THE WONDER OF THE WORD
Throughout the annals of time, man has been drawn to ‘wonders’.
In World History, we learned of “The Seven Wonders of the World”, a list of
seven notable structures present during classical antiquity, first established in a
1572 publication.
The seven traditional wonders are the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of
Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the
Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon.
Using modern-day countries, two of the wonders were located in Greece, two in
Turkey, two in Egypt and one in Iraq. Of the seven wonders, only the Pyramid of
Giza, which is also by far the oldest of the wonders, remains standing, while the
others have been destroyed over the centuries. There is scholarly debate over
the exact nature of the Hanging Gardens, and there is doubt as to whether they
ever existed at all.”
Here’s a closer look at each wonder:
· Great Pyramid of Giza: The only remaining wonder of the ancient world, located on the Giza plateau in Egypt, considered over 4000 years old
· Colossus of Rhodes: A massive bronze statue of the Greek sun god Helios, located on the island of Rhodes
· The Lighthouse of Alexandria: A towering lighthouse built on the island of Pharos off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt
· Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: A grand tomb built for the satrap Mausolus, located in Halicarnassus
· Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: A temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, located in the ancient city of Ephesus
· Statue of Zeus at Olympia: A colossal statue of the Greek god Zeus, located in Olympia
· Hanging Gardens of Babylon: A legendary wonder, often depicted as a terraced garden complex in the city of Baylon
In 2000, a Swiss foundation launched a campaign to determine the “New Seven
Wonders of the World”. Given that the original Seven Wonders list was compiled
in the 2nd century B.C.—and that only one entrant is still standing (The
Pyramid of Giza)—it seemed time for an update. And people around the world
apparently agreed, as more than 100 million votes were cast on the Internet and
by text messaging. The final results, which were announced in 2007, were met
with cheers as well as some jeers—a number of prominent contenders, such as
Athens’s Acropolis, failed to make the cut. Here is the new list:
· Great Wall of China: One of the world’s largest building-construction projects, it is widely thought to be about 5,500 miles long; a disputed Chinese study, however, claims the length is 13,170 miles. Work began in the 7th century B.C. and continued for two millennia.
· Machu Picchu—Peru: A citadel built by the Inca, likely built in the mid-15th century, that sits about 8,000 feet in elevation in the Andes of southern Peru. Due to its remoteness, the site had limited European visitors and was only rediscovered in the 19th century.
· Chichén Itzá—Yucatán, Mexico: An architectural puzzle for archaeologists for years. Historical accounts allude to the Sacred Cenote, a large sinkhole where residents and the elite casted offerings.
· Petra—Southwest Jordan: The ancient Nabataeans built parts of their capital city right into the rock faces of cliffs in southwestern Jordan. The capital was well situated on busy trade routes between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, and between Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Phoenicia starting in the 4th century B.C. The site flourished until Romans conquered the Nabataeans in the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. Earthquakes also took their toll on parts of the ancient capital, ending most residency there in 551 A.D.
· Christ the Redeemer—Rio de Janiero, Brazil: The work on the towering statue symbol of Rio de Janeiro on Cristo Redentor was completed in 1931, making it the most recently built of the new seven wonders. A French-Polish sculptor and Brazilian and French engineers created the statue. It stands nearly 100 feet tall on the top of a 26-foot pedestal, which itself sits on top of the Corcovado mountain in a national park in the city. The embrace of the figure stretches 92 feet from arm to arm.
· Colosseum—Rome, Italy: The Colosseum stands strong as the rest of ancient Rome lies in rubble. Emperor Vespasian began work on the structure in 72 A.D. and his successor Titus completed it eight years later. The giant arena held gladiator contests, the reenactments of battles, and animal hunts of all sorts in front of up to 80,000 spectators. Complex machinations in the underbelly of the Colosseum even allowed it to be filled with water to enact sea battles.
· Taj Mahal—Agra, India: Mughal emperor Shah Jahan contracted a marvel of architectural precision built in memory of one of his wives, Mumtaz Mahal, after her death. The Taj Mahal was completed in 1648 after 17 years of construction in Agra, and nearly every grand detail of the mausoleum provides a lesson in symmetry, from the placing of the four corner towers to the way it reflects off a pond in the facing garden. The building was such a masterpiece that Jahan and Mahal’s son, Aurangzeb, buried him there alongside his mother when he died. As it stands, Jahan’s sarcophagus sits off to the side of his wife’s, nearly the only exception to the incredible symmetry of the tomb.
The “Seven Natural Wonders of the World” were made by Mother Nature, so the
experts surmise. Millions of tourists flock to these yearly as well, thus proving
the continued power of ‘wonder’.
· The Grand Canyon: Formed by the Colorado River in Arizona, it is nearly 300 miles long, spans 18 miles and its deepest point is more than one mile.
· The Great Barrier Reef: Located off the northeast coast of Australia, it is known for its natural beauty and vast diversity of marine life. It is actually a collection of more than 2,000 individual reefs, thousand of fish and other animals.
· The Harbor at Rio de Janeiro: Also called Guanabara Bay, it is the largest deep-water harbor in the world, measuring more than 80 miles long.
· Mount Everest: The highest peak on Earth at 29,029 feet, Mt. Everest sits within the Himalaya Mountain Range in Nepal/Tibet. Too rugged to support human life, the valley is home to small communities.
· The Northern Lights: Scientifically known as Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), this naturally colorful lightshow can be seen in various locations around the world. It is hard to predict when and where you will get the best view, since how vivid the lights are depends on weather and solar activity.
· Paricutin Volcano: Located in Michoacan, Mexico, and standing 1,390 feet, it is one of the youngest volcanoes in North America. The cinder cone formed after nine years of eruptions, from 1943 to 1952, at which point it became dormant.
· Victoria Falls: The falls can be found on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. The falls measure more than 5,500 feet across, more than doubling the width of Niagara Falls. It is also twice as deep.
These wonders never cease to amaze the ‘wonder seekers’, and regardless of the
conditions throughout the world, the traffic continues.
There are countless other wonders which appeal to man, some who have made it
a life goal to visit every one, and some are repeats.
All this may be well and good, and it’s not my call to say where a line should be
drawn.
When the thought came to me for the topic of this article, I had no idea it would
begin where it did. I have actually spent several hours researching the above
information, which proved to be an interesting venture to set as an introduction
to where I will now turn my attention.
Let’s get on with it…
The title is The Wonder of the Word, not world, so hopefully you read it correctly. My thought process was questioning once I divulged the introduction, as it is compiled with the world and all its natural and man-made beauties.
Let’s go back in time, not millions of years, but maybe a few thousand years. Throughout those years, and actually the only real historical facts we can glean, come from The Holy Bible, all of what has been encompassed in my introduction, was initially created by God, directly or indirectly.
“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was
without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light; and there was light’.”
Genesis 1
What a magnificent beginning to creation. Man has attempted to distort and even thwart the fact of creation. He has attempted to replace it with evolution, the big bang theory, both of which are just that—theories.
Creation by God is a fact, whether man chooses to not accept it or not.
Just as God is a fact, the whole of the reason for this thing we call life, can only be attributed to the wonder of the Word. Some try to refute that God does actually exist, by saying there is no God.
The Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Regardless of what man says, believes, or does, he cannot eradicate the existence of God.
As God progressed the creation of existence, each time He completed another addition, the Bible says, “And God saw that it was good.”
On the sixth day, we read where God reveals His true identity as the triune Godhead, one God existing in three persons. “And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping that that creepeth upon the earth. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good’.”
Again, we see the wonder of the word. God spoke, and it happened.
John the beloved disciple penned by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the
third person of the Godhead, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. He came unto His own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name…and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”
When John the Baptist, who was Jesus’s cousin, saw Jesus coming toward him as he was baptizing people in the River Jordan one day, he said, “Behold, the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
(St. John ch. 1)
When John baptized Jesus, Matthew ch. 3 records, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” Thus, signifying the reality of the triune Godhead. The wonder of the Word! How powerful, how deliberate, how magnificent does God reveal His reality to those who believe.
Some mock and ridicule, saying this is a fairy tale, this is not real. You know why they say that? Because they don’t know who the living God is…they have counterfeit gods/idols they serve…self, fame, pride, money, power, and even the atheists who say they don’t believe in God, actually have gods in their lives who they bow to daily. What they don’t realize is that their gods/idols require a sacrifice, and they pay dearly to maintain their idols. (Let that sink in). Jesus is our sacrifice, who bore our sins in his own body, on the cross.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, penned more than once throughout his writings in Proverbs, in ch. 1, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The wonder of the Word…awe, reverence, respect, even holy terror at times.
You see, the writer of Hebrews, some say it was Paul, others say it was Luke, but no matter, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit, in ch. 11, is the key to the wonder of the Word. “Now faith, (and I like to put emphasis on NOW, as it gives me a renewed incentive to realize that my faith is active) is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God…(and then he elaborates on those through the ages who I refer to as the hall of faith recipients)…by faith, etc.
And the kicker, in my opinion, is v. 6 which should open the blinded eyes of
anyone who is not a Christian, states, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Oh, my goodness, the wonder of the Word! Is that powerful or what? How anyone can not desire to know the wonderful love of God, and instead choose to live a life of self-absorption, controlled by the demons of the darkness of this world is beyond my comprehension. But, you know what? We all have been there at some time in our lives. Paul the apostle stated in Ephesians 5 the lifestyles of those who find themselves many times following after the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.
In v. 8, he writes, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth); Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
Well, needless to say, I haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg, but have
hopefully either enlightened the reader or stirred up the gift of remembrance
as it has done to me in penning these words.
That is the wonder of the Word! Once you hide it in your heart, there is no
way to not be affected by it once the occasions arise.
Jeremiah stated, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
He tried to adhere to his surroundings, give way to compromise and conformity, try not to offend anyone, accept everyone and any sins they blatantly fanned in front of him. But he couldn’t…the wonder of the Word was burning in his heart and soul!
We should realize now in this world of darkness that continues to grow darker each year, Jesus Christ, who is the Word, dwells among us; empowers us by the Holy Spirit, and God has called us to be lights in the dark.
Only those who are knowledgeable of the written word of God will be able to fend off the attacks of the enemy.
Just as Jesus when he was in the wilderness, was tempted by satan, Jesus rebuked him each time with, “It is written…”
The Wonder of the Word!
Let this wonder outweigh and outlast every other wonder in this world!
Maranatha!
D. S. Mullis
©April 24, 2025
