First Things First: The Book of Genesis

This is the first chapter of my commentary on the book of Genesis.

 Chapter 1- The Beginning of the Universe

This chapter tells us the story of how the earth began.

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

This could be worded: “In the beginning of time, God made space and matter,” though it wouldn’t be as poetic. Many believe this was originally a song. CS Louis, in the creation of his “world” Narnia, had his Christ figure (Aslan) sing the world into existence. I like that idea. Maybe this is the song our God sung at the beginning.

The word “God” here is “Elohim” which means “God” in the majestic, plural tense (This is the tense royalty uses to refer to themselves.) It does not mean more than one as our plural does, but a plurality of greatness. It is using a singular verb.

Psalms 90:2 says “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” God has always existed, long before this universe was created.

Some put a gap of several million years here. Is this correct interpretation of the Bible?

First of all, who wrote this? The traditionally accepted author is Moses, though some believe he only compiled several books written by many previous authors. These people believe Adam himself may have written down this scripture as God dictated it to him. Whoever God dictated this to, (Adam or Moses) the purpose of this scripture was to tell all those following the author in history how the earth began. Does it make sense for there to be a gap of millions of years here that is not mentioned at all?

The entire idea of “the gap” is to allow for evolution and explain the fossil record. Millions of years of evolution, dinosaurs, and many other creatures were to have lived and died between verse one and verse two.

This is also when the devil was supposed to have been a beautiful angel, leading God’s choir. He rebelled and was kicked out of heaven with a third of the angels, those who supported him in his rebellion. (History tells us this was originally a Pagan idea which the fallen church adopted into its theology during the Middle Ages.)

Do these ideas fit with the author’s purpose? No, not really. It would make no sense to leave these important pieces of history out. If they occurred, God would have included them here in Genesis when He dictated it. That is only logical.

Turns out we can easily explain all the “evidence” for the “Gap theory” (otherwise known as evolution) with the flood recorded later in this same book. Under flood conditions, coal, oil, gas, fossils, great canyons and many other supposed “proofs” of an old earth form very quickly.

For example, a minor dropped his hat in a mine that was subsequently closed for fifty years. When the mine was reopened, his hat was FULLY fossilized. It did not take millions of years as we are commonly told.

Mt. St. Helens formed a canyon 1/40^th the size of the Grand Canyon, but otherwise identical to the big boy in a matter of weeks. She also cause forests to petrify in weeks, moss beds to form, coal to form and many other “evidences of old age” to happen, all in weeks while scientists watched from helicopters.

Also, carbon and radon dating (all chemical dating methods, in fact) are based on the assumption that all organisms throughout history have absorbed the same amounts of these elements at the same rate as they do today, that the rate of absorption into our atmosphere reached saturation (which takes only 30,000 years to reach) millions of years ago (when evidence says we haven’t reached it yet!), and that no mother or daughter elements were lost at any time in history (unreasonable at best. Certainly a world wide flood would have leached some of both away). If ONE of these assumptions is wrong, than all carbon and radon dating (and all other "dating" methods)  are wrong. Since testing has been known to confirm one side of an animal as millions of years older then the other side of the same animal, we already know such testing is unreliable.

And there is NO biblical support for the “Gap Theory,” especially in this chapter.

Satan can easily be explained with Isaiah 45:7- “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” Satan was not a surprise, nor an accident. He was an intentional creation of God for the purpose of giving us a choice. Love is not Love if it is not a choice and He wanted us to choose to love Him. So we had to have a choice not to love Him, to love something else. Just as every top must have a bottom and every front must have a back, there had to be an evil counterpart to God. God created the devil just as he is today. The verses in Isaiah and other books that are used to “prove” Satan was a fallen angel are speaking about a human king who thought he was divine. (See "Is Satan a fallen angel" at BreadOfLifeCF.com)

2 And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The matter was shapeless (water) and empty and dark. The Spirit of God (since God is a Spirit) began to move.

Jesus tells us He created the world. Jesus and God are two names for the same entity.

3 And 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 And God called the light day and the darkness He called night. And the evening and the morning was the first day.

On a simple reading this scripture is very easy to understand. God made light and separated it from dark and named them both. He did this on the first day of history.

Some, however, seek to complicate things. They point out that the word “day” is from the Hebrew word “yome” which can mean “an unspecified period of time. This lets them put in a large span of time and incorporate evolution into the Bible.

However, if the author had meant “an unspecified period of time,” could he have used a better word? Yes. The Hebrew language has another word- “olem”- that means just that. Could he have used a clearer word if he meant 24 hours? No. Hebrew has no other word that means “a day” as we know it. Yome usually means “24 hours” or the hot time of one day. When it is used with a qualifier, such as “the evening and the morning,” it ALWAYS means 24 hours. So this “day” was a day as we know it today.

Notice that light was created without creating the sun.

6 And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

7 And 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. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

The word “firmament” comes from the word “raw-kee-ah” which means “an expanse.” This is from the root word “rah-kah” which means “to pound the earth, to expand, to overlay (with thin sheets of metal,) beat, make broad, spread abroad (forth, over, out into plates), stamp, stretch.” This gives us a very clear picture of God pounding and stretching the atmosphere around the world. And when we realize that the atmosphere is made up of several layers (the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere) it makes the choice of words even more beautiful.

Today we know there is a thin layer (about three inches) of water vapor surrounding the atmosphere. This could very well be the “waters above” spoken of in this scripture. Many Creation Scientists believe this “canopy” was about eighteen inches thick and possibly water (not vapor) at the beginning. If this is true, there would have been a literal ocean above the atmosphere as well as under, which sounds just like “the waters above and the waters below.” This layer of water would have filtered out all harmful solar radiation. Radiation is the leading cause of mutations (which have never been observed to be good, only bad or neutral) and aging damage. It would also have kept the earth’s temperature at a steady 75-80 degrees, pole to pole, night and day, year round. This would have produced the ideal environment for plant growth making the whole planet a tropical forest. It would also have provided maximum growth potential for all animals, possibly explaining the “giants,” such as nine-inch dragonflies, we find in the fossils. All animals can survive in tropical environments, though only a few can survive elsewhere such as the arctic or the desert.

So now we have a watery expanse, an atmosphere, and a watery expanse.

This ends our second day of history.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto 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 called He seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:” and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Here God makes dry land. He brings the oceans together into one place letting the land underneath appear. It sounds like there was only one continent and one ocean at this time.

He also made the plants, each to produce after its own “kind” (or “meen” in the Hebrew), meaning “to portion out, sort.” In other words, He made specific species that will remain true to type. They were created with the fruit already on the plant.

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

The reason for the sun, moon and stars was to:
1) Divide the day from the night.
2) To be signs telling us the seasons, days and years.

The stars were made to tell us not just when one year had ended and another begun, but to tell us which year we are in. God carefully placed the stars out there into their constellations. (Psalms 147:4 “He telleth the number of the stars. He calleth them all by their names.”) These constellations had specific meanings telling one, specific story. They are read from Virgo the virgin (who is fallen down, holding a branch and a sheaf of seeds, surrounded by Como, a virgin nursing a baby, and Bootes, a shepherd carrying a staff to guide His sheep and a sickle to harvest the fields “ripe unto the harvest.”) to Leo the Lion (who is killing and eating Hydra the evil snake, while Corvus the crow and Crater the cup pour out God’s wrath.) The entire gospel story is contained in the stars. All ancient (pre-Greek) people used the same symbols for each constellation and the same names for each star. This cannot be a coincidence, but must be the result of a common ancestral story passed down from generation to generation, gradually corrupted; just like a game of “telephone.” By the time of Greece the story had been corrupted enough to not bear a resemblance to the original, though you can detect bits and pieces of it here and there.

I do not promote the reading of horoscopes or any other astrological practice. These are of the devil and are used to deceive people. They are evil.

However, I do believe God carefully placed each star in its place to tell those ancients who didn’t have any Bible what His plan was. We don’t need this now, since we have the Bible. (see "The Gospel in the Stars")

The constellations (one major sign surrounded by three supporting signs):

Virgo- The Virgin born seed of the woman (a fallen woman holding a Branch and a sheaf of wheat seeds) Deacons or helpers are:

Coma- The desired son (a virgin nursing a baby. There is some evidence that there was a super nova that appeared in the baby’s head at the time of Christ. The wise men’s star?)

Centaurus- The dual natured one (Half man, half horse dying from a self-inflicted wound representing the God-man who died of His own free will.)

Bootes- The coming Shepherd holding a sickle, (ready to harvest His fields).

Libra- “You are weighed in the balance and found wanting.” (The price that covers)

Crux- a Cross. The sacrifice of Christ.

Lupus- A child or lamb (corrupted by the Greeks into a wolf) who is slain as a sacrifice.

Corona the crown- Christ’s victory over sin and death.

Scorpio- The Scorpion. (The evil seeking to wound Christ.)

Serpens- A large snake who is reaching for Corona and is wrapped around …

Ophiuchus- The wrestler. (the struggle between the Seed of the woman and Satan.)

Hercules- The mighty, victorious one

Sagittarius- The dual natured (Centaur) archer with a drawn bow (aimed at Centarus, the other picture of the dual-natured one. He is shooting Himself. Christ’s wiling sacrifice.)

Lyra- the harp of praise.

Ara- the burning alter being poured down on the dragon.

Draco- the dragon cast down in defeat.

Capricornus- half dieing goat (the perfect sacrifice), half living fish. Out of the sacrifice comes life (the fish has always been a symbol of God’s church).

Sagitta- The arrow of God’s judgment.

Aquilla- the eagle (king of the heavens) wounded by the arrow (Christ the King wounded for us).

Delphinus- a dolphin springing out of the water (our resurrection coming from Christ’s death)

Aquarius- The water-bearer pouring living water onto…

Picis Austrinus- the southern fish (God’s people)

Pegasus- the winged horse (the powerful and quick salvation of God)

Cygnus- the swan (the sure return of Christ)

Pices- the two fish (Israel of the Old Testament and the Church of the New) bound together by…

The Band- a cord fastened to the great sea monster (Christ’s church bound by sin).

Andromeda- The bride chained and bound.

Cepheus- The king coming to free His people.

Aries- the crowned lamb.

Cassiopia- The freed bride preparing for her groom.

Cetus- the sea monster to whom the fish are bound.

Perseus- the soldier who has defeated his enemy (He is carrying a severed head).

Taurus- the wild bull of judgment coming to rule.

Orion- The triumphant prince carrying the skin of his enemy, crushing the head of the snake while His heel is wounded.

Eridanus- The river of fire poured out from Orion onto His enemies.

Auriga- The shepherd holding and protecting His sheep as Christ protects us.

Gemini- the twin-natured ruler (Prince and Savior)

Lepus- originally a snake though the Greeks changed it to a rabbit (thus the name); the enemy that Orion stomps on.

Canis Major- originally a king on His throne coming in glory, not a big dog (Canis Major means “Big Dog” in Latin).

Canis Minor- originally a soldier coming to save His people, not a little dog.

Cancer- Not a crab, but a Middle East inn with a wall surrounding its people keeping them safe.

Ursa minor- not a little bear, but a sheepfold keeping God’s people safe in His protection (Ursa Minor is Latin for “Little Bear”).

Ursa Major- Not a big bear, but the flock gathered to her shepherd.

Argo- the ship safely arriving in the harbor bringing its passengers safely home.

Leo- the Lion of Judah, pouncing on and tearing apart His enemy.

Hydra- that old serpent, Satan.

Crater- The cup of God’s wrath poured out on His enemy.

Corvus- The Raven devouring the serpent as part of his judgment.

It is generally believed that God revealed this story of redemption and judgment to either Adam or Enoch who passed it down to his children. Noah carried onto the ark and when the nations were scattered at the Tower of Bable each group carried the story with them. Time corrupted it, but, as I said, you can still see the Gospel story.

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth:” and it was so.

16 And 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.

This specifically says that the sun did not create the world. Most ancient people worshipped the sun as the giver of life. This scripture specifically says “God created the sun,” not “the sun was the creator God.”

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”

The New King James says “…Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures…”

The New American Standard says “…Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures…”

“Bring forth” here does not mean the waters created or birthed life (as Evolution teaches), but that that is where God placed the first animal life (plant life already being created on land the day before.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

“Great whales” here is rendered “great sea monsters” in the NAS and “great sea creatures” in the NIV. The original Hebrew was “tanniym” meaning monster, serpent, or dragon.” This certainly includes whales, but does not exclude Plesiosaur, sharks, giant carp or any other large sea creatures.

God did not divide the creatures by physical characteristics like we do. He divided them by habitat. Those things that live in the water and in the air were created on the fifth day, whether they were fish, birds, mammals, insects, reptiles or amphibians. There were some of each classification in each environment.

22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Again, reproduction is limited to being within each animal’s own species. There is variation within each species, such as color, size, horns, etc. But each species can only reproduce its own species. Dogs will never birth cats, whales will never birth turtles, and dinosaurs never birthed birds.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:” and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth (wild animals) after his kind, and cattle (domestic animals) after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth (bugs, rodents, small reptiles, etc) after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

This would have included what the ancients called dragons and we call dinosaurs, which goes a long way to explaining all the legends of “dragons” interacting with humans all over the world.

26 And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

This passage begins with the first (and one of the few) references to God in the plural. Instead of making God into three different entities, I believe this scripture is rendered this way to display His royalty and might.

In the Hebrew language (in fact many languages) plural words mean not just number but size. For example, my son would be a “boy,” but my husband a “boys.” This influenced the English language in reference to royalty. The Queen of England, for example, does not say “I will go to bed now.” She says “We will go to bed now” even if she is the only one leaving the room. Around 95% of all references to God in the Bible are in the singular, all verbs and articles are in the singular, and the only number applied to God by God Himself is “One” so this is the only explanation that makes sense in context with the rest of the Bible. In fact, God reverts to the singular in the very next verse.

God gives complete control over the entire animal kingdom here. Man has tamed every type of creature and has the right to use them for his purposes.

27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

Both man and woman were created in the image of God; the man in the image of God’s strength, logic, conqueror attributes. The woman in the image of God’s compassion, beauty, and intuition. No one human could contain the entirety of God. It took two beings to display all of Him.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

God’s first command to the human race was “Go make babies.” This command was never repealed.

The Hebrew word translated “replenish” is “mawlay” and means “accomplish, confirm, consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfill, full, overflow, fullness, furnish, gather, presume, satisfy, space, take a handful, have wholly.” It does not mean “re-fill” as replenish does in modern English.

Mankind was also commanded to take control of the planet. This would require the study of the entire creation from the heavens to the core of the earth. We are still working on this and discovering more everyday.

29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat:” and it was so.

Humans and all animals were vegetarians at the start. There was no death. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12 Death was part of the curse. Jesus was the cure.

31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Things weren’t “very good” until after humans were made. Humans were the point of creation. The world at this time was an ideal environment for human existence; never too cold or too hot, plenty of food, no predators, no harmful radiation. Perfect.

Notice the order of creation: light, air, land and plants, sun moon and stars, water and air animals, land animals. Not the evolutionary order of matter, light, stars, moons and land, microscopic organisms, larger animals (water then land). This is a major disagreement that can’t be reconciled. The Bible and evolution cannot both be true.

Also, each day could not have been ten-million years as some say. That would have had plants living for millions of years before the sun, or pollinating insects, or seed-spreading mammals. In fact the Bible says it hadn’t rained by the sixth day, so these plants would have had to grow for millions of years without the sun, pollination, seed spreading OR rain. There are also many insects and birds that live exclusively off of certain mammals. These would have had to exist for millions of years without their necessary partners created on the sixth day if “day-age” theories were true. It simply is not possible.

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[1] See “Satan is Not a Fallen Angel” available at http://www.thebettysbooks.com and http://www.satan.breadoflifecf.com

[2] Please read “God’s Voice in the Stars” by Kenneth C Fleming, “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A Seiss, and “The Stars and Their Purpose” by Werner Gitt.