DID GOD MAKE HARMFUL PARASITES IN THE BEGINNING? - Before the Fall of Adam and Eve parasites were not yet parasites. They were most likely free-living creatures independent from Adam, Eve, and the animals. Some of these invertebrates lived together before the Fall, providing benefits to each other — a state called mutualism. But when God cursed the earth, these creatures probably experienced changes in their body systems and became parasitic. After the Fall, Adam and Eve and their descendants were exposed to everything from pathogenic bacteria and harmful mutations — including cancer — to poisonous plants, harmful insects, and parasites. In this good-yet-groaning world parasites in particular remind us that the curse is operating unchecked today. But we can rejoice that someday death will be swallowed up in victory by the Author and Giver of life. - Parasites are a unique form of life in today’s world. These invertebrates come in all shapes and sizes, from single-cell animals to a tapeworm that can grow up to 131 feet! Despite these varied forms, parasite origin and macroevolution are strange and unknowable in the naturalistic worldview. The origin of these creatures is still a puzzle for secular zoologists. Creation occurred thousands of years ago, and God saw that everything was very good. There were no parasites, not like we have today. God’s creation was corrupted when Adam and Eve fell. And God cursed His creation, the full force falling on humans and all their dominion.

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Did God Make Harmful Parasites in the Beginning?

In this good-yet-groaning world parasites in particular remind us that the curse is operating unchecked today. But we can rejoice that someday death will be swallowed up in victory by the Author and Giver of life.

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Before the Fall of Adam and Eve parasites were not yet parasites. They were most likely free-living creatures independent from Adam, Eve, and the animals. Some of these invertebrates lived together before the Fall, providing benefits to each other — a state called mutualism. But when God cursed the earth, these creatures probably experienced changes in their body systems and became parasitic. After the Fall, Adam and Eve and their descendants were exposed to everything from pathogenic bacteria and harmful mutations — including cancer — to poisonous plants, harmful insects, and parasites. 

BY FRANK SHERWIN, M.A.

Parasites are a unique form of life in today’s world.

These invertebrates come in all shapes and sizes, from single-cell animals (e.g., Plasmodium that causes malaria) to a tapeworm (Polygonoporus giganticus) that can grow up to 131 feet!

Despite these varied forms, parasite origin and macroevolution are strange and unknowable in the naturalistic worldview.

In 1993, two evolutionists stated, “Parasites are still an enigma.”

Not much has changed for the naturalist since then.

“Hence, tempo and mode of host-parasite co-evolution at the macro-evolutionary scale remain a major challenge to understand.” 

Evolutionary biologists Eric Loker and Bruce Hofkin stated, “Macroevolutionary patterns among parasites are not yet very clear.” 

The origin of these fascinating creatures is still a puzzle for secular zoologists.

What is the origin of parasites?

Were Adam and Eve infected with them at creation?

In the biblical model, creation occurred thousands of years ago, and God saw that everything was very good (Genesis 1:31).

There were no parasites, not like we have today.

But in Genesis 3, God’s creation was corrupted when Adam and Eve fell (Genesis 3:6).

And God cursed His creation, the full force falling on humans and all their dominion (Genesis 3:17-19).

God drove our first parents from the Garden to a land where they experienced sorrow and death. There, parasites made their appearance.

Before the Fall, parasites were not yet parasites.

Rather, they were most likely free-living creatures independent from Adam, Eve, and the animals.

An evolutionist stated, “Parasitic species have retained some morphological [structural] resemblance with their free-living counterparts.”

In addition, the transition to parasitism doesn’t require long periods of evolutionary time: “In fact, free-living species could become parasitic without substantial anatomical or physiological changes.”

In all likelihood some of these invertebrates lived together before the Fall, providing benefits to each other — a state called mutualism.

But when God cursed the earth, these creatures probably experienced changes in their body systems and became parasitic.

After the Fall, Adam and Eve and their descendants were exposed to everything from pathogenic bacteria and harmful mutations — including cancer — to poisonous plants, harmful insects, and parasites.

In this good-yet-groaning world (Romans 8:22), parasites in particular remind us that the curse (under the law of sin and death described in Romans 8) is operating unchecked today.

But we can rejoice that someday death will be swallowed up in victory by the Author and Giver of life (1 Corinthians 15:54)!

Mr. Sherwin is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his M.A. in zoology from the University of Northern Colorado.

The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) wants people to know that God’s Word can be trusted in everything it speaks about—from how and why we were made, to how the universe was formed, to how we can know God and receive all He has planned for us.

After 50 years of ministry, ICR remains a leader in scientific research within the context of biblical creation. Founded by Dr. Henry Morris in 1970, ICR exists to conduct scientific research within the realms of origins and Earth history, and then to educate the public both formally and informally through professional training programs, through conferences and seminars around the country, and through books, magazines, and media presentations.

https://www.icr.org/article/did-god-make-harmful-parasites-in-the-beginning/

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WHAT WAS GOD DOING BEFORE CREATION? - the foundation for the doctrine of Creation is in the good God who loves, and who exists in fellowship within Himself and with His creation, and who created out of the abundance of His love. God did not need to create the universe, and He owes nothing to any of His creation - yet He is shown again and again as a gracious Provider and Sustainer who blesses us even though we do not deserve it - The Bible teaches us that God existed before the universe, and that He is outside the universe and beyond the physical laws that govern it. God is ‘timeless’ — God created time itself — yet He is also able to enter time and space to intervene in events at any point. While we obviously cannot fully comprehend what God was doing ‘before’ creation, God did reveal some details about His pre-creation activity in Scripture. Before the universe existed, there was only God — but He was not alone. God is a Trinity — the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all share in the same divine nature, and they are one God. This aspect of God’s nature was not fully revealed in the Old Testament. Because God is a Trinity, He enjoyed perfect companionship within Himself before He created the world. The Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit loved each other, shared in the divine glory, and had a perfect relationship to each other. A few places in Scripture give us hints of what this was like.

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Diagram describing the doctrine of the Trinity

What was God doing before creation?

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the foundation for the doctrine of Creation is in the good God who loves, and who exists in fellowship within Himself and with His creation, and who created out of the abundance of His love. God did not need to create the universe, and He owes nothing to any of His creation - yet He is shown again and again as a gracious Provider and Sustainer who blesses us even though we do not deserve it

by Lita Cosner

The Bible teaches us that God existed before the universe, and that He is outside the universe and beyond the physical laws that govern it.

In Psalm 90:2, Moses says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God”.

When we think of God’s pre-existence, we tend to think of God existing for billions of years before creation, but this is flawed.

Instead, God is ‘timeless’ — God created time itself — yet He is also able to enter time and space to intervene in events at any point.

It is natural for us to ask: what was God doing in eternity past before He created the universe?

Augustine cited one person’s answer: “He was preparing hell for those who pry too deep.” 

However, Augustine rejected such a flippant response.

While we obviously cannot fully comprehend what God was doing ‘before’ creation, God did reveal some details about His pre-creation activity in Scripture.

This helps us to understand His nature, as well as His relationship with and His plans for creation.

The fellowship of the Trinity

Before the universe existed, there was only God — but He was not alone.

God is a Trinity — the Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all share in the same divine nature, and they are one God.

This aspect of God’s nature was not fully revealed in the Old Testament, but there are some intriguing hints of plurality in the Godhead in the Old Testament.

For instance, while contemplating the incomprehensibility of God, Agur, the author of Proverbs 30, says:

“Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!” (Proverbs 30:4, emphasis added).

Agur laments his ignorance (Proverbs 30:1 ff).

The knowledge of eternal truths and power over the creation implied in the first questions is only possessed by God.

So, when Agur asks “What is his name?” every good Jew would answer, “Yahweh”.

But then he goes on to ask, “and what is his son’s name?”

This would confound the Jews who lived before the revelation of the Trinity, because it explicitly indicates that God has a Son.

But Christians living in light of the revelation of Jesus can see a clear reference to Jesus, the Son of God, in this proverb, long before God explicitly revealed the doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament.

Because God is a Trinity, He enjoyed perfect companionship within Himself before He created the world.

The Persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit loved each other, shared in the divine glory, and had a perfect relationship to each other.

A few places in Scripture give us hints of what this was like.

In Jesus’ prayer, often called the ‘High Priestly Prayer’ because of His intercession for believers, Jesus asks, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5).

When God the Son became incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ, He took on a human body and nature.

During His earthly ministry, He set aside His divine glory and independent use of His divine powers which were rightfully His (Philippians 2:7).

But in this prayer, Jesus anticipated the completion of His work on Earth and the return to His exalted place and the fellowship He longed for with the Father.

This is also a passage which clearly teaches Jesus’ pre-existence and deity.

Jesus’ whole ministry glorified the Father by doing His will, and in this prayer, Jesus anticipated when the Father would glorify Him in turn, just like they had done for eternity before the creation of the universe.

Planned redemption and glorification

Jesus not only wanted to be glorified again and to be with the Father, but for His disciples to see His glorification as well.

His expression of this desire shows the close relationship between Jesus and the Father.

In John 17:24, Jesus says, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

Because God is a Trinity, He enjoyed perfect companionship within Himself before He created the world.

The whole reason for Jesus’ incarnation, ministry, and death was to save a people for Himself.

He wants His people to be with Him, and that must be the Father’s will too, because it is the Father who gave them to Him (John 10:27–30).

And just as the pre-creation fellowship was characterized by love, love grounds the Son’s request here. “The ultimate hope of Jesus’ followers thus turns on the love of the Father for the Son.”

It is important to understand the intra-Trinitarian fellowship because it guards against false impressions that God created people because He needed companionship or that He was lacking something.

God already had perfect, complete fellowship within Himself.

Also, the intra-Trinitarian love of God is a uniquely Christian doctrine, and makes it possible for love to be an essential trait of God’s personality (1 John 4:8) — God does not need anyone outside Himself to love, because the members of the Trinity love each other.

Further, Ephesians 1:4 teaches that God “chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

This shows that God was not taken by surprise by the Fall, and had planned for it even before He created.

He had already determined that Jesus would die for our sins and rise again.

So, this passage sweeps through all of salvation history, from the work of God in eternity past, to the believer’s present salvation and destiny in eternity future.

Planning His kingdom

A good architect does not start building before he considers the overall layout of the building.

So, it should not surprise us that God was planning His kingdom before He created the universe.

God did not ‘light the fuse’ of any sort of ‘big bang’ and hope for the best — He created intentionally with a specific end in mind, and this end was pre-determined beforehand.

For example, Matthew 25:34 tells us, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”

This reveals God had planned for His kingdom before creation, and that He always meant for believers to be co-heirs with Christ.

It is important to note how closely love is connected with God’s plan for His kingdom. God didn’t need a kingdom — He already had everything He needed within Himself before creation.

Rather, He created the Kingdom for His Son, but also for His people, whom He wanted to bless.

The ultimate purpose of salvation is to glorify God — but it also results in our glorification when we trust in Jesus.

The Christian’s destiny — fellowship with the Trinity

So it should not surprise us that God was planning His kingdom before He created the universe.

In John’s gospel, the believer’s destiny is seen to be close fellowship with the Trinity.

Unlike some false religions, the Bible does not teach that we will actually become gods; rather, in the Resurrection we will reflect the image of God as He intended us to.

The sort of fellowship we will have with God is shown most clearly in Jesus’ high priestly prayer for all those who believe in Him:

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:22–23).

In His prayer for believers in all ages, Jesus is speaking about an intimate level of fellowship with the Trinity, including sharing in love and even glory.

So, in our resurrection bodies, the Christian will participate in the fellowship of the Trinity in the closest relationship possible for a mere creature. So, the foundation for the doctrine of Creation is in the good God who loves, and who exists in fellowship within Himself and with His creation, and who created out of the abundance of His love.

God did not need to create the universe, and He owes nothing to any of His creation.

Yet He is shown again and again as a gracious Provider and Sustainer who blesses us even though we do not deserve it.

Uniquely, Genesis presents God as fundamentally relational, and this affects our understanding of everything He does.

Lita Cosner, B.A., M.A.

Biblical studies, New Testament (USA)

Lita Cosner became a Christian in 2002, partially as a result of creation materials she found through CMI which answered her questions about the Bible and Christianity (see her own account). She joined CMI as Information Officer in 2010, and is a prolific contributor to the website, Creation magazine, and our in-depth Journal of Creation. She is well-known for her gracious, yet challenging responses to questioners and often detractors who contact CREATION.com

Lita is a specialist in New Testament studies and obtained a B.A. (summa cum laude) in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 2008. She received an M.A. (cum laude) in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 2012. Her thesis is titled Jesus the Honorable Broker: A Social-Scientific Efxegesis of Matthew 15:21–28.

Her passion is interpreting the New Testament in a way that is understandable to the average Christian, as well as showing how the New Testament authors used the teachings of the Old Testament as the foundation for their theology, particularly in the area of Creation. She is the co-author of the booklets How Did We Get Our Bible? and Gay Marriage: Right or Wrong?. Her talk, Creation in the New Testament and Why it Matters, is available as a video download.

Lita is available to speak at conferences, seminars, and specialist women’s events.

https://creation.com/god-before-creation