The Creative Ones

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." What a great opening statement to the most extraordinary letter ever written to humanity! This one little sentence is power-packed with fullness and insight relevant for the people of God at this end time.

God created the heavens and the earth. He was there in the beginning. God did not just make the heavens but also the earth. We could infer from this that He must be extremely powerful and mighty, especially when considering what makes up the heavens and the earth. I think of the mighty oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. They satisfy the thirst of every living thing. I think of the wind gentle enough to cool a baby in a stroller in the hot summer sun but forceful and sufficient enough to push sailing vessels across the sea and powerful enough to shred trees and rip apart metal buildings when in the form of a hurricane.

I think of the billions and billions of animals, insects, birds, fish, and living things God has placed on this planet.

What power must be required to ensure every heart beats and pulses every single day! I think of the 7.6+ billion people on the earth, each one having a mind that even the greatest thinkers, researchers, and inventors haven't yet come to understand fully.

Who is this God? What must He be like to have created the heavens and the earth out of nothing? "He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:9, NKJV).

Well, let me tell you what kind of God He is. He is an active God. He makes and shapes the future. He creates reality and determines outcomes. He is also a loving, kind, merciful, righteous, exceedingly high and noble God. He is an understanding God. And He is an amazing God who was willing to die for every one of us on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ is His name. He is the Word, the Creator, the Maker of the heavens and the earth.

And what is more, He created us, humans, in His image. Male and female, we were created in the image of God. He gave our first parents, Adam and Eve, and to us, their offspring, the command to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28, ESV). It has puzzled me for some time now why some Christians, particularly many Adventists, seem so passive when it comes to living life. God is not passive, or at least that is not the dominant trait of His character. God is active. God created things out of nothing. There is nothing passive about that. God's work of creation speaks of initiative, vision, action, power, care, service, detail, creativity, and so many other active, nonpassive adjectives. And humans were created in His image and then told to procreate, fill the earth, subdue the world, and have dominion over it.

I don't see "passive" in that. I don't see anything left to luck, circumstance, weather, obstacles, fate, or lack of resources. I see Someone who shapes and creates the future with His ideas, words, and actions. What more significant barrier would God have to overcome than to demonstrate He could create something from nothing? He had nothing but Himself and made the heavens and the earth and filled them with all manner of life and living things. WHAT A GOD!!!

And we are made in His image. Perhaps the only passive thing in this historical account of Creation is that we were created. That is passive. We received our life and existence from God. All of creation has received its being first from God. However, we were made and then commanded to create and procreate and lead, subdue, and have dominion—create a home; procreate a family; subdue the earth. Have rule, authority, control over all the living things on the planet.

Why is this important? I think it is essential that we understand this for several reasons. Many, if not most, Adventists I hear speaking these days speak out of passivity and fear. It seems as if we followers of Jesus are just left here on the planet to drift and flow with the tide of human events on earth. It seems we are far more comfortable leaving all the action to the shapers of human history like Noah, Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, the Medo-Persians, Alexander the Great, or the Romans.

God's work of creation speaks of initiative, vision, action, power, care, service, detail, creativity, and so many other active, nonpassive adjectives. And humans were created in His image and then told to procreate, fill the earth, subdue the world, and have dominion over it.

I see it a lot in our presentations on Bible prophecy. Leaders preach that certain things in Bible prophecy will happen exactly the way they are written in Holy Scripture, and there isn't anything anybody can do about it. Never mind the story of Jonah and how his actions and the response of the people changed prophecy. For example, consider the teachings about the antichrist or little horn power. Many Christians focus on the activities of the little horn power and monitor the news, meetings, and speeches as if to hang on every little word and morsel of thought and direction the little horn gives. These leaders, preachers, and Christians act as if to say all of salvation history and the second coming of Jesus Christ were entirely dependent (passively) on the actions of that one entity.

It is common to hear individuals say things like, "Wow, the coming of Jesus must be so close, I can't see how this world can get any more wicked."

What is being said here? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Is it that the coming of Jesus is dependent upon the wickedness of humanity? Is that what is being said? Is this not a completely passive approach to Christianity?

Does God—the One who clothed Adam and Eve with lambskins in Genesis; the One who promised He would one day come and be the real sacrifice; the One who left His throne above and incarnated Himself into human flesh; the One who was born of a woman and lived on this earth for a little over 30 years; the One who died and was raised again—does that God sound like He would allow the final destination of humanity to rest entirely upon the actions of His avowed enemy?

Does the God who created the heavens and earth out of nothing by simply speaking words seem like the kind of God who would allow Satan to dictate when He (Jesus) would come again?

I believe the second coming of Jesus is entirely dependent upon God Himself, His professed followers, and the preaching of the gospel— period. "When this gospel is preached to the entire world, then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).

Is Satan preaching the gospel? Is the little horn preaching the gospel? Is the beast power of Revelation preaching the gospel? No, they are not. They are trying to prevent, distort, and hinder the gospel from being preached. Satan is trying to delay the second coming of Jesus Christ. Why? Because it's all over for him when that event happens.

Therefore, who is dependent on whom? Are the second coming and fate of the world dependent on Satan's actions or those of the little horn and the beast? Or is it determined by God, His people, and the preaching of the gospel?

My firm conviction is that this world, the second coming of Jesus, and the ultimate determination of what happens to everyone living on this planet is entirely dependent upon the actions and initiative of God, His Spirit, His people, and the preaching of the gospel—period. It does not matter how wicked the earth gets. It does not matter what Satan does or how upset or defiant he and his minions get. The only thing that matters regarding Satan and the end times is God will not allow him to snuff out His faithful followers. And God's people need to be aware of what Satan is doing because we need to counteract all he does through the preaching of the gospel.

Christians are not passive tumbleweeds meant to be blown about by the winds and drafts of the world, world events, or the enemies of God. We were built in the image of God. We are creators, movers, shakers, and future shapers, and if we are serious about seeing the kingdom of heaven, we need to awaken out of our slumber and passivity. =

By Eric Ollila, Communication/IT/Media Director Alberta Conference