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The God Who Is
A MATURE CREATION
When God created the heaven and the earth, He created them with the appearance of age. Likewise when God created man, He did not make him as a helpless infant, but as an adult—a man; and therefore with the appearance of age.
The same is true with a tree. God created the trees on the third day, not as seeds, or seedlings, but as trees. It is by God's wise design that trees are nourished through the rings in the wood in its trunk; but the rings also tell the age of a tree. On the third day of creation the trees were made mature. God created all things with the appearance of age.
"AFTER HIS KIND"
In Genesis chapter 1, in verse 11, we read "And God said, `Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth:' and it was so."
In verse 21, God said, "`Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.' And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind ..."
In verses 24 and 25, He said, "`Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:' and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." One kind of plant or animal does not become another kind of plant or animal. If a man lives to be the age of Methuselah, he will never see a dog turn into a cat.
Hybridization
In Deuteronomy chapter 22, in verse 9, God commands, "Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled." Since the beginning of his depravity, man has attempted to improve upon God's created order. When he violates the moral law, the natural result is death; but instead of returning to the law, man attempts to cure the resulting plague. In this way he hopes to sin with impunity.
One way depravity manifests itself is by the naughtiness of pride which makes men think they can improve upon God's order. For instance, God instructed Israel to allow the land to lie fallow every seventh year, during which times he was to refrain from harvesting even that which came up of itself. But man has planted year after year until he has literally worn out the soil. To compensate for his rape of the land, he has substituted chemical imitations of natural fertilization, and has spread these compounds on his land year after year. Add to this chemical pesticides, chemical fungicides, chemical colorings, chemical flavorings, and chemical preservatives. Might there not be a real correlation between cancer and all these chemicals people are being fed?
For many years man has been experimenting with seeds until today it is difficult to purchase natural, or non-hybrid fruits and vegetables. It is owing to man's arrogance that he presumes to improve upon the work of the Creator.
God created the "herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, whose seed is in itself." The All-Wise God saw it was good that plants be able to reproduce. Men by their tampering with God's handiwork have produced hybrids that cannot reproduce. The tragedy is that while they profess themselves to be wise, they have in fact become fools, because they have perverted the right ways of the Lord.
The seriousness of manufacturing hybrids is enormous, for it leaves people dependent upon the availability of seeds for each year. The book of Revelation warns of a famine coming that will be international in scope. Because we continue to produce hybrid fish, fruits and vegetables, it is only logical that hybridization will play a major role in the coming food shortage. God did not give man hybrids to eat.
It is not without reason God commanded, "Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed, which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard be defiled." For this reason, we should refuse to plant hybrids.
SEVENTH DAY WORSHIP
"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made" (Genesis 2:2). Some people have been taught that we ought to reserve the seventh day for worship and rest. Among these are the Seventh-Day Adventists, and Seventh-Day Baptists.
In Exodus chapter 31, the Bible declares, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, `Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
"Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant" (verses 12-17).
In these verses, we are told three times that the sabbath was given to Israel. "Speak thou also unto the children of Israel" (verse 13); "it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations" (13); "Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore" (14); "wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant" (16); and it is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever" (17). Reader, there are 12 tribes of Israel: of what tribe are you a member? Christians are spiritual Israel, but not physical or national Israel.
God has reserved "the Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10), the first day of the week, to commemorate the work of redemption, a greater work than the work of creation. The heavens are the work of His "fingers" (Psalm 8:3); and the firmament shows His "handywork" (Psalm 19:1); but when He speaks of salvation, we read His "arm" brought salvation (Isaiah 63:5). Thomas Watson declared "It was a great thing to make man out of nothing, but it was a greater thing to save man when he was less than nothing."
Salvation from sin was contingent upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Since he was discovered to have risen on the first day of the week, it became the custom of Christians to worship the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2). Although the Scripture is clear, we are reminded of the old adage, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."
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