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God, Man, and Nature
RV93-01© Berean Memorial Church of Irving, Texas, Inc. (1993)
We are studying worship in the throne room, segment number 27, on Revelation 4:6-11. In Revelation 4:11, the final expression which John hears of
praise for God the Father who sits upon the throne in that heavenly throne room is relative to the fact that God the Father has created the
universe for His own pleasure. God, thus, is the Supreme Being of the universe who is the source of everything, and who is the lawmaker. The
Bible reveals that God created the universe by His spoken word, and He produced an instantaneous, perfect result. The Bible is actually the only
eyewitness account that we have for the origins of the universe and for its life forms. Therefore, rejection of the truthfulness of the biblical
account of origins leads to the only alternative explanation, which is evolution. Therefore, the divine viewpoint answer to origins is creation,
while the human viewpoint answer is evolution.
The Genesis account of origins reveals that God created a perfect, organized material universe at some point. We have seen that from reading the
first three verses of Genesis 1, and from the statements of the Hebrew language that we have in that opening passage. Before that point of
creation, there was only God – nothing else. So, God created everything that is.
This original creation, for some reason, we also found, was taken apart again, and disassembled into an unstructured state, and covered by
darkness and water. The explanation for that negative condition is not revealed. For an unknown period of time, God the Holy Spirit hovered
over this disorganized, unstructured earth condition, and He was in full control of the situation at all times. With things in this state,
then, God began His creation week, which is described beginning in Genesis 1:3. This resulted in a restructured earth with its plant, animal,
and life forms.
Evolution
The concept of evolution is that upward development plus chance, over a large expanse of time, produces all things. Evolution forms the basis for
a human viewpoint frame of reference. Everybody in the world thinks in one frame of reference or the other. You are either human viewpoint in your
thinking, or you're divine viewpoint in your thinking. There are only two classifications. All human viewpoint thinking is structured basically
upon the concept of evolution: no God; chance; and, the material universe functioning on its own over a vast period of time.
For this reason, human viewpoint is by nature idolatrous and autonomous. It has to have some anchor point. So, human viewpoint, based on
evolution, creates its own god. In the ancient world, the gods were the sun; the moon; the stars; and, elements of nature. In the more primitive
societies through the ages, parts of the creation were viewed as having spiritual forces, and these became their gods. Man, under this condition,
is now totally autonomous. He's independent. There is nobody who makes rules. There's nobody who can say what is right or what is wrong.
So, human viewpoint resorts to the gods of chance and evolution, or at some point, some part of the material universe, as the ultimate anchor
point in place of the God of the Bible.
Creationism
The concept of creation, on the other hand, is that the spoken Word of God instantaneously brought all things into existence in perfect form.
Creation forms the basis for a divine viewpoint frame of reference. Divine viewpoint by nature is neither idolatrous (it doesn't have to come
up with a substitute god for the God of the Bible); nor, is it autonomous (it doesn't try to act independently of what God has revealed in
Scripture). Divine viewpoint accepts the infinite personal God as its ultimate anchor point in the universe. You must have an anchor point.
You must have some frame of reference. Everybody has to have some ultimate basis for his thinking. It's either some idolatrous creation of your
own, or it will be the infinite personal God who created everything. Divine viewpoint accepts that personal, infinite God as the ultimate anchor
point.
However, man's sin nature wants to explain origins apart from the Creator God. But this desire is in conflict with man's innate need for an
infinite personal God for whom man was created. So on one hand, the sin nature says, "I don't want to listen to a God who is out there, and I
don't want to think about a God who made it all." On the other hand, he is created with a desire and a longing for that God, and he finds no
fulfillment apart from Him.
Theistic Evolution
So, man resorts to a little third combined device called theistic evolution to try to resolve this conflict between his sin nature rebellion
against God, and his innate desire to have God. He comes up with theistic evolution, but that's nothing but human viewpoint again, built upon
the evolution concept. It's just veneered over with divine viewpoint words, such as, "God guided the process." So, you must not be trapped by
theistic evolution. It is still evolution. It is just a veneer over the basis of evolution with God (religious words) added to it.
So, God is removed by theistic evolution from being a final authority through creation. It also satisfies all of man's spiritual needs for God
by using familiar religious words. Even secular education today promotes theistic evolution. It is not uncommon, in public school textbooks, to
see theistic evolution mentioned, especially in the teacher guidebooks. Teachers are told to call attention to theistic evolution as an answer
for coordinating religious viewpoints and the concept of evolution. They do it because they want to disguise the human viewpoint frame of
reference which actually rejects the Bible.
Don't deceive yourselves. It's very important that you young people understand this. Anytime you take a position for evolution, you take a
position against the Bible. Don't be a sucker. Don't let them sell you on the idea that somehow you can have both. You cannot. Evolution is an
anti-God position. It's an anti-biblical position. It's an anti-creation position. You have one or the other. So, that's why it's important for
you to know that there are two viewpoints in the world, and that each of these begins with evolution or with creation. So, it is important which
you hold. To try to compromise the two with theistic evolution is simply a self-deception. The biblical revelation simply does not leave room for
theistic evolution.
The authority of the Bible is proven by its accuracy in terms of observable history. This is one of the great things about the Bible – that
it connects itself to history that can be checked. This is one of the ways we confirm that the Bible is telling us the truth, and that it is a
true book. Therefore, when it speaks about things like creation and origins, we can also accept it as telling us the truth because, at every
point where the Bible can be verified, where it touches human history, it has been proven to be accurately true.
This is the bane of Mormonism today. The The Book of Mormon touches upon historical matters and upon geographical matters that have just driven the
scholars at Brigham Young University up the wall. They've gone bananas over trying to coordinate what in the world Joseph Smith invented in the
The Book of Mormon with real points of history. It doesn't fit. With real points of geography, it just contradicts. It doesn't fit. So, now they have
backed off and said that he was speaking in spiritual terms. They follow the millennialist approach to Scripture: "These are symbols. You don't
translate them literally. They don't have literal meanings." But that is not true of the Bible. When the Bible touches upon somebody in history,
he was there, and the references of Scripture relating to them are absolutely accurate. When the Bible speaks about geographic matters, it is
absolutely real. It has continuously proven to be accurate. So, when the Bible talks about being an eyewitness to origins, that bears a lot of
weight and cannot be dismissed. Science and religion are not unrelated entities in terms of origin. The Genesis record is the supreme authority.
The foundations of human viewpoint evolution, and the foundation of divine viewpoint creation result in certain vital spiritual conclusions about
three things that we should follow through on now. When John heard God the Father praised as the Creator, that was a statement that was telling
us something very important concerning God; concerning man; and, concerning nature. These are the points at which confusion reigns in the minds
of people today. So, we'll look at the spiritual implications of these two foundations.
The Spiritual Implications of Human Viewpoint
First, we'll look at the spiritual implications of human viewpoint.
The Doctrine of God
We'll begin with the doctrine of God. What does evolution do to the doctrine
of God? What does evolution produce in human viewpoint thinking about God? Well, to begin with, evolution logically removes the necessity for an
infinite, personal God such as the Bible describes. If evolution is the answer, you don't need an infinite personal God at all to produce the
universe. Human viewpoint, instead, comes up with an idol god as the cause of everything: some part of the material universe, or the principle
of chance. Evolution has no need for a supernatural deity because everything just evolved by itself by chance, including religion. Once you have
rejected the Bible record of origins, and you have accepted evolution, it is absolutely illogical to think about accepting the God of the Bible.
You don't need Him. So, evolution excludes God completely from history; from the daily lives of people; and, from the institutions of society.
Of course, that was the objective of evolution. While Darwin himself was, at one point, moving toward a theological education, and toward the
ministry. By the time he finished, he had brought together a system which he felt very specifically undermined everything that the Bible said,
and dismissed the whole concept of an infinite, personal God. So, evolution excludes that kind of an infinite, personal God from all of history.
There's nobody out there making it happen. It excludes Him from the daily lives of people. There's nobody within the sphere of your life that
influences anything that goes on, or can influence anything (can make things happen in your life), nor in the institutions of our society. The
doctrine of God, in terms of the Bible, is totally dismissed by human viewpoint evolution.
The Doctrine of Man
When we come to the doctrine of man, human viewpoint evolution also has a very specific implication. Evolution denies that man has any value and
meaning because he is the product of special creation. If man is the product of special creation, then he has great value, and he has great
meaning. If he is a special creation in the image of God, then he has infinite value and infinite meaning. Evolution says that man has no value
and no meaning because he's not made in the image of an infinite, personal God. Man is viewed, instead, as originating from animals by a gradual
process of upward development.
The Consequences of Treating Man like an Animal
So, human viewpoint evolution says that man differs from the animals only in that he is a more complex life form. He does not have a soul;
he does not have a spirit; and, he is not made in God's image. He is what the Communists like to say: "Man is matter in motion," and that is a
principle based upon human viewpoint evolution. Consequently, it is only social custom that makes it wrong to kill a human being at will, and
doesn't make it wrong to kill an animal as well. It's just social custom. People have simply decided that that is pragmatic. That is the thing
that's most useful to do – that human beings should not be allowed to kill other human beings at will, but they can kill animals at will.
And on the basis of the human viewpoint of evolution, that's the only basis upon which you could justify not killing people, because if people
and animals are the same thing (they're just a little different in degree, but not in kind), then you should not be able to run around killing
animals if you can't run around killing human beings. If you can run around killing animals at will, you should be able to run around killing
human beings at will. That is logical, and that is exactly where people come to in their thinking.
The people in the syndicate and in the Cosa
Nostra are people who think exactly like that. They do not see a difference between human beings and animals, but they do see that there are
certain restrictions, for pragmatic reasons, why human beings should be treated differently than animals. But that's all – just by social
decision, and many times by their personal decision. So, we had a typical Chicago-type gangland killing the other day out at a parking lot in
one of the suburbs. And in typical gangland sense of honor, and in typical syndicate Cosa Nostra syndicate honor techniques, there were two men
standing there. They could have both been easily gunned down with those very sophisticated new weapons that are now used by the hit men –
these 22-caliber weapons with silencers on them. They are very excellent weapons. They are very effective, particularly with bullets that shatter
upon on impact so that they make a gaping hole. They could have just as well killed both men, but they didn't. They killed only Dorfman, the one
they were after. They very carefully made their aim, and they did the job. The other man stood there appalled, with his mouth hanging open, and
they left him untouched. It would have been a matter of dishonor to kill that animal because only this animal deserved the killing, but only
because he's an animal was it justified for them to kill him.
Thus, we had the famous line in The Godfather movie when the Godfather told one of his sons to get
a few men to go and deal physically (to beat up) a man that had abused another man's daughter. But he said, "Be sure you get people who have
restraints, who will not go too far. We are not murderers." Certain animals of the human species should be killed, but there is to be a social
acceptance of a ground for killing them. Otherwise you become a murderer. The Godfather, who killed people left and right that stood in his way,
did not view himself as a murderer, because he viewed his acts as being justified; and, being justified, in part, because man is not an animal,
as the result of the evolution human viewpoint bases, and he has only social custom protection from being killed at will.
Consequently, morality is the consensus of the majority in the society, and that consensus will always go toward meeting the practical needs of
the sin nature. If man is the product of sheer chance, then there is no purpose or value for his existence, and he will be treated accordingly.
That's what the human viewpoint of evolution does to the doctrine of man.
The Doctrine of Nature
Now notice the doctrine of nature. Evolution makes a god of nature. We talk about the Goddess Mother Nature, and that it's not nice to fool
Mother Nature, and things like that, because she is the supreme goddess. Nature, thus, is viewed as being superior to man, and man is not to
try to deceive nature which is superior to him, instead of man being lord over nature, as the Bible teaches. Adam was told to see to it that
he hustled and applied himself and dominated nature. He, as the head of the family, and as the man, and as the husband, was responsible for
carrying forward with his family, who were eventually to be born; for the subduing of God's creation, and benefiting by it, and discovering
how it works; and, for developing his personal prosperity, and so on.
After the flood, that same concept was reiterated. In Genesis 9:1-3,
we read, "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. And the fear of you, and the
dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moves upon the earth, and upon all the
fish of the sea – into your hands they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. Even as the green herb,
I have given you all things."
Pollution
This was a very interesting declaration, stressing again that man is superior to nature, and nature is for man's benefit. Instead, when you come
to human viewpoint evolution, nature becomes the god, and nature becomes superior to man. Evolution makes man a cowering slave of the god nature
and all of its forces. In primitive society, that's exactly what they do. They cower before the forces of nature, whom they view as having a god
quality, and being imbued with some spirit of deity. The human viewpoint deification of nature is the reason that the current discussion on the
ecology, and the pollution of the ecology, is turning to pantheism of Eastern mysticism as the answer. We have all of this discussion about the
polluting of the natural resources and preserving the ecology. What is the answer? Interestingly enough, one of the basic answers that has come
up has been out of Eastern mysticism. The solution is to turn to pantheism. To preserve nature under the concept of pantheism is to preserve
one's god, because everything under the concept of pantheism is God. So, therefore, why should we not pollute nature? It is because nature is
our god; and, to pollute nature is to abuse our god.
So, man cannot use nature for his benefit as the Bible teaches, because that abuses his god. Cutting a tree down for man's benefit is to abuse
his god. So, human viewpoint actually blames Christianity and the Bible for the current ecological problems that we have. We do have problems
of pollution. The idea is that the Bible says that man has dominion over nature. Therefore, man is superior to nature. And, therefore, man feels
free to use; to abuse; and, to pollute nature.
Then along comes Eastern mysticism and says, "Nature is part of God. Therefore, the answer is to recognize that nature is your deity, and is
superior to man, and you're to treat it accordingly. The pantheism of Eastern mysticism makes everything morally sacred, and so preserved from
polluting and exploiting by man. Consequently, pantheism has no value to the various elements of nature. Nothing is more important than something
else. It's all God. So, man is not more important than the rest of it. So, man does not have a superior value, for example, which justifies
killing rats in order to stop a bubonic plague. That's where you come to with the concept of pantheism as the justification for not polluting.
That is heavy. If you watch what you're reading, more and more it's the concept of the Eastern mysticism view of everything being God (the
pantheistic concept) as the reason (as the answer) to stop polluting, and for people to bring under control the ecological problems. So, you don't
kill rats even if they're creating a plague because rats are part of your god. It is pantheism which does not really elevate the value of nature.
Instead, it degrades the value of man to an animal level – man who has been made in God's image. Pantheism has no basis for the dignity and
the worthiness of man, consequently, because nature is superior.
So, what do we have in India today? In India, rats are sacred and cows are sacred, so rats and cows are permitted to multiply at will, and they
cannot be killed. They eat food that people need to keep from starving to death. So, they scoop up the bodies of Indians off the streets of
Bombay while they shove the cows out of the way, and the rats that have been feeding upon those bodies during the night, because nature is God.
That's where pantheism gets you. I think there's no more beautiful sight than ... where man is operating and producing and dominating his culture.
The Spiritual Implications of Divine Viewpoint
On the other hand, we come to the divine viewpoint conclusions of creation relative to these same doctrines: the doctrine of God; the doctrine
of man; and, the doctrine of nature. And the whole picture is different. This is why it's important that you appreciate what John heard in the
throne room about God as Creator, because if God is that, then you've got a totally different concept on these three important factors.
The Doctrine of God
Let's look at the doctrine of God.
God is Infinite
When the Bible uses the word "God," it refers to an infinite, personal being. That means that He has a
personality. He has intellect, emotions, and will. It means that He is all powerful. He is infinite. When the Bible uses the word "God," it is
talking about an infinite, personal being who really exists. It's not just a hope or some psychological crutch. The God of the Bible is infinite.
The universe had a real beginning. Therefore, the universe is not infinite. Infinite means that you're eternal. The universe had a beginning, so
it's not eternal. Since God is infinite and eternal, He cannot be part of the universe, which Eastern mysticism says He is. If God is infinite, He
cannot be part of a finite universe that had a beginning. God is not an impersonal process in the universe, but He is a living personality.
So, God, by nature, must be separate from the universe itself. However, because God is infinite, there are truths about Him that appear
contradictory to finite minds. That's one of the things that you will appreciate when you understand that God is infinite – that there
are some things about God that the Bible reveals that are going to push your mental capacities to the wall, like the fact that God is absolutely
sovereign. He is Supreme King. He is in charge of everything. He is in charge of when the sparrow hops on that branch, and when the sparrow moves
from that branch to the next branch. And when the squirrel goes to this tree, He is in charge. He is absolute sovereignty.
On the other hand, the Bible also tells us that man is responsible. Man has a freedom of choice for which he is responsible. Thus, in eternity,
while God is absolutely sovereign; God calls some to eternal life; and, He chooses some, on the other hand, man will be held responsible. Those
who go to hell will be responsible for getting themselves into the lake of fire. How do you relate those two? The Bible never explains how the
two are related. We are dealing with a capacity of infinite understanding and of infinite mentality that is no problem to God, and will someday
be no problem to all of us. I'm happy to say that one of the first things they do in heaven is jack up your IQ level. Therefore, all of you will
automatically have an enormous improvement right off the bat. You will understand things that our limited thinking can't grasp now.
Think about a God who is a Trinity. He is one God, but He exists in three persons. How do you put that together? Because God is infinite, there are
some things that we cannot grasp. But then the Bible tells us that His thoughts are above our thoughts as the heavens are above the earth. So, play
it cool, and don't get upset about it. Recognize that this is the way it should be. As a matter of fact, if you could understand everything that
is in the Bible, it would be likely that God is not infinite. It's likely that He's not infinite if you could have grasped everything that God has
to reveal.
However, you do know that whatever God does reveal is true. You also know that whatever God reveals later will never contradict an earlier
revelation. This is another problem that the Mormons have. The Mormons begin with The Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is very
much like the Bible. 25% of it is really the King James Bible. It has the morality of the Bible. Later on, as Joseph Smith developed his Mormon
religion, he began claiming direct revelations from God. These were recorded, in part, in a book called Doctrines and Covenants. Doctrines
and Covenants creates a real problem for Mormon theologians because Doctrines and Covenants contradicts earlier revelations in The
Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon comes down hard on polygamy. The Book of Mormon just condemns polygamy with hell-fire and
brimstone. Then all of a sudden, along comes Doctrines and Covenants, and God reveals to Joseph Smith that polygamy is the "in" thing.
You have this ridiculous situation of having later revelation contradicting earlier revelation. When I point that out to Mormons, most of them
don't realize that that is true, but it does make them very uncomfortable when you bring that to their attention. The Bible is progressive
revelation, but nothing that was revealed earlier in the Bible is ever contradicted by revelation that comes later.
We have another evidence that we have a supernatural book here. If man's finite mind could understand God completely, there would be good reason
to doubt that God is infinite, but He is. The infinity of God makes Him, consequently, the ultimate reference point of the universe – not
the creation itself. That's not our reference point. God alone is absolute. God alone is absolutely free. God alone is autonomous. All creation
is free only within His sovereign plan, and all creation is totally dependent upon Him. You don't need any extra gods. Evolution has to make extra
gods constantly in order to explain something else in the system that they can't explain.
First of all then, the God of the Bible is infinite.
God is Personal
However, the God of the Bible is also personal. Divine viewpoint (creation viewpoint) comes up with a personal God – a God who possesses
all the functions of personality. The creation was not necessary to complete the personhood of God. God did not have to create in order to
complete His personhood.
The Trinity
Without the Trinity, however, there cannot be a personal God who is an
independent Creator. The Trinity was necessary for God to be an independent Creator. Without the Trinity, God could not have spoken with someone;
He could not have responded with someone; nor, could He have loved another person with someone else before creation. A person must be able to do
all three. He must be able to love; He must be able to be loved; and, He must be able to share love toward someone else. That's why, within a
family, when a child is born into a marriage, a trinity is established which maximizes the capacity of that family to love. Before the child
comes into the picture, there's love for husband, and there's love for wife, but there isn't a love for a third object within the family unit.
That comes when the child is there. Now there's an object of the third love, and personhood in that family is now complete.
So, the God of the Trinity can love; He can be loved; and He can share love. That is why He is a person indeed. The very doctrine of the Trinity
declares to us that He is a person, and not just a Star Wars force. Even the biblical technique of prayer indicates that God is a being who
can be affected in a personal way. He's not a computer.
The Attributes of God
All of you know that God has certain attributes which can only be true of a person. He is sovereign – He is the Supreme King; He is
righteousness – He is absolute righteousness; He's perfect justice – He's always fair; He is love – He has no mental attitude
bitterness; He is eternal life – He is without beginning and without end; He is omniscient – He knows everything; He's omnipresent
– He is everywhere; He's omnipotent – He has all power; He is immutable – He never changes; and, He is veracity – He is
absolutely truthful. All of those are attributes of deity.
The Doctrine of Man
Then we come to the doctrine of man on the basis of divine viewpoint of creationism. Man's nature is unique. The creation viewpoint declares
that man is both material and immaterial. The human body is of great value, and it is necessary for man's maximum happiness. The human body is
not evil, as some religious systems suggest. As a matter of fact, it is the human body which, in this age of the church, has become the temple
of God the Holy Spirit. God no longer dwells in buildings. Buildings are not sacred. Places are not sacred. The only thing that is sacred is
your personal human body. As in the Old Testament, there was divine judgment for abuse of sacred places in terms of the temple, and the tabernacle,
and the temple precincts. There was indeed divine judgment for abusing a sacred holy place. So, the Bible tells us that, in the age of grace, there
is divine judgment for abusing your physical body. There is divine judgment for abusing the temple of the living God.
Salvation will, of course, be complete when your body is made immortal in heaven – never able to die again. The human body exists forever,
including those of unbelievers. The people who have never received Jesus Christ as personal Savior, apart from any human doing, like water baptism;
the Lord's Supper; or, living a good life – those who have not received Christ on the basis of that grace gift condition will have their
bodies with them forever, and their bodies will feel the pain of the lake of fire. The body is important to God, even for those who have rejected
Him. Man has a material body, but he also has an immaterial being in the matter of a soul and spirit. In the unbeliever, the human spirit is dead;
and, in the believer, the human spirit is alive. The soul provides our manward contact through our minds, and our emotions, and our will. It is
our spirit that gives us our Godward contact. Animals have no spirit by which to approach God.
Man's personality, or his soul, is patterned after God's personality. Therefore, man can exercise logical thought. Even though it has been
perverted by the fall into sin, he can exercise logical thought. Man's mind has to be taught divine viewpoint in order for him to secure the
absolutes of truth for which he is responsible. Because his thinking has been perverted, the only way you get it straightened out is by the
intake of doctrine into the mentality of the soul. That's why learning doctrine is the name of the game in the Christian life. From that,
everything else flows in your living and in your serving.
Man's Social Life
Man also has a social life. Divine viewpoint creation makes a declaration to us about that. The social life of man is governed by a variety of
four basic divine institutions. These divine institutions are revealed in the creation account. They are designed to preserve the human race
from self-destruction after the fall into sin, and they do apply to saved and unsaved people alike. If these divine institutions are violated,
the individual pays a severe price of divine judgment. If a society turns its back upon these divine institutions, that society pays a severe
price of divine judgment. Don't kid yourself. That's exactly what's happening with us today. Human viewpoint of evolution claims that these
divine institutions are merely the products of socio-cultural evolution, and that they're not absolute decrees of God. Their view, therefore,
is being adaptable to the times.
The Divine Institutions
You are well acquainted with these divine institutions. They are, first of all, the divine institution of volition with responsibility. That was
declared to Adam in the garden when he was told he could eat of anything in that garden except one tree, and he was responsible not to do that.
He could exercise his will, but he had to exercise it with responsible consequences.
The second divine institution was marriage. Marriage was monogamous – not polygamous; and, marriage was heterosexual – not homosexual.
Marriage was a permanent relationship, except for specific stipulations that the Bible makes concerning when it can be terminated. But the
institution of marriage was, again, for the protection of the human race while Satan dominates the world.
The third institution was family. The family is the means for dominating and subduing the earth. This is how a man gains wealth. This is how a man
rules through his family. It is through his family that the family produces wealth that accumulates a better lifestyle for the family, and
enables them to enter into using what God has provided in creation.
After the flood, the divine institution of nationalism was brought into effect. Nations were created with specific boundaries. God ordained that
nations must exist as separate entities. They must not seek to have a world government. World government is of Satan. I know that there are some
people who start vibrating and getting all distraught and upset when I say that socialism is an expression of world government, and socialism is
an expression of Satan's thinking. Socialism is a concept straight out of the thinking of Satan. Socialism has as its purpose removing national
divisions so that there can be one united power. When you have one united world government, then the Word of God can be squelched, and people's
access to it can be stopped.
One of the fascinating things that is taking place now is an organization that is becoming more powerful all the time, and that is setting up a
central agency for doing business. So, any bank with any computer system will be able to tie into this agency, and through it, people will be
able to do all of their business without ever having to handle money again. This year, it is designed to be placed into maximum operation. And,
of course, those of you who know anything at all about the Bible realize that that computer control of business and of financial dealings is the
final nail in the coffin of humanity to bring it under the control of the antichrist. The Bible indeed says that the antichrist will be able to
control all business; he will be able to cut anybody off from doing business; he will be able to cut anybody off from being able to work to
secure the means by which to eat; and, he will be able to cut off all access to their bank funds, so that they cannot even buy anything.
Isn't it interesting how Lech Walesa wanted to go back to work at the Gdansk Shipyards, and they told him he did not have a proper pass, and
he could not go to work? And the people who were going to determine that he has a proper pass are the authorities who are in control of a
one-government, dictatorial, totalitarian society. In communist countries, in a small way, they do exactly what the antichrist will do in a
large way. The divine institution of nationalism is very important. You better be on your guard against anybody who sneers and turns his nose
up at the concept that God decrees (that nations are to live as independent entities), and who is a proponent of international world government.
The Doctrine of Nature
Finally, there is the doctrine of nature under the divine viewpoint creation position. Divine viewpoint does not make nature God because of the
Bible doctrine of creation. Creation is not an extension of the essence of God. Things exist in themselves separate from God. Pantheism is wrong.
So, creation is not an illusion. Eastern mysticism calls that Maya, but the Bible says, "No, everything that God created is real, and is separate
from Himself." Modern science, in fact, is based on the fact that God has created a universe which operates on certain regulated laws. These
natural laws govern the functioning of God's universe, and because they do function that way, they can be analyzed, and modern science is able to
make progress. Because God created nature, it has value in itself, including man. However, nature is placed by the Creator under man's dominion to
rule it. Divine viewpoint does not rule any part of the universe, but man is responsible to be a good steward of it.
Biblical Ecology
This is biblical ecology. Why do we take care of our environment? We take care of it because it has great value as part of God's creation.
That's why it's valuable. As man (as part of God's creation) is valuable, so also our environment is part of God's creation, and we have
been placed in responsibility for it. So, the issue is good stewardship. And good stewardship calls upon us as Christians not to pollute;
not to exploit; and, not to do damage to the environment that God has given us. We are indeed responsible for caring for it, but not because
(as human viewpoint says) that nature is our god; and therefore, we must be treated accordingly. Divine viewpoint declares that man really
can know about himself; he can really know about the universe; and, he can really treat it according to the responsibility that God has given
him.
Because God is an infinite personal being, there is one other consequence we should look at. The gods of Eastern mysticism certainly contain
everything, so, in theory, they are infinite. That's the idea of pantheism. It contains everything, so it's infinite. But their gods are never
personal. They are always impersonal forces. The gods of Western paganism, such as Roman and Greek mythology, were personal, but they were not
infinite. It's only in the Bible that you have a God who is both personal and infinite. And in the arrangement of things, this has an important
consequence.
God's creation includes man; animals; plants; and, machines – the result of laws that God has put into the universe, and how things
function. Between a personal, infinite God and His creation there is a great difference. On the side of God's infinity, there is a great chasm
between man and all other creation. They are finite. All of these are finite. They all have limitations. Only God is infinite. But on the side
of God's personality, we have man, and then comes the chasm – between animals, plants, and machines. And that's the setup that divine
viewpoint of the Scriptures tell us – that the personal factor in God has a relationship to man. Man is a person like God. Then there is
a chasm between everything else in creation of God and man. On the infinite side, only God is infinite; and, man is finite like everything else.
So, what this tells us is that only God is independent, and everything else is dependent upon Him. This tells us that man has a relationship
upward – not downward. When you think about man as a person, you think about his relationship upward toward God – not downward. But
when you begin with the human viewpoint position based on evolution, you always think about man downward. He's just another one of the animals
that is just a little more complex. That is the result of that kind of thinking. Divine viewpoint puts man upward. As a created being, man does
have downward relationships, but they are the result of a unique relationship upward with God. But only God is infinite and independent and sovereign.
So, it does make a difference whether you hold to evolution or whether you hold to creation. When John declared that God the Father is the one
who is to be praised because he is the Creator of everything, this is what he was saying. These are the implications relative to God; to man; and,
to nature. While you may not find yourself in disagreement with the divine viewpoint concepts of creation, there is great disagreement in our
society with that. Most of our society hangs in there with human viewpoint evolution, and with the consequent destruction to the doctrine of God,
man, and nature. It's a great thing that John revealed to us in that statement.
Dr. John E. Danish, 1982
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