Genesis 1:19 “And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”
This somehow was left off of lesson four last week. This was the
conclusion of the creation of the sun and moon as fixtures that we might see
the light in.
Genesis 1:20 “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.”
God had now provided the habitation for the fish and the atmosphere and
dry land for the fowl, so the logical step would be to populate the oceans,
seas, lakes, rivers, and all bodies of waters with fish and all sea life.
The dry land had appeared and God had populated the air above and the ground
below with fowl.
You see, God was doing all of this in preparation for his greatest
creation (man). He needed to prepare food for the man before the creation of
man. This whole creative act was God building a home for mankind.
We are told in St. John chapter 14, that Jesus is in heaven now
preparing our eternal home. St. John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are
many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare
a place for you.” John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be
also.”
You see God’s plan from the beginning was to build man a home. In
Genesis 1:21, we see what God put in the water and air for man’s use. “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.”
Just the vastness of the thousands of varieties of fish and birds of
all kinds is mind boggling…. To think that God in a moment of time (no
matter how long) could figure out, all the varieties, and have each one have
a useful job to do in God’s scheme of things is just beyond comprehension.
God is not only love, but the greatest planner. You see, He figured out the
needs of each one and fulfilled it here on day five.
Genesis 1:22 “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply,
and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”
Genesis 1:23 “And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”
Genesis 1:24 “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.” Genesis 1:25 “And God made the beast of the earth
after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth
upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.”
You see, as I said before, God was preparing this planet for His
greatest creation, mankind. All through these Scriptures, please take note
that God said, “everything after its own kind”. We should not cross breed
animals, fish, fowl, etc. I believe God made everything exactly the way He
wanted it; each to fulfill a specific purpose. When we cross breed, it is as
if we think we can do a better job than God. Also take note that everything
God created was good.
Verse 26 is the reason all the things were created. NOTICE the
plurality of the Creator as well.
Genesis 1:26 “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.” Genesis 1:27 “So God created
man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them.”
The image and likeness of God is SPIRIT. God is SPIRIT. We are a
spirit. We are housed in a body and possess a soul. If God is Spirit as the
Word says He is, then the image and likeness of us are spirit as well. As we
read in verse 27, both man and woman are spirit.
We will find as we continue this study, that woman is just as
responsible for the care and nurture of her spirit as man is. This is
directly opposite of what some religions teach today. We are individual
spirits, but our flesh is one with our spouse.
Between verse 25 and verse 26 there is a separation. If you will notice
after verse 25, God closed that creation with His statement, “And God said
that it was good”. Man has a preeminence that no other creation has.
Mankind, male and female, are made in the image of God. God created all the
rest for mankind to rule over.
Man, unlike all of the other creations was created with a mind and will.
Even to the point that God allows man’s will to choose God or Satan.
Man alone was created with power to make decisions. Man alone was made to
commune or fellowship with God.
God is Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He made man ruler of the
earth.
Because of man’s fallen state from his magnificent beginning (image of
God), God the word, Jesus, took on a body and redeemed mankind and restored
them to their original state of standing with God. The Bible says that when
we get to heaven, we will recognize Jesus because we will be like Him. We
will be restored to the image and likeness of God. We will not be God. We
will be a shadow or image of the real thing. Our spirit will be in accord
with His Spirit. We will be His servants or subordinates.
You see God gave mankind dominion over this earth. Mankind, through an
act of his will, turned this dominion over to Satan, as we will see in a
later lesson.
You know our whole country is under a president, and then smaller areas
or states are under dominion of a governor, and then even smaller areas
under a mayor. However, the mayor is under the governor on important
matters; and all are under the president on the most important matters.
You see, God is over all. We are His subordinates. Even though we shall
rule and reign with Him, we will not be His equal.
Genesis 1:28 “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.”
In this verse we see that mankind did not have to take dominion. The
dominion was given to him by God.
So many people associate sex of any kind (even the marriage bed)as the
sin that caused the fall of man. This verse above proves this is not so.
Mankind was commanded of God to be fruitful and multiply long before the sin
in the Garden of Eden. The sin in the garden was disobedience to God.
So many of the people who believe that the earth was populated before
Genesis chapter 1 verse 2, use the word replenish in the scripture above to
validate that belief. They say replenish means to populate it again. I would
not argue the point either way, but you can take note of the word.
Genesis 1:29 “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.”
God provided the means for mankind’s needs from the very beginning.
Everything that God created here on the earth was directly or indirectly for
the use of man. Even the food for the animals would ultimately be of use to
man as we read in verse 30.
Genesis 1:30 “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.” Genesis 1:31
“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.”
There are several things the spirit must understand in the Scripture
above. The number six means man. the verse reiterates again that God made
all of it, and that every thing was good. It also establishes the six days
of work that we will see all through the Bible. The six hours Jesus hung on
the cross. Six years of work for the land, and the next year it is to rest.
The six 1000 year-day of work for mankind and then the (millennium) 1000
year-day reign of Jesus on the earth. The six hours Jesus was on the cross
show that His work was completed. He even said, It is finished .
In the next lesson we will begin in chapter 2 of Genesis