Something From Nothing

Leonard McGlynn

January 4, 2014

Hello, everyone! Hope you are enjoying God's beautiful Sabbath.

At the beginning of our calling our minds are void of true understanding and we are in complete and utter darkness with regards to God's truth. Then, at a very specific moment in time, God allows us to see the light of His truth. It illuminates our lives, our minds. For each and every one of God's people, the way in which God brings us to that moment is very unique indeed. For some, it seems to happen suddenly, but for others, they can look back on their lives and see that it was a more gradual process, sometimes taking years. One thing is for certain, no two are exactly the same. And we come to realize that our lives will never be the same again.

So where does it all start? With God Almighty, who has always existed. First, He formulated His plan to add members to His Family, Elohim. Then He created the spirit realm. Following that, He created the angelic realm. And next, He brought into existence the vast physical universe. And finally, He created Adam and Eve.

The title of this split-sermon is Something From Nothing.

There are four main points that will be addressed in the context of this split-sermon:

1. We will have a clear understanding of what “nothing” is according to God's word.

2. We will look at some examples of “something” that became “nothing.”

3. We will look at some examples of “nothing” that became “something.”

4. We will see what it takes for “nothing” to become “something.”

Please turn to Psalms 103 and starting in verse 13...That is Psalm 103:13, we read – As a father pities his children, so the Eternal pities those who fear Him.

Verse 14 – For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. During the Feast it was stated that tens of billions of people have lived during the past 6,000 years. That's an incredible number!

However, if we turn to Isaiah 40 and read verse 15...Isaiah 40:15 where it states the following: Behold, the nations are as a drop in the bucket, and all are counted as the small dust on the balance. Look, He holds up the isles as a very small thing.

Drop down to verse 17 – All nations before Him, God Almighty, that is, are as nothing, and they are counted by Him as less than nothing and worthless.

One final scripture just to drive the point home. Turn to Genesis 3:19. That's Genesis 3:19 – In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. Surely our carnal human nature is rejoicing at the sound of those words!

We can clearly see from just a few scriptures that we are absolutely nothing. Thankfully, God is revealing to us by the power of His holy spirit His plan of salvation through the seven annual Holy Days, showing us that it doesn't have to stay that way.

Now we are going to take a look at an example of “something” that became “nothing.” First, there needs to be a slight adjustment in that statement. We are going to take a look at an example of one that thought he was “something” that became “nothing.” The first example we will look at is Pharaoh, king of Egypt. In Exodus 7, beginning in verse 9,

we are looking at the first encounter between Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh. That's Exodus 7:9 where we read – When Pharaoh speaks to you saying, Show a miracle for yourselves: then you shall say to Aaron, Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh and let it become a serpent.

Verse 10 – So Moses and Aaron went into Pharaoh, and they did just as the Eternal commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerer's; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments, for every man threw down his rod and they became serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. Pharaoh's heart grew hard and he did not heed them, as the Eternal had said. Being filled with pride and his own self-importance, Pharaoh refused to heed the words spoken to him by God's servants.

Over in the next chapter we will see another example of this in the life of Pharaoh. Exodus 8:20. Exodus 8:20 – This is during the time of the plague of flies. And the Eternal said to Moses, Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out of the water, and say to him, Thus says the Eternal, Let My people go that they may serve Me. Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, and on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. And in that day I will set aside the land of Goshen in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Eternal in the midst of the earth. And I will make a difference between My people and your people: tomorrow this shall be. And the Eternal did so: thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servant’s houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, Go, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said; it is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the Eternal, our God. If we sacrificed the abomination of the Egyptians, then will they not stone us?

We will go three days journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Eternal our God, as He will command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go that you may sacrifice to the Eternal, your God, in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away: intercede for me. Then Moses said, Indeed, I am going out from you and I will entreat the Eternal that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully anymore, not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Eternal. Pharaoh, being filled with pride and arrogance, believed that he had the authority to decide how the children of Israel would worship the Great God of the universe. Despite experiencing firsthand each and every one of the plagues that God poured out upon the land of Egypt, including the death of his firstborn, Pharaoh still believed that he was going to keep God's people in bondage.

Please turn to Exodus 14:5. Exodus 14:5 – It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people. And they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?

Verse 6 – And he made ready his chariot and took his people with him: And he took six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. And the Eternal hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel. And the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

Verse 10 – When Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. And the children of Israel cried out unto the Eternal. Well, everyone knows how this situation ended. Pharaoh, who still believed that he was “something” was shown by the Great God of the universe that he was absolutely “nothing.”

Now we will look at the life of Moses, which stands in stark contrast to that of Pharaoh. We'll start by turning to Exodus 3 and begin in verse 1. Exodus 3:1 – Now, Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Eternal appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush burnt with fire and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Eternal saw that he turned aside to look God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, Moses! Moses! And he said, Here am I. And He said, Do not draw near this place; take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. Moreover He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Eternal said, I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cries because of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

And Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? What a beautiful attitude to have, truly! An attitude of knowing that of and by himself he was nothing.

In Numbers chapter 12 beginning in verse 1... that's Numbers 12:1 we read – When Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman; and they said, Has the Eternal indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also? And the Eternal heard it.

Verse 3 – (Now, the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the Eternal said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting: so the three came out. Then the Eternal came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of meeting and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both went forth forward. Then He said, Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Eternal will make Myself known to him in a vision and I will speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house, I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings: and he sees the form of the Eternal. Why, then, were you not afraid to speak against My servant, Moses? So the anger of the Eternal was aroused against them and He departed.

Over a couple chapters, beginning in verse 11 of Numbers 14... Numbers 14:11 – And the Eternal said to Moses, How long will this people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I performed among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a great nation and mightier than they. Now, listen to Moses. The response he gives is absolutely incredible! Then Moses said to the Eternal, Then the Egyptians will hear it (for by Your might You brought these people up from among them), they will let it… and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: they have heard You, Eternal, are among these people, that You, Eternal, are seen face to face, and that Your cloud stands above them, and that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, Because the Eternal was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore, He killed them in the wilderness. And now, I pray, that the power of My LORD be great according as Thou has spoken, saying, The Eternal is longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. Then the Eternal said, I have pardoned according to your word.

In the next set of scriptures we will see how the first king of Israel changed over a short span of time. Turn with me to 1 Samuel 10:17. That's 1 Samuel 10:17 – Then Samuel called the people together to the Eternal at Mizpah; and said to the children of Israel, Thus says the LORD God of Israel, I brought Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, from the hand of all kingdoms, and from those who oppressed you. But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulation. You have said to Him, No, but set a king over us. Now therefore, present yourselves before the Eternal by your tribes and by your clans. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of the Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen, and Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the Eternal further, Has the man come here yet? And the Eternal answered, There he is, hidden among the equipment. So they ran and brought him from there, and when he stood among the people he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom the Eternal has chosen? That there is no one like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king! Then Samuel explained to the people the behaviour of royalty and wrote it in a book and layed it up before the Eternal. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him whose hearts God had touched.

We see from this first set of scriptures that at the beginning of his reign as king of Israel Saul was quiet and unassuming.

1 Samuel 13:1 – Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel; 2,000 were with Saul at Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

Verse 4 – Now, all Israel had heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul in Gilgal. Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horseman, and the people as the sand which is on the seashore, in multitude; and they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Bethaven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes and in pits. And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

Then he waited seven days according to the time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal and the people scattered from him. So Saul said, bring the burnt offering and peace offerings here to me, and he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened as soon as he had finished the burnt offering that Samuel came. Saul went out to meet him that he might greet him. And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash; then I said, the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not made supplications to the Eternal, therefore I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly; You have not kept the commandment of the Eternal your God, which He commanded you; for now the Eternal would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue: the Eternal has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Eternal has commanded him to be the commander over His people because you have not kept what the Eternal commanded you.

In the short time of his reign as the king of Israel, Saul had become presumptuous, deciding for himself how he would rule over the people, and performing sacrifices that were only to be done by the Levites.

Now in 1 Samuel 15:1, Samuel gives Saul a final warning. 1 Samuel 15:1 – Samuel also said to Saul, The Eternal sent me to anoint you king over His people; now, therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Eternal. Thus says the Eternal of hosts, I will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now, go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

Verse 9 – But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatling, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them: but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Now the word of the Eternal came to Samuel saying, I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commandments. And it grieved Samuel and he cried out to the Eternal all night.

Dropping down to verse 16 – And Samuel said to Saul, who was trying to justify his actions for not obeying God's direct orders, Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Eternal said to me last night. And he, Saul, said to him, Speak on. So Samuel said, When you were little in your own eyes were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Eternal anoint you king over Israel? Now the Eternal sent you on a mission and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. Why, then, did you not obey the voice of the Eternal? Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Eternal?

You can read in verses 20 and 21, Saul went back to try to justify his actions. And in verse 22 Samuel said, Has the Eternal as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Eternal? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Eternal He also has rejected you from being king.

Over in 1 Samuel 16:7... that's 1 Samuel 16:7, where we read half way through this verse the following statement ...for the Eternal does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Eternal looks at the heart. We know that David was a man after God's own heart. After David's father, Jesse, sent for David in verse 12, we see in verse 13 that Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of the Eternal came upon David from that day forward.

In 1 Samuel 17 we find the account of David and Goliath, and we are only going to look at one verse that speaks volumes. That's 1 Samuel 17:26 – Then David spoke to the men who stood by him saying, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? David knew with every fiber of his being who was the source of his strength.

In chapter 24 David had the opportunity to take the life of king Saul, where he made the following statement found in verse 6. That's 1 Samuel 24:6 – And he said to his men, The Eternal forbid that I should do this to my master, the Eternal's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him seeing he is the anointed of the Eternal. David's sins are well known, but each and every time he was shown by God what his sin was, his response was heartfelt and sincere. When we read through the book of Psalms it is blatantly obvious that he knew that God Almighty was the only one that could make “something” out of “nothing.”

Just a couple more examples to be considered. In the book of Daniel we read of the account of a dream that king Nebuchadnezzar had that troubled him greatly, so he called for the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell him the meaning of his dream. When they were unable to do so the king became outraged and gave a command to destroy all wise men of Babylon. When Daniel heard of the king's decree he went into the king and asked the king to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation. Daniel and his companions cried out to God, asking Him to mercifully reveal the meaning of the dream to them.

Picking up the account in verse 19... That's Daniel 2:19 – Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His; and He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things: He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, You have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we asked of You: for You have made known to us the king's demand.

Drop down to verse 27 – Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The secret which the king has demanded the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.

Verse 30 – But as for me, the secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes we make known the interpretation to the king that you may know the thoughts of your heart.

In verses 31 through 45 Daniel goes on to explain the meaning of the image the king saw in his dream. As a result of Daniel giving all the credit, the glory, and the honour to God Almighty where it rightfully belonged, God had great honour bestowed upon Daniel and his friends.

Sometime later, the king had another dream, and in chapter 4 verses 19-27 Daniel explains the dream to the king. Let's look carefully at what is stated in verse 25. That's Daniel 4:25 –They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven and seven times shall pass over you till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He chooses.

Verse 28 – All this came upon king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke saying, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty? While the words were still in the king’s mouth a voice fell from heaven, King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, the kingdom has departed from you.

Verse 35 – All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, What have You done?

Time and time again throughout the pages of the book of Daniel, Daniel gives all the credit, the glory, and the honour to God Almighty. In Daniel 10:11... Daniel 10:11 it was recorded how God felt towards Daniel: And He said to me, O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.

One final example we will look at – what happened to Lucifer who became Satan. In Isaiah 14, starting in verse 12.... Isaiah 14:12 we read the following account: How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, how you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations! For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the furthest sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit.

Turn to Ezekiel 28:12. Ezekiel 28:12 – Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre and say unto him, Thus says the LORD God; You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz and diamond, beryl, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald, with gold. The workmanship if your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you so. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you became filled with violence within and you sinned; therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stone. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground and lay you before kings that they may gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries, by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst that devoured you and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror and shall be no more forever.

The following paragraph is being quoted from a post written by God's end-time apostle on June 20, 2013.

Satan is the great Desolator who seeks only to lay waste what God has created. His way is to put everything into a ruinous state of confusion and destruction. Part of the origin of the Hebrew word used to describe this final period of Satan’s judgment of his “ways” of an abomination of “desolation” comes from a meaning similar to “zero” in count or “nothingness” in existence. This word (in Hebrew) is known for its contrast to a word used to describe God’s creative power of “something,” meaning the creation of “something from nothing.” Yet Satan’s reference of “his ways,” and the only result of “his power,” is to bring “something to nothing.”

Somewhere along the way Lucifer forgot that there was a time when he didn't exist, that there was a time when he was nothing, and all he had was bestowed upon him by God Almighty who created him from nothing.

In conclusion, we have learned the Biblical definition of “nothing.” We have looked at examples of those that thought they were “something” but in reality were “nothing.” We have seen how those that that were “nothing” became “something,” and finally, we have been shown without a doubt that God Almighty is the only one that can create “something” from “nothing.” Now, that's really something!

~~~end