CREATION
Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be
sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to
learn Truth from the Word of God.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth,"
(John 4:24)
Creation, chaos and restoration
The book of beginnings
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen 1:1)
When the first Greek translation, (The Septuagint) was made from the
Hebrew manuscripts, the word bereshith, translated “in the beginning” in, (Gen
1:1) was rendered biblos genesis. This means “history of the origin,” and in that
sense is a good title for the first book of the Bible. The English word, genesis,
is simply a transliteration of the Greek phrase. biblos genesis is found in, (Gen
2:4; Gen 5:1; Gen 6:9; Gen 10:1; Gen 11:27; Gen 25:12-13; Gen 36:1; Gen 37:
2 and Matt 1:1) and it is always the same: “These are the generations of...”
The content of Genesis is the seedpod of the Bible. The embryo of every
major Doctrine is found in this first book of the Scripture: the origin of the
universe, the earth, Homo sapiens, dispensations, sin, death, redemption,
Divine institutions, the Laws of establishment, nations, civilizations, and the
nation Israel. In Genesis we find two of the four dispensations: the Age of the
Gentiles, covered by the first eleven chapters, and the first section of the Age
of the Jews, (The patriarchs). The origin of Israel begins in, (Gen 12:1) and
goes through (Gen 50:26). These chapters present the history of one family:
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God always places the emphasis on the
individual, because salvation and the grace provision are always personal and
available to each member of the human race.
The main concept of this book is God’s blessing and provision for man, and
man’s failure to appropriate this grace. Genesis begins with God: bereshith
bara elohim --- “In the beginning God created...” (Gen 1:1) And ends with a
man’s coffin: ba aron b’mitzrain --- “…In a coffin in Egypt.” (Gen 50:26)
Also contained in the Book of Genesis are five Satanic attacks: Satan’s
distortion of Truth in the Garden; (Gen 3:4-5) Satan’s attack on the Laws of
Divine Establishment; (Gen 3:1-24) the attack on Volition through angelic
infiltration; (Gen 6:1-5) the attack on the principle of one man --- for one
woman, the family; (Gen 2:23) and, finally, the attack on nationalism. (Gen 11:1-
9)
God comes forward with grace, and man goes down by his own volition in
the rejection of grace. (Prov 8:35-36) Genesis reveals the failure, the
weakness, the insufficiency of man, and at the same time reveals the love, the
stability and the faithfulness of God --- the Wisdom of God and the foolishness
of man. Genesis sets the pace for the entire Bible. It presents the magnificent
grace of God the Father, the celebrity-ship of God the Son, and the sustaining
ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
All right, let’s look at the location of Genesis in the Pentateuch. Genesis is
the book of beginnings; therefore, it records man’s first failures before God.
The main theme of the balance of the Pentateuch is as follows: Exodus is the
book of deliverance, or man’s being “graced out” --- rescued from his failures
by God. Leviticus is the book of worship, or man’s relationship with God.
Numbers is the book of reversionism, or man’s discipline by God because of
carnality. Deuteronomy is the book of Doctrine, or God’s Laws for mankind.
Moses, the human author
All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable for Doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; so that the man of
God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2Ti 3:16-17)
Under the Principle of Inspiration, as stated in, (2Ti 3:16) the human author
of this book is of some importance. The Greek word theopneustos, translated
“Inspiration,” is literally “God-breathed,” i.e., inhale and exhale. The inhale of the
believer is God the Holy Spirit’s Communicating information about the unknown
past to the human author, Moses, a man with the gift of prophecy and the office
of prophet. God’s complete and coherent message, defining creation and
covering human history from its beginning to the time of Moses, is recorded in
this book with perfect accuracy. In the exhale, Moses, as the human author,
recorded the information given him directly from God. Without waiving Moses’
human genius, without waiving his fantastic vocabulary, his personality, or
changing his individuality or his personal feelings, God’s complete message to
mankind was permanently recorded in the original language --- which is
Hebrew, not King James English!
God the Holy Spirit “carried Moses along,” (2Pe 1:20-21) so that the “Mind
of Christ” was inhaled through Truth learned by Moses, (The function of
Operation Z; Illustration) and exhaled through Writing! The Mind of Christ is the
Word of God! (1Co 2:16; Psa 138:2) Since only God was present at creation,
this passage is His Eyewitness account which He Communicated to Moses and
also to other writers of Scripture. (Job 38:1-41; Prov 8:21-36; Isa 44:24; Isa 45:
12; John 1:1-3; Heb 11:3) I hasten to add that science was not present at
creation. Science knows nothing of the origin of the universe and becomes
philosophical when it begins to speculate on the origin of the earth and the
universe. Philosophy is never an exact science: philosophy is speculation! Exact
science must be mathematical in its precision; therefore, science is not qualified
to present any facts on how the universe originated. This is no way neutralizes
academic science nor discredits any of the great scientists. It merely points out
that some scientists have become speculative in the field of evolution, and their
conclusions are no more valid than their premise. Therefore, we are not
interested in the speculations of science, but only what God communicated to
Moses concerning the events of creation.
“In the beginning ...”
The outline of Genesis, Chapter 1 is threefold:
1. Creation - Verse 1.
2. Chaos - Verse 2.
3. Restoration - Verse 3 and following.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1)
This is an approximate translation from the Hebrew, but for the sake of
correct interpretation, it is not complete. When you have a summary of the
origin of the entire universe in one short phrase, great accuracy must be
observed. It was not God’s intention in, (Gen 1:1) to go into a detailed account
of how the universe came into existence, but to merely provide sufficient
information for man’s understanding of God’s power in creation.
The Hebrew prepositional phrase bereshith is made up of the preposition
be, meaning “in,” plus the object of the preposition, the noun rishah, feminine
singular, meaning “beginning.” Now, what is remarkable about “In the
beginning”? There is no definite article in the Hebrew; therefore, it is the exact
equivalent of the phrase that John used in, (John 1:1) en arche!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God! (John 1:1)
en plus the vocabulary form of arche in the locative case means: “In a
beginning which was not a beginning.” The absence of the definite article from
both bereshith and arche means “eternity past.” Now, bereshith does not mean
“in the beginning,” but it means “in eternity past something began.” Both
passages, (John 1:1) and (Gen 1:1) refer to a segment of time in eternity past.
John talks about the existence of God in eternity past, and Moses talks about
the creation of the entire universe in eternity past. (Gen 1:1) is the only verse in
this passage that presents the creation of the universe. That is why it is so
important to understand the interpretation based on Hebrew exegesis. There
are not six or seven days involved in creation. Creation of the universe was
instantaneous and occurred long before man was created, again, we have: “In
a beginning which was not a beginning, in eternity past.”
The Four Beginnings
Illustration
The chart represents the arche span, or eternity past. The second line
indicates time after the point of creation. The arche span for God is continuous:
there never was a time when God did not exist; there never will be a time when
God will not exist. There is no point of creation for the God-head --- therefore,
the Trinity is not limited by time. There was a time, (FOR ANGELS AND MAN)
when the universe did not exist; (But has always existed for God; BECAUSE
GOD IS ETERNAL) --- we have learned from the word bereshith that in a
beginning which was not a beginning, the universe was created, including the
planet Earth. In eternity past, there were no angels; but at a point in eternity,
angels were created. Time began for the angels --- time is still going on for the
angels, elect and fallen, thanks to the creation of man.
There was an indefinite period of time between the creation of angels and
the creation of man. During that period of time, the earth became chaotic due to
events that occurred among the angels. (Isa 14:12-17) Now, look at the chart
again. Before the creation of man, the earth was restored by God, as we will
see in, (Gen 1:2). The last line on the chart indicates the creation of man. And
during the time that these creations were taking place, eternity went right on for
God. Notice the top line --- this is eternity. The concept of time does not apply
to God.
The order of beginnings
There are four “beginnings.” Each beginning is in the arche span. arche is
used to mean “eternity,” but eternity is going on while time is going on. First,
there never was a time when the Members of the God-head did not exist: the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each have identical essence, coequal and
coeternal. Second, in the eternity past span, angels were created. (Job 38:6-7)
Third, in a segment of eternity past, God created the heavens and the earth
and original animal and plant life. And fourth, man and woman were created.
In the chronological order of beginnings, three points are taken from the
Greek of the New Testament, and one from our passage in Genesis.
1. God, Jesus Christ
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God! (John 1:1)
In the Greek this reads, en arche ho logos. en arche refers to the pre-
existence of God, to the fact that Jesus Christ is God and pre-existed creation
of any type. So, first in the chronological order of beginnings is the existence of
God without beginning. “In a beginning which was not a beginning, He always
was.” There never was a time when He wasn’t ho logos, the Word. Jesus
Christ! From the standpoint of logic not chronology, (John 1:1) is the oldest
verse in the Bible. There is nothing older than the existence of Jesus Christ as a
Member of the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
have always existed!
2. Angels
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you
have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who
stretched the line on it? "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its
cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God
shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
3. The Universe
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1)
This is the next beginning and refers to the creation of the universe,
including all the galaxies and one little planet “Earth.” The antiquity of the
universe is unknown. Neither carbon dating, fossil study nor any other system
can give us the information.
4. Man
And He [Jesus] answered and said, Have you not read, that He who
created them from the beginning [Aparches] MADE THEM MALE AND
FEMALE? (Matt 19:4)
There is no definite article with aparches because it refers to some
segment of eternity past. It should be translated, “from a beginning which was
not a beginning, in eternity past.”
Original creation
We have in, (Gen 1:1) the instantaneous creation of the entire universe -
not angels, not man - just the universe. The emphasis is on the earth as the
battleground for the angelic conflict. God did not see fit to furnish any additional
information on original creation.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1)
Elohim is the Hebrew word for God. The suffix im is the Hebrew plural,
thus indicating the Trinity, the three coequal and coeternal Persons of the
Godhead. This is God from the standpoint of essence, according to, (Deut 6:4)
and (1Ti 2:5). All Members of the Godhead are identical in their essence; they
have the same sovereignty, righteousness, justice, eternal life, omniscience,
omnipotence, omnipresence, love, immutability and veracity. They are coequal
and coeternal! All three Members of the God-head were involved in creation,
although Jesus Christ, the Son, was the actual Executor of creation, according
to, (John 1:3) and (Col 1:16).
“In a beginning which was not a beginning, in eternity past, elohim
created.” bara means “to create something out of nothing.” This is comparable
to ex nihilo in the Latin. You must understand that only in the qal stem does
bara means “to create out of nothing.” In the niphal stem, bara means “to cut,
to carve, to polish”; and in the hiphil stem, it means “to feed, to make fat,” as it
is used in reference to feeding animals.
Next we have ha shamajim. Again, notice the plural ending of im. This
should be translated “the heavens,” and that includes everything but the planet
Earth. The whole universe with all its galaxies, were created instantaneously out
of nothing! Finally, we have ha aretz, the planet Earth. When we get down to
“Planet Earth” at the end of, (Gen 1:1) the rest of our passage is devoted to
the earth. No further reference is made to the rest of the universe. So our
expanded translation should read:
In a beginning which was not a beginning, in eternity past, elohim created
out of nothing the entire universe, including Planet Earth (Gen 1:1)
Three words for “creation”
There are three different Hebrew words for creation:
(1) bara - created. Bara means to “create something out of nothing”;
furthermore, the “something created” is not necessarily visible or observed.
(2) jatsar - formed. This word is used for fashioning something on the
exterior, as a sculptor molding an object.
(3) asah - made. This word has the concept of building out of something
already in existence.
We will look at two different verses that use these Hebrew verbs.
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who
formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste
place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else.
(Isa 45:18)
“For thus said the Lord, [jehovah]” is a Hebrew phrase which refers to
Jesus Christ, a Member of the Trinity, as the actual Creator of the universe.
This is correctly translated and needs no amplification. “Created” is the qal
active participle of bara and should be rendered “the One creating out of
nothing the heavens.” This refers to the same original creation which we are
discussing in, (Gen 1:1; Isa 45:18) compared with, (Col 1:16) proves that Jesus
Christ is God. “He is God, the elohim Himself [The essence of the Trinity] that
formed the earth!” This is the qal active participle of jatsar and means, “the One
fashioning” as a potter molds the clay.
The formation of the earth is very important because we must have a
certain type of topography for man to survive. Since the water helps to purify
the air, there must be more water than land mass. Prevailing winds, which blow
in from the oceans, purify the earth’s land mass. They pick up the excess
carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide traces, and the winds return to the ocean
where these chemicals are absorbed by the water as bicarbonates. You see,
the ocean takes an “Alka Seltzer!” To keep water within a boundary and to set
up a land-water ratio. So here is Jesus Christ jatsaring the topography of
Planet Earth.
“God Himself formed the earth and made it.” “Made” is the qal active
participle of our third word, asah, meaning “to manufacture out of existing
materials.” At some point following the creation of the universe, God made plant
and animal life.
“He hath established it,” is literally, “He stabilized, [The earth].” This refers
to the relationship between the earth and the other planets, as well as the
relationship between the earth and God. The earth is established so as to
continue in an orbital pattern without being destroyed by any other planet or
celestial bodies in space. The earth is just a little planet in space, but it is
stabilized and non-destructible until God gives the word. At that point it will self-
destruct, through nuclear fission or fusion. (2Pe 3:10)
Now, notice another verse:
Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My
glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made. (Isa 43:7)
Again, we have the same three Hebrew verbs, except that this time the
passage is referring to the creation of HIS SPIRITUAL FAMILY OF ALL TIME
PERIODS AS WELL AS THE TRUIBULATION PERIOD! (Isa 43:6-13)
Summary of Creation
1. The creation of the universe did not occur over a long period of time, i.e.
the Archaeozoic thru the Cenozoic ages of geology. Original creation was
instantaneous from the hand of God, (With the appearance of age; just like
Adam and Eve) and occurred as rapidly as you can pronounce the word
“creation” or snap your fingers. (Psa 19:1; Psa 33:6; Heb 11:3; (2Pe 3:5)
2. The six-day period recorded in, (Gen 1:3-31) is not a description of
original creation. This refers to the preparation of the earth for habitation.
3. The time of creation is unknown. The antiquity of the universe is
unknown. But what is known is that God did it! You will note in, (Gen 1:1) that
there is no argument for the existence of God. God does not have to justify His
existence to anyone!
Look again at, (Isa 45:18).
For thus says the LORD, who CREATED the heavens (He is the God who
FORMED the earth and MADE it, He established it and did not CREATE it a
waste place, but FORMED it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is
none else. (Isa 45:18)
Our next important point is” “He did not CREATE it a waste place.” Again
we have bara with a third feminine singular suffix, which refers to Planet Earth.
Not the whole universe! Notice, “He did not CREATE it a waste place [lo tohu].”
The best translation of tohu is “waste or desolation.”
“He formed her [jatsar - sculpting topography] to be inhabited.” “To be
inhabited” is the qal infinitive construct of jashab and means “to dwell in
blessing.” Finally, “I am the Lord [Jesus Christ] and there is none else, [No
other celebrity].”
Chaos
The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
(Gen 1:2)
We have the word “was,” which is the qal perfect of hajah, meaning “had
become.” Since we know that God is perfect and His works are perfect, (Deut
32:4; Mat 5:48) we know that the earth was not created imperfect. The earth
“had become” something it was not before - the Hebrew says tohu waw bohu,
translated here “without form, and void.” We have just seem tohu translated,
“waste place” in; (Isa 45:18) but in both places, (Gen 1:2; Isa 45:18) it should
be rendered, “waste or desolation.” “Void” as a translation of bohu, is not
incorrect, but it is better rendered “empty.” tohu applies to the original animal
life on the earth. All we have left of this type of life are some fossils and a few
bones to show evidence of their existence. “But the earth had become desolate
and empty.”
After the creation of angels and before the creation of man, there was an
indefinite period of time in which tohu waw bohu occurred. Why? Angels were
also created perfect, but through negative volition many rebelled against God;
(Satan’s fall - Eze 28:15-16; Isa 14:12-17). The angelic conflict and God’s
judgment of the rebellious angels resulted in chaos: “and darkness was upon
the face of the deep.”
Raging waters
The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
(Gen 1:2)
Next, we have “darkness,” which means the absence of light and heat. The
Hebrew word choshek means “a darkness that keeps out light,” and therefore it
keeps out heat. The word for “deep” is tehom, which means “raging waters,
disturbed waters, and stormy waters.” This indicates that raging water was
used to destroy the earth. The water was then frozen. We know this because
the word for “water” is hamajim, which is “melted water.”
“And the darkness was upon the face of the deep” indicates some of the
destruction of the pre-Adamic earth’s surface by the flooding of raging water.
Later on; the earth will have another flood, and in that one civilization will be
wiped out, but the earth will be preserved. (Gen 6:1-8)
At this point I want you to stop for a moment and reflect. The earth was in
a totally helpless and bound state. There was no way that anything could
evolve. No possibility for micro-organisms to become man, so possibility for any
evolution! The earth was in darkness, covered by an ice pack. There was tohu
waw bohu, and there was no longer animal or plant life. There was nothing! And
that “nothing” would have remained except for the grace of God! The very
restoration of the earth was grace.
Now, a brief summary of what happened between, (Gen 1:1-2).
1. Between verses 1 and 2, a catastrophe occurred in the universe which
had an effect on Planet Earth.
2. This catastrophe included the fall of Satan in, (Isa 14:12-17) and (Eze
28:11-19).
3. The course of the angelic conflict turned the pre-Adamic world into
desolation and chaos.
4. Therefore, between verses 1 and 2, the angelic conflict began its course
and eventually overflowed into human history.
5. In, (Isa 14:17) the destruction of the pre-Adamic earth is directly related
to the fall of Satan and the angelic conflict.
6. However, the earth was not originally chaotic. (Isa 45:18)
7. By the time of the restoration of the earth, the Divine judgment of fallen
angels, (Mat 25:41) had been pronounced.
8. Between, (Gen 1:1-2) the earth was packed in ice. Underneath the ice
was tohu waw bohu - over the ice, darkness! Darkness covered the top of the
ice so that the ice would not melt. This was a hopeless situation for the earth,
just as we are helpless prior to salvation --- totally helpless! We cannot save
ourselves, even as the earth could not do anything for itself.
Restoration
The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
(Gen 1:2)
When a hopeless situation exists, only God can solve it. ruach elohim is
correctly translated, “the Spirit of God,” (The Holy Spirit). God had the only
solution to the chaotic condition of the earth. (John 6:63; Psa 104:30) Because
the earth continued to be packed in ice and could not change or improve itself,
God the Holy Spirit moved upon the earth, and grace changed chaos into
blessing. What God did for the earth in restoration, the Holy Spirit does for the
individual in regeneration!
The word “moved” is rachaph and literally means “to incubate.” Birds are
said “to brood” over their eggs: when warmth from the mother’s body incubates
the egg, out pops a baby whatever it is --- sparrow, swan or buzzard! In, (Deut
32:11) rachaph is the verb used for a bird brooding over her young to warm
them and to give them vitality. What this word really implies is this: remember,
darkness covered the earth --- no light, no heat! God the Holy Spirit didn’t
“move,” but He “provided heat.” The best translation is: “He incubated the ice
pack.” The Spirit of God radiated heat, producing melted water.” When the
Spirit applied heat, the ice pack melted.
Just as asah was used in the original creation for manufacturing something
out of something. So asah will be used for the ministry of the God-head in
restoring the earth. In six literal days, the earth, as man knew it before the
flood, was manufactured out of tohu waw bohu --- an ice pack, plus total
darkness, minus heat, minus light. The condition of chaotic earth was, like the
present condition of unregenerate man. Like the ruined primitive earth, man
under Spiritual death is enshrouded in darkness; (2Co 4:3-4) and only the
regenerating ministry of God the Holy Spirit can bring life through relationship
with God. (Mat 19:28; John 3:1-36; Tit 3:5)
“Let there be light”
Then God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Gen 1:3)
Again, the word for “God” is elohim. You will recall that the im includes all
three members of the God-head. While the Holy Spirit was the primary Agent in
the first acts of restoration, the Father and the Son also played a part. The
word “said” is the qal imperfect of amar, which means “to communicate with a
voice.” amar is in the thrid masculine singular; therefore, we know that only one
Member of the God-head --- the Father --- spoke, although all three Members
were present.
“Let there be” is the qal imperfect of hajah, which is used here as a
command. So the literal translation reads: “And elohim said, light, be! And light
was!”
At this time we are dealing with elementary light from God, not light from a
container or reflector as we know it today. Elementary light is a material
substance which is in contrast to darkness. Darkness had its origin in Satan.
God did not bring darkness on the earth; Satan brought it through his fall and
the resultant angelic conflict. That is why darkness is used so many times in the
Scriptures to illustrate sinfulness, Satan’s thinking Satan’s kingdom, and the
absence of man’s relationship with God. Darkness cannot sustain life --- neither
plant, animal or human. God solves the problem of darkness with light because
light as heat and energy makes it possible for life to exist. Verse 2 showed us
that the ice pack, which acted as a swaddling band around the earth, had been
melted. To maintain this status, concentrated light, containing heat, was
necessary. Hence: “elohim said, light be! And light was!” THE EARTH WAS
BORN AGAIN!
The Doctrine of light
1. God is light. Light demonstrates both the essence and then personalities
of the God-head. (1Jn 1:5)
2. Light is necessary for man’s existence on the earth. (Ecc 11:7; Jer 31:
35)
3. Divine guidance of Israel was provided by God through light (Exo 14:20)
4. Jesus Christ, as the manifest Person of the God-head, is light. (John 8:
12; (1Ti 6:16)
5. Truth in the soul, through the function of Operation Z is portrayed by
light. (Acts 26:18; Psa 18:28; Psa 119:105; Psa 119:130)
6. The edification complex, (Temple of the soul) is constructed from the
light of the Word of Truth. (Psa 43:3; Psa 119:130; Rom 13:12; Eph 5:8; (1Jn 2:
8)
7. The gospel is called light. (2Co 4:3-4; (2Ti 1:10)
8. Salvation brings the believer out of darkness into light, just as the planet
earth was brought out of darkness into light by God (Luk 1:79; (1Pe 2:9).
9. The believer in Spiritual maturity reflects the light of Truth. (2Co 4:6-7)
The perfect light
God saw that the light was good... (Gen 1:4)
Man does not see light in all its forms. He sees colors because of light,
and he is able to do many things with refraction and polarization of light. The qal
imperfect of ra-ah says that God “always does see.” Now, there is no verb
before “good.” You simply have an elliptical phrase here, and the omission of
the verb puts great emphasis on the following word, tobh. Consequently, we
have “light - good!” The “seeing” of elohim is an anthropomorphism to explain
God’s attitude toward His own creation on the first day of restoration.
The evil darkness
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the
darkness. (Gen 1:4)
Darkness belongs to the devil. The devil cannot produce light, create life,
nor can he provide regeneration. The devil can do nothing constructive for this
earth or for the universe. So there must be a separation, and we find it in the
next phrase, “And elohim divided.” The hiphil imperfect of badhal means “to
cause to separate.” “elohim caused to separate the light from the darkness.”
God does not obliterate darkness at this point, but allows it to coexist so that
there will always be a perfect illustration of good and evil. If God had
obliterated the darkness, He would also have obliterated the fallen angels and
terminated the angelic conflict. It was God’s purpose that man’s volition would
resolve the angelic conflict; therefore, man must always have the opportunity to
choose between the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Light. (Acts 26:
18) At the time of the Second Advent there will be all light and no darkness.
(Isa 60:19; Zec 14:5-7)
Literally, we now have, “And elohim saw that the light - good! And elohim
caused to separate between light and darkness.” Keep in mind that the
darkness was caused by the angelic fall and not by God. God corrected the
situation with light, just as God would solve the sin problem with Salvation.
Furthermore, the light will keep all surface water from refreezing and destroying
the earth by ice again. The earth was destroyed a second time by water,
(Baptized) (Gen 7:17-24) and will be destroyed a third time by fire. (Cleansed)
(2Pe 3:10)
Day and night
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was
evening and there was morning, one day. (Gen 1:5)
This is elohim plus the qal imperfect of qara. And elohim called the light
jom --- “day,” that portion of the day where there was darkness, He called
“night.”
All created things must have terminology from God. This phrase, “God
called the light Day,” emphasizes the importance of Words and Terminology in
the Scripture. It also stresses the importance of the right lobe where you have
vocabulary and categories. You can’t think without words. The name of a thing
is the expression of its nature. While something named by man expresses the
impression made on his human mind, a Thought named by God expresses the
exact REALITY of the thing and or the Thought. God used vocabulary; and
whether you are aware of it or not, words, vocabulary and categories are the
invention of God --- so that you can use your mind for its proper and intended
purpose - to Think Spiritual Thoughts. (GOD’S THOUGHTS) Even Augustine
observed that all light is not day, nor all darkness night, but light and darkness
alternating.
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was
evening and there was morning, one day. (Gen 1:5)
Now, as we move on, we run into another problem: “And the evening.” The
Hebrew arabh means “to become dark,” not “to be dark.” The English says,
“And the evening and the morning were the first day.” That isn’t what the
Hebrew says. The qal imperfect of hajah should be translated, “And the evening
became.” In other words, it became dark. Why? The earth was rotating; light
had energized its motion - a dead thing doesn’t rotate. When the earth was
suspended in ice, it did not rotate because there was no heat in the ice pack.
Now, a very interesting thing began to happen. Because the earth was covered
with fluids, fluid dynamics began to shape the earth.
Up to this point there was concentrated light only in the earth. As the earth
continued its rotation, it became morning. This is one complete revolution.
Literally, we have, “and there was evening and there was morning, --- Day
One.”
The atmosphere
Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and
let it separate the waters from the waters." (Gen 1:6)
The word for “firmament” is raqija. It refers to atmosphere and
occasionally to the expanse of heaven beyond the atmosphere. raqija is used
four ways in the Old Testament: (1) it is translated “a transparent work of
sapphire,” in, (Exo 24:10). In that sense, we see the color of the sky. (2) The
sky is called a mirror, “a molten looking glass,” in, (Job 37:18). (3) it is
described as “a tent spread over the earth” in, (Isa 40:22). (4) In, (Psa 104:2) it
is a “curtain” spread over the heavens. This presents the transparency of the
atmosphere, illustrating the fact that the atmosphere is made up of gases.
So, literally, “And elohim said, Atmosphere be!” Remember, the earth had
rotated once while it was completely covered with water. Now, the water on the
earth was going to be divided by the atmosphere. Some of the water on the
earth will be above the atmosphere, and some will be on the surface of the
earth below the atmosphere. Therefore, the atmosphere would be between the
waters. The lower waters would be stored on the surface and below the
surface of the earth; the upper waters would be stored above the atmosphere.
(Job 38:37) There would be no rainfall on the earth until after the Flood of Noah’
s day. During the period before the Flood, all moisture would be provided by a
system of evaporation. (Gen 2:6) Much of the water for the Flood would come
from below the earth. (Gen 7:11)
The band of atmosphere around the earth, which God provided on Day
Two, is vital to human, animal and plant existence; we could not have life
without it. The moon, which is a satellite, is a dead world because it has no
atmosphere. The band of atmosphere around the earth is composed of a
mixture of gases in a more or less stabilized form, such as oxygen, hydrogen,
nitrogen, helium, neon, etc. We call this “air”; the Bible calls it “atmosphere.”
The composition of air or atmosphere changes with regard to the amount of
moisture and the amount of carbon dioxide, but the other components remain
constant.
Atmosphere has an important effect on our climate, radiation, weather,
and even our comfort. The relationship between water and atmosphere is very
important. Winds are a part of the atmosphere and were created with it on the
second day. God originally established a perfect balance between these things.
God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the
expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. (Gen 1:
7)
Literally, verse 7 says, “And God manufactured the atmosphere.” Now,
this is elohim the Son, the Creator. When elohim the Father gave the command
in verse 6, elohim the Son executed it - there was no time lapse! The Father
said, “Atmosphere be in the middle of the water!” The Son manufactured the
atmosphere instantly!
The word “made” is the qal imperfect of asah, indicating that the
atmosphere was manufactured out of already existing material. “And divided” is
literally, “He caused to separate.” At the end of the verse we read, “And it was
so.” This is a Hebrew idiom meaning that something previously described was
done --- “And so it came to pass.” So our expanded translation reads:
“elohim [The Son] manufactured the atmosphere out of already existing
material and caused to separate between the waters under the atmosphere
and between the waters above the atmosphere, and so it came to pass as
previously described.”
God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was
morning, a second day. (Gen 1:8)
“And elohim called” --- again we have qara, which means that He provided
terminology, vocabulary, a system for technical and categorical Spiritual
Thinking: God designated the atmosphere “Heaven.” “And, [The same as in
verse 5] it became evening, --- Day Two.”
Summary
A literal translation of the activities of Creation, Chaos and the first two
days of Restoration reads as follows:
In the beginning which was not a beginning, in eternity past, elohim (The
Son) created out of nothing the entire universe, including Planet Earth. (Gen 1:1)
But the earth had become desolate and empty with darkness on the face
of the raging waters. And the Spirit of God radiated heat, producing melted
waters. (Gen 1:2)
And elohim said, light be! And light was! (Gen 1:3)
And elohim saw that the light --- good And elohim caused to separate
between the light and between the darkness. (Gen 1:4)
And ELOHIM called the light Day, but the darkness he called Night. So it
became evening, and it became morning --- Day One. (Gen 1:5)
And elohim said, Atmosphere be in the middle of the waters, and cause to
divide between the waters under the atmosphere and the waters above the
atmosphere. (Gen 1:6)
And elohim (The Son) manufactured the atmosphere out of already existing
material and caused to separate between the waters under the atmosphere
and between the waters above the atmosphere, and so it came to pass as
previously described. (Gen 1:7)
End
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