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 God 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 Mat 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. (Pro 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 inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training 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; http://thinkingtruth.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/top-and-bottom-circles/ 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; Pro 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
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 [Arches] MADE THEM MALE
AND FEMALE? (Mat 19:4)
There is no definite article with ARCHES
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.” (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 third
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 (Exod 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. (Act 26:17-18; 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. (Act 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, (Exod
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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