From "God’s creation" all things in heaven and
earth were fashioned.
Genesis means "first, in place, time, order or
rank". It carries the idea of beginning or origin. In the book of
Genesis we find the beginning of::
Creation - Genesis 1:1.
Revelation - Luke 24:27
Marriage –– Matthew 19:4,5
The Family - Genesis 1:28
Temptation and Sin – 1st
Timothy 2:13, 14. - Genesis 2:16, 17; 4:5
God’s Plan of Redemption - Genesis
3:15, 21
Civilization – Genesis 4:17, 20, 21, 22.
God’s Table of Nations After the Flood – See
Genesis 10. There are five different groups who kept the record of
their genealogy from Japheth. The Bible gives the genealogy from
Shem to Jesus Christ.
God’s Covenant With Abraham - See Genesis
12:1-3
The Beginning of the Nation of Israel -
Genesis 32:28; 49:28
Moses was the human author of Genesis and the
next four books of our Bible. Jesus, the Son of God affirmed that
Moses wrote these books by the revelation and inspiration of God.
See Matthew 5:17, 18; 7:12; 11:13; 22:37-40; Luke 16:16, 17; 24:27,
44; John 7:23.
The Bible record strongly supports the belief
that there were six literal days involved in bringing all that is in
the universe into its present form.
1). The Hebrew word for day is "yom". It is true
that yom can be used in a figurative sense to mean a period of time.
However, yom is translated 1200 times to mean one literal day and
only 65 times with the meaning "time." The plural form, "yomim" is
translated "days" 700 times.
- Each of the days of creation is designated by the numeral
"first", "second", etc. and the boundaries of each day are
specified by the words, "the evening and the morning…". In the 200
times a numeral is added to "day" or "days" in the scripture it
always means a 24 hour day. In the 100 times the phrases "evening
and morning" are used it always means a literal 24 hour day.
- God defined the nature of one days duration in verse 5. A day
consisted of a period called "light" and a period called
"darkness" and verses 14-19 amplify this.
- If "day" is given the figurative meaning of "age meaning
millions or billions of years this would require" vegetation,
plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit…"
to exist in darkness for millions and billions of years. God did
not make the light to appear in heaven until the next "day".
Genesis 1:12-16.
- The Ten Commandments defines the six days of creation as being
the same length of time as the Sabbath (seventh day) on which the
children of Israel were to rest. – Exodus 20:8-11.
The First Day – Light. Verses 1:3-5
The literal language of the Hebrew is dramatic. "God
cried, ‘LIGHT BE!" "LIGHT WAS." Light filled the universe with
warmth and illumination. Verse 4 & 5 indicate the earth was placed
on a rotational basis which resulted in one side of the earth being
illumined by the sun while the side away from the sun would
experience darkness.
The Second Day – The Atmosphere. 1:6-8.
The Hebrew word "rakia" means "a spreading out"
and refers to the various layers of the atmosphere being "spread
out" to provide the earth with a beautiful blue canopy. The
atmosphere provides the right mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and the
other gasses to make human life possible on earth. With billions of
humans and animals constantly using up the oxygen in the atmosphere
how does the atmosphere provide the right balance to sustain life?
God provided for the oxygen to be replaced by plant life. Man and
animals inhale air and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants inhale carbon
dioxide and exhale oxygen.
The atmosphere is also a canopy of comfort for
the earth. Without it the side of the earth toward the sun would be
turned into a burning oven and the side away from the sun into a
deep freeze. It also enables birds, insects and airplanes to fly;
sounds to travel and weather to be formed.
As originally created there was also a layer of
vapor canopy or "hydrosphere" above the atmosphere. This was "broken
up" (Genesis 7:1) in the days of Noah to contribute to the great
flood. This may sound far-fetched until evidence is considered that
reveal that the north and south poles were at one time covered with
lush vegetation that came to a sudden end:
1. Frozen tropical plants have been found in
Siberia with identifiable chlorophyll.
- Mammoths have been found in Siberia still possessing good meat
on their bones with partly chewed food in their mouths.
- Oil wells dug on the north slope of Alaska brought up frozen
vegetation.
The effect of a vapor canopy or hydrosphere would
be to turn the earth and its atmosphere into a giant terrarium (a
glass enclosure of plants). 1) There would be no rain before the
flood because there would be no significant air mass circulation.
(See Genesis 2:5,6). 2) The entire earth would have a tropical
climate. And, 3) People lived longer because the vapor canopy
filtered out many more harmful rays from the sun that cause
mutations and rapid aging. The scriptures tell us that earliest man
often lived over 900 years.
The Third Day - Seas, Dry Land and Plant life.
1:9-13
God’s work of creation on the third day is
described as taking place in three stages:
- Separation of liquid from solid matter
- The formation of the seas and the continents
- The covering of dry land with a blanket of varied and
luxuriant plant life.
The Seas.
At present the earth is unique in possessing
seas. Multiplied billions have been spent on space exploration with
the chief goal of finding out if other planets have seas or had them
at one time. Why?
1). Without seas there can be no life. The earth
was created as a habitation for man and those creatures and plants
that serve the needs of man. Water covers three-fourths of the
earth’s surface. The seas, lakes, and rivers obviously sustain the
life of fish, mammals etc., that live in the sea. The seas also
evaporate and form clouds. The clouds bring rain on the earth and
make possible the growing of crops and the replenishing of man’s
water supply.
The Dry Land Covered With Plant Life.
The first form of life on land was plant life. In
this age of science it is interesting to consider that scientists
can reproduce any seed made with the same components of the seeds
that grow. Yet, when the scientist’s seed is placed in the ground it
turns to dust.
Other qualities about life that scientists cannot
reproduce are:
The power of reproduction
The mystery of growth
The power of plant life to change soil into plant
life: the power of animal life to eat the plant and change plant
life into animal life and the power of humans to eat plant life and
animal life and change both into human life.
The chief function of plant life was to provide
food for man and animals (Genesis 1:29, 30; Psalms 104:14). God
provided a great variety of plants to meet the needs of a great
variety of creatures that inhabit the earth. God provided the
mysterious power to reproduce by multiplication so that a growing
population could have its needs met.
Plants make an invaluable contribution to the
environment. They:
Restore oxygen to the atmosphere
Provide a protective covering to the soil against
erosion
Provide shelter for animals and birds
Provide lumber for the housing of mankind
Beautify the landscape and influence the
climate.
The Fourth Day -. Lights in the Heavens 1:14
– 19
"And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the
expanse of the skies…"’ NIV "And God made the two great
lights; the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to
govern the night; He made the stars also." 1:14, 16.
Here, God brings the sun, moon, stars, planets,
etc into their fully developed purposes.
For lights in the heavens (verse 14a)
To divide the day from the night (14b)
To be for signs, (14c) [See Luke 21:25]
To be for seasons, days, and years (14d)
Seasons – The rotation of the earth on its axis
coupled with the earth’s rotation around the sun creates the four
seasons of the year.
For Days and Years.
It takes the earth 365 ¼ days to make a complete
trip around the sun making one year. It takes the moon 29 ½ days to
go through its cycle of quarter, half, three-quarters and full moon.
It served as a calendar of time for Israel and other nations.
"God made the stars also" The heavenly
bodies were put into perpetual motion with each moving through space
faster than a missile yet seemingly in splendid isolation.
The Fifth Day – Creatures of the Sea and Air
(1:20 – 23)
The creation of creatures of the sea and air
begins a form of life superior to plant life. This marks the
beginning of self-conscious life.
The Sixth Day – Land Animals and Man (1:24 – 31)
Land animals are classified as:
Cattle – large, grass eating, four footed animals
Creeping Things – Reptiles, insects, worms, etc.
Beasts of the Earth – Those animals that became
wild, flesh-eating animals after the fall of man. God decreed that
these creatures would bring forth "after his kind." In all
observable experience this has remained true. There remain "missing
links" between every "kind" of God’s creation.
Man
Formed from the dust of the earth, man’s body is
composed of the same 18 elements as the crust of the earth. Yet,
when this body is yielded to God it becomes an agent of service for
God (Romans 12:1,2) and the temple of the Holy Spirit (1st
Corinthians 6:19). "And God created man in His own image…"
Some have suggested this means that man has a three-fold nature of
body, soul, and spirit. Others have suggested the following
meanings:
Man was created a spiritual and moral being with
the capability of fellowship with God.
Man was created with the powers of intellect,
will, and emotion. This enables man to think, reason, dream,
envision, and experience emotional feelings. It also enables man to
have self determination. Outside influences may affect man’s
decisions. Heredity may affect man’s inclinations and propensities.
Yet, nothing rules over man’s will. Man is capable of and
responsible for his own decisions.
Man is a social creature. God said, "It is not
good that man should live alone." This not only refers to a
man’s need for a mate, but also his social need for others.
Man was authorized to rule over the rest of God’s
creation. Adam did have dominion over God’s creation until he
sinned. When the scepter of dominion fell from Adam’s hand it was
picked up by the fallen angel, Lucifer, who became Satan. With that
scepter in his hand he is "the god of this world (2nd
Corinthians 4:4). However, through the sacrificial redemption of
Christ, man has the opportunity of being restored to dominion over
all things. (See Hebrews 2:5-15).
Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scripture quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted