In The Beginning (Genesis 1:1-2:3)

God is the Creator

It is the beginning of the introduction to God who is a supreme being that is a mystery to be revealed as much as a creation can comprehend it! God has always existed. There is not attempt to prove the existence of God. It assumes this is a fact and can be seen from creation itself and can be found by seeking in faith and today by looking at Jesus.

Psalm 19:1–2 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night showeth knowledge.”

Hebrews 1:1–2 “God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds;”

Hebrews 11:6 “and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.”

Romans 1:19–20 “because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse:”

The Creation of Heaven and Earth (vs 1-2)

It is a mystery and speculation about what if anything has happened between verse 1 and 2.

Isaiah 40:28 “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.”

John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Beginning of Time

The beginning is certainly a beginning of time. The Bible tells us in a number of verses that God (Yahweh) is from everlasting.

Psalm 90:1–4 “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place In all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction, And sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight Are but as yesterday when it is past, And as a watch in the night.”

Proverbs 8:22–23 “Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was.”

Beginning of Creation

It is the beginning of creation. The creation was not made out of pre-existing materials but made out of nothing.

We can cut our skin and put on a bandage, and the body will heal itself in a short period. The workings of a cell are working machines that require all the features to be in place to work at all (Irreducible Complexity). The atheist and evolutionist look at the obvious design, and through their worldview, they look for alternatives and rule out the obvious.

God warns against suppressing the truth in Romans 1:18-19 and the obvious evidence of the physical world around us. There is a creator, and they are lying to themselves and others. They can’t explain where matter came from without recognising Genesis 1 as being true. God created (bara) from out of nothing. It is not something that we can do. We can create from existing materials.

The Six Days of Creation (vs 3-26)

The Spirit of God is involved in the creation as He hovers over the waters.

Day 1 - Light and Darkness (Gen 1:3-5)

There was chaos before God forms order. God says let there be light on the first day. The sun is not created until the fourth day. We see the Trinity – The God created, the spirit of God was hovering, and the word of God goes forth. This is troublesome for some because God created light and day/night all without the sun and the moon. We know that light and darkness are not dependent on the sun when we look at other verses in the Bible.

Revelation 21:23 “And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.”

This tells us that there will be no sun and moon in the new Earth at the end of times as God provides the light. Light can exist without the sun shining. Darkness can also exist when the sun is shining! In Goshen the Israelites have sunshine while the rest of Egypt is in darkness.

Exodus 10:21–23 “And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, neither rose any one from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”

Luke confirms that the sun’s light failed. God was shrouding the suffering of His Son on the cross for three hours. God can do what He wants with His creation and can turn the sun’s light on or off or limit it on the Earth.

Luke 23:44–45 “And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun’s light failing: and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.”

Day 2 - Firmament (Gen 1:6-8)

This act established the atmosphere and the division between the celestial and terrestrial waters.

This is in preparation for a consistent temperature and water on the earth. There would have been a lush green paradise. It would have filtered out harmful UV ways and extend the lives of those on the earth. This water canopy could have been released at the flood and water from under the earth to deluge the earth. Then we see life spans slowly decreasing after the flood.

Day 3 - Land, Seas, and Vegetation (Gen 1:9-13)

The seas are gathered into one place to allow dry land to form to allow vegetation. The plants were created with their seed in them on the third day. God did not plant the seeds first and wait for them to come up. He created these mature plants. They had the appearance of age right from the very beginning. Plants and trees were already grown with the seeds to reproduce. The same will be true of animal life and then Adam and Eve as they do not start off as babies. That tree might look 20 years old but really it is 5 minutes old as it was created mature when it was brought into existence.

Day 4 - The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Stars (Gen 1:14-19)

Mankind used the sun, moon and stars to chart times and seasons. The sun would rule over the day and the moon by night. God set these in the Heavens. The position of the Sun is set to just the right distance from the Earth to allow life. It was not dumb luck. God set it there.

Day 5 - The Creation of Birds and Sea Creatures (Gen 1:20-23)

There is birds and sea creature during the fifth day. Chickens are a type of bird. We can answer the question of whether the chicken or the egg came first. The chicken came first! These animals are created mature and with the ability to reproduce.

Day 6 - The Creation of Land Animals (Gen 1:24-26)

There is a common phrase that has been used up to now for all living creatures – after their kind. God has created a barrier in these kinds. A dog can’t breed with a cat. An elephant can’t breed with a lion. A horse can’t breed with a cow. It won’t work. Evolutionary science wants you to believe you can transition to a different kind if given enough time. It is micro-evolution that allows for minute changes such as a longer or shorter beak. They still remain within their species. Macro-evolution from one species into another does not happen. They try and say it takes millions of years, but it is nowhere in the fossil record. Yet evolutionists believe it. They are not going to find it. God says they stay within their own kind.

Day 6 - The Creation of Mankind (Gen 1:27-31)

This is God’s master creation at the end as made in His image. This is the starting point to find out who we are. We are a human being created in the image of God. You are not a mistake. God made you on purpose. We are not the same as the animal kingdom. We are not just another mammal. We have capacities and capabilities that the animal kingdom does not have. Dogs (or other pets) are not humans and while you may see them as part of your “family”, the reality is that they are not. Humans are unique even from the angels. There is no mention that angels were created in the image of God.

Since man is created in the image of God then this is the main basis for the sanctity of human life. It is why Christians oppose abortion on demand and euthanasia (assisted suicide). Notice the use of “let us” and “we” in the image of God. It can’t be talking to angels as they are not made in the image of God. How do we explain this plurality of grammar used in the verses? We see the three persons of the Godhead conversing about creation. Is it any wonder that they should talk among themselves. There is only one God in a plurality of three persons. We believe it because God said it. God has for all eternity enjoyed the fellowship of the persons of His own nature. He is not alone.

God created them male and female. You are liable to be fired from the workplace for saying this. Those that say this have lost their minds! What is behind all this is defiance against God. It is a childish attitude that won’t submit to God’s reality of male and female. It is like a child stamping their feet.

Day 7 - Day of Rest for Man (Gen 2:1-3)

There is only good in what God has created. No sin or death to be seen anywhere. God creates the day of rest for man. It wasn’t for God. He didn’t need to rest. The day of rest was made for man. This is what Jesus had said in Mark 2:27 “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:” Do we take a day a week to rest? It is a principle to rest one day out of seven. For the Church is not the Sabbath (Saturday) but the Sunday observed by the Church.

Questions

What is the first thing we learn about God?

There are two categories, creator and created. Who is in each category? Why is that significant?

How did God create the world? Does it seem like it was difficult for him? What does that tell you about God?

After God creates, what does Moses keep saying that God saw about creation? What does that tell you about God’s original design for this world?

Why do you think God names things? Can you find what God does not name?

The text really slows down when it comes to man. What does God say about man? What does God do for man? What does that tell you about God’s plan for man?

What did God do when he finished creating? What do you think that is supposed to tell us about how the world was supposed to be?

What does rest mean?

What does it mean that God made the seventh day holy?

After each of the first six days what do we hear? What do we not hear on the Sabbath day? Why is it not there?

How would you summarize what you learned about God and His plan for the world and for us as humans from this chapter?