Again we will mention that Genesis means beginning, and it is the
first of the five books of Moses. It is a book of origin or
beginnings. Genesis describes the creation, the absolute origination
of the earth through the spoken Word of God.
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth."
As we said last lesson, this leaves no doubt that God is an
eternal being. It also leaves no doubt that God himself created the
earth. God, mentioned in Genesis 1:1, is actually Elohim (a plural
word). Another Meaning of Elohim is, the highest being to be feared,
Elohim indicates more than one involved in the act of creation. Elohim
(high and mighty), I believe this high and mighty Eternal one is
actually God the Father, God the Word, and God the Holy Spirit. All,
in fact, God. A singular verb is used often with the plural word
Elohim indicating that there not only is a trinity of beings, but they
are one in Spirit.
The three words used in the creation are different, but all
translated created (Bara, Yatzar, and Asah). Bara means to create from
nothing and is used in Genesis 1:1. Some believe in the gap theory
between verse 1 and 2. Verse 1 is the original creation of the heaven
and earth.
Genesis 1:2 "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." Many translators believe that instead
of "was" it should have been translated "became" without form or void.
Since the same word that was translated here was, is translated in all
other Scriptures became. (John Vabohu). The same words in Isaiah
34:11 depict desolation and desecration of something already
populated, but depopulated by the destruction.
I have just touched on this to let you know that there could have
been a populated earth which was made desolate between verse 1 and 2
of Genesis. Verse 2 could read, "And the earth became without form and
void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God
moved upon the face of the waters."
For our study here, it really does not matter whether there was a
habitation of the earth before Genesis 1:2. We are not looking into the
literal, but into the spiritual.
We do know that in Genesis 1:2 the earth had no form and was void
of life and that darkness prevailed. If there were a fallen race, then
the darkness could indicate a presence of evil.
We know that God does not create desolation. We also know that
God's intention from the beginning was for the earth to be inhabited.
The whole plan was to fellowship with mankind.
We also know that scientist say that there are markings of two
great catastrophic floods which took place. This also indicates that
there could very well have been two floods.
As we get on in Genesis, we will read where God's promise is that
there will never again be a destruction of the earth by water, as if
Noah's flood was not the only one.
The Egyptian point of view about creation is approx. what is
taught in our schools today.
There is another view which just believes that the earth was a
gaseous substance before verse two.
As I said for our study here, it is unimportant which theory is
true. We just know that in verse two the earth had no form and was
void of all life. Satan is death, not life. Nothing. plant or animal,
can exist without light. All power, energy, and life comes from the
Light, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. He is the source of all energy.
He is not a light but the Light. Jesus called Himself "The Light of
the world".
You see the heaven and the earth are not eternal. God created
them. We read in Revelation that this heaven and earth shall pass
away. and there will be a new earth.
Enough has been said about verse two. In another study of
Genesis, at a later date. we might expound more, but at present in the
Spirit study we must go on.
Genesis 1:3 "And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light."
I believe this Light, that is mentioned here, is the Eternal
Light. The source of all light is Jesus Christ. This Light had to be
applied to the earth to give all plant and animal life the power to
be.
When God said "Let there be light " in this particular Scripture,
it was unlike the other "let there be" Scriptures. This Scripture was
an application of a pre-existing light being applied to this earth.
You see, Jesus, like God the Father is eternal. He or His Light was
not created. It existed from all of eternity. God just applied that
eternal power of Light (Jesus Christ) to the earth. For anything to
live, this power of Light had to be applied. The Scripture itself says
"there was light". Jesus called Himself the Light of the world. In
John 1:5 we read "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not." In verse seven we read that John the Baptist
came for a witness of the Light. John 1:7 "The same came for a
witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him
might believe." John 1:8 "He was not that Light, but [was sent] to
bear witness of that Light." John 1:9 "[That] was the true Light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." You see, Jesus
(The Light) does away with darkness.
John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
You see, from these Scriptures, that not only is Jesus the source
of all Light, but is actually the source of Life as well. You see,
really without Jesus there is on life.
I could go on and on in this area, but I believe we have
established the fact that Jesus (The Light) is the source of all Life.
Genesis 1:4 "And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God
divided the light from the darkness."
If we are spiritually looking at verse four, we would call the
separation of good from evil, as well as the separation of day and
night. You see, darkness is the absence of light. Light can do away
with darkness. darkness cannot overcome light. I have used the example
of a lamp as a good illustration of the source of light. You see, the
lamp can not illuminate until it is plugged into a source of energy.
The source of energy, or power of light, surges through the fixture
(lamp) and we see the light in the fixture holding the light. We will
get into this further as we get to the fourth day of creation. For our
study here, we must remember that the source of energy or light is
Jesus Christ our Lord. The reflection of light can be seen in many
things. but Jesus is the source. We will see that this is the only way
that the Bible can work out not creating the same things on two
separate days. We will see in the next lesson that on day four God
actually creates the containers that light is held in; not creative
Light.
Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he
called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Before God applied the Light to the earth there was darkness. As
I said, Light does away with darkness. God's Light shined in the day.
in II Peter 1:19 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto
ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:"
You see, Jesus is the Light of Day dawning in our hearts that
drives all darkness away. God's system for this earth is evening and
morning making up a day. Actually the reverse of how we compute a day.
The Jewish people start their Sabbath, Friday at 6 p.m. and continues
until 6 p.m. Saturday. This first day has been a controversy ever
since it has been written. Some believe 1000 years day, and some
believe even longer. It really doesn't matter for our study here. All
we need to know is that it really happened and God did it.
In every day when God had completed the work for that day, His
statement would be that it was good. Man, through the direction of
Satan has come very close to destroying the world. God is a Builder,
Satan is a destroyer.
In our study here, I would like for us to see that the creation of
the heaven and the earth in verse one, and the application of Light in
verse three seem to be a separate occasion. In verse one, the only
indication we have when heaven and earth were created is that it
happened in the beginning.
We must dwell on Genesis because a true and firm revelation of
faith and God's grace begins right here at the beginning. God's grace
in that he wanted fellowship with mankind so much that He would go to
the trouble to create the world and everything in it for man's use.
Then the faith comes in on our part. We must believe that God's
Words are true and that the world was created by Elohim God.
