There are many gods in this world that we can choose to worship. When Paul was working in Corinth, he could see their eagerness to worship all the gods possible. This is why he said, “Though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many)” (1 Corinthians 8:5). In those days there were not only various deities all over the place, but they also had the Roman emperor whom they worshipped as god. Even some of the local kings were believed to be gods. “And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:21–23).

Today nothing has changed. The names of the deities have been removed and people still worship the gods of this world. Whether we talk about ever-changing fashions, flashy cars, elaborate homes, hefty bank accounts, power or position in government or in the church, or our own theories and ideas, any form of worshipping material things paralyzes the mind so that eternal realities are not discerned. “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). This list can go on. “Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service due Him, of that do we make a god.”1

What all of these deities—ancient or modern—are lacking is the power of the Creator. Although each deity may offer some attraction, it cannot offer anything of its own or anything of any eternal value. Anciently a person would create something and then fall down and worship his or her very creation. “The customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might” (Jeremiah 10:3–6). Today it is the same. People work hard for their money and then worship that very money as if it were a god.

On the other hand, Jehovah is identified for several undisputable reasons. None of these false gods can even try to match our God.

The first reason that Jehovah is matchless is that He has no beginning and no end. (The Bible calls both the Father and the Son by the name of Jehovah. Compare the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, “Prepare ye the way of Jehovah” (Young’s Literal Translation), with Matthew 3:3, where the gospel writer applies this prophecy to the preparation of the way for Jesus.) Speaking of Jesus the prophetic record states, “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,” or as the margin states, the days of eternity (Micah 5:2). The origin of God is eternal, so He cannot be made from something lesser than Himself and then be worshipped. There is no possibility of degrading one’s self in worshipping the Eternal One because He was not made by anything lower than Himself. “The attempt to represent the Eternal One by material objects would lower man’s conception of God. The mind, turned away from the infinite perfection of Jehovah, would be attracted to the creature rather than to the Creator. And as his conceptions of God were lowered, so would man become degraded.”2

The second reason is that He can declare the end from the beginning. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9, 10).

The prophetic eye of God is 100% accurate in the view of past, present, and future events. “The history which the great I AM has marked out in His word, uniting link after link in the prophetic chain, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, tells us where we are today in the procession of the ages, and what may be expected in the time to come. All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, until the present time, has been traced on the pages of history, and we may be assured that all which is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order.”3

Because God knows all things, He works hard behind the scenes to bring about the conversion of everyone. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). As we look into “the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.”4

The third reason is that the Eternal Being is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein” (Revelation 10:6). There is nothing in existence that was not created by God. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

It is this aspect of worship that is identified only in the seventh day Sabbath. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11). The word hallowed is translated sanctified in Genesis 2:3. It means to set aside for a holy use. The reason for keeping the seventh day Sabbath is because of the power of God to create all things. “In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and is thereby distinguished from all false gods. It was as a memorial of the work of creation that the seventh day was sanctified as a rest day for man. It was designed to keep the living God ever before the minds of men as the source of being and the object of reverence and worship.”5

When the first angel’s message turns our attention to worship the One who has created the heavens and the earth and everything in this world of ours, it definitely means that the people of God in the last days need to worship Him in His specified manner and set the seventh day of the week aside for holy use. “‘The importance of the Sabbath as the memorial of creation is that it keeps ever present the true reason why worship is due to God’—because He is the Creator, and we are His creatures. ‘The Sabbath therefore lies at the very foundation of divine worship, for it teaches this great truth in the most impressive manner, and no other institution does this. The true ground of divine worship, not of that on the seventh day merely, but of all worship, is found in the distinction between the Creator and His creatures. This great fact can never become obsolete and must never be forgotten.’—J. N. Andrews, History of the Sabbath, chapter 27. It was to keep this truth ever before the minds of men, that God instituted the Sabbath in Eden; and so long as the fact that He is our Creator continues to be a reason why we should worship Him, so long the Sabbath will continue as its sign and memorial. Had the Sabbath been universally kept, man’s thoughts and affections would have been led to the Creator as the object of reverence and worship, and there would never have been an idolater, an atheist, or an infidel. The keeping of the Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to the true God, ‘Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters’ [Revelation 14:7.] It follows that the message which commands men to worship God and keep His commandments will especially call upon them to keep the fourth commandment.”6

The fourth major reason for worshipping Jehovah is that He creates out of nothing. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3). In science we learn that matter cannot be created nor destroyed. That is true only to a degree; for we are created beings and can see it only from our perspective. The Creator of the universe created this world from absolutely nothing but His word. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6).

The power in this word is remarkable. Not only is the act of creation itself remarkable but also the speed at which it is done. “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (verse 9). At the moment of speaking, the atoms come into existence and obey His command. They mingle and combine in exactly the way the mind of the Lord has spoken it, and suddenly you have the trees of the forest, the grass covered, rolling hills, the water in the streams and oceans, the birds of the air, the animals of the forest, and the sun in its path through the Milky Way. When God speaks, instantly there is the reality of what God was thinking.

“In the formation of our world, God was not beholden to preexistent substance or matter. For the ‘things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.’ 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 that are therein, are not only the work of His hand, they came into existence by the breath of His mouth.”7

The power of the Word of God is illustrated in the experience of the Roman centurion in the eighth chapter of Matthew’s gospel. “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented (verses 5, 6).” Here is a Gentile who has a genuine concern for a disposable servant (although it may have actually been his son, considering the record of the event in the other gospels) who is sick. Jesus assures him that upon His arrival this servant will be rescued.

However, this supposed heathen does not feel worthy of the presence of Jesus in his home. He must have been observing Jesus for some time to come to the conclusion he did. Most of the people only saw Jesus touching the sick, and they were healed. However, this Roman saw something else. “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed (verse 8).” He understood something more than the supposed people of God. The power was not in the touch or the presence of Jesus. It was His word that accomplished marvelous results.

This man recognized the power of authority. “For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it (verse 9).” He realized that Jesus had authority not only of human beings as the Roman officers did, but He had authority over all of creation. He recognized Jesus as the Creator. It is for this reason, the fact that this man saw the power in the word of God, and trusted in that word to accomplish its impossible actions, that Jesus recognized his faith. “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel (verse 10).”

As a result, Jesus cured an individual at a distance. “And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour (verse 13).” “Instead of going to Capernaum, Jesus, by a flash of divine telegraphy, sends the message of healing to the bedside of the suffering son.”8

The God that we worship is able to make something out of nothing. He is able to heal at a distance because there is power in His word. What will happen to us if we really trust Him and His word? “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). “The words, ‘A new heart also will I give you’ mean, A new mind will I give you. This change of heart is always attended by a clear conception of Christian duty, an understanding of truth. The clearness of our view of truth will be proportionate to our understanding of the word of God. He who gives the Scriptures close, prayerful attention will gain clear comprehension and sound judgment, as if in turning to God he had reached a higher plane of intelligence.”9

It is for this reason that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). “The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character. Christ prayed, ‘Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth’ (John 17:17). If studied and obeyed, the word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that springs up in the heart works by love to Christ, conforming us in body, soul, and spirit to His own image. Then God can use us to do His will. The power given us works from within outwardly, leading us to communicate to others the truth that has been communicated to us.”10

Do we really see our need so that we can “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters,” as this message requires? God wants to exchange this corrupt heart of ours, but He cannot do it unless we ask. Are you ready to ask Him today as did David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”? (Psalm 51:10).