And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good (Gen

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). This last verse of the first chapter of the Bible tells us enough about God to trust him implicitly forever more. It's not even possible that God could create anything but good, because in fact he is altogether good himself. Jesus speaking of men said the following: "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things" (Mat. 12:35). That was a generalized statement about imperfect beings, and we know that it can happen that someone who is good can occasionally say or do something that is not altogether good. But God on the other hand is not imperfect, and therefore he is totally incapable of doing anything other than what is good. Someone may argue that he destroyed man from the earth with the flood, and that he will one day do the same with fire; and for that matter any of his divine judgments against sin could be brought into question by those who do not understand. The simple answer to any and all of those arguments is that it is a GOOD thing for God to judge the defiant, ongoing sins of the wicked and remove sin and the wicked from his presence, and from the presence of those who love his goodness and follow after it. It isn't good to allow evil to prevail and continue, when everyone has the ability to choose between good and evil. The scripture plainly tells us, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Being holy means to be without sin, and that is exactly what Jesus suffered and died for us to have; namely the capacity to be "partakers of the divine nature," and to be without sin in our lives (Rom. 6:1,2; Eph. 5:3-7; II Pet. 1:4). So if we as children of God decide to continue in sin, and God chastens us for our misdeeds, he is good for doing so because otherwise we would continue in our misguided direction and be lost ultimately. The apostle Paul explained: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:6-11). I've gone to a bit of detail here to establish that there is no question that God is altogether good, and therefore is not capable of doing anything but good.

Let's get back now to the creation that God made, and how he saw that everything he made was good. I'm not going into the same detail of scripture on this point though I could, but the fact is that whatever is 'right' is the same as what is 'good.' We only have good and evil to choose from in terms of right and wrong, and it is evident that whatever is good in that choice is what is right. That's really what is called a 'no-brainer' for those who are honest of heart. I've said and established all of the above in order to establish something that is very integral to the doctrine of Christ, that will become part of a large point of controversy in time to come. It is this: Matter cannot cease to exist. When I say 'matter,' I am speaking of all things that God has created, both in heaven, in earth, and in the known and unknown universe. In other words there is nothing that God has created that can or will be uncreated. In fact it isn't even possible. In order for anything to be extinguished from existence it would have to be God who did it, and he cannot do it. Why can't God do away with anything that he has created? Because he is good, everything that he created is good, and he made absolutely no mistakes with the creation. In order for God to annihilate anything or anyone he would be stating with that annihilation that he made a mistake with this or with that and has to get rid of it. Sin against God, both by Satan and by man, is the only thing that has ever been wrong with any of God's creation, and those sins have also negatively effected the remainder of an innocent creation. If God could extinguish from creation any or all who have stubbornly held to sin, there would be no hell, no white throne judgment, and no lake of fire that burns with brimstone where all of the wicked will reside for eternity (Mk. 9:43,44; Rev. 14:9-11; Rev. 21:8). Someone may say, "Well, God wants to make the wicked pay forever for what they've done." But the scripture says of God, "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezek. 33:11). If God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, how much less pleasure does he have in the wicked burning in darkness forever? He doesn't, it's just the way it has to be because nothing that's been created can be annihilated. The two examples of this powerful truth is the coming resurrection of the faithful saints and the future transformation of the creation. Of the bodies of the righteous who have died, the scripture plainly says, "IT is sown in dishonour; IT is raised in glory: IT is sown in weakness; IT is raised in power: IT is sown a natural BODY; IT is raised a spiritual BODY. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body... In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Cor. 15:44,45,52,53).

Our spirits are neither 'corruptible' or 'mortal.' Both words mean 'subject to death,' which is speaking of the body only. When the body of the righteous dies, his spirit goes to a very conscious and substantial place known as paradise (Lk. 16: 22; Lk. 22:43). Our bodies will be raised at the coming of Jesus to this world, regardless of their condition, and be instantly transformed into immortality by the same substance of holy Spirit that our spirits have now experienced as God's born again children (Philip. 3:21; I Jn. 3:2). Even if atoms are all that is left, they will come together and be raised at the Lord's coming. As for the remainder of the creation not being extinguished from existence, the scripture is clear: "For the earnest expectation of the [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the [creation] was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:19-23). The remainder of the creation is groaning in its wait for its transformation when as the scripture says, it will be "delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Even as the bodies of the righteous are redeemed as we've read, the remainder of the creation will also be changed, or transformed even as the bodies of the faithful will be changed from mortal to immortal. The scriptures seem to indicate that the heavens and the earth will be "burned up" at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ and the saints after his coming (II Pet. 3:12; Mat. 24:35; Rev. 20:9,11). That being the case, then it is certain that the atoms that all things consist of will not cease to exist, and that the creation will be renewed to the state of what the scriptures call "a new heaven and a new earth;" the same as the bodies of the saints will be raised, restored and transformed to immortality when Christ comes from heaven (Rev. 21:1). God is not a waster and he has never made any mistakes. We have come up with the idea of 'recycling' in our late effort to preserve the natural resources of the world we live in, but God was way ahead of us and we are made in his image. Where do you think the idea of recycling came from? "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him" (Eccl. 3:14). Amen.