Purpose for Existence: The Mysteries of Creation Unlocked

By Ken Power and Victor O. Nwobodo

In this book, Victor Nwobodo captures the Christian faith in a whole new light, where facts and faith unite to illuminate the veracity and timelessness of Gods Word.

In the first part of this series, Nwobodo demonstrates how Gods Word can be examined and validated with scientific, historical, and archaeological facts. More important still, he established the validity of human existencewhy we are here. He also points out major areas where the church has been wrong in doctrinal stance and ways to avoid such debilitating approaches.

Religious dogma has always been a snare to men of true faith, and scientific truth had always proven susceptible to the discoveries of succeeding generations. But Nwobodo has effectively pointed out that the data of science and the actual words of Yahowahs Scripture are not at odds. Rather, they support and illuminate each other; and together, they reveal the beauty of the Creators plan and purpose in ways few of us ever thought possible. Ken Power; Author and Bible researcher, Palmyra, Virginia, USA

The author, a celebrated and acclaimed teacher, evangelist, an academic champion who comparatively belongs to the intelligentsia group has proved his academic, theological and philosophical worth in this book. Buy it, read it and keep it as a reference material. Chike Ndife Chief Editor SNAAP Press LTD, Enugu, Nigeria

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490850832

Ken Power

Victor Nwobodo is a youth evangelist who aims at uniting the body of Christ in one fold and purpose—preparing them for the return of the Messiah. He’s an expository teacher who has taught in churches, schools, campus fellowships etc. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Godwin Nwobodo—the youngest of six siblings.

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Copyright © 2014 Victor Nwobodo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Author Credits: Victor Nwobodo is an expository teacher who has a unique gift and passion to bring the truths of Scripture to this generation. He studied Petroleum Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria—class of 2007 - 2012.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-5592-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5083-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014918819

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/31/2014

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Foreword

Acknowledgements

1.   Things That Matter

2.   Beginning of Existence

3.   Let There Be Light, And There Was Light

4.   Life On Earth, And Its Source

Epilogue 1

Author’s Biography

Contact the Author

Dedication

This book is absolutely dedicated to you my reader, for whom the whole effort was invested in making it come to light. I pray that it would meet all your curiosity and ignite your hope and trust in God.

Preface

Perhaps the oldest question mankind has labored so hard to find its most proper answer is: why are we here? This, to be sure, is expected of mankind, as we happen to be the only species in creation that think of itself. If we are indeed honestly interested in searching out the answer to that question, where exactly is the best place to look? Could the answer be written on some facets of the creation we find around us? If so, which creations contain such information? Or is there actually an entirely different system through which we could retrieve this extremely vital information? If there is, what system could this be? Who provided it in the first place? Could the source be trusted?

Speaking of man’s quest to satisfy himself with a reasonable answer to that question, a great deal of effort has been invested, no doubt. As way back as from the time of Plato and Aristotle, several philosophers have cooked up their own speculations as to the meaning of life. But the plethora of data these great thinkers have put up, do they truly convey the right answers we’re looking for?

What if these men were only guessing, whereas the true answer is waiting for us someplace else to be explored? Of course, if someone actually explained the answer to our question, then it would be a fool’s errand for anyone to look for answers someplace else. Another issue to be considered is that if there is a logical, reasonable explanation attached to our existence, then we ought to comprehend its seriousness: could it be that it is a question of life and death?

You probably found the title Purpose for Existence an important topic. Perhaps you picked the text with hopes that the writer might actually have something reasonable to say concerning such subject that many find elusive. If you’re a Christian, you may have heard several sermons and teachings attempting to explain this subject. Your teachers, using the Bible as their teaching manual, must have tried convincing you that there is a God, and that He was responsible for everything that exists—including you. They may have even tried explaining to you why God created. But most of the time, the essential stories that build upon each other, which altogether help narrow us down to the right answer, are invariably missed.

Looking seriously at Christendom today, anyone with an uncompromised knowledge of God and His Word can easily see that it’s faced with a serious problem, one ever threatening to plunge us into a new Dark Age. Fragmented into several thousands of religious quarters, each denomination strongly believes that its own doctrinal version of the scriptural message is to be considered the ideal choice in executing God’s intents and purposes. But in reality, this sense of reasoning, rather than doing us much good, has turned out to become Christianity’s Achilles’ heel.

As confused and flawed as we have become, we have become like those who lost their compass in the jungle—blithely unaware what our next unguided choice could fetch us. Rather than heed the message of scripture, we have systematically turned the personal relationship we are to share with our Creator into a purely religious affair. Yes, we are obviously in serious trouble, but how can we get out of this mess? Should we continue to feel comfortable with the apparent historical amnesia we’re suffering from, or do we find a solution by approaching God exactly the way He wants us to?

This book is written for every human living presently—not necessarily for Christians alone. It matters not who you are or your position in society, the message is for you. As such, I have strived to make it comprehensible to everyone alike—whether lay people or the truly enlightened—all are expected to find the communication style familiar. In an attempt to make it handy and inviting, I have chosen to present this discourse in volumes. (Note: each succeeding volume has been distinguished with a unique subtitle, with this first one bearing the subtitle The Mysteries of Creation Unlocked.) Rest assured, each issue is treated with innovative chronological sequence. That makes the subject easy to follow, where each chapter prepares you for the next one.

But surely, before long, we would hit our target destination—we would explore our purpose for existence. To the surprise of many, it probably wouldn’t be what you may have believed all your life. But the truth—which we would establish—is meant to give you an inward peace, as well as help you lead a meaningful, fulfilling life in this last generation.

As I would reveal again later in the first chapter—the introductory part—this work was done while I was still an undergraduate. I have been a Christian since my childhood, and have been taught the Christian doctrine ever since by several teachers. But when I chose to study the Word for myself, an entirely different picture emerged—one clearly different from what I have been taught to believe since I was a kid.

In a quest to know what other men had to say about the scriptural revelations, I invested a great deal of time reading scholarly works from different writers and teachers of the Word. In some places (I noticed), their messages tend to agree, and in others, they are in total disconformity. So what could be the problem? Not until I came to discover the errant status of our English translations did I realize why most of these men were wrong.

Coming across the writings of my friend, Ken Power (the same person who wrote the foreword of this book), I was impressed with his approach in exploring God’s revelation. (His writings have always inspired me.) He is one who always strived for accuracy in his writings, and who never lagged in questioning the accuracy of Biblical translations.

Challenged as I was, I decided to get familiar with the original manuscripts of the Bible, doing what I could to translate appropriately what had been confusing in the English. As I discovered, God was right in His presentation of the creation account. Measuring His testimony with the data of the sciences I had been exposed to in school, an amazing harmony emerged. His truth was established at every level and discipline, while the errors embedded in the sciences became crystal clear.

I had, of course, seen the effects of such errors on students, most of who tended to believe the scientific dogmas, while classifying Scripture as a throwback of our cavemen past. With the intention of correcting this secular misconception, we would start this journey from the Genesis creation account, measuring our fresh translation of Scripture with the scientific data at our disposal. The truth will surely surface at every point.

Most of us are blessed with homes, families, parents, children, siblings, education, careers of our dreams, and good spouses. Sometimes we’re tempted to confuse our purpose for living with these things. But what if they’re merely a means to an end, and not the end themselves? Indeed, if God authored existence, then hardly could He have established those things as the reason why He went to all the trouble.

If He delivered to us His message, then we can be reasonably certain He would include the explanations we’re looking for in there. Hopefully, an understanding of these basic things would help the reader differentiate between the truth and mere assumptions. Whereas you have opted to participate in this tour, I can assure you of one thing: you’re in for a rewarding experience.

Victor O. Nwobodo

Foreword

It is to me one of the most frustrating and illogical facets of human existence. On the one hand, we humans are built with an innate sense that there exists a divine Creator, a supreme being who is, at some level, responsible for our very being, and to whom all of us, in our unguarded moments, intuitively feel we owe a responsibility of one sort or another. On the other hand, mankind invariably refuses to consult with this deity concerning what those responsibilities might be, or what our relationship (if any) is supposed to look like. Rather, we all too often take the word of other men, flawed like ourselves, as our polestar.

The name of this illogical system is religion. It is, in its most fundamental sense, the process by which man endeavors to approach God. If we (or the men we choose to listen to) were flawless and omniscient, this might make sense. The whole idea, after all, is to arrive at the truth. But what if these men we follow are only guessing? What if the concepts they present as truth are nothing more than their own ideas, based on their own wishful thinking (or worse, based on some hidden agenda designed to aggrandize or enrich themselves)? What is needed is some sort of standard by which the words of men can be evaluated. What is needed is the very Word of God.

But this is where we immediately run into trouble. God (if He exists at all) is by definition beyond humanity, above it, separate from it—a concept the Judeo-Christian world would call holy. If He communicates verbally, He must do it through men. But men are flawed in understanding, and our language is imprecise and inadequate (not to mention being a moving target). What language does God speak? All of them? Only one? Can His written word communicate the same thing to people of different cultures and different languages? And if not, is it still His word? Even if we had the truth in one language, could we transfer that truth to others, or would we be reduced to transmitting mere facts? Perhaps we should broaden our horizons beyond the written word—to seek for a Word independent of, and external to, human language.

Is there such a thing? If God is indeed the Creator of the universe, then we should be able to see evidence of Him in His handiwork. The scale, the magnificence, the sheer awesome glory we perceive in nature should be taken as a measure of the God who created it all. Science, then, becomes a tool through which we can perceive God—not the philosophy of science (which is dependent, as in any other religion, upon the foibles of man) but the data itself. If this Word is true, it should prove compatible with the written word against which we are comparing it.

This brings us to a third factor in pinning down this Word of God we’re seeking: concepts, ideas, symbols, and metaphors all transcend language, and the natural world—God’s creation—is the matrix in which these things can be expected to operate. We should therefore not be surprised to find God—if He’s real—using robust, universal symbols to communicate His truth to us.

Up to this point, we’ve been speaking of man’s search for God and truth in the most general and fundamental of terms. The process of tracking down the Word of God would be the same for the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Jew, or anybody else. If the honest searcher is unwilling to merely take somebody else’s word for it (known in theological circles as rolling over and playing dead), he must compare his religion’s scriptures to the data of scientific discovery, remembering to factor in whatever symbols God may use to communicate His Word to us.

You may find it odd that I’ve included Atheism in my short list of religious traditions, but it is a religion in every sense of the word. Its god is chance, random occurrence, serendipity, Nothing. Adolph Hitler called it Fate. Its belief system depends on the idea that there is no supreme being responsible for creation—that there is a logical, though completely unguided, cause for everything that has come into existence. Their scriptures are comprised of any document that denies the existence of God. Atheists seek proselytes not because their god (Nothing) wants them to, but because they crave vindication: the God-shaped vacuum within their souls (as Blaise Pascal put it) cries out to be filled—and Nothing won’t fill it.

Islam relies on the testimony of one man, Muhammad of Mecca, for one hundred percent of its content. If that weren’t suspicious enough, the Islamic scriptures based on Muhammad’s words and deeds (the Hadith and Sunnah) prove, when compared with the Qur’an (purported to be the very words of Islam’s god Allah), that the entire religion was based on the prophet’s personal quest for power, sex, and money. (The religious component of Islam, the seven pillars, were codified long after his death by Muhammad’s successors, or Caliphs, in an effort to maintain and expand the empire the prophet had built in Arabia at the point of a sword.) Equally disturbing, when we compare the data of science to the teachings of Islam (which are confused and self-contradictory), we discover a total disconnect: there is no correlation, factual or symbolic, between the two things. Muslims seek converts (though they’ll settle for subjugating dhimmis—slaves) because they’re commanded to do so in their scriptures: jihad is required, under pain of hell fire for non-compliance.

Hinduism (the world’s third most widely practiced religion after Christianity and Islam) does not typically seek proselytes, for the simple reason that they don’t really believe or trust in one all powerful Creator Deity. Hinduism, with its dozens of spin-offs and sects, is actually more of a philosophy than a religion, recognizing some 330 million different gods. So Hindus are seeking neither the truth nor the Word of God, but are merely trying to get through the day, doing what they can to bribe or appease their chosen god.

Though the religions of Judaism and Christianity are as different as night and day, they both begin with the same body of Scripture—the Hebrew Tanach (a.k.a. the Old Testament). Both religions are as flawed as any, suffering from the same universal problem: they rely on the opinions and doctrines of mortal men in a quest to approach God, rather than on heeding the God they both agree is the Almighty Creator, as revealed through His Scriptures.

Those Scriptures, however, are the key to unlocking the truth about who God really is. Between the Old and New Testaments (that is, the writings inspired by God before and after the advent of His Messiah) some forty writers, in three different languages and over a span of fifteen hundred years, wrote a thoroughly compatible, flawlessly consistent story designed to reveal the story of God’s plan for the redemption, salvation, and reconciliation of Himself with mankind. There are caveats, however—principles of interpretation that can’t be circumvented.

First, spiritual truth is spiritually discerned: it won’t do you any good to read the Bible if you’re not willing to listen to the God who inspired it. Second, since it comes to us via human language, the reader must take language’s pitfalls into consideration: if it appears to be contradictory (or just plain wrong), the problem is with our perception and exegesis, not with the Word itself. (I have personally tracked down scores of supposed problem texts in the original languages, and they always resolve themselves.) Third, in order to circumvent the drawbacks of transmission in human languages, the Author (God Himself) uses an extensive and consistent arsenal of symbols and metaphors: what the Scripture literally says is seldom the whole story. And fourth, the way God said something is often more important than what He actually said: there is a spiritually significant reason He described creation as a seven day process, or Satan in the Garden of Eden as a talking snake, or the flood of Noah as a worldwide cataclysm. These things (and many more) aren’t meant to convey scientific knowledge (though at some level—read very carefully in the original languages—they’re absolutely true) but rather are presented as spiritual truths, essential clues as to the identity of God, and as often as not, prophetic of the entire course of mankind’s journey through mortality itself.

Who, then, is this God who is revealing Himself in the Bible? His self-revealed name was repeated seven thousand times in the Hebrew Scriptures—and in virtually every one of those instances, it was edited out of most every English Scripture translation, replaced with a comparatively anemic title: the LORD. The name is Yahowah (alternately rendered as the more familiar Yahweh), literally meaning I am, or I exist, an infinitely more majestic concept than being somebody’s ruler or owner.

And do you remember what I said about God’s Word being more than just text transmitted in human language? Yahowah revealed Himself among men as a mortal Man, the Anointed One: Yahowshuwa‘ (whom the whole world knows as Jesus)—a name that means Yahowah is Salvation. His name, in other words, is actually His job description. This human manifestation of Almighty God was aptly described by one of His disciples as the Word made flesh. This, of course, is where Christianity and Judaism part company, for by definition, Christians acknowledge the Jewish Messiah—known by the New Testament term for the Anointed One, Christ—while the Jews (or more properly, Israel) are still in denial as to His identity.

Religion knows none of this. Man cannot successfully approach God, for we are separated from Him by our own sin. We can, however, come to a saving knowledge of Him, enjoy a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe, and bridge the gap between our fallen, mortal state and the eternal nature of Yahowah—not by approaching God, but by letting Him approach us, by receiving the means He has provided for our reconciliation.

So it is that my young friend Victor Nwobodo has written this book explaining why man’s approach to God—religion—is doomed to failure, while God’s approach to man can and should be embraced wholeheartedly. In short, we don’t have to take man’s word for anything: Yahowah has provided everything we need for life and godliness—beginning with the sure knowledge of His very nature, if only we’ll pay attention to what He told us. The evidence is there, waiting for our inspection. Faith needn’t be a substitute for rational thought. Rather, it should be seen as the latch on the door to a whole new reality, one in which science, security, and spiritual life all coexist in perfect harmony. Yahowshuwa‘ stands at the door, knocking, asking us to invite Him in.

Ken Power

Author and Bible Researcher

Virginia, USA

Acknowledgements

I owe the success of this project to the will and grace of God Almighty. I couldn’t have put down one letter if You weren’t always there to guide me.

My sincere gratitude goes to my beloved mum, Mrs. Rose Nwobodo, for her support, prayers, encouragement, and love. To the rest of my siblings I remain thankful for everything.

I appreciate my friend, Ken Power, who has always assisted and encouraged me in many ways. I couldn’t have had a better you. Also, to all my friends who were there for me—both in school and outside—though referring to you all by names would make a long list, I appreciate you all.

Chapter One

Things That Matter

I think the most universally important questions to be asked are: (1) Is there a God? (2) If there is a God, was He the One responsible for the creation of the universe? (3) If He really created the universe, what is the most important aspect of His creation? (4) If there is indeed one, what then does He want with this His most valued creation?

Sometimes it’s not easy to find the answers to these questions when we’re completely stuck with our fragile mortality. Humans are invariably accustomed to viewing issues from the perspective of experiences and facts; i.e. tangible, hands-on-proof data that can attest positively and concretely to their mind-boggling questions. So we often make do with the information provided us by our five senses. If it doesn’t fall within this range of experience, then we probably have no need buying the proposed information presented to us.

But most times, basic truths in our world seem harder to come by if we set our grasp of truth on merely facts. Assuming your buddy plunged into a disagreement with his unkind neighbor, who ended up dragging him to court just to nail him. He could present his case in the court of law and get thrown off by the evidence presented by his opponent in order to disprove his innocence proposition. He sure knows within his heart that he isn’t guilty as charged. But the court may not judge the case to his favor when the evidence poised to blackmail him is so blunt and compelling.

The fact that it had been provided, however, wouldn’t make it the truth, because in today’s world, any informed and reasonable fellow knows that even clear evidences could be doctored. The accuser could boldly rage his accusations against his opponent, presenting his facts as it were. But right there in the court, a well-educated (and honest) judge could actually find out who is telling the truth by looking hard at the content of the information provided to prove the right guy wrong. Let’s assume the accused is being framed for murder. Maybe the doctored material bears a time that is in contradiction to the possible, physical presence of the suspect at the murder scene. That alone would sure throw the accuser’s report into question.

Maybe the friend or co-worker of the accused could come up and demonstrate that the time depicted on the presented evidence, was actually the exact time the accused was busy tackling the duty he had been allotted by the manager of his firm, right there at his company station. The manager could even come and confirm also that he (the accused) signed out from office a little time after the time documented on the fabricated evidence. Then the judge would know who is actually guilty and who’s not. But what was presented to render the accused guilty was an evidence, wasn’t it? But it obviously wasn’t the truth. And talking about truth in today’s world, it isn’t really a question of the opinion held by the vast majority. No. It’s a different ball game when it comes to the truth. And believe me, most people today really don’t care to know the truth. As far as they’re entertained by the information they’re conditioned to swallow whole, then it feels good to buy it.

Many people from different cultures and races have tried solving the existence conundrum by looking for answers where no truth is obtainable. For example, many pagan gods have been given credit to be responsible for creating (or inventing) a particular form of existence, like some celestial bodies for instance. Some are claimed to have created fire, and others are credited with the existence of the oceans. But the propositions of those who hold such positions appear to fall short of answering the obvious questions argued by the interaction between these forms of existence, as they all appear linked to each other.

Every aspect of creation has a way it is being sustained by its close neighbors, for instance. So, if the god some worshippers believe in actually made the Sun, it probably wouldn’t be allowed to shine on the oceans, because hardly could both gods share things in common. They would sure demand the exclusive worship of those who believe they were responsible for whatever it is they are credited to have created. If there is therefore an interaction between the realms of these gods, then the worshippers might have been led to worship both gods, which is an idea that gods of this kind aren’t known to tolerate, I can assure you.

Not only are the stories of such pagan gods (like the ones depicted in the Greek and Egyptian mythologies, for instance) contradictory, in reality they put a wrinkle to their claim to be the true deity. You’ll see a plethora of them on the Internet. Most of the