In The Beginning

In The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-25

On the isle of Patmos the Apostle John was told to write in a book “the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things” (Revelation 1:19). Why did the Lord tell John to record what he had seen, what was happening in his day and what will happen in the future? The Lord has not left us in the dark. Through the authors of the Bible He has revealed to us the past, the present, the future the plan of redemption, and the renewing of the relationship that existed between God and man in the Garden of Eden.

From the Garden of Eden to the present the enemy of God and mankind has attacked the Word of God, His nature, and character. The purpose of the attack is to create doubt and create another dark age. In his attack upon the Word of God, His nature, and character the enemy uses men and women in the governing bodies of this nation, the courts, educational system, and media. Why is this happening in a nation where 80 plus percent of the population claim to be Bible-believing Christians?

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses wrote an account of the creation of the heavens and earth and all the hosts in them. The enemy does not want our children and grandchildren to know this. He doesn’t want them to know the heavens and earth and all that exists in them is not the results of some unexplainable explosion or that humans evolved from some form of lower life to their present form of life, but the creative activity of God. He does want them to know the purpose of the evolution theory, a contradiction of what Moses wrote in the account of the creation of the universe and what exists in the universe.

The creation account answers the questions, what happened, when it happened, where it happened, who caused it to happen, how it happened, and why it happened.

Prior to the creation of the heavens and earth there was only eternity, an infinite, unlimited time; a time without beginning or ending. God inserted in eternity a finite, limited time, a time that has a beginning and will have an ending.

When Moses wrote the account of the creative activity of God he did not use the English word “God.” He used the Hebrew word name Elohim, a generic term for Deity as well as the proper name for the one and only true God. The basic meaning of Elohim is, “strong one, mighty leader, supreme Deity.” It is plural, indicting fullness, completeness, abundance, plenty, of power and majesty.

The word “created” is used in the English text to answer the question what God did. The Hebrew text uses the words asa, bara, and yasar. Asa means to do or make. Bara means essentially the same as asa. While the word bara does not exclude the use of preexisting material (Isaiah 65:18) its usage in the Genesis account of the creative activity of God excludes the use of preexisting material in the creating of the heavens and earth, the universe. God created from nothing the material He used to create the universe. The word yasar means to form or formed.

The question why did God created the heavens and earth and what exists in them is answered in the creation of mankind. The question, why Moses records the creative activity of God is answered in the question who was Moses speaking to and for whose benefit he wrote the account. He was speaking to the great grandchildren of Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. It was written for the benefit of future generations including our generation.

The great grandchildren of Jacob were enslaved and oppressed in Egypt from the time Joseph died to the time Moses led them out of Egypt. The good news they needed to hear was, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the one true God, the strong, mighty, supreme Deity. He is stronger than the nature deities and gods of Egypt. He speaks and what did not exist comes into being. He is stronger than the nature deities and gods of the people in the land they are in. He is stronger than the nature deities and gods of the land they will enter. He is stronger than the nature deities and gods of this world and nation. Why do Christians use the phrase Mother Nature?

Moses told the children of Israel the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is superior to the nature deities and gods of Egypt. He is telling us the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is superior to the nature deities and gods worshiped today and the enemy does not want our children and grandchildren to know this. He doesn’t want our children and grandchildren to the nature deities and gods of the present age are the same nature deities and gods worshipped in ancient times. He doesn’t want our children and grandchildren to know the nature deities and gods of the ancient world and the present are evil spirit beings. They are like roaring lions whose one goal is to destroy and kill.