Romans 1:19 and 20 say, “Because that which is known of God is manifest within them, for God manifested it to them. For the invisible things of Him, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made, so that they would be without excuse.” This passage presents a profound matter and speaks forth the mysteries of the universe. In our eyes heaven, earth, and man all are mysteries. When we look at heaven, earth, and ourselves, we cannot explain them. After all, what is heaven, what is earth, and what are we human beings? Many astronomers and geologists, and some anthropologists as well, have spent much time on these questions yet have not been able to find the answers.
We have to come back to the Bible to look at these questions. It is unavoidable that throughout the centuries, scholars have been speculating in their study of heaven, earth, and man. Nevertheless, there is a book in human history called the Bible, a book written by men under divine inspiration which explains clearly the origin of heaven, earth, and man. In this Bible there is neither inference nor conjecture; rather, all is plain revelation.
The first sentence in the first book of the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). God said clearly that the heavens, the earth, and man were made by Him. It was only five to six hundred years ago that men discovered that the earth is round instead of flat. Therefore, they began to call the earth a globe. Yet around 700 B.C., that is, two thousand seven hundred years ago, the prophet Isaiah, one of the authors of the Old Testament, wrote in his book, saying, “It is He [God] who sits above the circle of the earth,... / Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, / And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isa. 40:22). As far as two thousand seven hundred years back, Isaiah told people that the earth is a big circle. This proves that the origin of the heavens and the earth spoken of in the Bible is neither an inference nor a fabrication but a clear word of revelation from God.
Job 26:7 says, “He [God] stretches out the north over the void; / He hangs the earth upon nothing.” Job was probably a contemporary of Abraham. Yet the book he wrote about four thousand years ago tells us that the earth is hanging upon nothing. The advance of modern day science has only proved again and again that the revelation of the Bible is totally accurate.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul told people that the invisible things of God, both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being perceived by the things made (Rom. 1:20). This means that we can know God through the heavens, the earth, and all things. For example, when we look at the numerous systems in the universe, either the solar system, the Milky Way, or others, there is no disorderliness. Up until now astronomers still cannot give us an accurate figure as to how big the universe is. This universe is truly vast. Yet after billions of years, the order of the universe is still maintained, and the solar system still revolves in perfect order. We who live on this earth can still enjoy the distinct difference between spring and summer and the definite timing of day and night.
Just as the great things in the universe operate according to their laws, so the smaller things have their principles. We all know that there is a law, a principle, to everything, and behind all things there must be One who establishes the laws and principles. If not, where do all the laws and principles of all matters come from? The Bible clearly says that the universe was created by God. Hence, we can have a glimpse of all that God is, all that God has, God’s power, and God’s divine characteristics through all things in the universe. Besides, the Bible further reveals that man was created by God. Genesis 1, which is a record of God’s creation of the universe, shows us how God created all things out of nothing and how He created man.
God first created the inorganic things such as the earth, the sun, air, and water. Then God created the organic things, which require air, water, the sun, and the earth. God created the different kinds of life in an orderly way, from the lower class to the highest class. He first created plants such as grass, vegetables, and trees, and then He created oviparous animals such as the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Thereafter, He created viviparous animals such as the beasts and the cattle. At the end, God created man. Man was created in a way that is different from the other living things; God created man in His image (Gen. 1:26), and He also created a special organ for man—the human spirit—so that man may contact God. This spirit in man is the highest matter.
There is no animal among all the creatures that has the image of God or has a spirit within. Yet there is another life that is higher than the life of man, and that is the life of God Himself. God’s life is the super-class life. God created man in His own image with a purpose—God’s purpose is to make man His vessel. A vessel is for containing things. For example, a cup is for containing water. Likewise, as God’s vessel, man is for containing God.