surface of the water. And God said: „Let there be light!“ and it became light. And God saw that the light was good; then God divided the light from the darkness and called the light „day“, but he called the darkness „night“. And it was evening and morning: the first day.»

Fig. 1

First day of creation

Considering the events of the first day of creation and attempting to represent them in a diagram, we obtain the following picture:

On an empty piece of paper symbolising the „spiritual universe“ we draw two differently large circles:

• a larger circle illustrating heaven as a spherical bowl, its unlimited surface forming an ideal border to the «spiritual universe».

• and within the larger circle a smaller circle as a spherical object illustrating the earth

The Second Day of Creation

«Then God said: „Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the both sides waters!“ And it was so. And God made the solid firmament thus dividing the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And God called the solid firmament „heaven“.

«And it was evening and morning:  s e c o n d   d a y ».

The only «water» hitherto mentioned in Genesis is the «second flood» or the «primeval sea» respectively, that is a component of the primeval earth of the first day of creation.

So if it says: „Let there be a  s o l i d  f i r m a m e n t  in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters!" „water“ can signify only the «primeval sea» into which God placed another heaven on the second day of creation, an object that God describes as «solid firmament» or «solid heaven».

This results in the only possible logical conclusion that creation disposes of  t w o  heavens: one over the „primeval heaven“ of the first day of creation, and one over the «solid heaven» created on the second day of creation in the midst of the waters of the primeval earth.

Fig. 2

2. Second day of creation

But before we take a closer look at the heavens of the first and second day of creation we should first of all consider the events of the third day of creation.

The Third Day of Creation

And God said: „Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together in specially place, and let the dry (= the dry land) appear!“ And it was so. And God called the dry „earth“, and the gathered water he called sea (i.e. world sea). And God saw that it was good.

Then God said: „Let the earth bring forth green, the herbs yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. The earth brought forth green, and herbs yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And it was evening and morning: the third day.

It should be of particular interest that God already on the third day of creation - i e. already before the rising of the sun on the fourth day of creation - put fresh green, plants and trees on the earth. In actual fact we could expect plants and trees to evolve after the sun; from experience we know that the plant world requires sunlight to grow.

On the other hand we also know that the ultraviolet rays of the sun would erase all life on an unprotected earth without the protecting ozone layer that forms in the terrestrial atmosphere only from molecular oxygen under the influence of the short-wave UV-radiation of the sun.

As it is to be excluded that the creator of heaven and earth made a mistake when planning creation, there must be another explanation in which way the life-sustaining oxygen was able to develop on earth without sunlight for the fish, birds, animals and man that were to appear afterwards.

The photosynthesis researcher, Daniel I. Arnon, was able to find a convincing answer to this problem. On 16th April, 1963 the following article appeared in the FAZ:

Photosynthesis in the dark. «The well-known American photosynthesis researcher, Arnon (Berkeley, California) succeeded in an unexpected experiment: Having set up a cell-free system out of components partly gained from spinach leaves, and partly from bacteria, he was able to replace the influence of light during the first steps of reaction in photosynthesis by adding hydrogen gas. (Photosynthesis is the process with which the plant builds up sugar out of carbonic acid and water with the participation of chlorophyll and light). Since an atmosphere rich in hydrogen and low in oxygen with little light belongs to the conditions that once probably prevailed on earth, Arnold’s experiment throws light on how earliest forms of life accumulated energy».

Professor Hermann Merxmueller, chairman of the Institute for Systematic Botanics at the Munich University explained the following in his talk on the 169th meeting of the research team in Duesseldorf:

In another way the answer can certainly be found why a plant - whose cells have all developed according to one and the same „genetic information“ - develops such completely different types of cells. For its growth, especially for the development of the chlorophyll, our plants require light. Next to this „photosynthesis“ there is another growth that can take place in complete darkness because it draws only from the available reservoir of matter. According to Professor Hans Mohr, Professor for General Botany and Plant Physiology in Freiburg, only very simple, inferior cell types develop under these conditions that substantially differ from the ones grown in light. „Superior“ plant growth necessitates at least a „stimulating impetus of light“ as interesting experiments with salad seeds have shown. (Frankfurter Rundschau of 14.3.68)

In view of the unexpected fact that God created «fresh green, herbs and trees» before the sunlight, we face a difficult question: Was the sun as the centre star of our planetary system really created after the earth; this can be regarded as physically unlikely.

The answer isn’t as complicated as it initially appears. After a further development of the theory of Kant-Laplace about the evolution of planets by C. F. von Weizsaecker (theory of turbulence) our solar system could have evolved for instance out of a slowly rotating primeval nebula that was much larger than today’s planetary system. When the nuclear fusion in the core of the sun began, thus providing energy for the lighting up of the giant gas ball, the evolution of the planets was obviously extensively completed. However, it must have certainly taken some time until the sun slowly attained its full brightness.

Presumably the earth that certainly also possessed an adequate intrinsic warmth from the very beginning was located in a moist tropical climate underneath a dense cloud-cover that lead to a steady temperature at ground-level that doesn’t exist any more today. The temperature is estimated to have been between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius, and this nearly evenly from one pole to another, so that at first in darkness and then later when the sun lit up gradually increasing its radiation a rich vegetation progressively spread on earth.

Dedicated researchers in the field of photosynthesis have always been surprised about the fact how little amount of light plants require for this process even today. Nowadays jungle plants being the most similar to the ancient plants of the dim past are twilight plants. Growing best in shade, bright sunshine is unbearable for them. (Prof. Heinz Haber, - „Unser blauer Planet/Our Blue Planet“ - 1965).

The Fourth Day of Creation

«And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God put them in the firmament of the heaven to light the earth.

And it was evening and morning: the fourth day.

That the  s e c o n d   heaven that developed in the middle of the primeval sea is indeed our stellar heaven as can be perceived already from the fact that God placed sun, moon and stars in the «solid firmament» - i. e. in the second heaven - «so that they may light the earth»

This also illumines Paul’s explanation to the Corinthians:

«It is of no use to me to praise; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ, who forty years ago (whether he was in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knows it) was entranced into the third heaven. And I know the same man (whether he was in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knows it) he was entranced into paradise and heard unspeakable words, that no man can utter.“ (2 Cor. 12-14).

When Paul was entranced into the «third heaven, in paradise» he envisioned the «new world», a «new creation» that can certainly not be compared with worldly standards and which we can obviously only inadequately describe for lack of words.

Fig. 3

Fourth creation day

Apostle Peter when counting the heavens also included the heaven submerged by the deluge informs us why Paul mentions a «third heaven»:

«Out of wilfulness they do not want to know that the heaven existed also before times, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water by God’s word; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

But the (present) heaven and the (present) earth which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgement and perdition of ungodly men...

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, during which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up...

Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.» (2. Peter 3).

From the apostle’s point of view the counting of the heavens logically begins with the submerged «heaven of the deluge» mentioned by Peter. But the second heaven kept for the fire is identical with our heaven.

The «t h i r d   heaven» into which Paul was entranced is identical with the primeval heaven of the first day of creation.

Now the words of Jesus to his disciples become meaningful, shortly before his ascension to heaven he consoled them:

«Your hearts fear not! Trust in God and trust in me! In my Father’s house are many homes; if this were not so, I would have told you: because I am leaving to prepare a place; and when I am gone and have prepared a place, I return, and will take you with me, so that you may be where I am Joh. 14 (1. Thess.4; 13-18; 1 Cor. 15; 50-58; Hebr. 8 ff)

Accordingly it becomes apparent that Jesus ascended into the heaven of the first day of creation, being the heaven that Paul specified as the «third heaven» and from which the apostle John at the beginning of the thousand-year-long reign of Christ saw the new Jerusalem coming onto the new earth - prepared as a bride adorned for her bridegroom:

«And I, John, saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her bridegroom. Then I heard a loud voice calling from heaven: „Behold, the house of God is with man! and he will live with them, and they will be his people; yes God himself will be among them and will dry all tears in their eyes, and death will be gone, and also sorrow, no cries of grief and no pain; because the first is over"

Then he who sits on the throne said: "See, I make everything new!" He continued: „Write! because these words are dependable and true!“ Further he said to me: „It is done. I am the A and the O, the beginning and the end; I want to give the thirsty from the spring of the water of life freely. He who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second deathRev. 21; 2-8.

 

The Meaning of Life and the Purpose of the Creation of the World

Having concerned ourselves in detail with the Genesis in the previous chapter, we are now confronted with a number of fundamental questions. The chief question is about the meaning of life and the purpose of the creation of the world. Another question of no lesser importance generally posed by the sceptics is, «Why is evil dominating the world, if it has been created by a «good God»? This is indeed a prominent question for a Christian causing fierce headaches to many people that sincerely contemplate the meaning of life. Since they don’t know any convincing answer such epigonic phrases more frequently lead to rejection of God, as nobody wants to believe any more in an „almighty God“ who tolerates all the misery in the world. Large numbers of Christians maintain this standpoint.

Naturally such reactions are to be expected in a glittering fake world of cities and industries determined by scientific materialism that has submitted itself to the force of the capital. But if convinced Christians that have preserved their faith in God and Christ despite of everything dwell on such dull thoughts, and - for whichever reasons - are tempted to be blind to reality they will barely be in a position to grasp the deeper meaning of life and solve painful problems considering terrible wars, ethnic persecution and global environmental and nature catastrophes.

Obviously we don’t have to search long for an answer. It is hidden since long in the Biblical Creation Report; because in some Bible translations containing concrete information about the events on the first day of creation, we are able to find explanations about why God has created the world and why it was doomed to destruction already from the beginning, and why only man - contrary to all other beings on earth - has the ability to discriminate between good and bad. In the Bible translation of Dr. Hermann Menge we find the following interesting comment:

«In the beginning God created heaven and earth; but the earth was a desert and barren, and darkness lay over the vast waters (primeval sea), and the spirit of God moved (pondering) above the surface of the waters

The expression: «pondering» used here suggests that after the «primeval heaven» and the «primeval earth» had been created, God intensively thought about something and pondered over a plan that obviously is closely related to the creation of light, as it further reads in the divine report:

«And God said: «Let there be light!» and it became light. And God saw that the light was good; then God divided the light from the darkness and called the light „day“, and he called the darkness „night“. And it was evening and morning: the first day».

Now the question arises: what kind of plan did God think about? And what reason did he have, «to divide light and darkness»? But first of all what happened to the «light» that was created on the first day explicitly considered by God as «good»? It could not have been sun, moon and stars, because they were created only on the fourth day of creation and installed in the «solid heaven» according to the Biblical Report.

Jesus, giving the answer to us himself, clearly explained: «I am the light of the world»; whosoever follows me, will not wander in darkness, but have the light of life. (Joh. 8)

Jesus describes himself as the beginning of the creation of God in the apocalypse which states:

«And write to the angel of the people in Laodicea: Such speaks he who is (the) Amen („the Amen“, i. e. the Christ in which all promises of God prove themselves as true, (2. Cor. 1; 20), the faithful and truthful witness, the beginning of the creation of God») (3; 17).

Both statements indicate precisely that only Jesus can be the «light» that God created on the first day of creation and «that he let shine forth from the darkness». Therefore John could also explain that the «Logos», that was with God in the beginning and represents Jesus, is identical with the «light of the first day of creation»:

«In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God (i.e. together with God; facing God - The term «the word» (gr. the logos) refers here (as also v.14 and Rev. 19; 13) to God’s son as the one who reveals and executes the Will of God) and God (divine being) was the word. This was with God in the beginning.
All things were made by this (word), and without this, nothing was made, (of all) that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not taken it (comprehended it)

A man appeared, he was sent from God, and his name was John; he came to witness, to bear witness of the light, so that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but he was to bear witness of that light. The light was there, the true light, that enlightens every man that comes into the world; he was in the world, and the world was made by him (that was the light), but the world did not recognise him. He came into his own (= his possession), but his own did not receive him; but those that received him, were given the power to become the children of God, namely those that believe in his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the desire of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.

And the word was made flesh (= man) and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory, given by the Father to his only son; filled with grace and truth.» - Joh. 1; 1-14 (Menge).

Paul additionally explains:

«For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness“, is also He who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.“ - 2. Cor. 4; 6

Praising Jesus as «the wisdom of God» the texts of Salomos (8; 22) state the following in agreement with: Rev. 3; 17

«The Lord has created me as the first of his creation work, the first of his works in primeval times. I have been created since eternity, from the beginnings, before the primeval beginnings of the earth»

Naturally these statements do not fit into the concept of the triunity doctrine. For this reason some Bible translators have adapted their translation from Text 8 onwards to the triunity doctrine, according to the motto: what cannot be, must not be. In the Scofield Bible, for example, we find the following comment:

«(8;22) The wisdom here is superior to a personification of a characteristic of God or the will of God who decided for the benefit of mankind; the intention here is to give a precise conception of Christ. The section Texts 8; 22-36 compared with Joh. 11; 3; 1. Cor. 1; 24; Col. 2; 3 can refer to nobody else but the eternal Son of God. Some interpreters maintain that the word «owned» («had in the beginning») in V22 should have read «created» but that would imply that Christ is a created being.»

In the commentary of the Jerusalem Bible, the proverbs 8; 22 have been translated as follows:

«Jahwe has created me as firstfruit of his reign, as the earliest of his works, since primeval times»,

in the Scofield Bible it says on the contrary:

«8;22 created as the Hebraic verb (qanani) is translated by G, S, T, ...

The translation „has obtained me“ or „has owned me“ (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion) has been adopted by Hieronymous (V) probably in order to fight the false doctrine of Arius who regarded the Logos (identified with wisdom) as a being.»

Since we are now aware of the chief significance of the «light of the first creation day of the world», let us investigate why light and darkness were divided certainly also not an easy task. Why were heaven and earth created? What is the mystery of the creation of the universe? Why was creation started? For God, as far as it is possible to say, must have dwelled forever and always in an unimaginable spiritual universe before he created a world complete with life.

The Bible does not contain any direct information that explains in detail the aim and purpose of the creation of the universe. For this reason it is also difficult to explore God’s motives. But there are a few very interesting references that nevertheless allow us to lift the veil of the mystery. As we have already discovered the last book of the Bible - the Revelation of John - reports that at the end of times there will be an eternal kingdom of light on the one hand, and on the other hand the kingdom of darkness - the quagmire that burns with fire and brimstone, the second death:

«And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her bridegroom...

And I will give to the thirsty of the well of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son...

But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death...

And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God lightens it and their light is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk in its light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates shall not be closed by day; for there will be no night there.Rev. 21; 2-25

This clear and unmistakable Bible statement reveals that God’s plan is chiefly to forever divide the two primeval elements «good and evil». But obviously this division beginning already on the first day of creation with the separation of light and darkness is a long process that runs through the entire world history and finds expression in the erection of the kingdom of God on the one hand, and in the condemnation of evil to the second death on the other hand, at the end of a long chain of historical events.

Before we study the division of light and darkness, we should explore why darkness entered world creation at all? Did it possibly exist already prior to creation? Is it an element of the spiritual universe? The events in paradise definitely allow such a conclusion; because after Adam had carelessly disobeyed the divine command: «not to eat of the tree of knowledge of the good and the evil», God uttered the significant words: «Behold, Adam has become like one of us, and knows, what is good and evil».

This divine explanation allows us to legitimately assume that the ability «to recognise good and evil» is a characteristic that was not acquired only with the „sin“ in paradise but was already existent before God decided to create heaven and earth. Presumably the existence of evil is the true origin of the world creation, of a world in which the two universal primeval elements «good» and «evil» face each other in a gigantic power battle at the end of which light will be the radiant winner over darkness. Jesus himself describes his mission as follows:

«I have come into this world to divide: those that are blind will see and those that see will be blind.“ - Joh. 9; 39.

The «division process between good and evil» however will not only happen here on earth but as we can gather from the Revelation of John this important philosophical discussion between «light and darkness» takes place also in heaven:

«And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, but they did not win, nor did they stay in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, which is called «devil» and «Satan», the deceiver of the whole world: he was cast out onto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: «Now is come salvation, and strength and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his anointed»! For «the accuser of our brothers is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night». And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you that live in them! But woe to the earth and the sea! The devil has descended upon you with mighty wrath because he knows that his time is only short.» (Rev. 12; 7-12)

The descent of Satan out of heaven is an almost two-thousand-years-old prediction to occur shortly before the sounding of the «seventh trumpet»; because the words about the «beginning of the reign of the king» perceived after the fight between Michael and Satan in heaven had already been perceived by John when the «seventh angel sounded the trumpet and loud voices were heard in heaven that called out:

„The reign of the king over the world has come to our Lord and his anointed and he will (from now on) reign as king for ever and ever!“» - Rev. 11; 15

According to Biblical prophecies the seventh trumpet is «the last trumpet»; because thereafter there will be no more time as confirmed explicitly by the angel, «but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he will sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be fulfilled, as he has declared to his servants, the prophets.» Rev. 10; 7

Apostle Paul also refers to the «seventh trumpet». He describes it as the «last trumpet». Answering the Corinthians when the resurrection of the dead would take place, he wrote:

«Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be transformed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.» - 1 Cor. 15; 51-52

Consequently the fight between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels in heaven is still to come. Satan’s descent out of heaven will therefore only occur at the very end, shortly before the return of Christ and the «first resurrection» that is related to it. (1 Cor. 15; 23)

Satan, of course, is aware of these predictions. He knows indeed that his time will soon expire so that there is only little time left for him to deceive the whole world. (Rev. 12; 9; 1. Pet. 5; 8)

 

The End is Nearing with Horror.

In the 19th century the world still seemed to be all right, and the Protestant world powers thought that it was right time to establish the kingdom of God as a political peace kingdom here on earth. But then the First World War unsuspectedly disturbed man’s content peacefulness and plunged the populace into the most terrible war of all times, into an infernal world catastrophe, surpassed only by the indescribable horrors of the Second World War. Subsequently the social and political structure of the world changed radically. Emperors and kings who ruled the world by the „grace of God“ were replaced by professional politicians, profit oriented businessmen, tyrants and communist dictators. These were and are responsible for the fate of this world that is shaken by revolutions, famines, epidemics and crises. God and Christ are not in demand in this world with its apathetic, inhuman dog-eat-dog society that wants to replace Christianity by scientific materialism with deceitful hypotheses.

During the chaos of the Russian October Revolution the Bolshevistic rulers unleashed a world-wide campaign against Christianity. Initially only the 92 million Christians living in Russia were affected by the merciless persecution. After the Second World War not only the political and social but also the ideological conditions in the other parts of the world have fundamentally changed. Where since then hostile ideologies against God are coming to the fore and are increasingly gaining ground in the battle against Christianity.

In the Eastern Bloc states ruled by Russia Marxism-Leninism was predominantly used as ideological weapon against Christianity. Nowadays on the contrary primarily «Darwinism» and the «Big Bang theory» are ‘preached’ as the «ultimate wisdom» in the democratised East as well as in the former Christian West.

Even in the Magazine of the Evangelical Church (No. 2 June/July 1985) these theories appear as possible alternatives to the Biblical Creation Report. According to a report in the news magazine „Focus“ 52/1996 the Catholic Church takes even one step further. Under the title «God and Science» it reads:

«…since the 22nd October of this year man now also according to the Catholic church derives from monkeys. It was the day on which the pope finally pigeonholed the last great historical war between church and science in the archives of the Vatican. After John Paul II had in recent years rehabilitated Copernicus and Galilee, he now made peace with Charles Darwin. „Late discoveries“, wrote the Holy Father of the Papal Academy of Sciences in Rome give reason to see „more than a hypothesis“ in the theory of evolution.»

Unquestionably a fatal development that clearly indicates that the religious world is in a spiritual crisis and is heading inexorably towards disaster. The almost two-thousand year old hunger for the return of Christ and the erection of his peace kingdom has since then not been discussed. Instead politics is heeding the fallacy that it is able to create a «new world order» out of its own absolute power, a world of peace and welfare. Certainly a beautiful illusion, but just an illusion. As long as evil is in command and the «prince of darkness» is pulling the strings such a plan cannot be realised.

The discussion between light and darkness or good and evil, respectively, is obviously heading towards its absolute zenith in our century during which a purely inner-worldly atmosphere and a before unknown development of spiritless energies have developed under the influence of science. A time characterised by moral decline and depravity; an era in which injustice is predominant, love has grown cold, the unfortunate are pitilessly driven into social seclusion and uncounted millions of people annually die of hunger; an age of terrible wars, ethnic persecutions and devastating nature catastrophes that have so far been known only as century catastrophes and that now in rapid succession devastate entire areas; a panic- and horror-stricken time ruled by general disorientation and helplessness with not much hope for a better future; a dreadful and terrible time ignorant of the disastrous reality in which one refuses to see that right before our eyes a global catastrophe is developing, inevitably and uncompromisingly heading toward «Doomsday».

In this connection it is certainly of utmost significance that on our earth only human beings are capable of discriminating between good and bad. This makes it obvious that the chief purpose of human creation is to actively participate in the division of these two primeval elements, to a certain extent as «spiritual vessel» collecting «light» or «darkness» depending on attitude and behaviour. Unless this process is completed there will and can be no peace. Paul reminded the communities to stay away from darkness and search only the good:

«For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.» - 2 Cor. 4; 6

According to the Genesis the division taking place on earth between good and evil or light and darkness, respectively, was prepared in paradise in fact when Satan - in the form of the serpent - questioned the truthfulness of God and irritated Eve with the hypocritical question:

«Yes, God is supposed to have said: You shall not eat from all kinds of trees in the garden?»

When Eve innocently contradicted the serpent and answered:

«We eat of the fruits of the trees in the garden; but of the fruits of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said: Eat not of it, don’t touch it either, that you may not die».

Thereupon Satan accused God of a lie and assured cheeky:

«You will in no way die of death; but God knows that the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you shall be like God, and know, what is good and what is evil.» - 1. Mos. 3; 1-5

Following this malicious defamation the question arises: Which reason did Satan have to defame God as a liar in the eyes of man? Why did he lie to Eve and tempt her into disobedience against God and into sin?

Isaiah and Ezekiel provide us with sufficient information concerning his lower motives and disgraceful indulgence. Isaiah writes:

«How did you fall from heaven, beautiful morning star! How were you thrust down to the earth, you who conquered all nations! For you remembered in your heart: I will ascend into heaven and exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit upon the mount of congregation in the farthest north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds and be like the Almighty. Yes, you descended to the dead, into the deepest pit!» - Isaiah 14; 12-15

In the prophecy of the King of Tyrus in which in replacement for Satan his beauty is highly praised Ezekiel gives further details for the reasons leading to Satan’s «great misdeed»:

«You are an accomplished seal, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You are in Eden the garden of God, and adorned with all kinds of precious stones: with sardius, topaz, and the diamond, turquoise, onyx, jasper, sapphire, amethyst, emerald and gold.

On the day you were created, your drums and pipes were prepared in you. You are like a cherub who spreads out wide and covers; and I have set you on the holy mount of God, that you may walk under the stones of fire.

You were perfect in your deeds from the day you were created, till your misdeed was found. For iniquity was found in you before your great merchandise, and you have sinned. Therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of God, and, covering cherub, I will drive you away from the stones of fire.

And as your heart is lifted up, because of your beauty, and you have corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour, therefore I will cast you to the ground, and lay you before the kings. Because you have defiled your sanctuary by your great iniquity and evil transactions. Therefore will I bring you to ashes upon the earth that all the world may see you. All that know you among heathens shall be horrified that you so suddenly perished, never to rise again.» - Ezekiel 28; 12-19

The notable philosophical discussion between good and evil was obviously not initiated by the Fall of Man in paradise but already prior to Satan’s rebellion against God. This religious discussion was obviously extended to earth only after Satan succeeded in tempting Adam and Eve into sin in paradise. From that point of view Adam and Eve found themselves quite unexpectedly and completely oblivious of the events that occurred in heaven in the midst of a fight between God and Satan. But because they - despite of the threat of death penalty - carelessly disobeyed God, all their descendants now also participate in the global division of good and evil:

«And God the Lord spoke to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed above all creatures and every beast of the field. You shall crawl on your belly , and eat dust all the days of your life.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; it shall trample your head, and you shall stab it into the heel.» 1. Mos. 3

The enmity between Satan and man existing since God’s judgement in paradise is reflected in the continuous discussion between good and evil. It is the determining element in world history; because hatred, envy, discord, ethnic persecution and above all contempt of man are the satanic driving forces for the unimaginable atrocities and terrible wars that repeatedly plunge mankind into bitter grief and misery.

The fatal discussion between the «seed of the woman» and the «seed of Satan» and consequently the first tragedy in the history of mankind had its origin when Cain killed his brother Abel in a blind rage:

«And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the field an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord had respect for Abel and his offering; but for Cain and to his offering he had no respect. And Cain became very angry, and he lowered his eyes. And the LORD said to Cain: Why are you angry, and why are you looking down? Isn’t it so now? If you are pious, you can lift your eyes freely. If you are not pious, sin lies at the door, and it desires you, but you rule over it».

Overwhelmed by evil thoughts Cain didn’t listen to God’s well meant advice and gave in to sin:

«Then Cain spoke to his brother Abel. And it so happened, when they were on the field Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.» - 1. Mos. 4

Although Satan was able to tempt Cain into fratricide at the very beginning, the judgement, «The seed of the woman shall trample your head», unmistakably suggests that with the end of the worldly discussion between good and evil also Satan’s fate will finally be sealed.

It depends solely on mankind’s behaviour whether he will belong to the seed of the woman - that is to Christ - or to the seed of Satan; because at the time of his birth he is without record. The form and essence of man are imprinted only in the division process between good and evil; for God said to Cain, «Sin lies at the door, and it desires you; but you rule over it.»

In the continuous conflict between these two contradicting primeval powers that mankind is faced with, he has to prove whether eventually the good in him will be stronger or whether the evil will win. He «who overcomes evil» will become the son of God in reward. (Rev. 21)

Somebody who proved his faith in God under the most difficult conditions and who despite severe physical pain and great psychological burden withstood the contestations of Satan was Job. We all know his story or have at least heard of his fate.

His life of sufferings, his contestations and his struggle with God are of particular interest for us since the circumstances under which Job’s trials came about are typical for the discussion between good and evil. The Bible reports:

Job proves his loyalty in an ordeal:

«There was a day when the sons of God came before the Lord, and Satan was also among them. The Lord said to Satan: Where do you come from? Satan answered the Lord: I have wandered the earth to and fro. The Lord said to Satan: Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on earth, perfect and upright, fearing God and shunning evil. Satan answered the Lord: Does Job fear God for nothing? Did you not protect him, his house and all that he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possession has increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has: he will curse you to your face!

The Lord said to Satan: Behold, all that he has is in your power; only on himself do not lay your hand. Then Satan left the Lord. And Job lost in one day all his possessions and all his children.

Then Job stood up and tore his clothes and shaved his head and fell down to the ground, bowing down he said: I have come naked from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord! Despite all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly».

Job demonstrates loyalty in yet another difficult ordeal:

«It happened one day when the sons of God came before the Lord, and Satan came with them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan: From where do you come? And Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro in the earth. The Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, fearing God, and shunning evil and who holds fast his integrity, although you move me against him, to destroy him without cause. Satan answered the Lord: Skin for Skin! and all that man has will he give for his life. But put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand; but save his life!

So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown. And he took a broken piece of pot to scrape himself and sat in the ashes.

And his wife said to him: Do you still retain your integrity! curse God, and die! But he said to her: You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. Did we not receive good from God and shall we not also accept the evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.» Job 1 and 2

Evidently the global philosophical discussion between good and evil that began on the first day of creation with the division of light and darkness has become a permanent fight between God and Satan.

The question is whether man can maintain his faith in God although he is physically and psychologically tormented, as clearly illustrated by the sufferings that Job is exposed to.

This dispute must have been of such eminent significance that God brought his own son into this discussion:

«God loved the world so much that he gave his firstfruit so that all that have faith in him may not be lost but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to judge it instead that the world may be saved through him. He that has faith in him shall not be judged; he that has no faith in him, is judged already, because he did not believe in the name of the firstfruit of God. But in this exists the judgement, that the light came into the world, but the people loved the darkness more than the light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hate the light and comes not to the light so that his works may not be open». Joh.3; 16-20.

The Gospel states that Jesus after being baptised in the Jordan and the Baptist recognising him to be the Lamb of God was lead by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted there by the devil:

«…and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards hungry. And when the tempter came to him, he said, «If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread». But he answered and said, «It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.»

Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and sat him on a pinnacle of the temple and said to him, «If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down! because it is written: He shall give his angels charge concerning you: and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone». Jesus answered him, «It is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God!»

Again, the devil took him up onto a very high mountain, showed him all kingdoms of the world and their glory and said to him, „All these things will I give to you, if you fall down and worship me.“ Then said Jesus to him, «Go away Satan because it is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him only shall you serve!» Then the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and served him.» Matth.4; 1-11

As Jesus was lead into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil the question arises whether Satan after failing with Job doubted the faith of the firstfruit of God? How could it otherwise be explained that also Jesus was tempted by the devil?

Obviously the conditions for the faith in God had become considerably more difficult; it was no longer a question of possessions and health as in the case of Job, but of death itself and moreover the most shameful of all deaths, the death on the cross. Would Jesus still prove his faith if he had to suffer this horrible torment?

Naturally Jesus knew about the difficulty of his task. Because it was not for nothing that he had asked God if it were possible to let this cup pass by him:

«Then said he to his disciples, «My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even until death; stay here and watch with me!» And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, «My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass by me; but not as I will, but as you will!»

«And he went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, «My Father, if this cup may not pass by me, except I drink it, your will shall be done!»

«Then he came to the disciples and said to them: Sleep on now, and take your rest! But the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of the sinners!» - Matth. 26; 38-45

As his life of suffering clearly shows, Jesus resisted Satan until the end and proved him wrong. Therefore he was ultimately able to say on the cross: «It is done!» (Joh. 19; 28-30)

With his life of suffering and his faith in God and Father (Joh. 20; 17) unto death he not only overcame evil but also brought salvation to mankind:

«Since the children have flesh and blood, he himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Therefore in all things he had to be made like his brothers, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. - (Hebr. 2; 14-18)

«Christ died for the sake of sins, the just for the unjust, to lead us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.» (1 Peter 3; 18)

«And since death came by man (= was caused), resurrection of the dead comes also by man. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the firstfruit; afterward they that are Christ’s when he comes (= returns). Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God (and) the Father; as soon as he has destroyed all (other) rule and all authority and power. For he must reign as king, until he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death- 1. Cor. 15

Bibliography

30 DIE BIBEL, Copyright © 1975 bei Andreas & Andreas, Verlagsbuchhandel,
Salzburg (S.418/419)

31 Die erste Schoepfung - Noah, Jakob Kroeker, © 1958 by Brunnen-Verlag, Giessen
(S.45 u. 50)

32 Juedischer Glaube, Herausgeber Kurt Wilhelm, C.A. Koch's Verlag Nachf.,
Darmstadt (S.233/234)

33 PM-Magazin, Heft 5/1980
34 Steven Weinberg "Die ersten drei Minuten" © R.Piper & Co. Verlag, Muenchen 1977, (S.24)

35 Steven Weinberg "Die ersten drei Minuten" © R.Piper & Co. Verlag,
Muenchen 1977, (S.55/56)

36 Ideen des exakten Wissens, Heft 11/1968 (S.15)

37 Steven Weinberg "Die ersten drei Minuten" © R.Piper & Co. Verlag,
Muenchen 1977, (S.152)

38 Peter v.d. Osten-Sacken "Die neue Kosmologie", 2. Auflage 1976 Copyright © 1974
by Econ Verlag GmbH, Duesseldorf und Wien (S284/285)

 

 

© Helmut Seeger