In our scientific world, there is a law of physics known as the law of entropy. This basically states that anything left to itself degenerates. Such a description certainly applies to the condition of fallen planet Earth.

This is what has happened to humanity - not only in general but specifically in society, churches, families, and individuals. It is not in harmony with the Creator’s desire or His sense of beauty.

Chaos is seeking to take over our world. Despite any social programs and plans that can be devised to slow down the trend, Bible prophecy nonetheless reveals the final outcome. What is ultimately going to happen? The prophet John says: “The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great” (Revelation 6:14-17; 16:18).

An Old Testament prophet was shown a similar scene: “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it” (Jeremiah 4:23-28).

We don’t want to take part in that, do we? No, we want to be in a better place - a heavenly place. What will Heaven be like? Will it be beautiful and orderly? “As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

If we want to live in that perfect place of awesome beauty, then we must get ready. To prepare to dwell with our Creator, we need to pursue His orderly ways. When? Now! Where? In our homes and on the property entrusted to us. Why? Because we have been directed to do so. God in His great mercy does not just give us a blueprint of what He expects from us. He actually provides us with power or ability to carry it out. For that we can be most thankful!

Scripture mentions many attributes of God’s character: “Merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6, 7). “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Where is God’s character demonstrated first in biblical history? In His creation. Let us therefore consider the series of steps that our Creator took in forming the amazing system of life on earth.

On Day 1, there was light. Science reveals that there are many types of light, not just what we can see. There is infrared light, ultraviolet light, white light, and so forth.

Also the differentiation between Day and Night took place. This is a significant point. Night is important, for many physiological processes take place at night. Our bodies and minds need to be refreshed by sound sleep so that we may be ready for the next day, and the nighttime has been designed specifically for that purpose. Here we can see system and order.

Since the world exists in space and time, civilization has adopted ways and means to chronicle the passing of hours, days, weeks, months, and years. We have the clock and the calendar. Time is much more valuable than money. Time is a talent that God has entrusted to us, and we are accountable to Him for every moment wasted.

On Day 2, God made the firmament called Heaven.

The apostle Paul alludes to the third heaven. Then there must be a second and a first heaven. This has often been explained as follows: Where we can see the clouds floating, the birds and airplanes flying, the rainbow showing its beautiful colors - that is the atmosphere, the first heaven.

From the atmosphere surrounding the earth, we receive oxygen while we exhale carbon dioxide. If the right proportions of the gases contained in the air (about 78% nitrogen, nearly 21% oxygen, almost 1% argon, and so forth) were suddenly changed, we would die. Here we can also see system and order.

The place of the planets and stars - “outer space” - has often been called the second heaven.

The dwelling place of God - where He has His throne - is identified with the third heaven. By the grace of God, we are looking forward to being there - soon!

On Day 3, God made a division between the dry land and the seas.

This was the day our food was created - grasses and herbs yielding seed and trees yielding fruit all appeared in abundant varieties. Think of the corn, wheat, oat, rice, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, apples, pears, grapes, plums, oranges, mangoes, walnuts. . . . Think also of the lovely cedar trees, maple trees, pine trees, and hundreds of other trees that grow in the forest.

There is system and order in the science of farming. What you sow you will reap. Tomato seeds yield tomatoes; beans yield beans. There is perfect order in seed planting. What you sow, you will reap. It is a natural law. This principle teaches us order as well.

Orderly combinations of nature make water available to us. Soils, metals, gems, and other elements are interspersed for our many needs. Even gravity is a law in God’s orderly arrangement to keep things in place.

“God’s created works testify to His love and power. He has called the world into being, with all that it contains. God is a lover of the beautiful; and in the world which He has fitted up for us He has not only given us everything necessary for our comfort, but He has filled the heavens and the earth with beauty. We see His love and care in the rich fields of autumn and His smile in the glad sunshine. His hand has made the castle-like rocks and the towering mountains. The lofty trees grow at His command; He has spread earth’s green velvet carpet, and dotted it with shrubs and flowers. Why has He clothed the earth and trees with living green, instead of a dark, somber brown? Is it not that they may be more pleasing to the eye? And shall not our hearts be filled with gratitude as we read the evidences of His wisdom and love in the wonders of His creation?”1

Have you ever looked deep within a flower, examining the stamens and pistils? Have you ever taken a magnifying glass to look at the detail of color? Have you ever unfolded a bud in the winter to see how it will come out of its little package to become a leaf in springtime? Have you ever taken time to notice that there is order and system even in the smallest things of life?

With all living things, there is a fundamental cycle that must be passed through so that the steps do not reverse or get mixed up. In the plant kingdom there is first the seed, then the blade, then the corn, then the full ear of the corn. System and order are demonstrated continually. Plants - from the simplest to the most complex - teach us many things, such as God’s love of beauty, His attention to detail, His complexity of creation, and consequence to action. Creation is designed to obey its Creator. If it does not obey, ugly things result. If we fail to follow God’s plan, there will be consequences to endure. If we obey God’s plan, there are wonderful results to enjoy.

Day 4 seems to be out of place, but we know it is not. On this day was the creation of sun, moon and stars. Isn’t it interesting that plant life was created before sunshine! This proves that the creation day really is a 24-hour period. If it were symbolic as some profess, plant life would not have long existed without the sustenance of sunshine.

The sun rises and sets day after day, month after month, year after year, century after century, millennium after millennium. It does not change its course. What would happen if the earth, in its revolution around the sun in one year, strayed a few degrees closer or a few degrees further from the sun? Everything would die.

The orderly arrangement of the stars is essential, too. Birds and navigators would not be able to find their way in the night without them. Stars do not collide and make new constellations - they remain the same. The moon shines in its brilliance, influencing the tides on earth with an orderly, dependable pattern continuing for as long as Christ wills that it should. New moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter. Over and over again it shines. Do we take all these things for granted? Have you ever considered the lessons that the Lord wants to teach us?

We should be thankful to God that everything that belongs to our life on earth was designed to fit into a system of order.

“The same creative energy that brought the world into existence is still exerted in upholding the universe and continuing the operations of nature. The hand of God guides the planets in their orderly march through the heavens. It is not because of inherent power that year by year the earth continues her motion round the sun and produces her bounties. The word of God controls the elements. He covers the heavens with clouds and prepares rain for the earth. He makes the valleys fruitful and ‘grass to grow upon the mountains’ (Psalm 147:8). It is through His power that vegetation flourishes, that the leaves appear and the flowers bloom.

“The whole natural world is designed to be an interpreter of the things of God.”2

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof” (Psalm 19:1-6).

“In the formation of our world, God was not indebted to pre-existing matter. On the contrary, all things, material or spiritual, stood up before the Lord Jehovah at His voice and were created for His own purpose. The heavens and all the host of them, the earth and all things therein, are not only the work of His hand; they came into existence by the breath of His mouth.

“While there is an individuality and variety in nature, there is a oneness in their diversity; for all things receive their usefulness and beauty from the same source. The great Master Artist writes His name on all His created works, from the loftiest cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop upon the wall. They all declare His handiwork, from the lofty mountain and the grand ocean to the tiniest shell upon the seashore.

“He made the night, marshaling the shining stars in the firmament. He calls them all by name. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork, showing man that this little world is but a jot in God’s creation.”3

“The courtly robes of the greatest king that ever sat upon an earthly throne could not compare, in their artificial splendor, with the spotless beauty of the lilies fashioned by the divine hand. This is an example of the estimate which the Creator of all that is beautiful places upon the artificial in comparison with the natural.

“God has given us these things of beauty as an expression of His love, that we may obtain correct views of His character. We are not to worship the things of nature, but in them we are to read the love of God. Nature is an open book, from the study of which we may gain a knowledge of the Creator and be attracted to Him by the things of use and beauty which He has provided.”4

Indeed, “the invisible things of [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20).

A complex system, a highly organized structure, such as the universe reveals - where a remarkable intelligent design is seen in its details - cannot be the result of blind chance. This is what the apostle Paul is seeking to explain. Therefore, he says, those who cannot see the hand of the Creator in the works of creation are left without excuse. And in looking to the orderly patterns of God’s systematic world of nature, surely we get a compelling glimpse of His glorious character!