Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
This passage of scripture recounts the promise God made to Abraham while as yet he had no children and his wife Sarah was barren. The Lord promised him what seemed like the impossible and he believed God, even though he had never before seen a barren woman give birth at such an old age. This disposition to believe God in the absence of facts or any scientific proof that can be verified, stands at the heart of how faith in God actually works. Some people believe only after what God has said has been verified, while others believe only if science or history can prove the validity of God's word.
These two latter forms of belief are what got us into trouble in the first place, and it is these two mindsets which continue to separate us from God. Unbelief started with satan who doubted the words and authority of the Godhead in heaven, and the same spirit was imparted to Eve when doubts were suggested to her in the garden of Eden. God had told Adam and Eve that in the day they ate of the forbidden fruit, they will surely die, but the devil came along and emphatically stated that this result could never be the case. Let's read:
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
One of the main reasons why this suggestion to the contrary was made to Eve, is because up until this point in the entire history of the universe, no living organism, entity, or any angel had ever died, and so the very concept of death was entirely new and foreign even to satan himself, for he had indeed sinned previously, and was still alive. So the seeds of doubt seemed to have legs based solely on history and the scientific knowledge then available to mortals.
Again, the same seeds of doubt were successfully sown, and bore fruit in skepticism and rebellion after God announced to the world that the earth would be destroyed by a flood, when God would send much rain upon the earth. Up until this point also, there had been seen nothing like rain, and thus again, from a mere historical and scientific perspective, it was suggested and believed that such an event must be impossible, for there was no precedent upon which man could build such a theory with confidence. Let's read:
Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth" ...... 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
Genesis 7:1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
It is estimated that the population of the earth at this time was around seven to eight billion people, yet of all earth's teeming multitudes, only eight believed in something they had never seen, simply because God said it would happen.
In our day the same spirit of unbelief has taken deep root, and most scholars and modern philosophers do not believe that this earth will come to an end in a deluge of fire, for this event which has been predicted in the scriptures on numerous occasions has never ever occurred, and because of the dissemination of the seeds of doubt by satanic agencies, the focus of the majority of earth's inhabitants is centered in the here and now, and that's why such a heavy emphasis is placed on retirement in the private and public sectors of our current experience, for most people expect the world to continue on forever, even though very troubling signs to the contrary arise on almost a daily basis. Let's read:
2nd Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 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. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
As Christians, it is of critical importance for us to believe God, even though history and our so-called science may be at odds with what He has plainly stated will come to pass. Having a a deep and abiding faith in God therefore remains our most important asset, for it was by this method that the faithful in ages past were saved time and time again, whilst unbelievers looked on in dismay. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which should serve the purpose of keeping faith and hope alive, as we look forward to the soon return of Christ in the clouds of heaven, as the Bible again plainly states. Let's read:
1st Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
May God add His blessing to a firm belief in His word. "Good night" and God bless!