Rediscovering The Truth About Creation

As can be seen from the previous chapter, the list of Facts and Observations is quite lengthy. The count comes to fifty-one Facts and twenty-two Observations, all of which make up some very diverse data. There are Facts and Observations which talk about the system around us, there are some which deal with the Big Bang theory and the Theory of Evolution, and there are many which pertain to God's existence, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and the authority of Scripture. One might ask how all this information can be combined to form a single solution. In the next few chapters, trying to develop such a solution will be the objective, as we will endeavor to find a solution that is both comprehensive and conclusive, yet at the same time still be based on ALL the data.

Before seeking that solution, however, some new information must be presented, and some new Facts and Observations must be identified and added to the list. The intent in this chapter will be to cross over into Christianity, to interpret some key Scriptures, and to actually focus on the chief opponent of Christ, of the Church, and to the advancement of Christianity. That highly powerful adversary is none other than the devil, and he appears frequently throughout the pages of Scriptures.

Jesus spoke of the devil in John 8:44, calling him a liar and the father of lies. In John 14:27-31, He called him the prince of this world and warned of his coming. In I Peter 5:8, the Apostle Peter also made a revealing observation about the devil, as he identified Satan to be our adversary. According to Peter, the devil travels throughout the earth looking for ways to devour all people, but especially those who would call on and serve the Lord.

The devil is clearly an enemy to the Christian Faith and to Christians, in general. As the above references imply, he will tell lies or do just about anything else to devour and bring discomfort. His role is to complicate, to trick and deceive, to bring accusations against God and His people, and to do basically whatever it takes to throw a monkey wrench into the whole works. In different parts of the Bible, he is described by different characteristics. In II Corinthians 11:13-14, the Apostle Paul, in talking about false apostles, said that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light. In I John 2:13, the Apostle John referred to him as the wicked one because he is the embodiment of all that is evil. In other portions of Scriptures, he is described as fierce, proud, cowardly, and even powerful.

So then, what is the story on the devil? How did he get started? What is his history? What has he done to bring so many indictments against himself? And what is his future? In Chapter One, I indicated that I wanted to know more about the devil so that I would not be tricked by him again. What exactly did I mean? What exactly does all this mean? To find answers to these questions, one must consult Scriptures, and in so doing, each person should recall that the Bible is a Book which can be trusted. This Book has been backed up by the One Who was crucified and resurrected. It was supported by the Apostles and early Church leaders. It has been and still is supported by archaeology, plus it was copied by reliable scribes who did their job well. With all of that in mind, let us begin by examining the devil's history!

According to the Bible, his story began in, of all places, Heaven. For one who has just been described as the embodiment of evil, such an origin is indeed ironic! Nevertheless, the Bible is quite committed to such a statement. In Ezekiel 28:14-18, the Prophet Ezekiel wrote a curse against the King of Tyre. As that was being done, he attributed characteristics to that king which were also consistent with those of the devil. He said that Satan had been in Heaven, even on the holy mount of God. He went on to say that the devil had been blameless from Creation, at least he had been blameless until wickedness was found within him. Then, Ezekiel wrote that Satan was found to be proud, corrupt, and highly sinful. In a related passage from the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah, who also was a Prophet of God and author of the Book by his name, wrote the following:

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High [1]."

In comparing this passage from Isaiah, Chapter Fourteen, with the above reference to the Book of Ezekiel, one should note that Isaiah included some information which had not been shared by Ezekiel! He indicated that the devil, called the "morning star" in Verse Twelve, had sought to elevate himself to the same level as God, or if possible to go even higher! The word for "morning star" in the Hebrew language is also translated "Lucifer", and this is, of course, another name for Satan. From Isaiah, we learn that the devil, or Satan, had wanted to be on top! From the time of his own creation, he had wanted to be in charge of Heaven and over God, plus he had wanted to be the one to whom others looked. It was this evil desire to overthrow God that, according to Isaiah, became the primary source of his wickedness. The result, as was shared by both prophets, is that the devil was cast out of Heaven and that his destination, or new home and realm of influence, became earth!

The Scriptures do not reveal exactly when the battle in Heaven between God and the devil took place or when that subsequent casting down from Heaven actually occurred. It only indicates that they did. Jesus reported in Luke 10:18 that He saw Satan cast to the earth from Heaven, but again, no reference to time was given. The whole conflict might have taken place millions or even billions of years ago. Such a statistic would certainly be pleasing to many cosmologists and evolutionists. But while there is not any evidence to support a given date or time either way, there is information that shows that the devil was cast to the earth at some time before or just after Adam and Eve were created.

In the Book of Genesis, Moses wrote about how the devil had come to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He also wrote about the important conversation which ensued. In so doing, Moses, the man who was later proclaimed by Jesus Christ to be a Prophet of God, recorded the following: Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil [2]."

From the above conversation in Genesis 3:1-5, one can see that the devil was a troublemaker from the start. In Genesis 2:15-17, Moses had written about a discussion between God and Adam where Adam was explicitly told not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But the devil tricked and enticed Eve! He held out to her some things which looked too good to refuse, and as a result of his guile and deception, she ate fruit from the very tree which had been placed off-limits. Following that encounter, she enticed Adam, and he also ate!

With the second eating of that fruit, the problems for humanity began. Based on Genesis 3:19, Genesis 3:22-23, and Romans 6:23, Adam's transgression from God's earlier instruction brought death to both Adam and Eve. Much more than that, though, his action was what we now call Original Sin, and that sin has brought death to all the generations which have followed. According to the Bible, the reason people must die is not because of Eve, but because of Adam since he was the one who had directly disobeyed God by partaking of fruit from the forbidden tree.

At this point, a simple observation is in order. In particular, these accounts from the Books of Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Genesis and all this talk about the devil sound like some sort of fairy tale. Not only that, but many people have even treated them as such! Man and woman living together in the magical Garden of Eden, conversing with God, encountering the devil, eating fruit from a forbidden tree, a penalty of death for all - I can easily understand how someone with an advanced degree in Physics or some other rigorous technical field might scoff. I can also understand why some brilliant intellectual might chuckle at such stories, particularly when the account from Genesis was written by a man who was supposed to have lived at a time when writing was still considered to be a somewhat primitive art. Nevertheless, despite the incredulous nature of these stories, one must go beyond the unbelievable and mythical aspects of both and ask a simple question. Are they true? They may sound silly. They may even sound ridiculous. But those characteristics alone do not make either untrue!

Is the story of the devil being cast out of Heaven true or false? Is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden really true, or is it false? Based on the evidence, the answer to both questions must be yes! Using Facts 20N-1, 20O-1, 23A-1, 24INTRO-1, 24INTRO-2, and 24C-1, one must go with these stories exactly as written. Otherwise, to reject what Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Luke wrote concerning the devil in Heaven or to reject what Moses wrote about Adam and Eve in the Garden, an individual would have to say that the factual Resurrection of Jesus Christ has no meaning, that the Lord's calling these men Prophets of God was without significance, that the findings of so many archaeologists have meant nothing, and that the meticulous copying of Scriptures has had no importance!

Discounting or rejecting all of those who have provided such strong evidence for the Bible is a pretty tall order and probably one which is not very wise. Therefore, despite the compelling features of alternatives like the Big Bang theory and the Theory of Evolution, one must go with the above Facts. In this case, that means accepting both of these stories exactly as written, first of the devil in Heaven being cast to the earth and second of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden eating forbidden fruit and being cast out. Accepting these biblical accounts as they are written is a decision which leads to three more Facts and one more Observation. By using the same notation as was introduced above, these new items of evidence are given below...