Hello. I'm Sven Ostring. 00:00:01.36\00:00:02.70 Welcome to Let God Speak. 00:00:02.73\00:00:04.73 For a young person 00:00:04.77\00:00:06.10 who's trying to figure out what is really true, 00:00:06.13\00:00:08.97 the world can feel like a rather confusing place. 00:00:09.00\00:00:12.81 Many around us have so many different ideas 00:00:12.84\00:00:15.84 and worldviews, 00:00:15.88\00:00:17.25 and they all are claiming to be telling the truth. 00:00:17.28\00:00:20.25 It can feel like a bit of a confusing maze. 00:00:20.28\00:00:23.62 How do we know which worldview is true? 00:00:23.65\00:00:27.06 The good news is that God has revealed to us 00:00:27.09\00:00:29.96 His transcendent understanding of the world, 00:00:29.99\00:00:32.69 through the Bible, we're going to be exploring 00:00:32.73\00:00:34.90 God's worldview 00:00:34.93\00:00:36.50 and how we can share it with young people. 00:00:36.53\00:00:40.04 To discuss this topic, we have Gayl Fong. 00:01:05.16\00:01:07.60 Thank you so much for joining us today. 00:01:07.63\00:01:09.03 Thank you. And also Clive Nash. 00:01:09.06\00:01:11.27 It's good to have you here. Good to be here. 00:01:11.30\00:01:13.37 Let's pray together as we dive into God's Word today. 00:01:13.40\00:01:18.87 Father in heaven, we recognize that 00:01:18.91\00:01:21.88 we are so small in this world, 00:01:21.91\00:01:24.68 when we look at space and all of the planets 00:01:24.71\00:01:27.95 and galaxies and constellations, 00:01:27.98\00:01:30.75 Lord, our view is so microscopic. 00:01:30.79\00:01:35.29 And, Lord, sometimes we try to explain 00:01:35.32\00:01:38.23 what the whole world is like. 00:01:38.26\00:01:40.73 But we want to know what Your view of our world is. 00:01:40.76\00:01:44.60 We wanna understand your picture 00:01:44.63\00:01:47.37 of who we are and where are we going, 00:01:47.40\00:01:50.11 where we've come from as well. 00:01:50.14\00:01:52.04 Lord, as we head into the Bible today, 00:01:52.07\00:01:54.68 we pray that Your Holy Spirit 00:01:54.71\00:01:56.21 would transform our minds so that we can humble ourselves 00:01:56.24\00:02:00.88 and accept what you want to reveal to us 00:02:00.92\00:02:03.35 today is our prayer. 00:02:03.39\00:02:04.72 In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:04.75\00:02:06.09 Amen. Amen. 00:02:06.12\00:02:08.39 In 1999, Warner Brothers Studios produced 00:02:08.42\00:02:11.89 what is now considered 00:02:11.93\00:02:13.50 to be one of the greatest 00:02:13.53\00:02:14.90 science fiction films ever created. 00:02:14.93\00:02:18.27 The film I'm referring to is "The Matrix," 00:02:18.30\00:02:21.37 a very thought-provoking film on many levels. 00:02:21.40\00:02:25.37 The basic storyline is that people don't realize that 00:02:25.41\00:02:28.04 they're trapped inside a matrix. 00:02:28.08\00:02:30.68 It takes a computer nerd called 00:02:30.71\00:02:32.48 Neo to free people from this matrix. 00:02:32.51\00:02:36.92 As you reflect on the message of the film, 00:02:36.95\00:02:38.65 you can detect 00:02:38.69\00:02:40.02 an underlying theme of salvation, 00:02:40.06\00:02:42.56 even though it's still a bit distorted. 00:02:42.59\00:02:45.73 The critical problem in the film 00:02:45.76\00:02:47.86 is that reality is not what it seems. 00:02:47.90\00:02:51.37 We believe that we are living ordinary lives, 00:02:51.40\00:02:53.64 going to work in the morning 00:02:53.67\00:02:55.17 and then coming home in the evening to our families. 00:02:55.20\00:02:58.24 But the reality is nothing like that. 00:02:58.27\00:03:01.44 It's just an illusion, a computer simulation. 00:03:01.48\00:03:04.51 We're actually trapped inside a giant matrix 00:03:04.55\00:03:07.18 where highly intelligent machines 00:03:07.22\00:03:09.38 are using us, like a human farm, 00:03:09.42\00:03:12.22 to harvest our energy, 00:03:12.25\00:03:14.42 there has to come to the understanding 00:03:14.46\00:03:15.92 of the truth so he can save all of humanity. 00:03:15.96\00:03:20.10 You know, "The Matrix" is just a film. 00:03:20.13\00:03:22.96 But it does challenge us to us 00:03:23.00\00:03:24.87 whether what we think is real is actually true. 00:03:24.90\00:03:28.94 You know, is this just a theme for science fiction movies? 00:03:28.97\00:03:33.34 Or is it more of an issue in our world? 00:03:33.38\00:03:35.58 Is it possible that the world may be very different 00:03:35.61\00:03:40.02 from what we believe to be the case? 00:03:40.05\00:03:43.02 No, throughout history, 00:03:43.05\00:03:44.69 people have believed different things 00:03:44.72\00:03:46.45 about the world that weren't true. 00:03:46.49\00:03:49.32 For an example, for 2,000 years intelligent 00:03:49.36\00:03:53.09 and well educated people believe that 00:03:53.13\00:03:55.80 actually the world was stationary 00:03:55.83\00:03:58.43 and that everything in the universe 00:03:58.47\00:04:00.04 revolved around the earth. 00:04:00.07\00:04:01.64 And, you know, we can understand that 00:04:01.67\00:04:03.77 why they felt that, Gayl, because of course, you know, 00:04:03.81\00:04:06.78 when we stand on the ground, 00:04:06.81\00:04:08.14 except when there's earthquakes and other things like that, 00:04:08.18\00:04:10.25 it does feel very stationary, 00:04:10.28\00:04:11.91 and it looks like the stars are going, 00:04:11.95\00:04:14.42 you know, round around the sky. 00:04:14.45\00:04:16.72 So we can understand it. 00:04:16.75\00:04:18.29 But, you know, the question, Clive, is this, 00:04:18.32\00:04:21.12 is it an issue which we still see even today? 00:04:21.16\00:04:25.63 Well, we might, from our standpoint 00:04:25.66\00:04:27.66 here in the 21st century, 00:04:27.70\00:04:29.23 so, well, as medieval people, 00:04:29.26\00:04:32.20 you know, they had a pretty limited idea of things 00:04:32.23\00:04:34.47 and we smile at them. 00:04:34.50\00:04:37.14 But there are a lot of well educated people today, 00:04:37.17\00:04:40.68 people with science degrees, 00:04:40.71\00:04:44.08 who think that we came out of some kind of warm pond 00:04:44.11\00:04:47.25 and, you know, life just evolved by chance. 00:04:47.28\00:04:49.95 Yes. Yes. 00:04:49.98\00:04:51.32 You know, that leads us to a very interesting point. 00:04:51.35\00:04:54.42 People will say that science shows that 00:04:54.46\00:04:58.23 the earth is moving, 00:04:58.26\00:04:59.73 in fact, it's hurtling around the sun 00:04:59.76\00:05:02.43 at an incredible speed of 108,000 kilometers per hour, 00:05:02.46\00:05:07.14 which is incredibly fast. 00:05:07.17\00:05:09.54 And so what science has shown that 00:05:09.57\00:05:11.57 the earth is not stationary, as you observed, Gayl. 00:05:11.61\00:05:15.68 We also not only moving very fast 00:05:15.71\00:05:17.88 but we located on the edge of the Milky Way galaxy 00:05:17.91\00:05:22.58 in a remote corner, shall I say, of the universe. 00:05:22.62\00:05:26.65 So I guess the question is this if the scientific explanation 00:05:26.69\00:05:30.76 for how life began was that 00:05:30.79\00:05:33.33 we evolved from a warm little pond 00:05:33.36\00:05:36.03 as Darwin put it, 00:05:36.06\00:05:37.63 shouldn't we automatically accept that too? 00:05:37.67\00:05:40.64 You know, shouldn't we say, well, back in Galileo's time, 00:05:40.67\00:05:45.51 the church was wrong, so we should admit that 00:05:45.54\00:05:47.68 we're wrong now 00:05:47.71\00:05:49.04 and just accept the scientific viewpoint. 00:05:49.08\00:05:53.55 Well, that's actually a misunderstanding 00:05:53.58\00:05:56.18 of what happened. 00:05:56.22\00:05:57.55 And I have a quote here 00:05:57.59\00:05:58.92 perhaps that would just throw some light on that. 00:05:58.95\00:06:02.16 John Linux, he's pointed out that, 00:06:02.19\00:06:04.63 "Galileo enjoyed a great deal of support 00:06:04.66\00:06:07.26 from religious intellectuals, at least at the start, 00:06:07.30\00:06:10.93 the astronomers of the powerful Jesuit educational institution, 00:06:10.97\00:06:15.40 the Collegia Romano 00:06:15.44\00:06:17.71 initially endorsed his astronomical work 00:06:17.74\00:06:20.71 and vetted him for it. 00:06:20.74\00:06:22.71 However, he was vigorously opposed 00:06:22.74\00:06:25.11 by secular philosophers 00:06:25.15\00:06:27.52 who were in enraged at his criticism of Aristotle. 00:06:27.55\00:06:31.65 So this was bound to cause trouble, 00:06:31.69\00:06:34.69 be it emphasize not at first with the church." 00:06:34.72\00:06:38.13 Very interesting. That's right, Gayl. 00:06:38.16\00:06:41.10 And in especially "A Brief History of Time" 00:06:41.13\00:06:44.37 by Stephen Hawking, 00:06:44.40\00:06:47.10 he wrote that Galileo actually annoyed 00:06:47.14\00:06:49.70 the Aristotelian philosophers 00:06:49.74\00:06:52.94 who united against him seeking to persuade the Catholic Church 00:06:52.97\00:06:56.44 to his cosmology 00:06:56.48\00:06:58.11 or his view of the of the cosmos. 00:06:58.15\00:07:00.42 And the real problem was that the Catholic Church 00:07:00.45\00:07:04.75 was persuaded by the scientists of the day 00:07:04.79\00:07:08.32 to conform to science. 00:07:08.36\00:07:10.23 Well, what they thought was good science of their day. 00:07:10.26\00:07:14.80 And, unfortunately, 00:07:14.83\00:07:16.33 I think the mainstream Christianity, 00:07:16.36\00:07:18.43 the Catholic Church in particular, 00:07:18.47\00:07:20.10 are making a similar mistake today 00:07:20.14\00:07:22.24 by adopting the Big Bang Theory 00:07:22.27\00:07:25.11 and theistic evolution, for example. 00:07:25.14\00:07:28.38 Theistic evolution is one of your areas, 00:07:28.41\00:07:31.21 I think, you might like to just define. 00:07:31.25\00:07:34.32 I was going to define it, 00:07:34.35\00:07:35.68 but I thought it might be better coming from you. 00:07:35.72\00:07:37.85 Yes. Sure. Sure. 00:07:37.89\00:07:39.29 Yes. 00:07:39.32\00:07:40.66 So theistic evolution is basically this idea 00:07:40.69\00:07:42.92 that Neo Darwinian evolution 00:07:42.96\00:07:46.66 has occurred down through history, 00:07:46.70\00:07:48.93 and the gods supervise this process. 00:07:48.96\00:07:52.23 And that is how we came about and, 00:07:52.27\00:07:54.34 in particular, that there was no observable, 00:07:54.37\00:07:57.47 identifiable time when God stepped in to create. 00:07:57.51\00:08:02.88 So you can accommodate long ages of the earth, 00:08:02.91\00:08:05.21 for example, in that sort of philosophy. 00:08:05.25\00:08:06.98 That's correct. That's correct. 00:08:07.02\00:08:08.75 And so as you rightly say, Clive, you know, 00:08:08.78\00:08:11.72 the Catholic Church has adopted 00:08:11.75\00:08:13.82 both the Big Bang cosmology 00:08:13.86\00:08:15.52 but also theistic evolution as well. 00:08:15.56\00:08:18.43 But what I want to do 00:08:18.46\00:08:19.79 is I want to go back to the movie, 00:08:19.83\00:08:22.46 The Matrix, and the idea that was brought up 00:08:22.50\00:08:25.83 in that because, you know, 00:08:25.87\00:08:27.20 we can say, well, that's just a movie. 00:08:27.24\00:08:29.44 You know, movie makers produce stories 00:08:29.47\00:08:33.04 about all sorts of things. 00:08:33.07\00:08:35.14 But it's really fascinating that there is a Swedish 00:08:35.18\00:08:38.81 professor called Professor Nick Bostrom, 00:08:38.85\00:08:42.42 who believes that we are actually living 00:08:42.45\00:08:45.55 in a computer simulation. 00:08:45.59\00:08:47.96 So this world, 00:08:47.99\00:08:49.32 everything around us is a simulation. 00:08:49.36\00:08:52.69 And that might sound very, very crazy to you. 00:08:52.73\00:08:55.66 But the fascinating thing is he's not alone. 00:08:55.70\00:08:58.47 So think of Elon Musk, 00:08:58.50\00:09:00.94 the CEO of the Tesla car company. 00:09:00.97\00:09:03.51 SpaceX. Yes, exactly. 00:09:03.54\00:09:05.77 And also, you have Neil deGrasse Tyson, 00:09:05.81\00:09:09.01 who is a TV presenter on science. 00:09:09.04\00:09:12.08 Both of them agree on TV 00:09:12.11\00:09:17.19 that we might be living in a computer simulation. 00:09:17.22\00:09:21.19 And I guess my question for us today is this, 00:09:21.22\00:09:23.73 what do you make of this idea 00:09:23.76\00:09:26.13 that these well informed scientific people, 00:09:26.16\00:09:29.50 the idea that I'm putting forward? 00:09:29.53\00:09:31.77 I think it confirms that really intelligent people 00:09:31.80\00:09:34.74 can have some very farfetched ideas. 00:09:34.77\00:09:37.21 It is amazing, isn't it? It is amazing. 00:09:37.24\00:09:38.91 I was thinking, as in the back 00:09:38.94\00:09:41.41 to the 17th century philosopher Descartes. 00:09:41.44\00:09:44.31 Right. 00:09:44.35\00:09:45.68 French philosopher, who said in his own language... 00:09:45.71\00:09:50.02 [speaking in French] 00:09:50.05\00:09:52.85 Which I think has become more... 00:09:52.89\00:09:55.72 It had become better known in the Latin cogito, ergo sum, 00:09:55.76\00:09:59.59 "I think therefore I am." 00:09:59.63\00:10:01.86 You know, so I must exist because I'm thinking. 00:10:01.90\00:10:04.33 That's right. 00:10:04.37\00:10:07.44 So, you know, this sort of this idea of 00:10:07.47\00:10:13.11 if there's design in the universe, 00:10:13.14\00:10:15.58 there must be a designer. 00:10:15.61\00:10:17.21 Yes. 00:10:17.25\00:10:18.58 And that fits in with a Christian worldview. 00:10:18.61\00:10:22.98 Yes, absolutely. 00:10:23.02\00:10:24.59 So what the computer simulation concept 00:10:24.62\00:10:26.72 is really telling us or it kind of supports, 00:10:26.76\00:10:29.79 'cause, you know, 00:10:29.82\00:10:31.16 we know that computer simulations 00:10:31.19\00:10:32.53 are created environments. 00:10:32.56\00:10:35.16 So it supports this idea that the whole universe 00:10:35.20\00:10:38.77 is actually designed by intelligent being, 00:10:38.80\00:10:41.47 as you say, Clive, it's really fascinating. 00:10:41.50\00:10:44.31 But that leads us 00:10:44.34\00:10:46.04 to two fundamentally different worldviews. 00:10:46.07\00:10:49.81 Two fundamentally different worldviews, 00:10:49.84\00:10:51.65 on one hand, you have this idea 00:10:51.68\00:10:54.12 that the universe is all that is. 00:10:54.15\00:10:57.19 And Carl Sagan, 00:10:57.22\00:10:58.55 another very famous TV presenter, 00:10:58.59\00:11:01.26 in the 20th century said this, 00:11:01.29\00:11:02.79 "The cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." 00:11:02.82\00:11:06.83 That's a classic statement 00:11:06.86\00:11:09.20 from an atheist and a naturalist. 00:11:09.23\00:11:11.73 But then the other worldview is that the universe 00:11:11.77\00:11:16.60 has been created and designed. 00:11:16.64\00:11:19.64 And so my question, Gayl, is this. 00:11:19.67\00:11:22.24 Which worldview does the Bible support? 00:11:22.28\00:11:25.38 Well, the Bible is very clear. 00:11:25.41\00:11:27.22 And if we were to turn to Psalm 53:1, 00:11:27.25\00:11:32.62 I'm just reading from the New King James, 00:11:32.65\00:11:34.79 "The fool has said in his heart, 00:11:34.82\00:11:36.93 there is no God. 00:11:36.96\00:11:38.86 They are corrupt 00:11:38.89\00:11:40.23 and have done abominable iniquity. 00:11:40.26\00:11:42.43 There is none who does good." Now it's interesting. 00:11:42.46\00:11:47.90 The biblical concept of a fool 00:11:47.94\00:11:50.67 is actually not someone who's stupid. 00:11:50.71\00:11:53.81 What the Bible means is a fool 00:11:53.84\00:11:56.31 is someone who is morally undiscerning. 00:11:56.34\00:11:59.31 So according to their worldview is how they will live and act. 00:11:59.35\00:12:05.02 Very interesting. Very interesting. 00:12:05.05\00:12:06.79 It's interesting that the wisest man who ever lived, 00:12:06.82\00:12:09.72 and Proverbs 15:3, 00:12:09.76\00:12:14.16 he makes a comment here that, 00:12:14.20\00:12:16.00 "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, 00:12:16.03\00:12:20.70 keeping watch on the evil and on the good." 00:12:20.74\00:12:24.64 So to me, what this text is saying, 00:12:24.67\00:12:26.61 in part, is that God's got a worldview as well, 00:12:26.64\00:12:30.71 you know, He is looking and He takes everything in. 00:12:30.75\00:12:33.92 In. Yes. 00:12:33.95\00:12:35.92 And whether we ourselves 00:12:35.95\00:12:37.75 include God in our worldview or not, 00:12:37.79\00:12:41.29 we are definitely in His worldview. 00:12:41.32\00:12:42.96 That is fascinating. 00:12:42.99\00:12:44.33 That's a great insight, Clive. 00:12:44.36\00:12:45.89 And I guess, one of the major differences 00:12:45.93\00:12:49.46 between the naturalistic worldview 00:12:49.50\00:12:52.53 and the biblical worldview or the worldview 00:12:52.57\00:12:56.20 that this world was created is the idea that God 00:12:56.24\00:13:00.04 has the ability and the power to step in to our world 00:13:00.08\00:13:05.55 and perform miracles. 00:13:05.58\00:13:07.45 So He is not bound by the natural laws that 00:13:07.48\00:13:11.55 he has built into the universe itself. 00:13:11.59\00:13:15.46 So I guess, Gayl, it comes to that question, 00:13:15.49\00:13:17.99 what does the Bible say about this? 00:13:18.03\00:13:20.70 Is God bound by the natural laws 00:13:20.73\00:13:23.06 that He has created? 00:13:23.10\00:13:25.53 Well, He isn't because He goes beyond. 00:13:25.57\00:13:30.57 And God is a God who performs many miracles. 00:13:30.61\00:13:33.07 And the Bible has so many accounts of miracles 00:13:33.11\00:13:35.64 which are actually outside those natural laws. 00:13:35.68\00:13:39.81 And an example would be the outstanding miracle 00:13:39.85\00:13:43.22 of the beginning of Jesus human existence. 00:13:43.25\00:13:47.62 When Mary was visited 00:13:47.66\00:13:48.99 by the angel Gabriel and he told her that 00:13:49.02\00:13:51.49 she would become a mother, she would bear a child, 00:13:51.53\00:13:55.03 and this child is going to be the Son of God. 00:13:55.06\00:13:58.23 Well, Mary she was, 00:13:58.27\00:13:59.60 I'm sure she must have been absolutely amazed. 00:13:59.63\00:14:01.60 But she was very humble. 00:14:01.64\00:14:03.30 And she just simply asked, "How can this be so?" 00:14:03.34\00:14:06.37 Because she was a virgin, 00:14:06.41\00:14:08.41 and the angel Gabriel explains in the book of Luke Chapter 1, 00:14:08.44\00:14:13.42 if we turn the Luke 1:35, 00:14:13.45\00:14:18.35 "And the angel answered and said to her, 00:14:18.39\00:14:21.49 "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 00:14:21.52\00:14:24.09 and the power of the highest will overshadow you, 00:14:24.13\00:14:28.10 therefore also that Holy One 00:14:28.13\00:14:30.73 who is to be born will be called the Son of God." 00:14:30.77\00:14:34.84 Well, this is an absolute miracle 00:14:34.87\00:14:36.27 because it's impossible 00:14:36.30\00:14:39.34 for a virgin to conceive of natural causes. 00:14:39.37\00:14:43.81 Yes. Yes. 00:14:43.85\00:14:45.85 That by themselves. 00:14:45.88\00:14:47.22 It's a bit like the story of creation, isn't it? 00:14:47.25\00:14:49.12 You know, there's no real explanation 00:14:49.15\00:14:50.69 of how it happens, how it's done. 00:14:50.72\00:14:53.32 You just got the state that it is a fact. 00:14:53.36\00:14:55.59 Just base it and it's there. 00:14:55.62\00:14:57.46 Yes. 00:14:57.49\00:14:58.83 What about you, Clive, 00:14:58.86\00:15:00.20 is there any miracles in the Bible 00:15:00.23\00:15:02.00 which stand out to you? 00:15:02.03\00:15:03.43 Well, I think if we go 00:15:03.47\00:15:04.80 to the other end of Christ life, 00:15:04.83\00:15:06.60 you go from the incarnation through to the crucifixion. 00:15:06.63\00:15:12.31 In Romans 1:4, 5, for example, 00:15:12.34\00:15:17.38 Paul writing here, and he says that, 00:15:17.41\00:15:21.75 "We've declared that 00:15:21.78\00:15:23.18 Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, 00:15:23.22\00:15:25.95 with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, 00:15:25.99\00:15:28.32 by the resurrection from the dead. 00:15:28.36\00:15:30.46 Through Him, 00:15:30.49\00:15:31.83 we have received grace and apostleship, 00:15:31.86\00:15:33.86 for obedience to the faith, 00:15:33.90\00:15:35.23 and are all nations for His name." 00:15:35.26\00:15:37.27 So he emphasized here, 00:15:37.30\00:15:39.27 this resurrection from the dead. 00:15:39.30\00:15:42.37 And that Jesus was raised back to life, 00:15:42.40\00:15:46.14 it's often being said, 00:15:46.17\00:15:47.91 Christianity doesn't go 00:15:47.94\00:15:49.81 to the tomb of their founder to say, 00:15:49.84\00:15:52.45 "This is where He's buried." 00:15:52.48\00:15:54.52 You know, out the founder of Christianity is alive. 00:15:54.55\00:15:57.52 That's amazing. That's amazing. 00:15:57.55\00:15:58.89 Thank you... 00:15:58.92\00:16:00.26 And this is not natural for someone to come back 00:16:00.29\00:16:02.42 from the dead. 00:16:02.46\00:16:03.79 Yes, otherwise, we'd see people coming back to life 00:16:03.83\00:16:05.89 all over the place. 00:16:05.93\00:16:07.76 But thank you so much for reminding us 00:16:07.80\00:16:09.30 of these two powerful miracles, amazing miracles. 00:16:09.33\00:16:12.13 And what we wanna do, 00:16:12.17\00:16:13.50 we're gonna go back all the way in history, 00:16:13.54\00:16:15.57 to the very creation of the universe, 00:16:15.60\00:16:19.07 the time and when the universe 00:16:19.11\00:16:21.14 didn't exist as well. 00:16:21.18\00:16:23.45 There was the very famous German mathematician 00:16:23.48\00:16:27.22 called Gottfried Leibniz. 00:16:27.25\00:16:29.72 And he asked the question, 00:16:29.75\00:16:31.62 "Why is there something rather than nothing?" 00:16:31.65\00:16:35.32 Why is there something rather than nothing? 00:16:35.36\00:16:37.53 That's a very profound question. 00:16:37.56\00:16:40.13 So one of the most basic fundamental questions 00:16:40.16\00:16:42.40 we can ask. 00:16:42.43\00:16:43.77 And, Gayl, just wanted to know, what does the Bible say? 00:16:43.80\00:16:46.84 What's the Bible's answer to that question? 00:16:46.87\00:16:49.17 Well, we can go right to the very beginning. 00:16:49.20\00:16:52.01 And God tells us the answer in Genesis 1:1. 00:16:52.04\00:16:57.48 And it reads, "In the beginning, 00:16:57.51\00:17:00.85 God created the heavens and the earth." 00:17:00.88\00:17:04.62 So the answer to that fundamental question 00:17:04.65\00:17:08.89 is the reason 00:17:08.92\00:17:10.39 why there is something rather than nothing 00:17:10.43\00:17:12.59 is because God created everything 00:17:12.63\00:17:14.90 that there is around us. 00:17:14.93\00:17:16.50 And something that I find is just 00:17:16.53\00:17:18.43 so amazing about this verse 00:17:18.47\00:17:22.80 is that word created. 00:17:22.84\00:17:25.47 And I've understood that to mean, 00:17:25.51\00:17:28.21 in the Hebrew, Bara, 00:17:28.24\00:17:30.58 and referring to the actions of God alone 00:17:30.61\00:17:35.08 because I can create a... 00:17:35.12\00:17:37.62 Cake. 00:17:37.65\00:17:38.99 Cake, I can make something, I can design something. 00:17:39.02\00:17:41.62 You are creating something out of something Yes. 00:17:41.66\00:17:43.93 Yes, but I cannot Bara, 00:17:43.96\00:17:46.59 only God can create something from nothing. 00:17:46.63\00:17:49.36 And I just find that simply amazing 00:17:49.40\00:17:51.27 about that in Genesis. 00:17:51.30\00:17:52.63 Yes. 00:17:52.67\00:17:54.00 It's interesting that the New Testament 00:17:54.04\00:17:55.37 and the Bible backs this up in John 1. 00:17:55.40\00:17:58.04 And I'm going to have a look 00:17:58.07\00:18:00.14 at verses 1 to 3 in John's Gospel, 00:18:00.18\00:18:03.55 says, "In the beginning," it's very similar wording 00:18:03.58\00:18:06.72 to the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures, 00:18:06.75\00:18:09.38 "In the beginning was the Word." 00:18:09.42\00:18:11.35 And he's using a code here to mean, 00:18:11.39\00:18:13.86 the Word is Jesus Christ. 00:18:13.89\00:18:16.56 "In the beginning was the Word," as Jesus, 00:18:16.59\00:18:19.03 "and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:18:19.06\00:18:22.03 He was in the beginning with God. 00:18:22.06\00:18:23.93 And the interesting part about this verse here, 00:18:23.97\00:18:27.07 it says, "All things were made through Him. 00:18:27.10\00:18:31.17 And without Him, 00:18:31.21\00:18:32.54 nothing was made that was made." 00:18:32.57\00:18:34.18 So Jesus was the active person of the Godhead, 00:18:34.21\00:18:38.25 who is there creating. 00:18:38.28\00:18:39.65 It's incredible, isn't it? Yeah. 00:18:39.68\00:18:41.75 Amen. 00:18:41.78\00:18:43.12 And Job points out too that, 00:18:43.15\00:18:44.95 "All the living creatures around us, 00:18:44.99\00:18:47.12 they actually say and will tell us that 00:18:47.16\00:18:50.59 there is a creator, and who created them." 00:18:50.63\00:18:53.29 And just reading in Job 12:7-10, it says, 00:18:53.33\00:18:59.17 "But now ask the beasts, 00:18:59.20\00:19:01.04 and they will teach you and the birds of the air, 00:19:01.07\00:19:04.37 and they will tell you, or speak to the earth, 00:19:04.41\00:19:07.54 and it will teach you and the fish of the sea 00:19:07.58\00:19:10.45 will explain to you 00:19:10.48\00:19:12.21 who among all these does not know, 00:19:12.25\00:19:15.48 in whose hand is the life of every living thing, 00:19:15.52\00:19:19.15 and the breath of all mankind." 00:19:19.19\00:19:22.36 So I just find that very amazing. 00:19:22.39\00:19:24.29 Yes. It's a wonderful thought too. 00:19:24.33\00:19:26.39 Yes, Clive, it's a beautiful thought in terms of 00:19:26.43\00:19:29.13 all of these animals and plants. 00:19:29.16\00:19:30.97 And so what does the Bible tell us 00:19:31.00\00:19:33.20 with regards to the time that it took God to create life 00:19:33.23\00:19:39.17 on earth originally? 00:19:39.21\00:19:42.08 Well, I would answer that question 00:19:42.11\00:19:44.05 by referring to the Ten Commandments, 00:19:44.08\00:19:46.55 Sven Ostring. 00:19:46.58\00:19:47.92 In Exodus Chapter 20, 00:19:47.95\00:19:50.79 we have the Ten Commandments listed there. 00:19:50.82\00:19:53.96 And in particular, the fourth commandment 00:19:53.99\00:19:56.96 answers this question of yours 00:19:56.99\00:19:58.59 because here in Exodus 20:11. 00:19:58.63\00:20:03.23 I have to say, "Remember, the Sabbath day," says, 00:20:03.26\00:20:06.10 "because in six days, the Lord made the heavens 00:20:06.13\00:20:09.77 and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, 00:20:09.80\00:20:13.44 and rested the seventh day." 00:20:13.48\00:20:15.78 So it is the six days of creation. 00:20:15.81\00:20:19.18 Yeah. Six literal days. 00:20:19.21\00:20:21.45 Wow. That's amazing. That's amazing. 00:20:21.48\00:20:23.79 You know, one of the questions that I have, 00:20:23.82\00:20:28.06 Gayl, is that, you know, what about, 00:20:28.09\00:20:30.29 we talked about Theistic evolution. 00:20:30.33\00:20:32.53 But there's another possibility. 00:20:32.56\00:20:34.66 And that's what we would call progressive creationism, 00:20:34.70\00:20:37.90 which over billions of years over earth's history, 00:20:37.93\00:20:41.40 the God stepped into to create animals 00:20:41.44\00:20:45.61 and plants as well, you know, 00:20:45.64\00:20:47.94 what do we think of this concept 00:20:47.98\00:20:50.05 and how it relates to the Bible? 00:20:50.08\00:20:52.71 The problem with that idea is we're actually 00:20:52.75\00:20:55.32 just not taking God at His Word. 00:20:55.35\00:20:58.19 He said that He created the world in six days, 00:20:58.22\00:21:01.06 and He rested on the seventh, the Sabbath day. 00:21:01.09\00:21:04.19 So we need to accept what God says. 00:21:04.23\00:21:08.63 The Bible is clear that 00:21:08.66\00:21:10.60 God originally created the world 00:21:10.63\00:21:13.10 and he said it was very good, if we look at Genesis 1, 00:21:13.13\00:21:18.14 for example, the end of the chapter, 00:21:18.17\00:21:20.48 Genesis 1:29, onwards. 00:21:20.51\00:21:23.31 "So see, I've given you every herb 00:21:23.35\00:21:24.85 that yields seed, 00:21:24.88\00:21:26.21 which is on the face of all the earth, 00:21:26.25\00:21:28.18 every tree whose fruit yields seed, 00:21:28.22\00:21:31.62 to you it shall be for food." 00:21:31.65\00:21:32.99 So it was a vegetarian or a vegan lifestyle. 00:21:33.02\00:21:36.56 "And also to every beast of the earth, 00:21:36.59\00:21:38.63 to every bird of the air do." 00:21:38.66\00:21:40.23 Every animal was also, you know, 00:21:40.26\00:21:43.26 there was no loss of life to be able to feed 00:21:43.30\00:21:45.73 the appetite of these creatures. 00:21:45.77\00:21:47.97 And then verse 31 said, 00:21:48.00\00:21:49.34 "God saw everything that He had made, 00:21:49.37\00:21:51.41 and it was very good." 00:21:51.44\00:21:52.91 There was no pain, there was no sin, 00:21:52.94\00:21:54.88 there was no death, no suffering at all. 00:21:54.91\00:21:57.38 Yes. 00:21:57.41\00:21:58.75 And so what this does, of course, 00:21:58.78\00:22:00.12 is that goes directly against 00:22:00.15\00:22:02.48 either deep time evolutionary worldviews 00:22:02.52\00:22:05.22 or even progressive creationism as well. 00:22:05.25\00:22:08.66 It's very fascinating. 00:22:08.69\00:22:10.56 But I guess, yeah, one question is that, 00:22:10.59\00:22:13.63 you know, scientists may come to us and say, 00:22:13.66\00:22:16.36 well, you know, that the Bible is contradicting 00:22:16.40\00:22:20.70 the evidence all around us so that, you know, 00:22:20.74\00:22:23.71 if we are rational, intelligent people, 00:22:23.74\00:22:27.64 we should go with the evidence. 00:22:27.68\00:22:29.88 And how do we respond to that statement? 00:22:29.91\00:22:34.12 Well, it's important to understand that 00:22:34.15\00:22:36.35 we all look at the world 00:22:36.38\00:22:38.59 through a particular lens, and science is no exception. 00:22:38.62\00:22:42.39 So if we took the rainbow as an example, 00:22:42.42\00:22:45.33 and God gave us the rainbow 00:22:45.36\00:22:47.53 as a promise that 00:22:47.56\00:22:48.90 He would never flood the entire world. 00:22:48.93\00:22:51.50 And we read about that account in Genesis Chapter 9. 00:22:51.53\00:22:55.24 And I'm just reading verse 13-16. 00:22:55.27\00:22:58.77 And it reads, "I set my bow in the cloud, 00:22:58.81\00:23:01.51 and it shall be for the sign of the covenant 00:23:01.54\00:23:03.85 between Me and the earth, 00:23:03.88\00:23:05.88 it shall be when I bring a cloud over the earth, 00:23:05.91\00:23:08.88 that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud. 00:23:08.92\00:23:11.42 And I will remember my covenant which is between Me and you 00:23:11.45\00:23:15.62 and every living creature of all flesh, 00:23:15.66\00:23:18.33 the water shall never again 00:23:18.36\00:23:19.96 become a flood to destroy all flesh. 00:23:20.00\00:23:22.76 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, 00:23:22.80\00:23:25.07 and I will look on it 00:23:25.10\00:23:26.43 to remember the everlasting covenant." 00:23:26.47\00:23:30.11 But when a scientist sees a rainbow, 00:23:30.14\00:23:32.47 they just see the different wavelengths of light. 00:23:32.51\00:23:35.44 So it just depends which lens you're looking at. 00:23:35.48\00:23:38.68 And for us, we are looking at it 00:23:38.71\00:23:41.78 through the evidence of the biblical worldview. 00:23:41.82\00:23:46.45 Through the biblical lens. Yes, that's amazing. 00:23:46.49\00:23:49.29 So, Clive, I'm just, sort of, 00:23:49.32\00:23:50.66 stepping into the shoes of a young person, 00:23:50.69\00:23:53.50 maybe a university student, 00:23:53.53\00:23:55.76 and I love that concept of what you're saying there, 00:23:55.80\00:23:58.20 Gayl, you know, how we are looking at the world 00:23:58.23\00:24:00.64 through a particular lens. 00:24:00.67\00:24:02.37 And in particular, you know, 00:24:02.40\00:24:04.21 we're looking at through the biblical lens. 00:24:04.24\00:24:06.51 But, Clive, the question is this, 00:24:06.54\00:24:08.48 and I think it's a very honest question. 00:24:08.51\00:24:10.98 How do we know that 00:24:11.01\00:24:12.35 the biblical lens is the correct way 00:24:12.38\00:24:15.68 to look at the world? 00:24:15.72\00:24:18.49 Well, that's a big question, Sven, 00:24:18.52\00:24:21.42 and we'd have to take several episodes, 00:24:21.46\00:24:23.63 I think, if we let God speak to us 00:24:23.66\00:24:25.06 and thoroughly answer that one. 00:24:25.09\00:24:27.00 But I just put it two principles, 00:24:27.03\00:24:30.43 I think, which may help to lead us 00:24:30.47\00:24:32.43 in the right direction. 00:24:32.47\00:24:33.94 First of all, the matter of prophecy, 00:24:33.97\00:24:38.71 that's the first one 00:24:38.74\00:24:40.08 if I turn over to John 13:19, 00:24:40.11\00:24:45.48 and I'm looking at the words of Jesus here, John 13:19, 00:24:45.51\00:24:48.78 He says, "Now I tell you, before it comes, 00:24:48.82\00:24:51.45 that when it does come to pass, 00:24:51.49\00:24:53.39 you may believe that I am He." 00:24:53.42\00:24:56.06 So this is the first key prophecy 00:24:56.09\00:25:00.70 and it happens, is a key to understanding that. 00:25:00.73\00:25:04.23 The other one is, 00:25:04.27\00:25:06.37 certainly Jesus points to His miracles, 00:25:06.40\00:25:08.24 and we go back in John's Gospel 5:36, 00:25:08.27\00:25:14.18 he says, "I have a greater witness than John's, 00:25:14.21\00:25:18.68 for the works which the Father has given me to finish 00:25:18.71\00:25:21.18 the very works that I do be a witness of me, 00:25:21.22\00:25:25.05 that the Father has sent me." 00:25:25.09\00:25:27.29 The miracles that Jesus performed, 00:25:27.32\00:25:30.06 you know, to be able to raise a widow's son for example, 00:25:30.09\00:25:36.03 you know, to heal someone of leprosy that 00:25:36.06\00:25:39.40 there are so many miracles that He performed, 00:25:39.43\00:25:41.60 which were outside of the realms 00:25:41.64\00:25:43.30 of our natural world. 00:25:43.34\00:25:45.57 So certainly prophecy 00:25:45.61\00:25:47.84 fulfilled the miracles of Jesus, 00:25:47.88\00:25:50.05 these are two keys. 00:25:50.08\00:25:51.41 Fantastic. Thank you so much, Clive. 00:25:51.45\00:25:52.88 And I just wanted to ask both of you, 00:25:52.91\00:25:55.98 we've covered some really important topics 00:25:56.02\00:25:58.25 in terms of the biblical worldview, 00:25:58.29\00:26:00.36 but in just a quick sort of rapid fire, 00:26:00.39\00:26:03.53 is there anything which you would want to bring 00:26:03.56\00:26:05.76 about in terms of the biblical worldview, 00:26:05.79\00:26:09.03 that you just want to bring to our attention today? 00:26:09.06\00:26:12.20 Well, we're in the midst of a spiritual battle, 00:26:12.23\00:26:15.04 but we have a loving Savior, 00:26:15.07\00:26:17.87 He's not only our Creator, He's our Redeemer. 00:26:17.91\00:26:20.34 And He promises that as we put our trust in Him 00:26:20.38\00:26:24.18 that He will take us through. 00:26:24.21\00:26:25.85 Yes, anything that you'd like to bring 00:26:25.88\00:26:27.98 to our attention, Clive? 00:26:28.02\00:26:29.42 Well, it's probably a difficult principle, 00:26:29.45\00:26:32.52 but, you know, everything is working together for good, 00:26:32.55\00:26:35.29 the Bible says. 00:26:35.32\00:26:36.69 And God's got our best interests at heart. 00:26:36.73\00:26:39.93 And He's coming back for us. 00:26:39.96\00:26:41.90 That's the really good news. Yeah. 00:26:41.93\00:26:44.33 Such that our worldview brings to us. 00:26:44.37\00:26:46.97 And it's amazing, at the center of this is God's love, 00:26:47.00\00:26:50.71 the fact that Jesus died for us on the cross. 00:26:50.74\00:26:54.44 You know, this has been an amazing discussion, 00:26:54.48\00:26:57.01 exploring the biblical worldview 00:26:57.05\00:26:59.11 and why it is so important 00:26:59.15\00:27:01.45 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:27:01.48\00:27:03.18 to remain committed to promoting it 00:27:03.22\00:27:05.65 in our churches and schools. 00:27:05.69\00:27:08.46 Every other worldview is faulty and will ultimately crumble. 00:27:08.49\00:27:12.99 And we've looked at a number of those today. 00:27:13.03\00:27:15.76 Let's stand firmly on the Word of God. 00:27:15.80\00:27:19.23 We're glad that you joined us today on Let God Speak. 00:27:19.27\00:27:23.47 If you've enjoyed this program, 00:27:23.51\00:27:25.54 you can watch past programs 00:27:25.57\00:27:27.24 on our website 3abnaustralia.org.au. 00:27:27.28\00:27:31.68 You can also download teachers' resources there 00:27:31.71\00:27:34.65 if you're leading your own Bible study. 00:27:34.68\00:27:37.29 If you'd like to get in touch with us, 00:27:37.32\00:27:39.02 send us an email to lgs@3abnaustralia.org.au. 00:27:39.05\00:27:44.39 We look forward to seeing you next time. 00:27:44.43\00:27:46.26