“Has God said?”

Satan’s objective was clear; cause Eve to doubt God’s Word, in so doing, get her to focus on this forbidden fruit. If Eve fell for Satan’s ruse, he would be able to lay claim to this World that he so greatly desired, and Adam & Eve would forfeit all that had been given to them and be subject to God’s wrath.

History is now the lamentable record of Satan’s victory in the Garden of Eden and God’s incredible plan of Redemption to right the wrong. He is, in this current order of things, the ‘god of this world’ (2 Cor 4:4). The kingdoms of this would have been given over to him, for now (Luke 4:5-6).

Satan has successfully employed the same method ever since. The moment he can cause even the slightest doubt in God’s Word, he has a foothold. We have had attempts to undermine, re-define and allegorise Scripture, each time with the same question: ‘has God said’?

We have had the documentary hypothesis, textual criticism, liberalism and forgeries that claim to be older and more reliable manuscripts of the Bible – yet which omit entire verses and call into question scores of others, all of which are nothing more than the regurgitation of these most pernicious three words.

In this study of Genesis chapter 3, we look at the Fall of man and the introduction of God’s plan of redemption. I pray that you will be blessed and encouraged by these comments. If you want to listen to the audio teaching on Genesis chapter 3 (complete with PowerPoint slides), go to the following link: https://www.calvaryportsmouth.co.uk/sermon-series/sunday-morning-studies/

Genesis 3:1

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The first question to answer is, what is this ‘serpent’, and why was it made more subtle than any living thing?

There is a clue in the word for ‘subtle’ עָרוּם (aruwm) which has a negative connotation and in Hebrew it implies cunning (usually in a bad sense) – which begs then the question, why would God make a creature that was deliberately deceitful in a Creation He declared ‘very good’? In 2 Corinthians 11:3 we are told that the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, i.e. the serpent acted with intent. In Revelation 12 we are given a specific link between the serpent and Satan.

There seems to be an implied comparison in this verse, where on one hand we have ‘every living creature that the LORD God made’ and on the other hand we have this creature. Somehow, Satan used this creature to manifest himself and turned it from whatever God had created it to be, into an instrument of deception.

The next question is why would Eve stop and listen to a talking snake?

The fact that Eve doesn’t immediately run away is a good indication that she was not surprised by this! The fact that she happily engages in conversation with this serpent suggests a familiarity.

This itself should come as no surprise for in the book of Ezekiel (ch 28) we are told that Satan (then known as Lucifer) was in the Garden of Eden. Initially, he was a perfect and beautiful Angelic being, so there is no reason Adam and Eve would not have already known Satan in his un-fallen state. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for serpent is ‘Nachash’ meaning ‘shining one’

So when this beautiful creature engages Eve in conversation it was probably nothing new to her, hence she was willing to listen to this beautiful and captivating being.

“Has God said?”

It’s either God’s Word or man’s. Either we believe that God has said what He means and means what He says, or it’s a free-for-all!

Peter tells us that ‘prophecy is of no private interpretation (2 Peter 2:20), but this applies to all Scripture – to everything that God has said! It is not up to us to decide or vote upon what God meant!

Eve’s simple failing here was to entertain the question! (but let’s not be too harsh on Eve, not only is she our great, great, great…..grandmother, we would have all (and actually have all) done the same!

A.W. Tozer said: “Let a man question the inspiration of the Scriptures and a curious, even monstrous, inversion takes place: thereafter he judges the Word instead of letting the Word judge him; he determines what the Word should teach instead of permitting it to determine what he should believe; he edits, amends, strikes out, adds at his pleasure; but always he sits above the Word and makes it amenable to him instead of kneeling before God and becoming amenable to the Word”.    (A W Tozer, “Man the Dwelling Place of God,” chapter 26,)

Significantly, despite the claims and allegations to the contrary, the Bible has stood the test of time. God’s Word has never failed; He has preserved His Word and it will stand forever (see Psalm 12:7 / Isaiah 40:8).  Yet Satan has continued to say ‘Has God said…’ and many sincere people have given him their ear and doubted God’s Word, questioned what He has said, and ultimately fallen from the simplicity of a child-like faith in Him and been plunged into a life of doubt.

Notice Satan’s question: It is itself a distortion of the truth: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

This shows the ‘wiles of the Devil’, His question immediately provokes a response  – which is exactly what he wanted as this sets the conversation up for him to reap the seed of doubt he had sown!

What it the lesson here? The Devil is an alluring and formidable opponent. He was one jump ahead of Eve and orchestrated this whole event with precision. The moment Eve unwittingly succumbed to this interaction there was only one possible outcome.

“And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:26-27).

Genesis 3:2-3

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Eve answers the question, adding her own interpretation of what she thought God had said!

[Remember that Adam was given the instruction about this Tree not Eve; it was his responsibility to instruct his wife! Do the details matter? I think this example should answer that question for every husband, father, wife, mother and child – God says what He means and means what He says! We should pay attention!]

Nowhere is it recorded that God said to Adam and Eve they would die from merely touching this tree. Does that make a difference? Absolutely! For, as we will see in a moment, Eve will stretch out her hand and touch the fruit of this tree, and guess what? She doesn’t die by touching it! Thus Satan will be ‘proved right’ and it will seem that God is the one who has concealed the truth from them both. If touching the tree caused no harm, why not eat and see if it makes you wise?

It cannot be overemphasised how important the lessons we glean from these verses are!

Genesis 3:4

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

John 8:44 tells us that the Devil was a liar from the beginning. Remember his objective: usurp man and claim the title to the earth. Did he care one iota about man? No! Did he care about how man would view him after this? No! Though Satan appears as an angel of light, he will only bring darkness to our souls! He leads men into darkness but makes them think he is leading them into light.

Who on earth could ever be so twisted and cold as to take a young child and tell them to put their hand into a fire and pick up a burning hot coal, knowing it will burn and sear their tender young flesh? That isn’t even half the wickedness of Satan. He did this knowing he would be condemning humanity to hell! What is hell? It is separation from a perfect and loving God. Yes, it is a real place; yes it is a place of suffering, but the greatest pain will not be physical, it will be the unimaginable anguish that will be experienced by every soul condemned to this eternal place of torment on account of  Satan’s lie in Genesis chapter 3 verse 4.

Genesis 3:5

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The hallmark of a good liar is that they don’t know when to stop! Satan’s arrogance here leads him to make the assumption that all created beings covert being ‘as gods’. Yet that job is already taken! Satan did not take into account the capacity to find total fulfilment in serving and obedience to the One true God. That is our greatest joy!

Nevertheless, Eve is already on the hook, so another tug won’t do any harm! Sadly, so many through history have fallen for this lie also. Kings and despots alike have sought absolute power; but as has been said, absolute power corrupts absolutely! Man was not created to be ‘god’. Nor for that matter was any angelic being!

There is a beautiful innocence in young children before they become ‘worldly wise’. Yet notice how wisdom does not bring happiness but sadness. We can never go back and undo what has been done. We can never reclaim innocence lost.

“I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Eccl 1:17-18).

Genesis 3:6

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Notice the progression; she saw that it would satisfy her hunger, that it looked really good and that it would make her wise!

John tells us that this same progression is found when we love the creation more than the Creator!

“ ¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever”. (1 John 2:15-17)

When did Eve sin? When she ate of the fruit? When she plucked it from the Tree? When she first touched it? When she merely looked at it?

No. Eve sinned – rebelled against God – when in her heart she decided to take the fruit.

“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23).

In Paul’s letter to Timothy he makes an important comment:

“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Tim 2:11-14).

This is very interesting because Paul also said in the book of Romans that Adam was a “figure of him that was to come” (Romans 5:14).

Adam, realising what had happened to his bride, knowing that she would now die on account of her sin, willingly entered into the same predicament as Eve, knowing that this would be the only way to save her! It would ultimately be through their union and through Eve’s offspring that not only Eve, but all her children could be redeemed.

In just the same way, Jesus, the Second Adam, willingly gave up His position to come and rescue His bride (comprised of all who accept Jesus and are part of His Church).

Genesis 3:7

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

The had been naked in the moments leading up to the Fall, but there was no shame. Suddenly, in a moment, everything had changed. They had crossed a line and there was no going back. Suddenly they were not only physically naked, but they were ‘uncovered’. Seemingly up to this point they had been covered, not by a fabric or physical covering, but by the Shekinah glory of God. Now, on account of their sin that glorious covering had departed. Sin distorts nakedness.

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life all swamp our minds and we cannot regain that wonderful innocence Adam and Eve had known.

Here we see religion introduced for the first time. Religion is man’s attempt to cover sin and get right with God by his own efforts. The Latin word for religion means to re-link. That is what Adam and Eve were trying to do through these leaves. They were trying to make themselves acceptable to God again, trying to remove their shame.

It has been said that Religion is man searching for God. Christianity is God revealing Himself to man!

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

How can you hear a voice walking? What is the voice of God? It is the Word of God? This is a ‘Christophany’ – a pre-incarnate appearance of God the Son.

Genesis 3:9

And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

God was not asking this question because He needed help finding Adam! God never asks questions because He is looking for information! God asks questions to make us think! He the question to Adam was to make Adam think about his predicament. Where are you? What has become of you? The same question is asked of each of us: “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death” (Rom 6:21).
As you read this, where are you? Are you walking with God in the open or are you trying to hide from God? Are there things in your life you would rather God didn’t see? Where are you at right now? What is going on? God is awaiting the response.

As noted previously, God holds Adam responsible, even though Eve is accountable for her own actions. Significantly in this verse, we see that it is God who seeks Adam, and not Adam seeking God.

This is always the way we see it in scripture. Paul says in Romans: “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Rom 3:11). God Always Does the Seeking: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

God sought Abraham, whilst living among idol worshipping gentiles. God sought Jacob at Bethel as he was fleeing from Esau and God sought Moses whilst a fugitive in Midian. God sought David, a man after His own heart. God sought Isaiah, Jeremiah and the prophets of old. God still seeks today. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock’ (Rev 3:20). The Shepherd always seeks the sheep (see Matthew 18:12-14).

Genesis 3:10

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

How sin brings guilt and fear! We don’t want people to see us as we really are, especial the One before whose eyes “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

Psalm 139 reminds us that it is foolish to hide from God, for even in Hades, God’s presence can be felt. Jonah tried to prove this the hard way! Seriously, how can you run away from an omniscient and omnipotent God?!

Genesis 3:11

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

This is what the knowledge of Good and Evil does! It doesn’t make us wise unto Salvation, it makes us wise unto death!

Genesis 3:12

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Always someone else’s fault! Never our own. Blame it on my evil twin! In fact, blame it on everyone and anyone, just not me!

Genesis 3:13

And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

The man blames the woman, the woman blames the snake. It doesn’t change the last four words of this verse:

‘and I did eat’!

The rest is simply the details; the fact remains that Adam and Eve had transgressed (crossed a line) and they had sinned (missed the mark).

Genesis 3:14

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

What was this creature? Somehow it is physically altered so that after the fall it would like much like every snake does today. A documentary some time ago was suggesting that Snakes once had legs. Of course they put this down as ‘proof’ for Evolution. As we know, Evolution is utterly ridiculous, but it does beg the question, did the snake once have the ability to walk? Certainly, this verse would lead us to that conclusion.

Genesis 3:15

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

This is the foundation of the Gospel, and the start of the incredible story of redemption. From this moment God reveals that man is not without hope, for through his offspring God will make, not only a way of salvation but also for the ultimate defeat our adversary.

There is a dramatic ‘role play’ of this in the account of David and Goliath. David, as a type of Christ takes on the embodiment of evil in Goliath. David slays the great giant with a Stone that strikes his head. But more than that, the head of Goliath is then taken by David to Jerusalem. This has to be one of the most bizarre events in Scripture! For at the time David did this Jerusalem was not in Israel’s hands. It belonged to the Jebusites. This means that, in order to bury Goliath’s head, David had to break through into enemy territory (see 1 Samuel 17:54).

But the astounding thing is that place that David buries the head thereafter bore the name of the giant as a memorial of David’s great conquest. Around 1000 years later, Jesus is taken out to this very spot and crucified. John (19:17) specifically tells us it was ‘the place of a skull’ – whose skull? Goliath’s; hence the name ‘Gol[iath of [Gath]a’ – Golgotha!

Of course, now that God had announced that the Seed of the woman would be the one to redeem man and also [fatally wound] Satan’s head, Satan know what he had to do – destroy the seed. The Old Testament is the account of this battle. When Adam & Eve had their first children, they must have been wondering which one would be the seed? It soon became apparent that Abel was a man of faith and obedient to God. Could this be the Seed? Satan took no chances and used Cain to kill Abel.

However, as the population increased, the problem multiplied!

This led to the Angelic invasion that led to God cleansing the world with the Flood (see Genesis 6).

Then came the Tower of Babel – maybe Satan could manipulate the world through a One World Government which he would control?

Once again God confounded Satan’s plans.

However, God then chose to establish a ‘protective clothing’ for the Seed (see Rev 11:1-2). That clothing was the Nation of Israel. God chose Abraham and said that the Seed would come through His family. There were strict rules for the descendants of Abraham such that they should not intermarry with the people around them. They must be kept separate to ensure the safe delivery of the Seed at God’s appointed time. (This is all summarised in Revelation 12!)

The Battle of the Seeds

• The murder of Abel by Cain (Gen 4);
• The fallen angels corrupt mankind (Gen 6).
• The Tower of Babel – One World Government (Gen 10-11)
• Abraham’s famine
• Isaac and Abhimelech
• Jacob & Esau and then later, Laban
• The Famine in Canaan (Gen 50)
• Destruction of male line (Ex 1)
• Pharaoh’s pursuit (Ex 14)
• The battles and populating of Canaan (Gen 12:6)
• Saul’s attempts on David’s life
• Against David’s line (2 Sam 7)

Attacks on David’s Line

• Jehoram kills his brothers (2 Chr 21)
• Arabians slew all (but Ahazariah)
• Athaliah kills all (but Joash) (2 Chr 22)
• Hezekiah assaulted, etc. (Isa 36, 38)
• Haman’s attempts (Est 3)

New Testament attempts:

• The babies of Bethlehem
• The attempts on Jesus through his ministry
• The Cross

Genesis 3:16

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

The curse – the Woman

Genesis 3:17

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

The curse – man

Genesis 3:18

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

This is why we have a day job!!!  – and why we are continually mowing grass and weeding during the spring & summer!

Genesis 3:19

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

This was the ‘prize’ for disobedience.
“The keyword in the sentence of the man is the “soil.” The curse of the soil is the desire of the fruit trees with which the garden was planted, and of that spontaneous growth which would have rendered the toil of man unnecessary. The rank growth of thorns and thistles was also a part of the curse which it occasioned to man when fallen. His sorrow was to arise from the labor and sweat with which he was to draw from the ground the means of subsistence. Instead of the spontaneous fruits of the garden, the herb of the field, which required diligent cultivation, was henceforth to constitute a principal part of his support. And he had the dreary prospect before him of returning at length to the ground whence he was taken”. (Albert Barnes)

However, Paul tells us in Galatians that Jesus became a curse for us to deliver us from the curse of the Fall.

Bearing the Curse – Jesus became a curse

• Ground cursed – Jesus made a curse for us                  Gal 3:13
• Man: eat sorrow –Jesus became the Man of Sorrows Isa 53:3
• Thorns & Thistles –Jesus wore a crown of thorns           Jn 18:8
• Sweat of brow –Sweat as blood                                   Lk 22:44
• Dust to return –Dust of death                                     Ps 22:15
• Sword barred –Awake O Sword                               Zech 13:7
• Man to die –“Why has thou forsaken me?”        Ps 22:1; Mt 27:26

Genesis 3:20-21

And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Here we have the first sacrifice – made by God  – notice plural skins. Were they clothed by the shed blood of a slain lamb?

The basis of blood sacrifice is instituted here. Any attempt to cover ourselves is just empty religion, but God’s remedy is acceptable to a holy God.

Genesis 3:22

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

We have become like God inasmuch as we now know about good and evil.

We will not get to see this tree of life again until the New Jerusalem

Genesis 3:23

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Banished on account of sin.

Now man had to work for a living! From the beauty and perfection of Eden, this is now the way it is. We simply have to look at the world to see that something is wrong. Death should not have been. Sickness was never part of the original plan. But praise God that this is not the end of the story! For there is coming a day of restitution! (Acts 3:21).

Genesis 3:24

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Why does this require a SuperAngel? Ordinary angels would seem to be sufficient. We see here Gods grace yet again, for now God guarded the way to the Tree of Life so that man would not eat from it and then forever remain in his falled condition. God here institutes death as the means for salvation. For if the sentance for our sin is death, and if another could be found to die in our place, God’s perfect justice and mercy could both be satisfied!

Cherubim principle: They were guardians of God’s glory and majesty (Ex 9, 10:1-22; Isa 6; Rev 4:6-8; Ps 18:10; 81:1; 99:1; et al.). Satan was the “anointed Cherub”… Ezek 28:14…

More next week…

Every blessing,

Pastor Barry.

The post Three Words That Changed Everything! first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Later in Israel’s history, we find that God actually has Israel removed from their land for 70 years because they had failed to keep the Sabbaths for the land (every 7th year)  – see 2 Chron 36:21

There is far more to the Sabbath than most are aware! As we study scripture we find there is a principle laid down here that has enormous implications. The Sabbath is about rest as opposed to work, and herein is the whole Gospel message!

If you want to listen to the audio teaching associated with this post, you can find both the Audio and Powerpoint slides in the Sunday Morning Teaching section or click this link: https://www.calvaryportsmouth.co.uk/sermons/genesis-2/

Chapter 2

Genesis 2:1

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

Finished, complete, nothing new needed to be added. This means there will be no new information. That which has been designed to reproduce will do so, but no more matter or energy will created.

When we finish a project there is a sense of satisfaction, but for God, as wonderful as this new creation was, He knew that His special creation would soon ‘fall’. Satan would soon rebel taking a third of the angelic host with him and the Earth that God has created for man would soon be in Satan’s hands. It would take the sacrificial death of His own Son, the One who is Light, to redeem the Earth and Adam’s offspring – but even then, many of Adam’s descendants would reject the Light in favour of the Darkness. Yet there was hope…

Genesis 2:2

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

This is far more than a pattern for our week – which of course it is. In establishing the Sabbath God was prophetically outlining the future-history of man. For the next 6000 years of human history there would be toil and suffering, the six days of work. But then there would be a glorious age – the millennial kingdom – when the Earth would be reclaimed by the Second Adam, the curse would be removed and it would be a day of rest. The Sabbath speaks of Christ’s reign on the Earth He had made. It also speaks of His completed work. The writer to the Hebrews states:

“Let [those who are Christ’s] therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto [Israel]: but the word preached did not profit [Israel], not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, [i.e. we have ceased from the days of toil] as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall [not] enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world [i.e. God’s plan and the opportunity to enter rest existed from the foundation of the World]. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. [Even from the beginning of the World, before sin had entered, God’s plan of redemption was established and God had foreordained a place of rest (in Christ) and a time of rest (Christ’s everlasting kingdom)]. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.[The key is ‘if’ – the gospel is for the ‘whosever will’].

Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. [Let me paraphrase this: God foreordained that some would enter into the Sabbath rest through Christ, the offer went first of all to Israel, but they would not believe by faith. God therefore chose a time, for this offer of Salvation and rest for our souls, to go out to the world through the Seed of David].

For if [Joshua – who had led them into Canaan] had given [Israel] rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. [If God’s plan had been fulfilled through Israel’s obedience to the Law of Moses, there would be no need for the cross].

[However] There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. [The Law could not bring us to a place of rest, it could only condemn us, But Christ has paid for our sin, so anyone who simply believes on Him by faith is assured that there is a place of rest from our striving against sin, and that place is in Christ!]

For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. [Those who believe by faith know that it is not because of what we have done, but because of who He is!]. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. [This ends in an oxymoron! In essence what is said is let’s labour to not labour! Simply trust in the completed work of Christ and we can be assured of the Sabbath rest God intended for all who would believe!]  (Hebrews 4:1-11)

Thinking again of the man caught gathering sticks (as mentioned in the intro to this post), it speaks of religion – man’s attempt to get right with God by his own efforts. God had said ‘rest’! He would provide. This man was all about ‘works’, ‘doing things’. In esence, it is either your own works, your own efforts, or it is the completed work of Christ on the cross. This is not an issue about sticks, it is about salvation! Are you going to trust in what you can do (which will only lead to death)? Or trust in Christ’s payment in full (which will lead to life!)?

God was not harsh in the judgment meted out to this man, nor in regard to the 70 years captivity for Israel. Both of these examples draw our focus to the most important decision anyone can make. Are you going to go your own way and gather sticks – your labour, your efforts to provide for your needs? Or are you resting in the Lord knowing He has done it all?!

Genesis 2:3

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Now that we have seen in type what the Sabbath is really all about, we start to understand why God was so protective of the model. The Sabbath is set apart because it represents the hope of mankind and the restoration of God’s walk with man.

Genesis 2:4

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

The phrase ‘These are the generations’  we find nine times in Genesis: 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10,27; 25:12,19; 36:1; 37:2. Each time it marks a division of the book and the commencement of a new section. Some scholars think that, whilst Moses was the compiler of this book, each of these sections were originally recorded by different individuals starting with God Himself recoding 1:1 to 2:3, then Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and finally Moses himself.

Genesis 2:5-6

And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

Here we are told that originally there was no rain. This, coupled with the statement in Hebrews 11:7 and with what seems to be implied in chapter 1 verse 7 leads to the conclusion that the earth had a very different hydo-system before the flood.

The statement that ‘there was not a man’ indicated that this, along with the next verse, is a recap of what we have seen in chapter 1.

Genesis 2:7

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

This verse is very instructive! Firstly we are told that man was formed from the dust of the ground. It is very unlikely that Adam/Moses knew when they were recording this that the human body is made up almost entirely of 13 elements, all of which are found in the ground! The next insight we glean here is that we are made up of three component parts; body, soul and spirit.

Body

Our physical body is the container in which we reside, but it is not who we are. God here forms man out of the dust, but man is not alive until God breathes life into him. We (the real ‘us’) reside in our body (the Bible likens it to a ‘tabernacle’ or tent, implying a temporary residence (see 2 Cor 5:1,4 / 2 Peter 1:3). When we die the body goes back to dust (Gen 3:19).

Spirit

Then there is the spirit, given to us by God, and which will return to God when we die (see Ecclesiastes 12:7). The spirit is in effect our conscience; it is the part of us that is conscious of God. At the time of the fall man died spiritually, hence now we find that ‘the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, nor can his know them, because they are spiritually discerned’ (see 1 Cor 2:14). However, when we are born again we are not merely given a new spirit, we are given God’s Holy Spirit!

Soul

Finally, we have the real ‘you’ – the soul. This is who we are, and as we noted previously, the soul comprises the heart and mind. The soul is not alive until the breath of life comes. The Bible makes it clear, life is not physical but spiritual. Those who live to satisfy the body exist, but are not truly alive.

Genesis 2:8

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

It may seem like stating the obvious, but Adam is created on day 6, and then God places him in this wonderful garden sometime after day 7; but notice this is before Eve is taken out of Adam.

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Now, it is surprising how many people seem to struggle with the following verses. Often we here allegations of contradictions between Genesis 1 and Geneses 2. Even well-meaning Christians attempt to point out two different creation accounts, and then deliberate as to which is the correct or best one?

However, as so frequently is the case, if we simply read the verses in context there is no confusion and we see a coherent single account.

What we need to note is the fact that God creates a garden and then puts man in the garden. God has already created all plant life, all marine life, all land animals etc, on day 5 & 6. Now we are told that he causes to grow, out of the ground, another of every plant and tree etc.

Why does God do this? To show Adam that He alone is the Creator! Adam did not see days 1 – 5 as God was creating. History has shown how easily man is led away from trusting in our Creator; very soon the great Tempter would come onto the scene, and how easy it would have been for Satan to convince man that he was the one who had created everything! But now, Adam is an eyewitness of Creation and sees, first-hand, God at work.

Genesis 2:10-14

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

All of Earth’s geography was rearranged at the time of the Flood. Clearly, some of these place names were re-used and given to other places / rivers after the Flood. But why do we have this record in scripture? Why did God choose to give us this information?

The honest answer is ‘I don’t know!’ – but that doesn’t trouble me. When you come to appreciate what the Bible is, when you realise that every name, every number, every letter and every place name are in the Bible by deliberate supernatural design, you begin to recognise what the Rabbi’s called a ‘Remez’ – a hint of something deeper. Just because we have not discovered it yet simply means we carry on looking. We might make and amazing discover that becomes a blessing and encouragment to the body of Christ, or we may not know this side of eternity.

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law”. (Deut 29:29)

Genesis 2:15-17

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

So Adam has the opportunity to eat from the tree of life, but for some inexplicable reason, he doesn’t take it!

Instead, he ends up eating from the only tree that is forbidden!

Notice too that this instruction is given to him before Eve is created.

It was Adam’s responsibility to instruct his wife.

Notice that God holds Adam responsible, yet at the same time Eve is held accountable for her own actions.

Genesis 2:18

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Man was created for fellowship – ultimately with God, but we are not supposed to be on our own.

Is there one woman for every man?

Does God intend for some people to remain single?

Can more be accomplished as a couple?

What is certain is that we must maintain fellowship with other believers!

Fellowship and friendship costs. It cost Adam a rib! David would not offer to God that which cost him nothing (2 Sam 24:24). Don’t expect a free ride! Adam will appreciate Eve for more after this object lesson that God is about to teach him.

Genesis 2:19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

As already noted, God forms another of each creature out of the ground in the Garden of Eden in front of Adam to show again that He is the Creator.

The other purpose of this is to bring Adam to the place of realising his need!

God does this with us today. He allows circumstances and even disappointment into our lives to help us to understand.

Experience is still one of the best teachers. Some things we need to learn the hard way.

Adam must have had an incredible intellect, but remember, he was created perfect!

Had God not have exposed Adam’s need for companionship, his attitude toward might have been different. What seems clear is that by the time God creates Eve, Adam is overjoyed!

Genesis 2:20

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

If more proof were needed, there is a chasm of difference between man and animals.

We are created eternal – they are not.

Genesis 2:21

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

God’s intention in making woman was not to give man a helper, nor a servant, but an ‘opposite’, the other part of the equation.

Man was asleep when Eve was created!

Here God literally takes the woman part out of Adam!

Man does not have one less rib!!

Note that woman was taken out of Adam’s side; this is a picture in type of the Church being taken from Christ’s side.

Genesis 2:22-24

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The ‘woman’ part is taken out of man, but through marriage (which by the way, God invented so only He can define it – and He does, as the union between one man and one woman!!) man and woman are joined togehter and become one again – do you see from this why God hates divorce so much? It is like ripping part of your own self away, and you can never be the same after that.

That doesn’t mean God won’t forgive and bring a degree of healing, but God’s standard is clearly given – and for our benefit too!

Although they were naked they had a spiritual covering. They lose this at the time of the Fall (we will look at this in more details next week).

More next week…

Every blessing,

Pastor Barry.

The post The Sanctified Sabbath first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

If you want to listen to the audio teaching associated with these verses, you can find the Audio and Powerpoint slides in the Sunday Morning Teaching section: CLICK HERE

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.

We now find the beginning of self-replicating conscious life. This is the first time the word ‘life’ (Hebrew: ‘khah’-ee) appears in the Bible, and we find God makes a clear distinction between non-conscious plants and vegetation, and that which has a distinct self-awareness (specifically here marine life and birds). This distinction shows itself again in that which God originally gives for food (see Gen 1:29-30), and the fundamental difference is blood. Prior to the flood, only plants and vegetation were to be eaten – these do not have blood. Leviticus 17:11 states that “The life of the flesh is in the blood”, thus life and blood are inextricably linked; that which does not rely on blood for its survival is not truly alive – and here there is a profound deeper truth. By inference, we can deduce that blood was created on day five, and there is a profound significance here also; the number five is consistently used in the Bible to speak of grace – and God’s grace is dependent on the blood of Christ.

It is interesting to note that the first real life we see is from the water – symbolic in the Bible of the Holy Spirit. In fact, both water and that which soars above is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended as a dove at Jesus’ baptism. It may be a tenuous link, but Jesus said that “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). It could be argued that the first semblance of life on earth is seen in the water and the air, and real life comes likewise through natural (water) birth and by being born again of the Spirit – made possible by the blood of Jesus.

This is the last mention of the firmament in these verses, and as we noted, the implication from the Hebrew is that the birds fly ‘in the face of’ or ‘in front of’ the heavens.

Genesis 1:21

 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.

Notice that in the previous verse, and again here, God commanded the waters to bring forth abundantly, and only a cursory look at the life in the oceans will confirm that they are teeming with life. From the great whales and sharks to elaborately coloured tropical fish, to the huge variety of shellfish, the Octopus, Jellyfish, turtles and the list could go on. It has been estimated that there are 228,450 known species in the ocean, and one recent article stated that scientists had identified almost 1,500 new creatures in the world’s oceans in 2014, including the Australian humpback dolphin, 139 sponges, a South African “star-gazing shrimp” and a giant, venomous, tentacle-free box jellyfish about 50 cm (20 inches) long. They estimate there are still as many as 2 million more yet to be discovered! The huge variety of life in the oceans is breathtaking; yet what is even more incredible is the design we see with these sea creatures. Evolution cannot explain this diversity, nor can it offer any mechanism to account for the sheer complexity of marine life. Take, for example, the dolphin; it uses a sophisticated sonar system, located in its forehead, to find food. This has to have been there from the start or it would be no use. There is no way this could have evolved, it has to be the hand of a Master Designer!

It is the same when we look at birds; they have hollow bones so as to reduce weight and enable flight; they lay eggs so their young develop outside of the body. Their reproductive organs atrophy outside of breeding season, again to keep their weight down. They have a very fast metabolism and lungs that open at each end – completely different to any other vertebrates. They have an amazing 450 breaths per minute and have a larger heart to cope with higher altitudes.

Feathers, which most of us think of as fairly simple, are actually complex. Coming off the main hollow shaft (rachis), they have side branches (barbs) that have even finer sub-branches. Theses sub-branches are joined together with barbules and their corresponding hooklets (hamuli). The combined effect is a lightweight yet strong feather that provides lift when in flight and a first defence against physical objects, sunlight and rain. Each feather is contoured with a leading edge to go into the wind and a trailing edge designed for the optimum aerodynamic efficiency.

Is anyone going to tell me that this came about by random chance? Is our government’s ‘high-quality science education’ wanting us to believe that mutations over millions of years produced identical yet symmetrical mutations in both the male and female of the species at the same time and in the same place, and that these mutations actually got passed on to the next generation? It is astounding that evolutionists have never been publicly called out on this ‘mutation’ mantra. A mutation is a loss or scrambling of genetic information. It cannot create anything new. What also is never mentioned in the text books, or when David Attenborough is presenting his heavily evolutionary biased nature documentaries, is that for every ‘beneficial’ mutation there would be 10,000 that are, at best neutral, but many of which would be lethal! How do you get successive mutations that all complement each other if each mutation is just a random unguided event?

Dr J.C. Stanford, in his book “Genetic Entropy & The Mystery of the Genome” concludes:

“We have reviewed compelling evidence that, even when ignoring deleterious mutations, mutation/selection cannot create a single gene within the human evolutionary timescale. When deleterious mutations are factored back in, we see that mutations / selection cannot create a single gene, ever. This is overwhelming evidence against the Primary Axiom [theory of evolution]. In my opinion this constitutes what is essentially a formal proof that the Primary Axiom is false.”

The following article by Ray Comfort in his ‘Evidence Bible’ also hits the nail on the head:

• If every creature “evolved” with no Creator, there would be numerous problems. Take for instance the first bird. 
• Was it male or female? Let’s say it was male.  How did it produce offspring without a mate?  If a female also evolved, why did it evolve with differing reproductive organs? 
• Did it evolve by chance, or did it evolve because it knew that it was needed by the male of the species?
• How did it know what needed to be evolved if its brain hadn’t yet evolved? Did the bird breathe?  Did it breathe before it evolved lungs?  How did it do this?  Why did it evolve lungs if it was happily surviving without them? 
• Did the bird have a mouth? How did it eat before it evolved a mouth?  Where did the mouth send the food before the stomach evolved? 
• How did the bird have energy if it didn’t eat (because it didn’t yet have a mouth)? How did the bird see what there was to eat before its eyes evolved? 
• Evolution is intellectual suicide. It is an embarrassment.

Far from the science fiction that masquerades as fact is the reality that a wonderful God created all that we see, including the Woodpecker, which is an evolutionist’s nightmare! It has a super-strong beak to cope with all its hammering on wood, which in turn is seated in special cartilage to prevent it forcing its beak into its brain! Its eyes also shut at precisely the moment the beak strikes the tree to stop its eyes popping out! Its toes are not arranged like most birds with three claws at the front and a single claw at the back; the woodpecker has 2+2 to enable much greater grip when hanging onto a tree hammering away to find food.

Then there is the tongue! It is incredible. It goes down the throat, out the back of the neck, around the back of the skull beneath the skin, over the top of the eyes and terminates just below the eye socket.

We could talk about migration or the flight patterns of migrating birds that enable them to complete an eighty-eight-hour journey, in the case of the Golden Plover, by flying in formation. They could not complete the journey if they flew alone. This knowledge could not have evolved, it just shouts out there is an awesome Designer!

Gtting back to the text, notice also how God wants you to know that things only reproduce ‘after their own kind’! This is repeated 10x in chapter 1. Things NEVER reproduce something other than themselves, despite Charles Darwin’s wishful thinking!

Genesis 1:22-23

22  And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

So this brings us to the end of the fifth day. Once again we have ‘erev’ and ‘boker’ as we move from less order to more order as God’s work of creation is almost complete.

Genesis 1:24-25

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.

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.

 We could now list the countless numbers of land animals that exhibit such staggering complexity and design. If we take just one, let’s consider the Giraffe. They can grow up to 21ft tall and have a large & powerful heart to pump the blood up their long neck. The miracle is that when they bend down to drink they don’t pass out with all the blood that would rush to their heads, or worse still their brains explode! Yet God has built in ‘safety’ valves that close when the Giraffe bends down to prevent the otherwise inevitable. The next problem our Giraffe would face, however, is if it now needs to lift its head up and leave in a hurry – due to a nearby predator etc. – it would now faint as there would not be enough blood and therefore oxygen feeding its brain. Once again we see the brilliance of God’s design, for instead of the last valve in its neck it has a sponge in its brain that soaks up blood, this again prevents problems when it bends down, but also provides a sufficient reserve of oxygen if a fast getaway is needed! This all has to work or no more Giraffe!

So, all made after their kind, all made good, and all made originally to be herbivores (there was no meat eaten until after the flood).

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.

As we now move to God’s final work of creation, just like at the wedding in Cana, He saves the best until last!

Notice that we have the Trinity in this verse as God says “Let US….” The work of creation is attributed to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit throughout scripture.

The important thing in this verse is that Adam was made in God’s image and in His likeness. No other created being can claim this.

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.

We make an interesting discovery if we look at the Hebrew words in this verse. If we were to transliterate it into English it would actually read: “Created out of nothing, God, [the Alpha & Omega] Man in His resemblance. In His resemblance, God created out of nothing him, male – female, created out of nothing him“. In other words, God created Adam as perfect male and female in one. This helps to answer something some have struggled with regarding the creation of Eve. Eve was not created on day six, she was not created until the Garden of Eden, which occurred after the first 7 days. All God does in the Garden of Eden is to take the woman part he had already created out of man!

This is why we will see in chapter 2 that Adam states: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man“. It also defines marriage (contrary to modern society’s re-writing the rules), because when a man and wife are joined in marriage, they come back to as it was:  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh“(Gen 2:23-24).

Genesis 1:28-29

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. 

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.

Man is given dominion over all God’s creation, and having already noted the complexity and design, there is clearly implied the mandate to look after the world that God has given us!

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.

As we have noted, the animals and man were all vegetarians prior to the flood. Up until the Fall there was no death, so no killing creatures for food. This again makes a distinction between that which is alive in the Biblical sense and that which is merely living. Plants have life, but they are not truly alive as they don’t have blood. Only that which has blood is alive. Only that which has the blood of Christ is eternally alive! (see John 6:54-55).     

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.

This brings us to the end of the sixth day, and notice that it wasn’t just ok, it was the best it could possibly be! God doesn’t do His best, He does it the best!

This is the last time we see ‘evening and morning’ (in the Hebrew ‘Erev’ and ‘Boker’). God’s work of creation is complete and no new information will be added. God has taken the world from disorder to order.

(Above chart by Dr Chuck Missler – www.khouse.org)

More next week…

Every blessing,

Pastor Barry.

The post The Beginning of Life – Day 5 & 6 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Using deception and cunning Satan then usurped man and claimed the title deed for the Earth. He is, for now, the ‘God of this world’ (2 Corinthians 4:4) the kingdoms of this world having been delivered over to him (Luke 4:6). However, there is coming a day when “The kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

But the battle for the Earth has also been waged in a far more subtle way, for once people believed that God had created it. Of course, throughout history, there have been many wacky theories and ideas about the Earth – that it sits on the back of a giant turtle is one of the best! But in the 18th century, there was a radical shift. People went from believing the Biblical account of the Earth’s history to a theory born largely out of seances with men from Jupiter and Saturn! (Yes you did read that right!). In 1755, Immanuel Kant published his book, “Universal Natural History and Theory of the Heavens”, in it he proposed the ‘Nebular Hypothesis’ – the idea that all the planets in our solar system were the result of a large filament of material which shot off from the Sun 4 Billion years ago, cooled and then became the planets, including Earth. However, he wasn’t the first to propose this. Some years earlier Emanuel Swedenborg had claim confirmation for this hypothesis from seances with men on Jupiter, Saturn and places more distant! Pierre Simon Leplace (mathmatician) subsequently gave his endorsment despite there being serious mathmatical flaws in the theory, and although proven false, amazingly, this is still taught today.

This paved the way for geologist James Hutton, followed by Charles Lyell and then Charles Darwin to leave their mark on history, by rejecting the Biblical account in favour of man’s wisdom. This little bit of history sets the scene for our continued verse-by-verse study in Genesis.

Today, the battle for the Earth has been all but won in the minds of the masses by the ‘prince of the power of the air’ (Ephesians 2:2) “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

(Listen to the audio teaching on this web site: https://www.calvaryportsmouth.co.uk/sermons/genesis-1-2-5/

We pick up our verse by verse study in Genesis chapter 1, verse 2:

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.

In an ideal world we could simply make a few comments and move onto the next verse; however, it is necessary to make mention at this point of what is known as the ‘Gap Theory’. This theory, proposed by Thomas Chalmers in 1814, suggests that there is a gap of time between verse 1 and verse 2; i.e. that God created the heavens and the earth, there was then an undisclosed period of time when, according to proponents of this view, Satan ruled on the earth over a pre-Adamite civilisation. Then, supposedly, due to the wickedness of this original world, God sent a flood – called ‘Lucifer’s flood’ – which destroyed everything from the face of the earth. It is then suggested that what we see in verse two is the result of this judgment as God plans to recreate as per the remainder of the Genesis chapter 1 account.

Those who hold to this view will try to draw attention to specific Hebrew words to make the claim that the verse should be translated as follows: “But the earth became confused and waste…”. However, respected Hebrew scholars Keil & Delitzsch, in their commentary on the Old Testament say the following: “And the earth was (not became) waste and void.” The alliterative nouns tohu vabohu, the etymology of which is lost, signify waste and empty (barren), but not laying waste and desolating. [emphasis added] (from Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.) Thus, you will be able to find Hebrew scholars on both sides of this debate; some who lend support to the gap theory, and other who reject it out of hand.

Now, before we go on to look at the Biblical position regarding this theory, what should be addressed, is the circumstances that led to this theory in the first place. As we have already mentioned, the gap theory first surfaced in 1814. Only a few years before this, a lawyer & medical doctor turned geologist by the name of James Hutton had captured the imagination of the scientific community by claiming that the earth was not young, as the Bible indicates, but rather the earth was extremely old. He challenged the accepted idea of Catastrophism (that what we see in the world today is the result of major cataclysmic events – such as Noah’s flood), and instead proposed the idea now known as Uniformitarianism that states that things have gradually altered over eons of time.

It is against this background of popular scientific thought, all of which seeks to discredit the biblical account, that along comes Mr Chalmers, who, although no doubt sincere, proposes a theory that attempted to reconcile the Bible to ‘science’.

The mistake that was made then, and is still made today by those who choose to hold to the gap theory, is that they substitute God’s revealed truth for mans wisdom; of which God says: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Cor 1:19), “

As we have already noted, there will never be a conflict with science and scripture, for they both have the same Author, but we will repeatedly find conflicts arise between fallible men who seek to interpret science and history apart from God’s infallible word. Today, men like Hutton and Charles Lyell (who followed in Hutton’s footsteps) are seen as pioneers who advanced scientific thought. In reality, quite the reverse is true. By rejecting God and His word they have become fools who have erected stumbling blocks both in the path of science and faith.

The irony of this particular situation, is that inserting long periods of time in between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:2 doesn’t actually solve the problem that it was intended to; that of reconciling secular theories with the biblical account. Hutton and Lyell et al proposed that what we see in the world around us is the result of eons of years of gradual change (this paved the way for Darwin who built on their foundation). However, for those who believe the gap theory, there is still the problem of Noah’s flood – which would have cataclysmically changed the face of the earth – and is the rational explanation for what we see in the world today. Any evidence of a ‘pre-Adamic world’ or ‘Lucifer’s flood’ would have been literaly swept away by Noah’s flood. Yes, the gap theory agrees with the millions-of-years-theorists view of ‘lots of time’, but any supposed evidence of that ‘time’ was destroyed by Noah’s flood.

So if there can be no evidence drawn from geology to support the gap theory, is there any biblical basis for it?

The answer is simply ‘none whatsoever’! Firstly, we are clearly told in Exodus 20:11 that God created the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is in them in 6 literal days. This is the basis for our 7-day week and the reason that the Jews were told to commemorate the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week. It is important to note that God wrote this with His own finger (Ex 31:18), and it impossible for God to lie (Heb 6:18.).

Secondly, a pre-Adamite world that is destroyed for it’s wickedness would place sin and death before Adam; and yet we are clearly told: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). Sin and death only entered the world as a result of Adam’s transgression.

Finally, after God had finished His work of creation He declared it ‘very good’ (Gen 1:31), not “very good except for Satan running around’ but simply ‘very good’. Satan could not have fallen at this point. Furthermore, Ezekiel tells us that before he fell, Satan was actually in Eden, the garden of God, in an un-fallen state (Ezekiel 28:13). Paul tells us that it was pride that caused Satan to fall (1 Tim 3:6). And Isaiah tells us that Satan wanted to be ‘like God’. Now, bear in mind that no angel was made in the image of God – but Adam was! Clearly, Satan was jealous of Adam’s position, being made in the image and likeness of God, and so Satan also wanted to be ‘like God’, and that was pride, and that led to his fall, and that led to his hatred of humanity, and that led to Genesis chapter 3 – which we will deal with when we get there!

Suffice to say, there is not a single verse in the Bible that so much as hints at the fact that Satan rebelled in the dateless past, before the days of creation. Or that he was ever given dominion over the earth (he did, of course, steal it from Adam, and holds the title to the earth for now cf. Luke 4:6  / 2 Cor 4:4). In fact, we are told in the book of Job (Job 38:7) that when God created the earth, ALL the angels sang for joy. If all means all, then it has to include Satan – who at that time had not yet rebelled.

Thus, the theory that Satan once ruled over a pre-Adamite world is pure fiction and not Biblical. The only reason to invent such a story is to explain what was going on in a pre-Adam world. The only reason to believe there was a pre-Adam world is to allow for the earth being billions of years old. The only reason to want the earth to be billions of years old is to fit in with the secular, God-rejecting ‘scientists’ simply because you are not prepared to take God at His word.

It has taken a number of words to rebut this false theory, a theory that need never have existed in the first place if God’s word had been taken seriously, or even just read! Once again, God says what He means and means what He says! Never fear the wisdom of man if it contradicts the Word of God. God’s Word will endure FOREVER!!

Genesis 1:3

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The stage has been set, and as we come to verse three the lights go on and God’s play begins. The darkness and brooding of verse two now give way to the light; this is something so profound that it requires us to stop and consider what is going on here.

If I were to ask the question: ‘What is darkness?’ how would you answer? Let’s put it another way: ‘How do you measure darkness?’ If you think long and hard you will come to the realisation that darkness does not actually exist in and of itself; darkness is simply the absence of light. We can measure light, but we can only ‘measure’ darkness by the amount (or lack) of light present. In Job 38 God gives Job a science quiz and, among other things, asks him “Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof”  (Job 38:19). Light moves, darkness is fixed.

Now, the common understanding of this verse is that God says: ‘Let there be light’, at which point light appears; and that is certainly what happens. However, if we look at the Hebrew (which reads from right to left), we find that what God actually says is: “Be light, be light” or we could say: “Let light be light”. Another way we could render this would be: “Let the Light illuminate”, and now we begin to see something incredible! Who is The Light? Jesus Christ!

In 1^st John we are told that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”( 1 John 1:5). This is also explained in the opening of John’s gospel:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him [i.e. the Light] might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:1-9)

Thus, from these verses we see that God, in the person of Jesus, is the Light, and the creator of all things. He Himself said: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. (John 8:12). Was this just a metaphor? Apparently not, for in Revelation 21:23 we read: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Rev 21:23).

Another verse that sheds some light on this subject (pun intended!) is 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. Here Paul is referring to the verse we are studying (Genesis 1:3), but notice what we are told: God commanded the light to shine. For God to command the light to shine, the light had to be in existence prior to this point; in other words, it was not created but was pre-existent!

This would seem to be confirmed in Isaiah 45:“I form the light, and create darkness”(Isaiah 45:7). The Hebrew word for ‘form’ is Yatsar  meaning to ‘fashion, form, frame, make through the squeezing into shape’. In other words, it is working with something that already exists. However, in contrast to this, create (darkness), is the Hebrew word bara, meaning to ‘create out of nothing’. God does indeed create darkness (out of nothing) simply because He is Light. The fact that He is light makes it possible for darkness to exist. The same idea is carried on in the second part of the verse where we read: “I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things”. Many people have struggled with this verse because they think it makes God the author of evil; until, of course, you realise that, just as darkness is the absence of light, so evil is the absence of God. Evil exists because of the absence of God in the hearts of those who reject God. God does not ‘form’ (yatser) evil from something that already existed, He ‘causes’ it to exist (bara) out of nothing – i.e. it hasn’t always been there. It only became a possibility with the existence of beings (angels and humans) who have the power of choice – choice that allows them to reject God.

One final though before we move on: If God commanded Jesus, who is Light, to ‘illuminate’ the world (as I believe this verse is saying), and we know from Colossians 1:16-17 that Jesus created all things that exist, then, we could legitimately say that ‘Light created all things’. Why am I making this point? Well, simply because of the following:

Particle physicists know that each particle (the smallest physical object – smaller than an atom) has an anti-particle. If a particle and anti-particle combine they will annihilate each other and emit a photon (the smallest unit of light). What’s provocative is that it’s believed that this reaction could be reversible. This would mean that, from a photon (a single unit of light), it would be possible to ‘create’ a particle and its corresponding anti-particle. In other words, some particle physicists now believe that all you would need to create matter is light! – and what has the Bible said for thousands of years? ‘In the beginning God – the one who is Light – created all things!!

Genesis 1:4

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

We are told that the light ‘was good’, immediately I am reminded of Mark 10:17-18 “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God”.

We will see in the next verse that this division between the light and darkness is what becomes daytime and night-time, but notice that this is before the Sun is made. Thus God is showing something more profound by this action; something that is amplified in the New Testament:

“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1 Thess 5:5). In God making this division we see His foreknowledge of what was to come: that the pinnacle of His creation – mankind – would reject Him and choose darkness. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”(John 3:19). Thus, by the separating of light and darkness, we see God setting a daily reminder of the choice each of us has, to be children of the day or children of the night.  It is significant to note that ultimately, in the new heaven and new earth, there will be no night – the choice will already have been made. (cf. Rev 21:25 / 22:5).

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.

Building on what we have just said, God allows there to be a period of time when darkness rules. It is interesting to note what Paul said to the Thessalonians: “For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1 Thess 5:7-8). Once again, there is a choice to be made.

Have you ever wondered why ‘sin’ comes alive at night time? From unsavoury TV, to night clubs, to drunkenness, to prostitution, to brawling; all these flourish under the cover of darkness, when the light is withdrawn for a time.

This verse closes with a phrase that will repeat on each successive day of creation: ‘And the evening and the morning…’ Traditionally, this is why the Jewish day begins in the evening. However, it may be that ‘evenings’ and ‘mornings’ are not what is in view here at all. One hint of this is the fact that on day-7 there is no evening and morning recorded in the text. Now, we obviously know that there was an evening and morning on day-7, so why is it not mentioned?

A look at the Hebrew here reveals an interesting possibility.

The Hebrew word for ‘evening’ is Erev, but originally it appears to have meant ‘Obscurity, a mixture, disorder etc.’. In contrast, the Hebrew word for ‘morning’ is Boker which originally seemed to indicate ‘becoming discernable, distinguishable, relief of obscurity, etc.’

We know that as the evening approaches, things become less clear, they loose definition. But when the morning comes everything becomes discernable. Hence it is easy to see why these two words have come to be used to refer to evening and morning. If however, we take their original meanings, we find that at the end of the first day we have disorder leading to order. This pattern repeats each successive day as God’s creation ‘takes shape’ and each successive day brings a greater degree of order, right up until the end of the 6^th day, then on the 7th day God rests from His labour and hence, no further increase in order, no erev and boker, all was then complete.

Science talks of ‘entropy’, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, the universally acknowledged idea that things are running down, going from order to disorder; Things loose information if left to their own devices, they do not gain information. Things go from tidy to untidy, not the other way around! This flies right in the face of evolution, which has to completely ignore this scientific law to make its preposterous claim that things have added information by chance mutation (mutations themselves being a loss or scrambling of existing information!). Things have not, nor cannot be improved, increase in information or get better simply by natural mechanisms.

In regard to the creation week, it would seem that the ‘evenings’ and ‘mornings’ (erev & boker) are actually decreasing steps of entropy, as the  world goes from being ‘without form and void’ to the perfection of God’s completed work, which He declares to be ‘very good’.

(Credit to Dr Chuck Missler for this insight: www.khouse.org)

Sadly, in Genesis 3 we get to the ‘Fall of man’ when, not only man, but all creation is cursed, and from that moment the universe the world and everything in it starts to wind down.

“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed” (Psalm 102:25-26)

The post The Battle for the Earth! first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

These blogs over the coming weeks accompany the teaching sessions (which can be found in the ‘Teaching & Audio > Sunday Morning Studies’ section of this web-site.

I hope and pray that (if you are a Christian) you are encouraged, edified and strengthened in your faith; and if not, that you would come to see that the Bible really is God’s Word – provably so – and that the greatest privilege of all is to know Him!

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1)

What an opening! As we have already noted, our universe, our reality, consists of time, space and matter. Our universe also had a beginning – one of the greatest discoveries of the twentieth century. Thus there has to have been a time when no-thing existed. Therefore, for all that we now see to have come into existence, there had to have been a power at work outside of our physical universe; that power could not have been a ‘thing’ – for it would then be subject to the same laws as the rest of nature – It had to be Someone who is outside of time, not bound by physical constraints.

Here, in just 7 Hebrew words, we are told there was a beginning, and that Someone caused time, space (heaven) and matter (earth) to come into existence. That Someone is God – as Isaiah records: ‘One who inhabits eternity’ (Isaiah 57:15).

It is also interesting to see a trinity of trinities here:

Time = past, present & future; Space = length, width & height;  Matter = solid, liquid & gas.

And behind all of this we have THE Triune God, Father, Son & Spirit as alluded to in the Hebrew word Eloheim (translated ‘God’ but literally meaning ‘Gods’). Hebrew words with an ‘im’ ending are plural (i.e. more than one) e.g. Seraphim, Cherubim. Once again, the little details are of the utmost importance.

While we are considering the Hebrew, it is worth pointing out that the word for ‘created’ is the Hebrew word ‘Bara’ meaning ‘to create out of nothing’. There are other Hebrew words (‘Asa’ meaning to make, fasion, fabricate; and ‘Yatsa’ meaning to form or mould), but we are specifically told that here God created out of nothing.

As was just mentioned, this opening verse contains 7 words, but those 7 words comprise 28 letters (4 x 7). Books have been written about these letters and their corresponding numerical values. As we will go through the Bible we will discover that numbers are often used to represent concepts and ideas. The number 7 (and multiples thereof) is always associated with ‘complete’ and is another evidence of deliberate supernatural design throughout the Bible. We find a 7 day week, 7 colours in the rainbow, 7 branches on the Menorah (Jewish lampstand), the 7 years of plenty and the 7 years of famine in Egypt, the 7 priests and 7 trumpets marching around Jericho, Solomon’s building the Temple for 7 years, Naaman’s washing in the river 7 times, the 7 kingdom parables in Matthew 13, the 7 letters to 7 churches in Revelation, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 thunders, 7 bowel judgments and the list could go on and on. However those are just the ones we observe on the surface of the text. Russian born Dr Ivan Panin spent over 50 years of his life painstakingly exploring the numerical structure of the Scriptures, generating over 43,000 detailed, hand-penned pages of analysis. His findings showed that not only the surface text is filled with numerical patterns, but the very words and letters themselves are specifically chosen to fit mathematical models. Jesus was really not joking when He said that not even a jot or tittle will pass from the law until all be fulfilled!

One final incredible feature found in this verse is two un-translated letters in the middle of the Hebrew text.

The letters are the Aleph (first in their alphabet) and Tau (last in their alphabet). The equivalent in Greek would be the Alpha and Omega. Thus we could translate this verse as follows:

In the beginning God, the Alpha & Omega, created the heavens and the earth!

As Jesus said: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39)

Check back later to see the study notes for verses 2-5! – or if you follow us on Twitter you will automatically be notified when new posts are added.

Every blessing,

Pastor Barry.

The post In the beginning… first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.