Creation, Flood, and Coming Fire

There is a prophecy in 2 Peter 3 concerning the last days of this earth’s history, and it very much relates to the whole creation/evolution issue:

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men (2 Pet. 3:3–7).

“All things continue…”

Notice that the Scriptures are warning us that in the last days people are going to be saying “everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Evolutionists tell us that the earth has been in existence for millions of years and that life started evolving on this earth millions of years ago. Many Christians also hold this same belief. Geologists have the idea the processes we see operating in the present world have been going on for millions of years at essentially the same rate, and will probably go on for millions of years into the future as well. The technical word used in geology for this belief is “uniformitarianism.” For example, the desert museum in Tucson, Arizona, not only has a display for people to see what supposedly has happened over the past millions of years, but it also has a display of what many scientists believe will happen in Arizona over the millions of years they believe are to come!

Evolutionists, atheistic and theistic, use the phrase “the present is the key to the past.” In other words, they say that the way to understand the past is to observe what happens in the present. For instance, they say that since fossils form rarely in today’s world, the vast layers of rock containing billions of fossils over most of the earth’s surface must have taken millions of years. Evolutionists tell us that since we observe mutations (that is, accidental changes in our genes) occurring today, these must have occurred ever since the dawn of time. Thus, mutations must be one of the mechanisms involved in the postulated evolutionary progression.

The Bible, on the other hand, tells us that there was a time when there was no sin, and thus there was neither animal nor human death, nor disease, nor mistakes. Mutations are mistakes that occur in our genes, and they are virtually all harmful. Those who believe in evolution have to assume that evolution is occurring today to be able to say that what we see today are the same processes that have gone on for millions of years. Thus, to be consistent, the Christian who believes in evolution should also believe that man is still evolving today.

How can we establish beyond doubt the details of an event that supposedly happened in the past?

How can we establish beyond doubt the details of an event that supposedly happened in the past? One way is to find witnesses who were there, or look for records written by witnesses. Therefore, the only way we can ever know for sure exactly what happened in the geological past is if there was someone who was there at the time (a witness) who could tell us whether geological processes have always been the same or whether at some time geological processes have been different. The Bible claims to be the record of One (God) who not only knows everything, but who has always been there because He is outside of time. In fact, He created time. The Bible claims that God moved men through His Spirit to write down His words, and that they are not just the words of men but the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13, 2 Pet. 1:20–21). The Book of Genesis claims to be the records from God telling us of the events of creation and of other events in this world’s early history which have great bearing upon our present circumstances. Thus, the present is not the key to the past. Rather, revelation is the key to the past.

The revelation in Genesis tells us about such events as creation, Noah’s flood, and the Tower of Babel. These are events that have made the earth’s geology, geography, biology, etc., what they are today. Therefore, we must also realize that what happened in the past is the key to the present. The entrance of sin into the world explains why we have death and why we have mistakes occurring in our genes. The global devastation caused by Noah’s flood helps to explain the fossil record. The events at the Tower of Babel help us to come to an understanding of the origin of the different nations and cultures around the world.

Today evolutionists deny that the biblical record can be taken seriously. They put their faith in their belief that “all things continue as they have done from the beginning.” The prophecy in 2 Peter 3 is being fulfilled before our very eyes.

“Willingly ignorant …”

In the next section of this prophecy we are told that men will deliberately reject three things. Notice that the emphasis here is on a deliberate rejection, or as some translations put it, a “willing ignorance.” Thus, it is a deliberate action on a person’s part not to believe:

(a) God created the world, which at first was covered with water (which means that its surface was cool at the beginning, not a molten blob, as evolutionists teach).

(b) God once judged this world with a global, cataclysmic flood at the time of Noah.

(c) God is going to judge this world again, but the next time it will be by fire.

People often make the statement: “If there is so much evidence that God created the world and sent a global cataclysmic flood, then surely all scientists would believe this.” The solution is given here in 2 Peter 3. It is not simply a matter of providing evidence to convince people, for people do not want to be convinced. We read in Romans 1:20 that there is enough evidence to convince everyone that God is Creator, so much so that we are condemned if we do not believe. Furthermore, Romans 1:18 tells us that men “suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” It is not a matter of lack of evidence to convince people that the Bible is true; the problem is that they do not want to believe the Bible. The reason for this is obvious. If people believed in the God of the Bible, they would have to acknowledge His authority and obey the rules He has laid down. However, every human being suffers from the same problem—the sin which Adam committed in the Garden of Eden—a “disease” which we all inherit. Adam’s sin was rebellion against God’s authority. Likewise, people everywhere today are in rebellion against God, so to admit that the Bible is true would be an admission of their own sinful and rebellious nature and of their need to be born again by cleansing through the blood of Christ.

It is easy to see this “willing ignorance” in action when watching debates over the creation/evolution issue. In most cases, the evolutionists are not interested in the wealth of data, evidence, and information the creationists put forward. They usually try to attack creationists by attempting to destroy their credibility. They are not interested in data, logical reasoning, or any evidence that points to creation or refutes evolution, because they are totally committed to their religious faith called evolution.

Modern geology today tells us that there never was a worldwide flood as described in the Bible. We are told that millions of years of geological processes can explain the enormous fossil record in the sedimentary rock layers around the earth’s surface. However, creationists have shown that the fossil-bearing rock layers were produced by enormous catastrophic processes consistent with Noah’s flood.1 But evolutionists refuse to accept this, for to do so would mean that the Bible is right, and thus the whole of their evolutionary philosophy would have to be rejected. These people are “willingly ignorant” about the facts that do not support their evolutionary ideas but do fit into a model of geology based upon what the Bible says concerning Noah’s flood. This is another fulfillment of prophecy before our very eyes.

Much of the scientific literature also tells us that most scientists expect this world to go on and on for millions of years. The example of the desert museum in Tucson, Arizona, is again appropriate. As mentioned before, one display at this museum is supposed to represent what scientists believe will happen in Arizona over the next few millions of years or so. People often look at that display and ask the question: “How can they know what is going to happen millions of years into the future?” The answer is: “In exactly the same way they understand what has happened millions of years in the past!” They do not know—it is only their guess. If scientists agreed that God had created, that Noah’s flood was a real event, and that, therefore, the Bible was true, they would have to tell quite a different story. Since Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:37–39 uses the event of Noah’s flood as a warning that God has judged the earth, and will judge it again, they would have to agree that God is going to come back as judge. The next time He will use fire as the method of judgment rather than water. Sinful man in rebellion against God does not want to admit that he must stand before the God of creation one day and account for his life. Thus, in rejecting creation and Noah’s flood, and claiming “scientific” evidence that supposedly supports his own belief, he becomes comfortable in not thinking about the coming judgment. But, just as God created the world by His Word and sent the Flood through His Word, so God will judge this world by fire.

Conclusion

The earth, sun, moon, and stars stand as memorials to the fact that God has created. The fossil record is an immense memorial to the fact that God has judged by water. All of this should warn each man, woman, and child that, just as God has kept His Word in the past concerning judgment, so He will keep His Word in the future concerning Judgment.

Second Peter 3 contains a prophecy concerning the last days: a prophecy we are seeing fulfilled before our very eyes. Let us, therefore, become more vigorous and bold in witnessing for our God, the God of creation. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:11–12).

The late Isaac Asimov, an active anti-creationist, gave warnings about creationists. He was quoted as saying (in regard to creationists getting equal time for presenting the creation model in school), it is “today equal time, tomorrow the world.” Isaac Asimov was right! We are out to convince the world that Jesus Christ is Creator. Isaac Asimov was one who signed the Humanist Manifesto—he was out to convince the world that Jesus Christ is not the Creator.

We are out to convince people like Isaac Asimov that Jesus Christ is Creator. Why? Because we want a good fight? Because we like controversy? No, because we know that those who do not trust the Lord will spend eternity separated from Him. And what happens to those of us who do accept the salvation offered by Christ? “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:3–4).