The Foundation of the World Job 38 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
There are several references in the Bible to the foundation of the world. By studying these references, we can learn as much about what God wants us to know concerning things he did before and that he has done since the foundation of the world.
No man was present when God laid the foundation of the earth. The Lord asked Job, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth,” [Job 38:4]. Since no one was there, no one will ever be able to explain how God did it. So, we only know what God tells us that he did before or from the foundation of the world.
God, alone, is the one who made the universe. He asks, “Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?” [Is 40:21]. See Is 40:18-26. It is he, not an idol or another god, that made it; and he rules it. Men everywhere worship gods. And they make images of the gods they worship. But there is no way to make an image of God Almighty because no one has seen him and an image of him would have to fill the universe. He is supreme, majestic and omnipresent. Imagine the insanity of those who profess that God didn’t make all of this. There is no way that they will ever understand our origin, since they don’t believe in the Creator.
There are many things God has not revealed to us. Jesus spoke of “things kept secret from the foundation of the world,” [Matt 13:35]. Jesus uttered these in parables during his earthly ministry so that only those to whom he revealed them would know them. You are not going to know anything that God keeps secret [Deut 29:29] until he makes it known, if he ever does.
One thing we know is that the manifestation and sacrifice of Jesus was foreordained before the foundation of the world [1 Pet 1:20]. See Acts 2:23 and Rev 13:8. The earthly ministry, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus were not an after-thought. He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [Rev 13:8]. Heb 9:24-28 shows us that the singular sacrifice of Jesus Christ was sufficient to cover all sin for all time. If not, “then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world.” Jesus is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world [Jn 1:29; Gen 22:8].
Another thing we know is that God chose that all who are “in Christ” [by faith in him and by the baptism of the Holy Ghost into the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13, Eph 5:30; Eph 2:6)] will receive “spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,” [Eph 1:3]. God chose, before the foundation of the world, that all “in him” [Eph 1:4] would be “holy and without blame before him in love,” [Eph 1:4], would receive “the adoption of children by Jesus Christ,” [Eph 1:5] and would be “accepted in the beloved,” [Eph 1:6]. What a blessing.
And another thing we know is that God has given us the same glory and love that he gave Jesus [Jn 17:20-24]. Jesus said to his Father, “thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” From Jesus’ prayer to his Father we learn that those of us “in him” may be one as the Father and Jesus are one. Imagine, we share his unity, his love and his glory with the Father. What a tremendous prayer Jesus prayed for us and what a blessing is the answer God gave him. Think of all that we have received with our salvation in Jesus Christ.
There are some other references to the foundation of the world concerning the book of life, the kingdom prepared for the sheep nations and the millennial reign of Jesus. But we must save these for another time. We must mediate upon all that we have already received from the Lord.