A BRIEF EXPOSE ON BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS
Is God real?
If there is no God, did all of the precise measurements in the universe just come together accidentally and randomly? Was there no conscious decision making in the process? Was there not a master design plan and profile? There are basically two means of verification about earth and humankind – observation and written documents.
Scientists have been able to observe, calculate, and document many of the details of the solar system. For example they have experimented with various objects and by adding ad Infinitum time frames and various chemical elements of the periodic table, they have determined what, when , and how an object originated. This is not to say the scientists have actually observed anything. They have merely estimated the outcomes. According to St. Paul, God told him that since He created the world He has shown humankind His invisible attributes and eternal power through all of the things that He made (Romans 1:19-20). Just go out in a field and see the lush green grass, the great variety of trees, the babbling brook, the puffy clouds, and the precision of the earth to the sun. God even told humanity that the earth is round (Isaiah 40-22). So, which do you believe – a human that takes something and expands on it, or the God of the universe that takes nothing and makes everything?
The other means of verification is by researching written documents. The oldest manuscripts, 1450 B.C., are found in the TaNaKh, i.e., the first Hebrew Bible which includes the Torah (first five books), Neviim (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings). The intellectuals are reluctant to accept the authenticity of the Bible, but they do not question the authenticity of Homer's Iliad. As a comparison, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey was written in the 8th century about the time when Isaiah was written. There are approximately 643 copies of Homer's Iliad as compared to 5500 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. In the Dead Sea Scrolls there are 220 manuscripts of the TaNaKh (Old Testament) which precede the Iliad by over 700 years. So, the only written word available which concerns the origin of the universe is that found in the Book of Genesis. It should be pointed out that most scientists refuse to accept the first eleven chapters of Genesis.
Did humanity evolve or was it part of God's creation?
Scientists believe that humanity came from an Amoeba (Ameba) which is a single cell organism found in water or soil. From this lower state of life, humanity has evolved to this higher state of the current intellectual and physical specimen. They believe that all things have evolved from a state of disorder to a state of order. But science is in direct conflict with itself. The evolution theory is totally refuted by the II Law of Thermodynamics which has been proven to be a scientific fact. This law has proven that natural systems proceed toward a state of greater disorder, i.e., things move from a higher plane to a lower plane over time. For example, a smooth running machine will not get better over time but the parts will eventually began to wear and bang into each other and deteriorate. Humankind is certainly not the fine specimen God created initially. God's first creation was strong in mind and body and lived for hundreds of years. The conclusion must be that God created not only the universe but everything in it including humankind.
How did God create humanity according to the Bible?
The triune God, i.e., three separate entities that are one which defy both mathematics and grammar (I John 5:7 – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – 1+1+1= 1; Genesis 1:1, 26 - the plural Hebrew word for God is Elohim which requires a singular verb. It would be incorrect to say “God are”. God says in Genesis “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. . .” Therefore if God is in three parts (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and He created us in His image, are we not also in three parts? This common thread is found throughout the Bible and clearly indicates humankind is trichotomous. Let's follow this trail through scriptures. In Jeremiah l:4 God says to Jeremiah “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”. This is saying that God knew Jeremiah before he was conceived. Knew what? Well, Paul clears this up for us in I Thessalonians 5:23. Paul says “may the God of peace sanctify you completely, and may your WHOLE spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Additionally, Isaiah quotes God as saying that He made souls (Isaiah 57:16). Isaiah also says that he has a soul and a spirit (Isaiah 26:9). One final point, the God who made the soul and spirit and placed them in a conceived fetus is able to separate them if He so chooses. Hebrews 4:12 states that God can separate the soul from the spirit which leads to the next question.
Do humans always have these three separate entities? The answer is yes and no. The soul and spirit stay with an individual throughout life on earth and until death. At death the physical body goes back to the dust but the soul and spirit goes in one of two directions. If at some point in life an individual learns about Jesus Christ, accepts Him as their personal Savior, confesses and repents of outstanding sin, and makes Him Lord and Master of their lives, at death the soul and spirit goes to God in heaven. However, if this experience never takes place in the life of an individual, that person's soul and spirit goes to a place called Sheol, usually referred to as hell.
Is that the end, “sheep” on the right and “goats” on the left? No, the soul and spirit of a saved person is reunited in the rapture with a physical body that comes forth from the grave. This is not the same body that died, but it is a new glorified body with two outstanding characteristics. Firstly, this body is like the one Christ exhibited after His resurrection on earth and before His ascension. Secondly, this body is made for eternity. With its soul and spirit reunited with the new body, the individual is now a complete person that will never leave the presence of God.
As to the other direction, the soul and spirit of the unsaved person after death resides in Sheol until God brings them out for the final judgment. Then with a guilty verdict, they are not sent back to Sheol but they are cast into the Lake of Fire.