A Closer Look at the Genesis Creation Account

[Aunty Jane]

When God created the heavens and the Earth, He brought everything into existence in one almighty act of power......but we Earthlings have no way to know how he did it, or how long it took him in earth time. To an infinite God, time is not relevant.

Other verses in the Bible complete the Genesis picture of events, so it is apparent that the earth was at first an empty world, completely covered by water and in total darkness. If God had already created all our sources of light, (stars and planets including our sun and moon) what was preventing the light from reaching the earth's surface? We can find the answer in Job.....

Job 38:4-10....God asked Job....
"Where were you when I founded the earth?
Tell me, if you think you understand.
5 Who set its measurements, in case you know,
Or who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 Into what were its pedestals sunk,
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars joyfully cried out together,
And all the sons of God began shouting in applause?
8 And who barricaded the sea behind doors
When it burst out from the womb,
9 When I clothed it with clouds
And wrapped it in thick gloom,
10 When I established my limit for it
And put its bars and doors in place."

Can we see why the light didn't penetrate the darkness until God somehow removed "the clouds and thick gloom" that prevented the light from striking the earth? Now that light was visible, it made night and day distinguishable. But there was apparently still some impediment to land dwellers being able to see the stars and the sun and moon clearly. There was enough light for photosynthesis but more was to be revealed in its due time....not until day 4. So when God created the flying creatures of the heavens and the marine creatures that swarmed in the oceans, cycles that govern life on earth would have been well established.

God created Earth's atmosphere which formed a barrier that would contain both oxygen and water so that it never escaped...and he provided the means to permanently recycle both......precipitation by evaporation of water into the clouds from the salty oceans, and dropping it as fresh water onto the dry land......and oxygen renewal by the trees and other means, taking in carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen....brilliant! No life can survive without either.

On the Earth God brought land masses together so that dry land came up out of the water. This in turn formed seas and oceans. Once the dry land was established, it was time to provide the means to feed a vast variety of creatures who would enjoy life here on this earth with humankind to follow.

How incredible is this planet? Everything that was needed to sustain life was in evidence before sentient life was created. Bacteria and vegetation were apparently early forms of life, but the first humans would not be aware of them....we would learn about those things as we continued our journey of discovery on this unique planet. We are naturally curious about the world around us.....but look how long it took us to find out about that microscopic life! Thousands of years. Imagine what thousands more will reveal....?
A lot of sentient creation was here a "day" before humans and animals arrived on the scene.....but the creative "days" could not have been 24 hour periods..... both science and the Bible make allowance for this. Science can prove that the earth is very ancient, and that its creatures are not recent arrivals....some long extinct well before man arrived. And the Bible uses the word "day" (yôm) as meaning not only a period of 24 hours, but also as a word for a period of undetermined length.

Those creative periods could well have been millions of years long....long enough for dinosaurs to have lived and died to fulfill the purpose for which they were created. Only God knows why he made them.....but we can be sure that no dinosaurs were on the ark.

Who could imagine this was all just the product of blind chance? :shrug: Only the godless.

Just the earth itself.....its size, its shape, the speed of its rotation, and its distance from the sun....the mixture of gases that form our atmosphere.....all of these are very necessary things in their own right but they all came together with the placement of this planet in one particular galaxy, in one particular solar system, and on one particular planet among billions.

What a fascinating journey we have been granted. Life was not meant to be boring, but full of amazing things to explore and to to be thankful for....how sad for those who walk around with their eyes closed....

I am looking forward to the world to come, (2 Peter 3:13) when the awful things of this world will be nothing but a distant memory....and we can enjoy creation as we were meant to...

 

[Brakelite]

Death came as a result of sin. Sin didn't come until after the 7th day. So your theistic evolutionary theory falls seeing you have dinosaurs etc dying before man was made.
Also, it isn't only Genesis that stipulates a 6 day creation. Deuteronomy and Exodus state "for in 6 days the Lord created... And rested the 7th". No where in scripture is there any suggestion this is a metaphorical number.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Death came as a result of sin. Sin didn't come until after the 7th day. So your theistic evolutionary theory falls seeing you have dinosaurs etc dying before man was made.

I'm sorry...what? You believe that man was created before the dinosaurs? Where will I find that notion in scripture?
Man was created last.....the dinosaurs were long extinct before man came along. They were not on the ark.......were they?

Also, it isn't only Genesis that stipulates a 6 day creation. Deuteronomy and Exodus state "for in 6 days the Lord created... And rested the 7th". No where in scripture is there any suggestion this is a metaphorical number.

The Hebrew word "day" is "yôm" and it basically means "a period of time"....a literal day or a span of many years. We even use the word that way ourselves....for example, we might say, ‘In our grandfather’s day,’ which would cover several years. The Bible speaks of the creative "days" all together as being performed in one “day,”.... “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth . . . in the day (yôm) that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” So, a Biblical “day” may be a period of a thousand or many thousands of years.

The opening words of Genesis are a simple statement....."In the beginning God created...."....the beginning of what? Obviously the beginning of material creation. There is no timeframe between this opening statement and what follows as God prepared one planet for habitation.

According to Genesis the 6th "day" ended with a declaration from the Creator, that everything was "very good".
Then God rested on the 7th day, but there is no declaration as to its conclusion, as there was with all the other "days".
There is no indication that the seventh day has ended. It was left for things to work themselves out regarding obedience and the correct use of free will.

God 'acted' on all the previous creative "days" but on the 7th day he only 'reacted' to the choices made by his intelligent creation....those to whom he gave his attributes and qualities, needed to learn how to drive free will without harm to others. This is the day that will see all of God's creation come full circle. From rough beginnings to wanton and willful actions to the harm and distress of a world of mankind....God has allowed this time period to test us all out....both angels and humans. Only when he has set precedents by our actions and his responses, will he be able to get back to his original purpose for us, with no impediments to cause us further harm. Its actually a brilliant strategy.

 

[Jay Ross]

The opening words of Genesis are a simple statement....."In the beginning God created...."....the beginning of what? Obviously the beginning of material creation. There is no timeframe between this opening statement and what follows as God prepared one planet for habitation.

Can I suggest that the opening of the Creation account is simpler than what you suggest.

I believe it can be expressed this way, "First, God created . . . .", which also confirms that God already existed, before he started the Creation process.

According to Genesis the 6th "day" ended with a declaration from the Creator, that everything was "very good".
Then God rested on the 7th day, but there is no declaration as to its conclusion, as there was with all the other "days".
There is no indication that the seventh day has ended. It was left for things to work themselves out regarding obedience and the correct use of free will.

I disagree with this statement bolded in the above quote. The passing of time in the first five chapters of Genesis, from the time of Adam's creation up and until the beginning of the Six Chapter, is of the order of 1,000 plus years. I would suggest that God rested for a 1,000 plus years before he went searching how His creation was working, and He was disappointed that the majority of the hearts of mankind was wicked and initially he decided to shorten the timespan for mankind's life from nearly 1,000 plus year down to 120 years.

Then on further examination, God found that the heart was greatly wicked in all that he did, and so God decided to remove all of mankind from the face of the earth. Only Noah found favour in God's eyes because he was a righteous man and walked and talked with God on a regulator basis.

In the Book of Jasher, it suggests that Noah also walked and talked with God after the flood, as well, and that Abraham was also a party to Noah talking with God.

Shalom

 

[Aunty Jane]

Can I suggest that the opening of the Creation account is simpler than what you suggest.

I believe it can be expressed this way, "First, God created . . . .", which also confirms that God already existed, before he started the Creation process.

Did you misread my post? I have not stated that "God did not exist before he started the creation process" That is absurd.

How can God create if he doesn't exist?
However......Jesus is not God. And yes, Jesus existed as the very first of God's creations. (Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15-17)

I disagree with this statement bolded in the above quote. The passing of time in the first five chapters of Genesis, from the time of Adam's creation up and until the beginning of the Six Chapter, is of the order of 1,000 plus years. I would suggest that God rested for a 1,000 plus years before he went searching how His creation was working, and He was disappointed that the majority of the hearts of mankind was wicked and initially he decided to shorten the timespan for mankind's life from nearly 1,000 plus year down to 120 years.

Did you make that up?

Where will I find confirmation in the Bible for this idea?

Then on further examination, God found that the heart was greatly wicked in all that he did, and so God decided to remove all of mankind from the face of the earth. Only Noah found favour in God's eyes because he was a righteous man and walked and talked with God on a regulator basis.

Where will I find the book of Jasher as part of the Bible canon?

Did Jesus or his apostles ever make reference to it? Did Moses ever mention it? If it not in the Bible, then it isn't scripture.

In the Book of Jasher, it suggests that Noah also walked and talked with God after the flood, as well, and that Abraham was also a party to Noah talking with God.

That is not Biblical. Suggestions are not facts. The book of Jasher is associated with Rosicrucianism, which is not compatible with Christianity. Whereas Christianity is most exclusive, Rosicrucianism is one of the most eclectic movements, teachings or fraternal organizations on earth. It has borrowed and appropriated to itself from the widest variety of beliefs and practices. Nothing like Christ taught.

 

[Ziggy]

I believe the Book of Genesis is the Prophecy of the Gospel.

That when God said Let there be Light, Jesus was born into the world.
Before Jesus came men were living in darkness and void of understanding.
God took Jesus and this newly formed church and placed them in His garden.
God's garden is the earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The stars are the disciples which fill the world with lights when the times are dark.
The trees and the animals represent different kinds of people.
You have your sly foxes, your slithery snakes, hermits that live like coneys in the mountains.
The sturdy oaks and cedars represent those in authority, like Kings and Priests.
And man and woman hid themselves amongst the trees in the garden.
This to me represent Jesus and the disciples travelling through Judea amongst the Saducees and Pharisees and Governors and High Priests of the time.
The fish and the big creatures that live in the oceans are the gentiles and other nations, as well as the birds of the air.

Although I do not disagree with the physical creation of the earth, I believe the truth in Genesis is two-fold.
Both physical and Spiritual.

Genesis doesn't discuss dinosaurs, and I believe the reason is, is, that God is more concerned about the human species than the animal species.
Even though they share the same traits and can be compared one to the other throughout the Bible.
Kind of like King Nebuchadnezar turning into what appears to be a great eagle or falcon with claws and feathers...

God calling all the animals by 2's and 7's to enter the Ark. The two in the field and one is taken and the other left.
Those that are called and chosen making the journey to ride out the storm with Noah.

Although these may be historically accurate, I believe the Bible was written no so much for historical accuracy of the creation of the world,
but rather the creation of man and his interaction with it.

I believe Genesis is the Spiritual Prophecy of the Gospel.

Just my thoughts
Hugs

 

[Jay Ross]

Did you misread my post? I have not stated that "God did not exist before he started the creation process" That is absurd.

How can God create if he doesn't exist?
However......Jesus is not God. And yes, Jesus existed as the very first of God's creations. (Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15-17)


Did you make that up?

Where will I find confirmation in the Bible for this idea?


Where will I find the book of Jasher as part of the Bible canon?

Did Jesus or his apostles ever make reference to it? Did Moses ever mention it? If it not in the Bible, then it isn't scripture.


That is not Biblical. Suggestions are not facts. The book of Jasher is associated with Rosicrucianism, which is not compatible with Christianity. Whereas Christianity is most exclusive, Rosicrucianism is one of the most eclectic movements, teachings or fraternal organizations on earth. It has borrowed and appropriated to itself from the widest variety of beliefs and practices. Nothing like Christ taught.

Oh well, it seems that you are only interested in your own ideas.

Shalom

 

[Enoch111]

...or how long it took him in earth time. To an infinite God, time is not relevant.

Both your assertions are FALSE. It took God exactly six literal 24 hour days to create the universe, and because time is relevant to God in relation to mankind He gave us the 4th Commandment in Exodus 20:8-11:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Since God personally wrote the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone the time frame for creation is carved in stone. So kindly revise your thinking and focus on what the Bible actually says -- not your own speculations.

 

[Lifelong_sinner]

Warning!! Be weary of aunty jane, she belongs to the cult some call jehovahs witnesses. They are full of false doctrine, and deceit.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Warning!! Be weary of aunty jane, she belongs to the cult some call jehovahs witnesses. They are full of false doctrine, and deceit.

And what false doctrine and deceit would that be compared with what Christendom has taught for centuries.....?

Want to talk about it?

....I actually had to look up your profile to see if you were an adult....

 

[tabletalk]

Did you misread my post? I have not stated that "God did not exist before he started the creation process" That is absurd.

How can God create if he doesn't exist?
However......Jesus is not God. And yes, Jesus existed as the very first of God's creations. (Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15-17)


Did you make that up?

Where will I find confirmation in the Bible for this idea?


Where will I find the book of Jasher as part of the Bible canon?

Did Jesus or his apostles ever make reference to it? Did Moses ever mention it? If it not in the Bible, then it isn't scripture.


That is not Biblical. Suggestions are not facts. The book of Jasher is associated with Rosicrucianism, which is not compatible with Christianity. Whereas Christianity is most exclusive, Rosicrucianism is one of the most eclectic movements, teachings or fraternal organizations on earth. It has borrowed and appropriated to itself from the widest variety of beliefs and practices. Nothing like Christ taught.

You said: "However......Jesus is not God."

This Forum allows you to label yourself as 'Christian', but it is wrong to do so.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Both your assertions are FALSE. It took God exactly six literal 24 hour days to create the universe, and because time is relevant to God in relation to mankind He gave us the 4th Commandment in Exodus 20:8-11:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Since God personally wrote the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone the time frame for creation is carved in stone. So kindly revise your thinking and focus on what the Bible actually says -- not your own speculations.

God is a Creator......not a magician. Six literal days is not backed up by science.....in fact it makes Bible believers look like idiots to insist that creation took place in six literal earth days. What happened to the dinosaurs? Man did not lived at the same time as they did....and just as well!
Look up the meaning of the Hebrew word "day" and see...it doesn't just mean a 24 hour period.

The keeping of the Sabbath law was only for Israel and it guaranteed that they would have at least one day to rest and devote time to spiritual things. No Sabbath observance was required for Christians.

What is one meaning of a day to God, according to Peter? (2 Peter 3:8)

 

[Aunty Jane]

You said: "However......Jesus is not God."

This Forum allows you to label yourself as 'Christian', but it is wrong to do so.

I am a Christian who does not believe that Jesus is Almighty God. I believe that he is what he called himself...”the son of God”. The Bible does not teach that Jesus is part of a godhead.
The trinity doctrine was not officially accepted into “the church” until the fourth century. Jesus never once said that he was God.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Could we please just stay on topic please....?

 

[Lifelong_sinner]

Could we please just stay on topic please....?

hard to stay on topic when dealing with a cultist jehovahs witness. I cant believe they let you deceivers on the forum. Clearly admin dont exist around here.

 

[Davy]

The Bible student will never understand about the event of Satan's original rebellion against God without understanding that there was a previous world prior to Adam and Eve which God destroyed using waters of a flood.

The Hebrew in Genesis 1:2 that the earth 'was'..., actually means the earth 'became'... without form, and void.

At Genesis 1:1 is when God originally created a Perfect earth. That was a time before Satan rebelled.

But at Genesis 1:2, the earth became a waste, and an undistinguishable ruin (see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance lexicons). That is actually what the Hebrew tohuw va bohuw ("without form, and void") means. The KJV translators chose to use "without form" because Hebrew tohu can mean the idea of nothingness. Yet usage in many OT passages applies that idea to something that became... that way, meaning it originally had a better condition, but then went bad.

At Genesis 1:2, the earth is there underneath all those waters covering it.

Then the process continues with God moving part of those waters upon the earth up above the earth to create today's sky around the earth. That's what that firmament is.

Then the waters still remaining upon the earth covering it, He moves around until the dry land appears, which is not about creating earth matter, but simply exposed the earth that was under those waters all the time.

Thusly, between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is an unknowable amount of time. Satan rebelled, and Genesis 1:2 was the result of God having ended Satan's rebellion using a destruction by waters of a flood over the earth. And that was long before Noah's day. The Jeremiah 4:23-28 Scripture repeats the "without form, and void" phrase, and describes God's destruction upon the earth.

Then Satan as "that old serpent" shows up in God's Garden of Eden as the temptor, tempting Eve. And that shows Satan was already in his role as Adversary and that his fall was sometime before Adam and Eve.

 

[Desire Of All Nations]

This planet wasn't originally created in the state that Gen. 1:2 describes it as being in. In the inspired Hebrew, Gen. 1:2 says that the earth became a wasteland. God specifically stated in Isa. 45:18 that this planet was not created in a state of decay or waste. In other words, Gen. 1:1 describes the original creation while Gen. 1:2 describes the aftermath of Lucifer's rebellion. Proof of this lies in the fact that Paul taught in Rom. 8 that the other planets throughout the universe were left in the same state waiting for the born children of God to restore those planets to a state of perfection like the Word did with Earth in Gen. 1:3-:31.

Death came as a result of sin. Sin didn't come until after the 7th day. So your theistic evolutionary theory falls seeing you have dinosaurs etc dying before man was made.
Also, it isn't only Genesis that stipulates a 6 day creation. Deuteronomy and Exodus state "for in 6 days the Lord created... And rested the 7th". No where in scripture is there any suggestion this is a metaphorical number.

In Job 40, God mentions that He created a creature that sounds an awful lot like a dinosaur. There is absolutely no disputing that. The only thing scholars really disagree on is what kind of dinosaur is being described. It is surely not outside the realm of possibility that the dinosaurs died out as a result of Lucifer's first attempt to overthrow God.

 

[lforrest]

Ladies and gents, you should know by now that I strive to provide a graceful and understanding community as well all grow towards a maturing faith. I hope that we communicate that we understand that people are at different levels with the work of God ongoing in all of our lives. As Paul said so strikingly in his letter to the Corinthians: "For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12 HCSB).

With that said, a recent subject that erupted here on Christianity Board is the subject of the trinity. This issue bubbles to the top in a number of threads, even ones tangentially related, because it is a central doctrine to a proper understanding of not only God the Father, but Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit and the work done by our Savior Jesus Christ on the cross, as well as the power behind his resurrection from the dead.

We try very hard to be patient, but this issue has been weighing on the hearts of our team. We've discussed it in private, and two things became very clear:

1. We strongly desire for a graceful environment here in the community that understands people may be new to the faith or growing.
   
2. We desire to earnestly defend the essential Christian doctrines that we agree and not abandon central pillars of the faith, nor do we seek to muddy the waters of belief.

We all agreed that certain trends were troubling, and we felt that we extended every possible hand to those who believe differently from us. However, it was getting to a point where folks were taking over discussions or just not able to agree on issues that the greater majority of not only members, but Christians in general would agree upon. For instance, for all of the disagreements out there, Protestants, Catholics and the Orthodox agree on a triune God.

The arguments used against the Trinity are recycled from the very first centuries and they usually rest upon a belief in weak conspiracy theories or gross negligence on the part of Christian scholars, translators, clergy and laypersons. These types of discussions become rather unprofitable, and the doctrines of those who don't believe in the Trinity tend to yield other heterodox doctrines.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road:
We will continue to be patient and evaluate things on a person-by-person basis. What it does mean, though, is that per our Statement of Faith, we are a Trinity-affirming community. We clearly believe this to be an issue of a closed-handed nature, though we do allow for growth.

Misunderstanding and legitimate questions about the Trinity are welcome. As St. Augustine put it, "Anyone who denies the Trinity is in danger of losing his salvation, and anyone who tries to understand it is in danger of losing his mind."

We are not called to an easy faith. If it were easy, our Savior would not have come to Earth to die on a cross.

Topics and posts made against the Trinity will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. I do not have a strict set of dos and don'ts to provide. Nonetheless, statements accusing Trinity believers of blasphemy, insults or other strongly worded statements of condemnation are not welcome here. We are open to folks who legitimately seek to learn and understand things, but we are not open to those who categorically deny a central tenant of the faith through willful choice.

Any questions may be asked here or directed to me via private message (PM).

May God's peace be in you all.

This is a reminder to all. We have several non-Trinitarian members. And the above is why they are still here despite this being a Trinity affirming community.

 

[Lifelong_sinner]

Ahh so there are admin around here. Normally i would keep such things quiet, but perhaps others can chime in on this. Why cant you organize this forum so like beliefs can talk with their own?? To foster peace, create a catholic area, a protestant area, even an area for JWs and mormons.

honestly, this free for all only makes things worse. Im not catholic. I have no desire to hear from catholics. Im sure others feel the same.

 

[Jane_Doe22]

Ahh so there are admin around here. Normally i would keep such things quiet, but perhaps others can chime in on this. Why cant you organize this forum so like beliefs can talk with their own?? To foster peace, create a catholic area, a protestant area, even an area for JWs and mormons.

honestly, this free for all only makes things worse. Im not catholic. I have no desire to hear from catholics. Im sure others feel the same.

I'll disagree with you there: if I only wanted to here from my denomination, I would go to a denomination-specific board. I really like hearing the variety of different views here.