The Garden of Eden. Thomas Cole, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
How Creationism and Bible Prophecy are Connected
Scroll down for Why the Theory of Evolution is Antithetical to Bible Prophecy
Creationism and Bible Prophecy Video
Adam et Ève au Paradis Terrestre. Johann Wenzel Peter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The purpose of this page is not to provide evidence for creationism. There are many good websites where you can research this subject. I would particularly recommend Creation.com. The purpose is to demonstrate how bible prophecy and creationism go hand in hand.
Creationism is really about understanding the bible as literal truth. God created the world in six days and when he was finished with his work he saw that it was good on each day of creation. On the sixth day he saw that it was “very good”.
[Gen 1:31 KJV] 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Now if God says something is “very good” we as believers can take it that it was perfect.
Drought in Somaliland. Oxfam East Africa, via Wikimedia Commons
From a creationist point of view the world was created perfect and since the fall of Adam and Eve it has been declining. The exact opposite of the evolutionist point of view which says that the world started from nothing and has gradually been improving or evolving. No explanation has been been given as to why the world should improve in this way.
Even the most positive person going for a country walk on a summer’s day could not now claim that the earth is perfect. It is full of diseases, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and ultimately death. Animals live in a constant state of conflict and stress. It is in a state of decline because of the weight of sin that it is under. Isaiah explains the final result of this
[Isa 24:19-20 KJV] 19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
This world as we know it is passing away.
Bible prophecy explains that this process of decline is going on but it also gives us the solution to it. For individuals and for nations alike the answer is Jesus Christ.
[Mat 4:16 KJV] 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Matthew is quoting from the Book of Isaiah. The world is condemned but there is hope for us all despite the darkness all around us
[Isa 60:1-3 KJV] 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Jesus is the Light of the World
Light of the World. William Holman Hunt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Original Sin with the expulsion from Eden. Attributed to Willem van Herp, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Without a literal understanding of the bible as the Word of God none of this makes sense. The following two points are fundamental to an understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ:
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Adam and Eve were present at the beginning of creation. There was no evolution.
[Mar 10:6 KJV] 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
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Death came into the world as a result of Adam’s sin. Prior to this there was no death.
[Rom 5:12 KJV] 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Before Adam sinned the earth was perfect. No sin, or death or disease. We have been taught to believe that living creatures lived and died over billions of years and we evolved as a result of this process. However this process never took place
The world is condemned and in decline, although while the church is in the world the process of decline has been ameliorated. However, bible prophecy tells us that things will get worse and ultimately lead to the seven year tribulation period. You can read more about this on the web site page entitled “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”.
There will be no solution to this problem of sin until the return of Jesus Christ. However in the meantime each individual can find a personal answer by accepting Jesus as their saviour. You can find more about this on the page entitled “What is a Christian”. Sin pays wages which are death. God’s grace is free.
[Rom 6:23 KJV] 23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
This is a view of the main central space inside the grande galerie de l'Évolution (called in English the Gallery of Evolution) of the French National Museum of Natural History, in Paris (France). From Wikimedia Commons
Why the Theory of Evolution is Antithetical to Bible Prophecy
Why the Theory of Evolution is Antithetical to Bible Prophecy Video
Charles Darwin, English naturalist. From Wikimedia Commons
Bible prophecy is based upon the belief that the bible is the word of God and that God reveals his purposes to us through His word.
Evolution is based upon the idea of randomness, that life has evolved as a result of series of accidents. Clearly, this is in opposition to the belief in God as the creator. It is interesting to note that Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution as an alternative to creationism. He lost his favourite daughter at the age of ten and was greatly affected by the amount of death and suffering that he saw in his personal life and in nature. He couldn’t believe that a good God could allow this to happen. In his autobiography he called Christianity a “damnable doctrine” because he believed it said his closest loved ones would suffer everlasting punishment for their lack of belief.
Given these intense emotions we can see that he developed his theory of evolution almost as a protest against God.
The Theory of Evolution is based on an idea of organisms reproducing and producing countless mutations. Some of these are successful and go on to produce more offspring and so the cycle continues. No explanation is given of how life that is capable of reproducing itself started in the first place. Also there is no example of a mutation increasing the amount of DNA information in a gene. Mutations have only ever been observed to be self destructive.
Anyway, if this process did happen there should be untold billions of failed evolutionary developments for every successful one. For every species we should see a limitless number of false starts before that species developed. This has never been observed. We don’t even have any evidence of intermediate species in the development of one species, although there were some imaginative charts produced which were later discredited.
The whole idea depends on billions of years of death and suffering to give species time to develop.
Cathedral of Trier Skeleton. From Wikimedia Commons. The theory of Evolution is built on billions of years of death
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Man Made in the Image of God. illustration from a Bible card published 1906 by the Providence Lithograph Company. From Wikimedia Commons.
The problem for a Christian is that the theory of evolution depends on billions of years of death and suffering whereas the bible says that death only came into the world through the sin of Adam (Romans 5:12). Man was created first in God’s image, then came sin and then death. More than that the theory tells us that everything happens by chance not by design. This whole bible prophecy channel is built on the basis of God having a plan and purpose for the world and everyone in it. God is the creator, the world is not an accident
[Isa 45:18 KJV] 18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I [am] the LORD; and [there is] none else.
I have put together a chart to illustrate the chasm that exists between Christian belief and evolutionary belief. I do not believe it is feasible to hold both beliefs.
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March of Progress. From Wikimedia Commons.
Belief in evolution is a religious belief because it has no scientific basis. It has catastrophic spiritual consequences because it creates a belief in a universe where everything is determined by natural selection and survival of the fittest. Here are some of the results of believing in evolution
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The strong defeat the weak
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Some people are superior to others
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Some races are superior to others (this is what Darwin believed).
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Unborn children are just undeveloped “tissue”
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Progress means evolving to a higher level. Removing anything weak or sick is part of progress
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Our bodies contain vestigial organs that are now redundant
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Everything is rated according to whether it is primitive or advanced.
All these things are in direct opposition to the gospel. Our value as human beings comes from the fact that we are created in the image of God.
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Here are some of the things that the New Testament teaches that are in direct opposition to evolutionary belief.
[Mat 5:5 KJV] 5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Note the meek inherit the earth, not the strongest or fittest
[1Co 1:27 KJV] 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
[2Co 12:10 KJV] 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
In Christianity God’s people are often the ones who are despised, rejected, considered weak and foolish. God’s creation is full of variety, big and small, powerful and fragile. His world was never intended to be what it has become, where the strong dominate the weak.
Harold Copping - The sermon on the mount. From Wikimedia Commons.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
The bible tells us to walk in the Spirit.
[Gal 5:16 KJV] 16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
If we walk in the Spirit we will be content because we will simply get up every day and do what we are led to do. This is how we should live as Christians. If we believe in evolution we will constantly be striving to show that we are the fittest, the strongest, the best. We will always be concerned with where we are in the pecking order of things rather than simply being concerned with serving God.
There will be no peace for us following this path as it really is all about pride whereas the bible exhorts us to be humble
[Jas 4:6 KJV] 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Leviathan in Prophecy
Leviathan Video
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As a creationist I believe that all God’s work of creation was finished on day six of creation. No new creatures have been created since then although some have been lost. We are spiralling down to the end although there will be a great deal of renewal in the one thousand year millennial reign of Christ.
One creature that God created is different from the others and the whole of Job chapter 41 is devoted to describing it. This creature is Leviathan and it seems to be basically evil in nature.
[Job 41:33-34 KJV] 33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. 34 He beholdeth all high [things]: he [is] a king over all the children of pride.
The creature is a real physical creature and also a malevolent spiritual being much like the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Physically it is described, in Job 41, as an invincible dragon that lives in the sea and breathes fire. It can’t be tamed or controlled. Spiritually it is described as the king over all the proud. Interestingly Satan’s original sin was pride, he wanted to take the place of God. In this sense the Leviathan represents Satan, ruler of the proud and all who oppose the living God.
The Book of Enoch is quoted in the Epistle of Jude.
[Jde 1:14-15 KJV] 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jude is speaking of the time when the Lord will return with his saints, the church, to execute judgement on the earth. The Book of Enoch gives us further insight into the Leviathan. It tells us that the Leviathan was separated from the land monster, the Behemoth, and cast into the abyss of the sea
Enoch Chapter 60 verse 9. “And I asked that other Angel to show me the power of those monsters, how they were separated on one day, and thrown, one into the depths of the sea and the other on to the dry ground of the desert. 10. And he said to me: “Son of man, you here wish to know what is secret.”
Leviathan is somewhere in the deep ocean and is still influencing the world with its malevolent spirit. In the bible it seems to represent proud oppressors. In Psalm 74 there seems to be a connection between the monster in the sea and Pharaoh and his army which was destroyed by the sea.
[Psa 74:13-14 KJV] 13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. 14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, [and] gavest him [to be] meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
By parting the Red Sea, providing deliverance for the people of Israel and then destroying Pharaoh’s army God demonstrated his power over the sea, over Leviathan and all tyrants.
However, the bible makes it clear that the actual monster, Leviathan, is still alive and has not yet been destroyed.
[Psa 104:26 KJV] 26 There go the ships: [there is] that leviathan, [whom] thou hast made to play therein.
So right now Leviathan is in the sea somewhere but a day has been appointed for his destruction. As long as the proud rule on the earth Leviathan will live but when the Lord returns with his saints Leviathan will be destroyed and all the proud with him.
[Isa 27:1 KJV] 1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that [is] in the sea.
This is part of the cleansing of the earth that will happen at the inauguration of the Lord’s millennial reign on earth. For now though I would expect to see more and more disruption in the ocean and among the creatures of the ocean as Leviathan starts to stir, knowing that his time is short. The curse on mankind started with the serpent in the Garden of Eden and the reversal of the curse will begin with the destruction of Leviathan.
Behemoth. Its Significance
Behemoth Video
Behemoth in the Jordan River
Job beholding behemoth
The post flood world.
Behemoth in the Millennium
In the book of Job God demonstrates the greatness of his creation through the sea monster, leviathan and the land monster, behemoth. The leviathan seems to be basically evil in nature and is described in Isaiah 27:1 as a crooked serpent which the Lord will eventually slay.
The behemoth on the other hand is not portrayed as being evil. It is a mighty creature which can only be controlled by God Himself. However the creature seems to be gentle, eats grass and lives in harmony with nature. It is described as the chief of the ways of God.
[Job 40:19 KJV] 19 He [is] the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach [unto him].
This creature seems to have been alive at the same time as Job, as God tells Job to behold it. Also God says to Job that he made the behemoth with him.
[Job 40:15 KJV] 15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
It seems that this mighty beast was connected with Job in some way. It certainly is not shown as being hostile in any way. Prophetically it represents the power and majesty of God and his creation.
Its tail is described as being like a mighty cedar. It spend its time in reeds and fens and in the river Jordan, probably to help support its massive body weight. The world was different back then. I think it was a time not long after the flood. Snow and ice are mentioned a lot in Job even though the location is in the middle east. Many of the animals that were around then are no longer with us. The behemoth with its massive tale seems to have been something like a Diplodocus. A creature that is now referred to as a dinosaur but what I would call a dragon.
Sadly this majestic animal is no longer around. It belonged to a world that has long since passed by, a world that Job would have known. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve the world has been deteriorating. Little is left to remind us of the beauty of God’s original creation. Job, when he beheld the behemoth would have seen that it was untroubled by anything.
[Job 40:23 KJV] 23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, [and] hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
The raging waters of the river would not have bothered the behemoth at all. Job would have learned what he needed to learn, that we should not be troubled by the storms around us but trust in God.
The bible encourages us to find God by looking at the natural world. Sadly for most of us there is little natural world left to see. There are Jewish traditions about the return of the Behemoth. In the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, an ancient Jewish text, Behemoth is described as coming from the land and Leviathan from the sea at the end of the world. They are said to be food for the chosen people in the messianic era. However I can’t see any evidence of behemoth returning in the bible. Also, there are some who have identified the behemoth with the Beast in the Book of Revelation but I can’t see any reason to believe this.
If behemoth does return then it would be during the millennial reign of Christ when the curse brought on the world by Adam and Eve is partially reversed and God’s creation is restored. There is nothing in the bible about behemoth being killed, as is the case with Leviathan. Both creatures it seems can only be approached by God. In fact only God is able to kill these creatures. It may be that behemoth is hibernating, awaiting the return of the Lord. I hope so.