Creation Conference - Day 1

The Beginning and The End of the Universe

This title is very daunting and very fitting. My first thoughts actually wondered to Einstein who grudgingly discovered that the Universe is finite (or in other words...not eternal). According to the Bible and what science tells us, the Universe that we exist in has a beginning and an end.

As I was walking to the conference, I was thinking about what it would be like (and also how fortunate that my work was merely two blocks away from the Pikes Peak Center in which the conference was taking place). I was excited, because from what I had heard, this conference was about the 6 day creation theory and the literal interpretation of the Genesis. Many Christians today believe that God created the earth through evolution or each day mentioned in Genesis was really thousands of years. I have always been a believer in the young earth and 6 day literal creation. After going to a fairly liberal (or open minded as they called it) Christian college, I was ready for some "narrow" minded truth (Matthew 7:13-14 - Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it).

Once I got to the Conference, I promptly tripped on my sandals and almost face planted into the stairs. However, I slyly used the mishap to pretend that I was merely running up the stairs (just not very gracefully). Once I got up to the second level, I found a seat somewhere in the middle and sat down to stare at the big screen. The words on it were fuzzy, and I realized that at 23 I felt old. Another thing that I discovered was that people watching can be entertaining. There was a group of young girls to my front left with "Action Ministry" on their shirts. There was my Pastor Isam on the right side a floor up. I thought about joining him, but the conference started right then. For those who don't know Pastor Isam, he is my college group pastor on Monday nights. He is a hilarious and very convicted man. He teaches us about living for God completely and not just when we come to Church. Learning time management for personal Bible Studies, worship and prayer time on a daily basis. He is a fantastic leader.

After some singing, it was time for the first speaker. John MacArthur, a renowned evangelical writer and minister, was the first speaker at the creation conference held in Colorado Springs, CO. I had heard many great things about this speaker, and I was afraid that his reputation would fall short. After all, I am very pessimistic when it comes to Christians today. I wish I wasn't but after attending a "Christian" College for four years, you discover that true believers are few and far between. So many people claim to be Christians yet don't go to Church, or only attend Church on Sundays and return to their carnal selfs on Monday. Very frustrating, disheartening, and demoralizing.

One of the first things that John MacArthur talked about the matrix of existence discovered by Herbert Spencer. The matrix of existence fits into five categories: time, force, action, space matter. Spencer was hailed as a genius when he died. Quietly chuckling to himself, because he knew what he was about to say, MacArthur stated that Genesis reveals that to us thousands of years before Spencer becausethe Bible says that, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." In a booming voice, he then stated that the beginning is the time, God is the force, created is the action, the heavens are the space, and the earth is the matter. A huge grin swept across my face as the audience laughed and clapped. Maybe I had nothing to be pessimistic about.

Then MacArthur started talking about science and the beginning. He mentioned that the theory of evolution was irrelevant when it came to the beginning and how God created the Universe. it made me think of how some of my professors would say how it doesn't matter whether evolution is true or creation is true. The only thing that matters is that God did it. That always made me uncomfortable. For instance, if evolution was true, when did God decide we looked enough like Him to have souls transfered into us? So once again, I was on edge, waiting for the Great Disappointement. MacAurther seemed to sense this in the crowd (or perhaps he was just prepared for it) because then he went on to state, "Now, if you are asking me, 'Couldn't God have used evolution to create the Universe,' then the answer is no. The Bible says 6 days. It is either right or wrong." I decided right then and there that it would be great if I could shrink this guy and put him in my backpack. I would take him everywhere with me.

After that, he gave me an awesome tool to use when finding out if someone believes the Bible to be right or wrong. Basically, just ask them what they think about Genesis 1:1-2. Very quickly you find out if they are 6 day literal believers as the Bible says or if they are not. Once you know that, you know whether they are the types of people who believe the truth of the Bible or who twist the truth of the Bible. Isn't it fantastic that God gives us such a test right away?! This and asking about how they perceive Jesus. Is he a great prophet? A wonderful teacher? The Son of God who came to save the world? 1 John 4:1 - Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have fone out into the world.

I love it when speakers make me think in ways I never through before (even though it's right in front of my nose). For example, MacArthur said that environmentalists are in for a big shock because one day God will completely destroy this earth and replace it with a new one. The universe has a beginning and an end. Our earth is temporary. This is part of God's plan. What purpose could their possibly be for creating and ending the universe? MacArthur said one word: redemption. Just as God created a bride for Adam, God is redeeming the bride he created for the second Adam. And the universe will end, history will end, time will end. Once God's plan is done.

Once John MacArthur was done speaking, I realized that I was suddenly excited for the rest of the conference, though I am afraid I won't have enough time to write all about it! There will be four or more speakers tomorrow and four or more the day after that. YIKES! But I am determined to get the highlights in. Once everything had wrapped up, the hundreds of people got up and went to the dinosaur and book displays. Realizing that I needed to make the 30 minute drive home soon (and that I have a thousand books I have still yet to read in my personal library) I decided to just glance at some of the books (hey, I have that one...oh and I have that one... WOW I want to buy THAT one...) and I then slipped out and walked back to my work.

Driving home, I called my mother and talked with her about it and she said, "I am so glad this took your mind of the speeding ticket you got this morning". DOH!


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Disclaimer: I am not a re-reader, so who knows how many spelling errors or bad sentences are in there. Also, I have no quarantees that what I just wrote is coherent or logical. It is what it is.