GENESIS
Listen to this study TH3001
Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Genesis chapter 1 as we continue our study through the Word of God. The Hebrew title of this book is taken out of the first verse, “In the beginning.” Our English title is taken out of the Greek translation or the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and it means “beginnings” or “origins.” As you will see, this book gives to us the origins of many things like: the universe, the solar system, life, man, marriage, evil, sin, language, government, nations, religion and-so-on. Thus, this is a foundational book for us to learn from and believe what God has said.
What is alarming to me is not that the unsaved don’t believe in the book of Genesis, but many so-called Christians don’t believe the literal interpretation of this book, especially the first 11 chapters. Some see this as nothing more than stories, allegories that have certain moral and spiritual values to them. They do not believe this is a historical book, a book to be taken literally, especially the account of creation!
Let me make this as simple and clear as possible and I don’t mean to offend any of you, but this is just the way it is. If you can’t trust the book of Genesis then how can you possibly trust any other book of the Bible. You see, if the foundation of your faith is weak, then it won’t stand! Paul, in I Corinthians 15:21-22 tells us, “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” In other words, if the first Adam was only an allegory then so must be the second Adam or Jesus Christ! Do you see how foundational this book is to us? I hope you do!
The Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Torah are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy and I believe Moses wrote these books. Not only does tradition support that, but so does the Scriptures. I know, there are those who hold to the Documentary Hypothesis that says several people wrote Genesis and there are many theories out there, but the Word of God speaks for itself. In Luke chapter 24 we are told, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. . . . Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’” Luke 24:27, 44. Thus, I may not have a PhD. hanging on my wall, but I do know that Moses wrote the Pentateuch, God said so! Also, the Pentateuch was probably written at the time of the Exodus or the latest it could be was forty years after the Exodus, prior to the death of Moses.
Here is another important point that we should not miss. In the New Testament there are some 200 direct quotes or the verse alludes to the book of Genesis with half of them focusing on the first 11 chapters of Genesis. That is the section that many say are not historical, they are not literal and yet the New Testament speaks as if it was, which tells me it is! In fact, Jesus quoted or referred to each of the first 7 chapters of Genesis as being historical and divinely inspired! Folk’s, that is good enough for me but if it is not for you, we will see that nature itself declares the glory of God and that to me is the final nail in the coffin for those who don’t believe the book of Genesis and believe in evolution, a very poor theory!
W. H. Griffith wrote, “The first book of the Bible is for several reasons one of the most interesting and fascinating portions of Scripture. Its place in the Canon, its relation to the rest of the Bible, and the varied and striking character of its contents combine to make it one of the most prominent in Holy Writ. It is with a real spiritual insight, therefore, that the people of God in all ages have fastened upon this book, and given it their earnest attention.”
Thus, this evening we are going to begin our journey through the Bible starting in the book of Genesis and going through the book of Revelation. Here at Calvary Chapel of Manitowoc, in 12 years of ministry here, we have been through every book of the Bible except the Pentateuch, which we will cover now, over the next few years. And I think this is such an important book for it sets the stage for all that is to come, it truly is a foundational book of the Bible. So with that said, lets begin reading in Genesis chapter 1, starting in verse 1 and lets see what the Lord has for us as we begin our journey this evening.
Folks, if you can believe this verse, the rest of the Bible is a piece of cake. If you can’t believe this verse, you will stumble with the rest of the Scriptures, what they are saying. Henry Morris tells us:
The first verse of the Bible is the most important and basic of all. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” When one really believes this verse, he will have little difficulty believing all the rest of God’s Word. This single verse refutes all the various false theories about origins the men have invented.
The verse refutes atheism (“the doctrine of no God”) because it starts with God. Pantheism (“all God”) is refuted because it shows that God existed before the universe. Polytheism (“many gods”) is false because the universe which was created was not a “poly-verse” and it was created by one God. Dualism, the doctrine of two eternal gods, one good and one evil, is merely a special form of polytheism. Evolutionism is rejected because it says that God created.
Actually, all these false philosophies are essentially the same. All theories of origins – other than the true account in the Bible – teach that the present “cosmos” came into existence by the operation of the “gods” or the forces of nature or some mystical principle acting upon the previously existing material “stuff” of the earlier “chaos.” This idea is no less prevalent in ancient paganism than in modern scientism. The revelation of the special creation of all things by an eternal and almighty personal God is essentially unique to the Bible! Thus all other explanations of origins, whether religious or philosophical or scientific, are basically only different forms of the concept of evolution.
- Henry Morris, The Beginning Of The World, pp. 10-11
Now what we miss in our English translation is that the Hebrew word that is used for God is not EL, which means one God, but ELOHIM and it is in the pleural form meaning more than 2. Thus, you can read this verse like this, “In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the earth.” Now that sounds like polytheism, but it is not. You see, the pleural noun “God’s” is attached to a singular verb, “created.” In other words, we see here a hint at the Trinity being actively involved in the creation process. Do we see this in the rest of the Scriptures? You bet we do. Yes, the word Trinity you will not find in the Scriptures, but the concept is there, beginning right here in Genesis!
In Hebrews 11:3 we see God the Father involved in creation, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” In Genesis 1:2b we see the Holy Spirit involved in creation, “ . . . And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” And in Colossians 1:16-17 we see God the Son involved in creation, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
Thus, it is very clear to me that the Triune God, one God manifested in three distinct persons were involved in creation. It is as Clarke said, “He must be strangely prejudiced indeed who cannot see that the doctrine of a Trinity. And of a Trinity in unity is expressed in the above words.” And Leupold, quoting Luther on Elohim said, “But we have clear testimony that Moses aimed to indicate the Trinity or the three persons in the one divine nature.”
Also, the word “created” is important for us to understand here. It is the Hebrew word BARA and it means to bring into existence something out of nothing and only God can do that. Man can “make” things or ASAH in Hebrew, or “form” things or YATSAR in Hebrew but he can’t make the materials out of nothing and bring them together to form something, only God can do that. Man can take and form existing materials into more complex things but that is as far as it can go. So, in the beginning God created out of nothing all the material for the heavens and the earth and He will assemble them together.
In this verse some see the Gap theory here. The Gap theory says that God created the heavens and the earth and the angels, including Lucifer inhabited the earth until Lucifer rebelled against God and took 1/3 of the angels with him and then the earth became without form and void. Thus, within this period of time they say there was death and destruction, which explains the fossil record. I disagree. There was no death and destruction before Adam sinned, Paul makes that point in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
The reason some believe in this gap theory is because the phrase “the earth was without form and void” they believe should be translated, “the earth became without form and void.” Keep in mind that in the over 1500 occurrences of this word in the Old Testament, only 25 times is it translated “became.” They also point to Isaiah 45:18 which says, “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am the LORD, and there is no other.’” The rational, according to those who adhere to the Gap theory, is that God did not, would not create the earth without form or void, it became that way. It is the same Hebrew words used here in Genesis 1:2 and thus, it must fit. I don’t read that verse like that. I see it as God did not create the heavens and the earth to be void but to be inhabited and thus, God is putting everything together. Right now it is a watery matrix of elements that will be assembled together. So I just see this part of God’s creative work and I don’t see the Gap theory fit, I don’t believe it is Scriptural!
Also, some see this darkness and say that God could not create darkness, but in Isaiah 45:7 we are told, “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.” Keep in mind that the universe was formed but not yet energized yet and light is a form of energy. Thus, the Holy Spirit is moving or the Hebrew word, RACHAPH, which can be translated “shake” (Jeremiah 23:9) or “fluttereth” (Deuteronomy 32:11). Think of the Holy Spirit moving, vibrating or pouring out energy into the creation! That is what I see here, the universe needs to be energized and the Holy Spirit is the one doing it.
Now how can there be light when the sun and moon are not formed until the fourth day? We don’t know what this light is for sure. We do know that God is light and in the New Heavens and New Earth there is no sun or moon, everything is lit by the glory of God shinning forth. Whatever the source here, we do know the earth is now moving on its axis, rotating for there is evening and morning! Thus, this is a 24-hour day.
Some see here that the word “day” or YOM in Hebrew represents long periods of time, anywhere from thousands, to millions of years, geological periods of time. Dr. Hugh Ross, a Christian and also a progressive creationist who believes in the Big Bang theory occurring some 16 million years ago, that there was death and blood shed before Adam was around, but that not only goes contrary to the Scriptures, but it is a dangerous way to look at these verses. Why? Because if the first Adam was not real, then the second Adam, Christ is not. If we can’t trust what God says in Genesis, or we have to interpret it to fit into our theology or way of thinking, then how can we believe anything else that God has said? You see, you open up a Pandora’s box with that kind of thinking. And if you look what is said in these verses, God makes it very clear when He says “evening and morning were the first day” and-so-on. The problem is not in what God has said, but we just choose to disagree with the obvious because it doesn’t fit what we want to believe. That is very foolish and I believe it is dangerous and Hugh Ross has a huge following as he is indoctrinating people into this false doctrine!
Here’s the thing. Every time the word YOM is used and it is attached to a number or phrase like “evening and morning” or just one of those words, it is a literal day. Thus, in Exodus 20:8-11 we are told, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Also, in Exodus 31:17 we are told, “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” If it were not 6 literal days, then why would God say that? If it were not 6 literal days, then is God lying? Of course not, God is truth! Thus, this is not speaking of thousands or millions of years, but 6 literal days and God rested on the 7th. And if you think about it, God tells the children of Israel that they are to rest on the Sabbath day or the 7th day. If this was millions of years, that would mean man would work for 6 thousand or million years and rest in the 7th, which is just foolish! Thus, each day is a literal day, 24 hours. Also, with the creation of mass we have entered time as we know it!
VERSES
7-8
On the second day of creation God is dividing the waters above the firmament from the waters below the firmament. This water that was above was probably a water vapor or blanket, you couldn’t see it, and light just passed through it. That would bring about uniform temperatures throughout the world, there would be no wind, no storms, no rain as a mist came up and watered the earth. Every place would be very tropical, lush in vegetation, this water canopy would filter out any harmful radiation, cosmic rays. It would be very beneficial.
The fossil record does seem to support this as we find fossil evidence of lush vegetation all over the world. That did change after the flood and we will see that when we get to that section of Genesis. We find fossilized asparagus ferns 50 feet tall, moss that grew over 2 to 3 feet and today it is only a few inches, horsetail reeds reached heights of 50 feet and yet today, only 5 or 6 feet! That is what the waters above the firmament caused!
Now the waters that were below the firmament or expanse were nothing more than a shoreless ocean. You see, there were no landmasses at this time. Thus, we have the evening and the morning were the second day!
VERSES
9-13
On the third day of creation we see God divide the land from the sea and create all types of vegetation. Now, was this once a large land mass? I believe so and science does seem to support this. Back in 1912 a scientist; a German geologist by the name of Alfred Wegener was the first to put forth the idea of a continental drift or the separating of one land mass. It is possible that this occurred after the flood, after the tower of Babel in Genesis chapter 10 we are told, “To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided . . .” Genesis 10:25. After the flood, after God divided the people, I believe the earth was also divided and today we see evidence of a continental drift of this once large landmass that was separated!
Also, on this third day God created all plant life, all vegetation. Now if a day represented thousands or millions of years and the sun was not created till the fourth day, how could the plants survive? They couldn’t! And I love what God tells us here, it is so important. Inside each one of these plants is the ability to reproduce after their own kind! Thus, an apple tree will not propagate an orange tree or a kernel of corn will not produce a redwood tree! Yes, the Bible is not a science book, but as you will see, when it speaks about science, it is 100% correct!
Henry Morris said this regarding seeds. They are “Programmed to enable the continuing replication of that type of organism. Each type of organism has its own unique structure of DNA and can only reproduce of its own kind – there is a great deal of horizontal variation but no vertical changes.” That is to say that there is a variety of different kinds of apples, but apple seeds produce apple trees, nothing else! There are no vertical changes that take place!
And folks, not only are Christians aware of this, that there are no transitional forms of plant life or the evolution of plants. A professor of tropical botany wrote, “The theory of evolution is not merely the theory of the origin of the species, but the only explanation of the fact that organisms can be classified into this hierarchy of natural affinity. Much evidence can be adduced in favor of the theory of evolution – from biology, biogeography and paleontology, but I still think that, to the unprejudiced, the fossil record of plants is in favor of special creation. . . . Can you imagine how an orchid, a duckweed, a palm have come from the same ancestry, and have we any evidence for this assumption? The evolutionist must be prepared with an answer, but I think that most would break down before an inquisition.”
Because they do not want to believe in special creation, that there is a God, they choose to believe a fairy tale that has no support, there is no evidence. Nature is crying out that there is a creator, there is a designer, there is a God who on the third day of creation created the dry land and the billions of plants that cover our earth, and it was very good!
VERSES
14-19
The light spoke of in Genesis 1:3 is the Hebrew word OR, which is more of an intrinsic light and not dependent upon external circumstances. This matrix, which God brought together, shined brightly. Now God speaks of lights, Genesis 1:14, and the Hebrew word is MA-OR or light holders or generators of light. Thus, God created the sun, the moon and the stars on this fourth day of creation.
The sun is some 814,000 miles in diameter and contains 335 quadrillion cubic miles of violently hot gases that weigh more than 2 octillion tons. The core temperature of the sun is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. The earth is some 93 million miles from the sun or 92,900,000 miles away and the sun’s surface temperature is 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, we are at just the right distance from the sun, with just the right amount of heat that we don’t burn up, we don’t freeze up, but it can support life. Let me put that into perspective on how precise that really is and thus, it could not be a random chance occurrence. The moon is only 239,000 miles away from us and has a variable temperature each lunar day (15 earth days) from 214 degrees above zero to 243 degrees below zero! Talk about not knowing how to dress! And folks, we think the earth is here just by random chance!
God not only created the sun and the moon, but also the stars. To put that into perspective, a typical galaxy contains billions of individual stars. The closest galaxy to us is the Andromeda galaxy, which is some 12 million trillion miles away or 2 million light years away. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second so that is the distance of this closest galaxy! How many galaxies are out there? Well, let me put it to you like this. If you were to look at every patch of sky about the size of the moon, you would see about a million galaxies, which each one containing billions of stars! Not random chance happening here! It is as Isaiah 48:13 says, “Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.” This is a creative work of God and not random chance occurrences! And this was done for us to measure time, to get directions, as God has said.
Meam Loez, a Jew, makes this interesting observation on this portion of Scripture. He wrote: “The sun was created after the earth to dispel any notion that the creation of the earth was a natural result of the sun’s heat vaporizing the waters. Similarly, lest anyone contend that plant-life is a natural outgrowth of the earth (aided by the sun), God created the earth and all its properties on the third day, and only afterwards, on the fourth day, did He create the sun, to demonstrate unequivocally that everything materialized from God’s direct will.” I can’t agree more!
VERSES
20-23
On the fifth day of creation God created all the creatures that live in the sea and all the creatures that fly in the air! The evolutionist tells us that life evolved from non-life, no information to complex life forms, you just need lots of time and poof – amoeba to man! And yet, there is not one shred of evidence to support the theory of evolution and it is a theory folks, not a fact! Look at the variety of sea life, how complex it is and we are told that it just happened! That is a fairy tale and you have to have lots of faith to believe it because there is no evidence to support it!
The man Discover Magazine rated as the greatest scientific thinker in history is Sir Isaac Newton, a Christian. Newton was mocked because his contemporaries couldn’t understand why he believed there really was a God who created the world in six days. One day, Sir Isaac made an elaborate model of the solar system, which took up the entire front room of his house.
Impressed by its details, his colleagues asked him where he got the model. “I didn’t get it,” Newton said. “Oh, you made it?” “No, I didn’t buy it. I didn’t make it. No one put it here. It just appeared.” And suddenly they got his point.
To bad many don’t get it today. J. R. Norman wrote, “The geological record has so far provided no evidence as to the origin of the fishes, and shortly after the time when fish-like fossils made their appearance in the rocks . . . already differentiation from each other and firmly established . . . are represented by a number of diverse and often specialized types.” In other words, they are found fully formed, no transitional forms are found!
Not only did God create the sea life but also the birds. Today there are some 9,000 different species of birds but many believe that number is a lot higher, but many have become extinct, they die off. We see that today and it is not evolution! In the world today there are over 100 billion birds!
Evolution tells us that reptiles evolved wings and became the birds we see today. How did this happen? They are not embarrassed to tell us, but I would be. One theory says that these reptiles climbed up into a tree to escape from predators and over time they developed wings to get down I guess! How long were they up in the tree? The other theory is not much better. They tell us that these reptiles were running on the ground after some insects and flapping their front legs after them and over time they grew into wings to catch the insects and over time they could fly. If you believe that I bet you also believe that by kissing a frog it will turn into a handsome prince! The evolutionist does believe that, you just need millions of years for that to occur!
Here is the reality, according to W. E. Swinton, “The (evolutionary) origin of birds is largely a matter of deduction. There is no fossil evidence of the stages through which the remarkable change from reptile to bird was achieved.” Interesting, no evidence and yet that is what they believe, why? Paul tells us in Romans 1:18-23, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” They refuse to believe that God created the heavens and the earth, they suppress the truth and they end up worshiping the creature instead of the Creator! That is the rebellious, hard heart of man apart from God!
The fossil record does not support the theory of evolution; there is not one transitional form that has been found showing the transition from one kind to another. What the fossil record does show is life that is fully formed! Nile Eldredge wrote: “We paleontologists have said that history of life [in the fossil record] supports [the story of gradual evolution], all the while knowing that is does not.” That is not science, that is fraud!
VERSES
24-25
Now God is creating the various forms of land creatures on the sixth day of creation. And notice that each is after its own kind. Yes, there is tremendous variation within the different kinds or species, but they will never become another kind of species, the fossil record attests to that!
Scientist can test this in the insect world for you can go through many generations in a short period of time. For instance, the fruit fly they experimented with 80,000 generations, bombarding them with all kinds of radiation and what they ended up with is millions of fruit flies! Even the mutations were of no use because the mutations were all harmful. Thus, the conclusion that one professor came up with is that the data shows a fruit fly has evolved as far as it can go! WRONG! It just shows a fruit fly can only produce after its own kind. In fact, you can apply this across the board, there are no transitional forms of any creature: plant, animal or fish! George Gaylord Simpson said, “This regular absence of transitional forms is not confined to mammals, but is a almost universal phenomenon, as has long been noted by paleontologists.” Thus, when the question comes up, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” for the creationist, it is easy. The chicken came first, fully formed as we see with all the life forms that God has created!
VERSE
26
Who is God speaking to here? Some would argue that it is just speaking of the plurality of royalty, or maybe He is speaking to the angels. Not at all, it is the Triune God being spoken of here as we said earlier as they were involved in creation. Now God is spirit so how is man created in His image? I believe we are triune beings like God. We have a spirit, a soul and a body. Before sin entered the world, our spirit, which is in contact with God, controlled the soul of man, and the body or flesh was in subjection to the spirit. After sin was introduced, the spirit died and now the flesh or the body controlled the soul!
Also, man was to oversee creation, to have dominion over it. Thus, prior to sin, this was a beautiful relationship. Everything was very good. But now we see the effects of sin not only upon man but also upon all of creation!
VERSES
27-31
I don’t know how clear God can be on this – He created man fully formed, not evolving over millions of years! In fact, Darwin made this interesting comment. He wrote: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”
Professor Richard Goldschmidt, a geneticist at the University of California at Berkley, listed a series of complex structures (from the hair of mammals to hemoglobin) he thought could not have been produced by thousands of years of small mutations. “The Darwinists met this fantastic suggestion with savage ridicule. As Goldschmidt put it, ‘this time I was not only crazy but almost a criminal.’ . . . To suppose that such a random event could reconstruct even a single complex organ like a liver or kidney is about as reasonable as to suppose that an improved watch can be designed by throwing an old one against the wall.” (Johnson).
Also, in the beginning man and the animals were all herbivorous, they did not eat meat, there was no death before sin entered the picture. Plants don’t possess a soul or consciousness like man and animals do. In fact, they did not eat meat until after the flood, Genesis 9:1-7. Thus, in 6 days all of creation was complete and it was very good! But it does not end there; we have one more day to go, the seventh day!
VERSES
1-3
Was God tired that He needed to rest on the seventh day? Of course not. In fact, He did not need 6 days to do this in, but He was laying down a principle for us to follow. Man was to work 6 days and rest on the 7th day, giving it to the Lord to spend time with Him. Does that mean we are under an obligation to keep the Sabbath? No, in Colossians 2:16-17 we are told, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” And in Galatians 4:9-11 we are told, “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.” You see, every day should be set-aside for the Lord, to worship Him, to spend time with Him! Also, God does not need to rest but man does and thus, God has instituted this day for us. In John 5:17 we are told, “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’” Thus, this is a good principle to put into practice in our lives. One more thing, 7 is the number of completeness and thus God has completed His work of creation and it is perfect, it is very good!
Boice put it like this, “God, having completed His work of creation, rests, as if to say, ‘This is the destiny of those who are My people; to rest as I rest, to rest in Me.’” May we rest in the Lord and trust in His Word that He has given to us!
As I close this evening, I hope I have stimulated you to think and not believe blindly what people say, especially in regards to evolution, but not only that. You should check me out to see if what I say is according to the Scriptures because that is the only thing that is 100% true! And folks, let me leave you with this. When you look at the complexity of life that is out there, that there is design to it, you have to come to the conclusion that there is a creator who not only designed all this, but put it all together, that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.