In this article we begin with a totally new subject and will discuss the works of God which are visible. In the preceding articles we have spoken about the works of God in the Divine Essence and the relationship between the three Divine Persons, but now we hope to say something of the works of God revealed to us as they are seen outside of the Essence of God. This twelfth article gives a testimony of the creation in general, and makes special mention of the creation of the angels. It also tells of the fall of the devils, which had such a great influence upon the human race when they listened to the devil's words. Prior to discussing this, your attention will be drawn to the work of providence in article 13 and the creation and fall of mankind in article 14.

When we commence with the work of creation and also somewhat regarding the providence of God, then we must realize that this doctrine is rejected by many people, and groups, who also call themselves Christians. You understand that this is a strange thing – saying that you are a Christian, and not believing God's Word. It is not quite that simple, for they say that they believe God's Word, but they explain it in a completely different way, as we will see. Thus you can understand the necessity of having a good knowledge of the Bible so that we may be able to defend ourselves. This was one of the reasons why our fathers determined to write the three forms of unity, but then it is also our duty to examine them. Do you take time for this? There is a saying, "Better the world, but begin with yourself!"

It is stated here that the work of creation is especially ascribed to the Father, which He has done by His Son, the Word: "We believe that the Father, by the Word, that is, by His Son, hath created of nothing, the heaven, the earth, and all creatures, as it seemed good unto Him, giving unto every creature its being, shape, form, and several offices to serve its Creator." Here is written very clearly that God is the only and absolute origin and reason of everything that came into existence. "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever." (Romans 11:36). God is the Almighty One, His power is unmeasurable, and the earth is the product of His will; it is the revelation of His attributes and its purpose is the glory of the Lord. When we read this article, it is very clear that the author wishes to emphasize God's sovereignty in the work of creation, and that everything is made according to His pleasure.

No, the creation is not an accidental event, but completely according to God's counsel. The reason why the Lord created is alone His pleasure, without any reason outside of this. We also confess a real difference between Creator and creation. God is eternal and the creature is de­pendent upon Him from the beginning. No, the world is not eternal, as is taught so often in our days. In teaching this we wrong God's attributes, namely His independency and all-sufficiency. God is the All-sufficient in Himself, Who does not need the world for His glory. Therefore He created according to His sovereign pleasure, and not to the extension of anything in Him or to His greater glory.

Sometimes you hear the question, Why didn't the Lord create mankind and the world earlier? This can be answered very simply: The Lord created at the time and in the way which was pleasing to Him, and nothing can or could change His Divine plan made from eternity. When it pleased the Lord, time began. Time is not a creation, but the form of things following and existing after each other. At the beginning of time, which was about six thousand years ago, the work of creation began. This we know from the Word of God, which speaks so clearly about it. Since we cannot understand this work with our mind, many deny that it took place in the way it is written in the Word of God.

Especially the evolution theory of Darwin has done much evil for the church. Darwin spoke about eternal matter which during millions of years developed to living cells; those cells became little plants, which grew to animals; at the end there were apes which became men. The evolution theo­ry is directly opposite to the teaching of God's Word, because the Bible teaches us that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. Creation is God's work. Men are able to make something of ma­terials that exist, but creation is something brought forth out of nothing! The Lord created all things after its kind. We don't find the evolution development in nature, even not in centuries; thorns don't bring forth grapes, nor do the animals become men. The main difference between man and beast is man's immortal soul. Although God's Word speaks of the soul of the beast, which is his blood, we know that an animal dies and nothing is left by corruption. For us it is different – our souls stay alive forever and will not be destroyed. When we die, our soul goes to its eternal destination, which is not true of animals.

When we speak of the errors in the doctrine of creation, it is not only Darwin, but others also. Some explain the six days of creation as six periods of great length, even millions of years. Can't this be true, since the Lord Himself says that one day is as a thousand years for Him? That which is for the Lord is not for us; God is eternal and we are temporal. It is stated very clearly that the Lord created the heaven and the earth in six days, just as we may labour six days. In the Hebrew language 'loom' is used for day, which makes any other explanation than a day of twenty-four hours impossible. Is it not sufficient that the Lord is not a man that He would lie?

When the scientist does not agree, they should admit this, and in the future they will also find out that they were wrong or could not comprehend these things. Sometimes they speak about the first and second creation, with millions of years between them; this in order for coal to be formed, etc. This is also impossible, as coal is formed from plants which were created on the third day. We don't know what the curse of the earth after that first sin has brought forth; likewise the flood and other types of disasters are used by the Lord for many reasons. The scientists have also taught that millions of years were involved before a diamond was formed, but in Japan they are now able to make them in a moment under enormous pressure and very high temperature, and there is no difference between them. This is again an example where the scientist must retract his statements, but this has never happened with the Word of God.

In the future it will become clear that God's Word is true, and that the world was created by the Lord and did not come into existence by itself. "God's Word stands forever; nothing can it sever."

As we have seen, there are many heresies regarding creation. However, we may not consider as heresy the expression of those theologians who, in the good sense of the word, speak about a primary and secondary creation. With this they mean that the Lord created the unarranged earth on the first day by the Word of the Almighty, and they consider the secondary creation as the ordering of the earth. When it is explained in this way, there is nothing against it; but when we speak of millions of years between, then we go against God's Word.

We cannot deny that there is an increase or an ascending in the work of creation – the days one to four the inanimate nature was created by the Lord, while on the fifth and sixth days the animate nature was created. The first day the Creator gave light, although it was not yet permanent; the second day He made the firmament; the third day He commanded the herbs, seeds and grass to come forth; the fourth day He called for the light-bearers: the sun, moon and stars; the fifth day the fishes and birds were created; and on the sixth day the animals and the human race.

These six days of creation we can divide into two groups of three days, which are closely related with each other. In the last three days the first three days find their fulfilment, which is easily understood when you see them together. On the first day the light is created, while on the fourth day the light-bearers – sun, moon and stars – were brought forth. The second day the Lord made a separation be­tween the water and the firmament, while on the fifth day their inhabitants were created, namely the fishes and the birds. On the third day the sea and dry land were formed with grass, herbs and trees, while on the sixth day the Lord created the inhabitants of the land, animals and man.

All these things were created according to God's plan and must do His will. His will is His glorification on earth, as this article expresses it: "That He doth also still uphold and govern them by His eternal providence, and infinite power, for the service of mankind, to the end that man may serve his God." This plainly states that everything was created to the glory of God. Not that the Lord needed this, as He is and has an infinite fullness in Himself to which nothing can be added, but the Lord created everything according to His will. In the worshipping of the Lord would be the salvation and bliss of men. The whole creation was destined to serve men in the worship of God.

This belonged to the attributes of men, who were created after God's image in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. The catechism states: "God created man good, and after His own image, in true righteousness and holiness, that he might rightly know God his Creator, heartily love Him and live with Him in eternal happiness to glorify and praise Him." The image of God was evident in the whole man – even in his stature, but most of all in his immortal spirit, which was endowed with understanding and will. It also became evident in his government over the whole creation, but most of all it was in knowledge, righteousness and holiness.

The knowledge of God his Creator was the highest knowledge; and it is still in force that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That knowledge was necessary in order to love the Lord. We often say, "Unknown, unloved." In the knowledge of the Lord lay the possibility to love the Lord, which is man's greatest bliss. The holiness of man means to be sanctified to the Lord and to be able to do His will, whereas the righteousness of man points to his purity, being without sin.

The creation of man was the end of the work of the Lord on the sixth day. Man exists of two parts – soul and body. The body was formed of the earth, the name Adam meaning 'red earth'; the soul came immediately from God. The soul is closely connected to the whole body, but is not a part of the body. The soul is immortal, which was denied by the Sadducees and is yet today by the atheists and Jehovah Witnesses.

When we have heard all these things about the creation of man who knew the glory of God and felt it in himself, then how incomprehensible it becomes that they have forsaken the Lord. Don't you think the same? I know, dear readers, that this lives in our hearts, but if we have a little knowledge of ourselves, we would not dare to say this. Every day we again show that we do the same as Adam did – we do not listen to the Lord. If we are in the right place, we must lament this every day. Alas, we don't often see this evil in our life and we continue to go without the Lord; thus we miss the purpose for which we are created.

What a blessing it would be if we learned this by the ministration of the Holy Spirit, learned to be a sinner. When a person is converted, then he will begin to seek the glory of God. Therefore the work of re-creation will also be to the glory of God. The glory of God is the foundation of creation and of re-creation, which concerns not only man, but also the angels of God.

In this article we have also used the word 'providence', and did not yet say one word about it. This was intentionally, because the thirteenth article deals with the Divine Providence.

All things which the Lord created were made to his glory. This can be said of the irrational creatures, but above all of the rational creatures, such as men and angels. Of the angels our article tells us: "He also created the angels good, to be His messengers and to serve His elect."

The first mention made of an angel in God's Word is after the fall. The Lord had sent Adam and Eve forth from Paradise and placed angels at the entrance of the garden. The second time an angel is mentioned in the Bible is in the days of Abraham, which was about two thousand years later. But after this they are mentioned time and again, for example, with Jacob at Bethel, with Elisha, in the New^, Testament in relation to the coming and life, of the Lord Jesus, and with Paul on the sea.

The creation of the angels is not as clearly explained as is the creations of men, but we read in Genesis 2;1 "Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them". The words "all the host of them" point to the thousands and thousands of, angels which were created by the Lord in a moment. Further we read in Colossians 1:16a, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible." The angels are spirits and therefore they are invisible.

Their creation probably took place on the first day of creation; before time began, nothing exis­ted except the Lord Himself. In the book of Job we find the answer (Job 38:4), "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?" and in verse 7, "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" From this we conclude that the angels were created on the first day. Others think it was the fourth day or the sixth day, but our confession does not make a point of it.

The word 'angel' literally means messenger, but they are also called gods, the host of God, morning stairs; watchers, heroes, etc. They have no body, no flesh and blood, but; are serving spirits with a will and mind, who have on occasion assumed a human body for a short time, which later returned to dust_: again. They are not omnipresent, but are bound to one place. Their labor is in the first place to serve the Lord and the Mediator, and then in the second place, to serve the elect, of which there are a number of examples. in God's Word.

The number of angels must be very great, as the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter of twelve legions of them. They are all servants of the Lord, who with love do and fulfil the will and the pleasure of God. They are used to protect His church and children, but also oppositely bring the wrath of God upon His enemies. At Mahanaim Jacob saw an army of angels to protect him, while in Egypt all the firstborn were smitten by the angel of destruction. Also185,000 Assyrians were killed in one night by an angel. At the end of the world they will gather the elect from the earth.

The teaching of Rome that each of God's children has a special. guardian angel cannot be proved from the Bible, although they believe they have a text for it. It is Matthew 18:10, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven." This text means that when we oppress God's children, we touch the apple of His eye, that is, those for whom He especially cares. The Lord sends His angels to care for His children, as God's Word shows us, but we also have examples outside of God's Word.

Most frequently the angels have appeared at the turning^-points of mankind history, such as to the patriarchs, with the exodus out of Egypt, during the life of the Lord Jesus., and it shall also be so at the end of time. In former days there seem to have been more appearances than in our days. Many say that it is no longer necessary since the Lord Jesus appeared and fulfilled everything required to the salvation_: of His church. However, there are certain circumstances in the history of the church which clearly show that the Lord takes care of His church and in which angels were involved. We think of Rev. Smytegeld of Middelburg, Netherlands, who in moments of danger was protected by angels.

There is something else which we must speak of and that is the fall of certain angels. The Lord created all the angels good, but some rebelled against the Lord and fell from the excellency in which God had created them. Therefore there are now good angels and evil angels or devils. It cannot be true that the Lord created the devils, that is, made them with a beginning of evil in them. God is never the cause of sin and cannot be the author of sin, as He is the Holy One. What was the reason that the angels sinned, when they were in such a blessed state in direct commu­nion with God? We cannot explain what took place as it is not mentioned in God's Word. Some think it was pride, others speak of jealousy, but we don't know. Sin is always a leaving of good.

When we think how that Eve came to sin against the Lord, how that she was deceived by Satan, who worked pride in her heart, then we can understand that many think this also has been the first sin in heaven. Neither is the day of sinning known; but it must have been after the seventh day because then the Lord saw that all things were good. Many believe that their fall took place shortly after the creation of man, the jewel of creation on the earth. Willingly these angels left the Lord, and for them there is no way to ever be saved.

The leader of the devils, that is, of the fallen angels, is called Satan or Beelzebub. The devils work against God in the unbelievers, but especially in the belie­vers. Their purpose is always to hit God in His work, and that is what Satan did immediately after his fall in deceiving our first parents. He hoped that he had won the battle, but then the promise of the coming Christ was given. He did everything to hinder that birth throughout the ages; when the Mediator was born, he tried to hill Him, later he tried to deceive Him by temptations. At the end Christ was crucified, but this meant the destruction of Satan and his realm.

Satan hates the Lord, Who has become his judge, and fears and blasphemes Him. He blasphemes Christ Who has bruised his head; he blasphemes the Gospel, whose light he cannot endure; he blas­phemes God's people because they don't follow him. He will not cease to persecute them, trying to bring them again under his authority. Because evil is also in them, and Satan knows the weak spots in their defence and life, he knows where to strike. He attacks them when God begins the good work in them, in days of darkness, and if he can, also on their deathbed. He tries to rule over government and pulpit, which have such a great influence on mankind, but the Lord remains faithful for His church. As experienced by God's people, it remains a church militant upon this earth, but the Lord remains faithful for them to the very end.

Young people, Satan is a strong enemy also in our days, but I hope that the Lord may keep us from his deceit and lead us on the narrow path to life.