Creation - legend, myth or truth?

We’re going to get our teeth into another one of IOPNA’s hot spuds – from the beginning of the universe!     

Why? 
Let me guess…     You don’t really believe our ancestors were just apes in the trees and you find the idea that birds are reptiles that sprouted feathers, a bit hard to swallow. You believe there might be a supreme being out there somewhere but the Bible’s Creation story sounds simplistic and unscientific, even flawed – like…how can you have 3 days without the sun in place?...or how about the distance of the stars from Earth?  Okay, these ‘billions of years’ bandied around sound a bit rubbery but the Earth sure doesn’t look just 6,000 years old.  Perhaps the scientists have got it mostly right – they just get a bit carried away with their zeros and will eventually nail it down.                                     

Let’s see if we can have it both ways – “God is somehow out there somewhere, and over millions of years He’s let everything evolve from the Big Bang into what we see today, of course lending a bit of a hand with design.”                                                                               

Can we put any faith in the Bible’s account of Creation, or is it just legend?... or nothing but a myth?

In case you’ve never seen inside a Bible before -            

What is this Book all about?...for starters, why is it called ‘The Holy Bible’?The name tells us that this is a unique, sacred collection or library of books: actually 66 books in 2 sections: The Old and New Testaments. These books were written or compiled by some 40 Jewish (or Jewish proselyte) authors - using 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek, on 3 continents: Africa, Asia & Europe, during approximately 1600 years and meticulously copied by hand for thousands of years. 
You don’t like Jews?...they get up your nose? Well, that’s too bad - they’re still with us whether we like it or not because, throughout history, all attempts to annihilate them have failed and those who have tried have paid dearly – just ask the Egyptians or Germans. (Why is that?) 
Actually the Bible is the oldest book in all of history, was the first printed and remains the world’s best seller despite many determined efforts to eliminate it!
(Sorry Will Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Rud Kipling, John Steinbeck, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Ian Fleming, Oscar Wilde, J.K.Rowling……it was all in place before you guys were even thought of.)

The Holy Bible presents the story of the universe from beginning to end and its theme is the Lord Jesus Christ as coming, dying, living again, saving and reigning - forever.

What does the Bible claim?

·       It is the Word of God                                                   Romans 3:2
·       It has been written by inspiration of God               2 Timothy 3:16
·       It must not be added to or deleted from.               Proverbs 30:6                                  Deuteronomy 4:2                                         
·       It is about the Jewish Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. Luke 24:44                           
·       It tells the future accurately                                       Isaiah 46:10
·       It can be read and understood by uneducated people.   Psalm 119:130
·       It tells us the truth                                                        Psalm 119:160
·       It is the complete story of the universe                   Genesis to Revelation

That’s SOME CLAIM isn’t it?...so let’s take a look!......starting at the beginning in Genesis 1 with our usual conversational format.

NEXT WEEK:             ‘Remember the beginning?’

Photo credit: David Attenborough / abhinavrm.wordpress.com

In case you’re interested, there’s more coming on the post: ‘some background’