In The Beginning ... Lesson 3

"In the beginning, GOD Created

the heavens and the earth ... "

Yes, the Bible tells us that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth..."

And, in two previous lessons in this series (Creation and Reprise), we looked at details of what was created, when, and by Whom.

Also, in those previous lessons, we discovered that some details of the Creation story, as told in Chapter 1 of Genesis and in the Reprise account of Chapters 2 and 3, though very similar, were not identical. Additionally, in each account, some things were left out or not described in the same detail while others were described in much more detail.

However, we also discovered as we studied those 2 accounts of the "creation story", that these differences are not "errors." Indeed, they are purposefully different because they are emphasizing totally different aspects of the creation account.

If you have not done those two lessons, this explanation of the reason for the two "relatings" of the Creation account is probably not "clear" to you. So, I would strongly suggest that you work through those two lessons BEFORE you begin this study.Why? Because this lesson intentionally builds upon those lessons. And, without that foundational understanding, the things that we will be studying in this and in future lessons will not be as meaningful to you as they should be. So, please, if you have not yet done those lessons, stop now and do them. It won't take long. And, then, return to this lesson and join us as we discover exciting truths and understandings about what happened "In the beginning (when) God Created the heavens and the earth...."

------Pause while you "do" or "briefly review" those 2 lessons------

OK, I assume you have completed the 2 lessons, Creation and Reprise, and are ready to continue this study of the things that happened "In the beginning...."

So, let's begin.

And, since we are studying about "In the beginning...", let's begin at the beginning. And, to do that, as you suspected, it is time for an assignment. So, your assignment now is to read about the events that occurred on the first day of creation as recorded in Genesis 1:1-5. (I have included these verses for you or you may use your Bible.) As you read, put a BLUE CIRCLE (or a color and symbol of your choice) around every occurrence of the word, GOD (and any word used in place of the word, God).

Genesis 1:1-5

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

2. Now the earth was formless and empty,

darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3. And God said,

"Let there be light,"

and there was light.

4. God saw that the light was good,

and He separated the light from the darkness.

5. God called the light "day" and the darkness He called "night."

And there was evening and there was morning -- the first day.

Finished with your assignment? Great! Now let's do some thinking about what you have read. Answer the following questions:

? According to the BIBLE, How were the heavens and the earth created? Circle your answer from the following choices (more than one choice may be correct) :

A. Gradually over a long period of indefinite time.

B. Fast but without any Person being involved.

C. At a specific time and with a Person being involved.

D. At a specific point in time described as "In the beginning..."

E. There was no specific point in time when this happened.

F. God did it.

? When did God create the heavens and the earth? (1:1) __________________

? What was the very first "description" of what the earth looked like "In the beginning.."

(1:2) the earth was ________________________________________

and ______________________ was over ________________________________ .

Hmmmmm.

By, the way, in case you are wondering, my answers to that first question were: C.D, and F. And, I am sure that you also answered the other questions correctly and noted that God created the heavens and the earth "in the beginning" (ie. At a specific point in time) and that the first description of the earth is that it was formless and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. Correct.

Now, let's think about that description: "Now the earth was formless and empty and darkness was over the face of the deep." As you probably know, there are several ideas (theories) of what this means. We won't go into all of the different interpretations of this passage, but I do want you to be aware of 3 of today's more popular "views." Specifically, let's consider the "Day-Age" theory, the "Literal day" theory, and the "Gap" theory. I have briefly summarized these for you, and, as you read these short summaries, underline or highlight any words or phrases that will help you remember the key points of each view.

1. The "Day-Age" theory (model) proposes that each of the 7 days described in the first Chapter of Genesis are not literal 24 hour days but, instead, represent very long periods of time (Ages) of perhaps millions of years each, but each of these ages was called "a day" in the Bible. Therefore, the time referred to here, when the earth was "formless and empty and darkness was over the face of the deep...", is simply describing a portion of the first of these long periods (or ages) of time and probably represented thousands or millions of years in itself. This theory had its origins in the 1800s.

2. The "Literal Day" theory (model) says that each of the 7 days in the Creation Week in Genesis Chapter 1 are actual, separate, and distinct 24 hour periods of time which comprise a day identical to the 24 hour days we now experience. Thus, the time when the earth was "formless and empty..." was only a short time at the beginning of the 24 hours of the first day of Creation week." This was the view held by all of the writers of the Old and New Testaments, by Jesus Christ, and by most Christians until about the early 1800s. At that time, people began to abandon this interpretation of Scripture and adopted other theories in an attempt to conform the Bible to new "theories" (models) that the scientific community was proposing concerning the origins of the earth, the universe, animals, plants, and mankind.

3. The "Gap" theory (model) was one of the theories (models) that originated in the early 1800s and became a very widely held view after C.I. Scofield popularized it by putting it in the footnotes of the King James Bible. The "Gap" theory proposed that long ages of millions and millions of years are described in Genesis 1:1 as "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." According to this theory, it was during this time (Gen. 1:1) that the fossils and the "geologic column" developed. Then, "something" happened. There are numerous views as to what specifically happened, but most of the views suggest that, during the "ages" depicted in Genesis 1:1, there was an earth and universe similar to today, with plants, animals, and mankind, but this earth was destroyed and became "formless and empty and darkness was over the surface of the deep" and everything remained in this formless, empty state for an undetermined period ("Gap") of time, the time described in the first part Genesis 1:2. Then, after this "gap" of time finally ended, the creation week as recorded in the Bible began. Thus, according to the Gap theory, the "7 literal 24 hour days of Creation Week" do not begin until the statement in Genesis 1:2 "and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, let there be light and there was Light...."

These are very interesting "theories." But, they can't ALL be correct. So, which of these is correct? Can we believe the Bible? Who or what can be trusted? Science? Man's "theories"? The Bible? Well, to try to find out, let's look more closely at Genesis 1:1-2 and at these 3 "theories" and see what they "teach"

? According to the "Day-Age" theory, how much time took place in Genesis 1:1-2? (Circle your answer)

a. A few seconds, minutes, or hours

b. Millions and millions or perhaps billions of years

? According to the "Literal Day" theory, how much time probably took place in Genesis 1:1-2? (Circle your answer)

a. A few seconds, minutes, or hours

b. Millions and millions or perhaps billions of years

? According to the "Gap" theory, how much time took place in Genesis 1:1-2?

(Circle your answer)

a. A few seconds, minutes, or hours

b. Millions and millions or perhaps billions of years.

? According to the Bible, how much time probably took place in Genesis 1:1-2? (Hint: you would have to read through verse 5 to answer this, which is another reason why you needed to do the 2 previous lessons in this Bible Study.) (Circle your answer)

a. A few seconds, minutes or hours

b. Millions and millions or perhaps billions of years

? In which of the following would a DAY, as used in the Creation account of Genesis Chapter 1, be an actual 24 hour day? (Circle your answer. Hint: More than one may be correct)

a. The Bible

b. The "Literal Day" theory

c. The writers of the Old Testament

d. The writers of the New Testament

e. Jesus Christ

f. The "Day Age" theory

g. The "Gap" theory

h. None of the above

i.. All of the above

? Which of these theories seems to most agree with what the Bible teaches?

(Circle your answer)

1. The "Day-Age" theory

2. The "Literal Day" theory

3. The "Gap" theory

? Since the "Literal Day" interpretation of Creation Week events had been believed and taught from the beginning of recorded history until the 1800s, why were the "Day-Age", the "Gap" theory, and other similar "theories" proposed?

(Circle your answer. More than one may be correct.)

1. Science was beginning to propose new ideas of how the world "came to be"

2. Science was rejecting the Bible's version of how the world "came to be."

3. Science was beginning to propose alternative "theories" of the origin of things.

4. In an attempt to conform the teachings of Bible to the new theories of the scientific community, these alternative theories were developed as a compromise attempt to "fit" the teachings of the Bible into these new theories of man and of science.

5. All of the above

6. None of the above

***********************

In case you are wondering, my answers to those questions were B,A,B,A, abcdeg,2,5

************************

Hmmmm, I see you are thinking about these theories and considering how or if they "line up" with what the Bible teaches. And you are exactly correct to have noticed that there are discrepancies in what most of these new "theories" (models) teach when compared with what the Bible states.

And, this is where the problem comes in; because often, when noticing a discrepancy between what man or science is teaching and in what the Bible says, people often decide to try to "figure out" how to make the Bible fit with or agree with the new alternative theories of science, rather than to believe the Bible and to try to see how or if the new views of man and science fit with, confirm, or explain what the Bible teaches.

Since the 1800s, these 3 and many other new "theories" concerning Origins (of the world, universe, everything in it, and man) have been developed and accepted as "truth -- theories often directly contradicting the teachings of the Bible. People then tried to reconcile these "theories" with the teachings of the Bible. And, often, the only way they could do this was to compromise or reject the direct Word of God that had been revealed and recorded in the Bible.

But, Compromise?! And, trying to "fit" and conform the teachings of the Bible into the new ideas of man and science, is this a good idea? And, is compromise necessary? Are science and the Bible always at odds with each other? Is it an "either - or" situation? Or, is it possible that discoveries of fact (facts, not "theories") in science can sometimes shed new light upon and perhaps explain what Scripture is teaching Well, let's look at that possibility! Let's see if science CAN shed new light on Genesis 1:1-2. I think you are going to amazed and thrilled at what science can tell us.

And, that is what we are going to do now. We are going to look at the Bible and at some recent findings in science. Why? Because, believe it or not, science today often does explain, confirm, and clarify what the Bible teaches! No compromise is needed! No changing of the views of the Bible to "fit" the "theories" of science is necessary when you look at these facts that science has recently discovered about the world in which we live, the world that God created.

However, even though there are many instances today where our current knowledge of science "explains" or gives new understandings of previously unfathomable (to us) passages in the Bible, not everything that is unfathomable has been explained by science. And, as Romans 11:33-36 reminds us, there are many things that we will probably never fully understand. Here, read those verses for yourself, and, as you read them, underline all words or phrases which describe God or tell us something about Him.

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?

Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

So, yes, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God is often beyond tracing out. But, not always. Sometimes, God reveals hints and clues in His Word as to what He did and how and when those "clues" are there, we would be wise to take notice and learn from them.

So, that is what we are going to do now. I am going to tell you some verrrrrry interesting information that science has recently discovered, which, if considered in the light of Genesis 1:1-5 might go a long way toward explaining this passage. And, in explaining it, we will find that, guess what, NO compromise was necessary at all. God had truthfully and accurately stated what He had done. It just took us thousands and thousands of years to begin to understand what it was He had done and the implications of what these verses really mean.

Does this sound exciting? Do you want to know what it is that the Science of Physics has discovered which might "explain" or clarify what Genesis 1:1-5 is teaching? You do? I thought so. So, first, we will reread these verses. Then, I will give you a brief summary of some of the things that Physicists have discovered in the past few years.

First the verses. And, as you read these verses, put a black circle around each of the words, formless, empty, and darkness. Also underline or highlight in yellow the phrase "and the Spirit of God was hovering"

Genesis 1:1-5

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

2. Now the earth was formless and empty,

darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3. And God said,

"Let there be light,"

and there was light.

4. God saw that the light was good,

and He separated the light from the darkness.

5. God called the light "day" and the darkness He called "night."

And there was evening and there was morning -- the first day.

Now for a brief summary of a very important recent discovery by Physicists:

And, by the way, this scientific information is from an article in the appendix of a wonderful Bible Study entitled: "Genesis: In the Beginning God.. Part 1, The Creation" from Precept Ministries, POBox 182218, Chattanooga, TN. 37422. This is an excellent Bible Study and I highly recommend it to you. It goes into much more detail than the Bible Study you are now doing, so if you have the time or interest to dig deeper, please do consider doing that Bible Study.

So, Quoting now from that article in the appendix of the Bible study from Precept, while interspersing some questions for you to think about.....

"According to modern physics, forces provide form to atomic nuclei (the nuclear forces), atoms, molecules, bodies and objects (the electromagnetic force), and astronomical bodies (the gravitational force)."

? Hmmmm, and how did Genesis 1:1-2 describe the FORM of the initial creation?

The earth was ________________________________________________

Correct, the initial creation was formless and empty. So, "this might suggest that the initial creation somehow lacked forces." And, indeed, even the Hebrew words (tohu and bohu) used here in the text also suggest this.

Tohu = formless, empty place, void, without form.

Bohu = empty, void, emptiness.

? So, Based on the definitions of these words and on what you just read about FORCES, why would the earth be formless and empty "in the beginning"? (Briefly summarize your thoughts in the space below.)

Yes, you are correct. The earth was formless and empty because the forces hadn't yet been applied (added), so there were no forces to provide form ... So these verses are actually telling us what modern Physics has finally shown us, i.e. that forces provide form and are necessary to produce form and light. So God first created a force free universe (which was, therefore, formless, empty and dark).

Wow!. Think about that! But let's continue, it gets even better.

"Also, according to modern physics, light exists and travels because of electromagnetic forces. Without electromagnetic force, the initial creation would be expected to be without light."

? And, hmmmm, how did Genesis 1:2 describe the initial creation in respect to whether or not there was light ? ______________________________________

Correct, darkness was over the surface of the deep. Wow!. Imagine that!

So, is, then, the description of the appearance of the earth in Genesis 1:1-2 consistent with a situation in which there were NO "forces" and, therefore, there was no form or shape to the earth and there was no light (because forces are also needed for light to exist)? Yes!. Wow! But, let's continue on as it gets even better.

"Modern physics also claims that most, if not all, forms of energy exist as a consequence of the forces of the universe. Atomic energy is a consequence of nuclear forces; chemical energy is a consequence of the electromagnetic force; gravitational energy is a consequence of the gravitational force. The absence of forces might suggest that the universe initially lacked many forms of energy with which we are most familiar."

WOW! That sure sounds like the description given in Genesis 1:1-2.... a FORCE-LESS situation would be expected to be like that. Amazing! But, let's continue. Because, IF there is going to be any form or shape or light or.... well, we are going to need forces.

But, WHERE do "forces" come from? How can "forces" be inserted into this earth that was formless and empty, so that there will be FORM and substance instead of emptiness? And how can there be LIGHT when darkness was over the surface of the deep?

Well, look at Genesis 1:2 again. Remember that phrase you highlighted in yellow?

Write it here: _______________________________________________________

Yes, Correct ! ..."and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters..." Now, let's see if we can discover some insight into what that means. So, continuing to quote from the article in the appendix of the Precept Bible Study....

"After the creation of a force-free universe, the Creator's first action might be the creation of forces and associated energy. The first recorded activity after the initial creation (In Genesis 1:2) is the moving (hovering)' of the Spirit of God over the creation. The word translated moved/hovered' (Hebrew, rachaph) occurs only two other times in the Old Testament. It is translated 'shake' in Jeremiah 23:9 and 'flutters'' in Deuteronomy 32:11. It might be fair to say that the word can be translated 'vibrate' in all three passages. Since vibration is itself energy and can generate vibrational forms of energy, the vibration of the Holy Spirit might be understood as the infusion of energy into the initially forceless creation. With this infusion probably came the introduction of forces into the universe."

Wow. Did you grasp that?! Let me repeat that again!

"Since vibration is itself energy and can generate vibrational forms of energy, the vibration of the Holy Spirit might be understood as the infusion of energy into the initially forceless creation. With this infusion probably came the introduction of forces into the universe."

Wow!

? Now, look again at Genesis 1:2. Who was over the waters? ______________

? And, WHAT was the Spirit of God doing? _____________________________.

Yes, the Spirit of God was hovering (fluttering, vibrating) over the waters.

? Now, I ask you -- Do you think this description in Genesis 1:1-2 is just some kind of picturesque way of writing? Or is it possible that God was actually describing and explaining some very profound principles of physics? -- Principles that we never understood until now, thousands of years after the fact. But, God knew! Again we are reminded of those verses in Romans: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?..." (Think about this and then write a summary of your thoughts in the space provided here.)

Yes, I agree with you. This is not just "picturesque" writing. God was specifically, clearly, and accurately giving us a description of the heavens and the earth when they were without forces. And, then, He specifically, clearly, and accurately described HOW forces were injected into the heavens and earth. Then, in verse 3, which continues the description AFTER God had injected the forces, we see that there was ___________ !

Yes, there was light!!! Amazing! Modern physics has finally discovered that which God had known all along and about which God had told us all along, but we just didn't know enough to understand. So man just kept trying, in our ignorance, to "adjust" the clear words of the Bible to "fit" the "theories" of man, instead of just believing God and being willing to take Him at His word and trying to find out what it was that He was telling us.

Hmmmmm. When will we (mankind in general and you and I in particular) ever learn to just trust God, so that when we don't understand something that He has said or done, that we will continue believe Him and patiently wait until we do understand, rather than try to "change things" or "compromise" His truths and teachings to "fit" the theories (models) of man.

But, enough of this "preaching," let's continue on, for there is still another insight that modern physics has shown us which can further enlighten us (pun intended) concerning this Genesis passage.

Go back and Read again Genesis 1:1- 5 and, this time, pay particular attention to verses 3-5. And, as you read those verses, put a yellow circle around every occurrence of the word, light, and put a black rectangle around every occurrence of the word, darkness.

-------Pause while you do this assignment-------

Finished? Great! Now, based on what you just read and marked, fill in the blanks in the following statements:

After the Spirit of God hovered / fluttered / vibrated over the waters, God said, "Let there be (1:3) ________________"

Yes, there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

And God called the light "(1:5) ____________"

and the darkness He called "(1:5) ___________."

And there was evening and there was morning -- the first (1:5) _____________

Hmmm. There was light! And there was darkness, and the darkness was called "night". Can the science of Physics explain anything about this darkness? Is it different from the darkness that was over the face of the deep before the Forces were added?

(Circle your answer.)..................................YES...................NO

Well, Yes, there is a difference. The darkness that was initially present was a darkness due to the absence of forces. The darkness after the addition of forces is ... well, to explain that, let me quote again from that article in the appendix of that Precept Bible study:

"Since darkness after the origin of light requires the shadow of a solid object, light and darkness require the existence of both electromagnetic and nuclear forces. It is thus interesting that immediately following the vibrational (energy) input, light and darkness are the next entities listed in the creation account (Genesis 1:4-5). "

Hmmmmmm. Very interesting. So, yes, there is a difference! And, God even described the two different kinds of darkness in these 5 verses. Had you ever noticed that before? Had you noticed there were two very different kinds of darkness? One darkness that was because of a lack of forces and another darkness which was the result of forces. Well, perhaps you had, but I had never noticed this before and it is just one more amazing thing that God reveals to those who trust Him to reveal His truth in His time and in His way.

Indeed!

And finally, as the article so correctly states in closing: "The Genesis account would seem to have a stunning reasonableness in the light of modern physics."

Wow! You can sure say that again! "The Genesis account would seem to have a stunning reasonableness in the light of modern physics."

And, it certainly does. For these insights from Physics truly help explain and clarify the meaning of these first 5 verses in Genesis -- verses which have often been considered picturesque writing or even to be a myth -- verses which have often been discarded, ignored, or ridiculed because they didn't "seem to make sense" --verses which people have repeatedly tried to change from their literal meaning by proposing various models (theories) such as the Day-Age theory, the Gap theory, and others, in attempts to make these verses adjust to and conform with various proposals of science which contradicted their teachings -- verses which until now we really didn't even begin to understand.

In reality, however, these verses, from the time they were first penned thousands of years ago, were clearly, accurately, and succinctly describing, in a very profound way, the TRUE beginning of the Universe and everything in it. We just didn't know enough to understand what they were really explaining to us because these verses presented principles of Physics which were not understood until just recently.

But, now we are beginning to understand and we have been given a small glimpse into what really happened "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth"...

And, we are reminded of this in Jeremiah 10:12: "But God made the earth by His power (Power = 3581 = Kowach, Koach = to be firm, vigor, force). He Founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens with understanding."

Surely, all of us are now in even greater awe, admiration, and wonder of this mighty, awesome, Loving, Omnipotent, Omniscient, God Who created the heavens and the earth in all their vast array. John, the Apostle also reminds us of this in John 1:1-5. As you read these verses, printed here for you, underline what you learn about the Creation.

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus),

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made;

without Him nothing was made that has been made.

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

In fact, as Colossians 1:16-17 reminds us, God not only created them, He also sustains

them! As you read these verses, again, underline what you learn about the Creation.

Colossians 1:16-17

For by Him (God Jesus) all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;

all things were created by Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

And, now, in closing, as you reflect on these things, spend a few minutes in prayer, thanking God for what you have learned and for what He has done as you bow before our Omniscient (all-knowing) Omnipotent (all-powerful) Creator God, and worship Him in adoration, thankfulness, and praise and saying:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?

Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him?

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 11:33-36

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