Genesis 1

Genesis 1

Sunday Morning Bible Study

November 5, 2006

Introduction

The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings (“Genesis” means “beginning”)

It’s the beginning of creation.

It’s the beginning of man.

It’s the beginning of sin.

It’s the beginning of redemption.

It’s the beginning of faith.

:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

I believe in the Big Bang Theory. God spoke and “Bang”, the heavens and the earth were created.

It has been said that if you can believe the first verse in the Bible, then you should have no problem with the rest of it.

If you understand that God is big enough to have created everything, then God can do anything. Why should a big fish have trouble swallowing a man named Jonah if God created it? Why is there a problem with Jesus raising from the dead if God created life?

:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

:4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

The first day of Creation – God creates the heavens, the earth, and light.

:6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

:7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

firmament – raqiya‘– extended surface, expanse; we could call it our atmosphere.

Some see the “waters above” as God creating a canopy of water in the atmosphere creating a sort of “greenhouse” which might have shielded the earth from the more dangerous forms of radiation. When the flood of Noah occurs, this canopy will collapse and contribute to the flood.

:9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

:10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

:11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.

:12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

:13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

The third day – dry land appears, plants appear.

Are these literal 24 hour days?

If these are, then according to the Bible’s own chronology, the earth is somewhere between 6-10,000 years old.

How could this be when science keeps telling us that the universe is billions of years old and getting older all the time?

1) Some hold the idea that these are not literal days, but ages, periods of time, perhaps a billion years for each day. But if you pay attention to the order of creation, it doesn’t match with the typical evolutionist idea at all. Birds created before land animals? Grass created before the sun and moon?

2) Could God have created the universe with the appearance of age?

How old would Adam have looked when he was created? Was he a newborn baby? Did God create someone who looked thirty years old? Was there an appearance of age?

Could it be possible that God created the universe with the appearance of age?

I hold to a 24 hour day in Genesis. I have found over the years that whenever the Bible disagrees with my ideas, I’m usually the one that’s wrong.

:14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;

We track our time and calendar by the sun, moon, and stars.

:15 "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.

:16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.