Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 7 October 24, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, The When of creation
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Doctrinal purposes of God’s creation
1. The sovereignty of God
God’s creation of the natural world was according to His own will and ordained for His purpose.
Gen 1:5 – The naming of the elements of creation shows His sovereignty. naming something in the Middle East was a mark of power or lordship. Names were not merely labels but descriptions with some force to them
2. The omnipotence of God
“Bara” (created) This shows God’s will and shows Him to be the only Creator of the universe.
3. The purpose for creation
The purpose for creation was to have fellowship with man. Christ was the means by which creation was formed and by which it is held together(Col 1:15-18)
4. The providence of God
This illustrates the character of God by His ongoing care and concern for creation.
Other sources of interest:
The following is taken from a book called “The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg” and is a collection of stories carried down through the years starting with the Jewish people. It is a very interesting collection and placed here soley for the educational purpose of understanding where legends and myths originate and that each has a distinct point of origin
http://philologos.org/__eb-lotj/vol1/contents.htm
The Legends of the Jews
by Louis Ginzberg
Volume I
Bible Times and Characters from the Creation to Jacob
When God was about to create the world by His word, the twenty-two letters of the alphabet[10] descended from the terrible and august crown of God whereon they were engraved with a pen of flaming fire. They stood round about God, and one after the other spake and entreated, “Create the world through me! The first to step forward was the letter Taw. It said: “O Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world through me, seeing that it is through me that Thou wilt give the Torah to Israel by the hand of Moses, as it is written, ‘Moses commanded us the Torah.’ ” The Holy One, blessed be He, made reply, and said, “No!” Taw asked, “Why not?” and God answered: “Because in days to come I shall place thee as a sign of death upon the foreheads of men.” As soon as Taw heard these words issue from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, it retired from His presence disappointed.
The Shin then stepped forward, and pleaded: “O Lord of the world, create Thy world through me: seeing that Thine own name Shaddai begins with me.” Unfortunately, it is also the first letter of Shaw, lie, and of Sheker, falsehood, and that incapacitated it. Resh had no better luck. It was pointed out that it was the initial letter of Ra’, wicked, and Rasha’ evil, and after that the distinction it enjoys of being the first letter in the Name of God, Rahum, the Merciful, counted for naught. The Kof was rejected, because Kelalah, curse, outweighs the advantage of being the first in Kadosh, the Holy One. In vain did Zadde call attention to Zaddik, the Righteous One; there was Zarot, the misfortunes of Israel, to testify against it. Pe had Podeh, redeemer, to its credit, but Pesha: transgression, reflected dishonor upon it. ‘Ain was declared unfit, because, though it begins ‘Anawah, humility, it performs the same service for ‘Erwah, immorality. Samek said: “O Lord, may it be Thy will to begin the creation with me, for Thou art called Samek, after me, the Upholder of all that fall.” But God said: “Thou art needed in the place in which thou art;[11] thou must continue to uphold all that fall.” Nun introduces Ner, “the lamp of the Lord,” which is “the spirit of men,” but it also introduces Ner, “the lamp of the wicked,” which will be put out by God. Mem starts Melek, king, one of the titles of God. As it is the first letter of Mehumah, confusion, as well, it had no chance of accomplishing its desire. The claim of Lamed bore its refutation within itself. It advanced the argument that it was the first letter of Luhot, the celestial tables for the Ten Commandments; it forgot that the tables were shivered in pieces by Moses. Kaf was sure of victory Kisseh, the throne of God, Kabod, His honor, and Keter, His crown, all begin with it. God had to remind it that He would smite together His hands, Kaf, in despair over the misfortunes of Israel. Yod at first sight seemed the appropriate letter for the beginning of creation, on account of its association with Yah, God, if only Yezer ha-Ra’ the evil inclination, had not happened to begin with it, too. Tet is identified with Tob, the good. However, the truly good is not in this world; it belongs to the world to come. Het is the first letter of Hanun, the Gracious One; but this advantage is offset by its place in the word for sin, Hattat. Zain suggests Zakor, remembrance, but it is itself the word for weapon, the doer of mischief. Waw and He compose the Ineffable Name of God; they are therefore too exalted to be pressed into the service of the mundane world. If Dalet Wad stood only for Dabar, the Divine Word, it would have been used, but it stands also for Din, justice, and under the rule of law without love the world would have fallen to ruin. Finally, in spite of reminding one of Gadol, great, Gimel would not do, because Gemul, retribution, starts with it.
After the claims of all these letters had been disposed of, Bet stepped before the Holy One, blessed be He, and pleaded before Him: “O Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world through me, seeing that all the dwellers in the world give praise daily unto Thee through me, as it is said, ‘Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen, and Amen.’ ” The Holy One, blessed be He, at once granted the petition of Bet. He said, “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” And He created His world through Bet, as it is said, “Bereshit God created the heaven and the earth.” The only letter that had refrained from urging its claims was the modest Alef, and God rewarded it later for its humility by giving it the first place in the Decalogue.[12]
On the first day of creation God produced ten things:[13] the heavens and the earth, Tohu and Bohu, light and darkness, wind and water, the duration of the day[14] and the duration of the night.[15]
Though the heavens and the earth consist of entirely different elements,[16] they were yet created as a unit, “like the pot and its cover.”[17] The heavens were fashioned from the light of God’s garment, and the earth from the snow under the Divine Throne.[18] Tohu is a green band which encompasses the whole world, and dispenses darkness, and Bohu consists of stones in the abyss, the producers of the waters. The light created at the very beginning is not the same as the light emitted by the sun, the moon, and the stars, which appeared only on the fourth day. The light of the first day was of a sort that would have enabled man to see the world at a glance from one end to the other. Anticipating the wickedness of the sinful generations of the deluge and the Tower of Babel, who were unworthy to enjoy the blessing of such light, God concealed it, but in the world to come it will appear to the pious in all its pristine glory.[19]
Several heavens were created,[20] seven in fact,[21] each to serve a purpose of its own. The first, the one visible to man, has no function except that of covering up the light during the night time; therefore it disappears every morning. The planets are fastened to the second of the heavens; in the third the manna is made for the pious in the hereafter; the fourth contains the celestial Jerusalem together with the Temple, in which Michael ministers as high priest, and offers the souls of the pious as sacrifices. In the fifth heaven, the angel hosts reside, and sing the praise of God, though only during the night, for by day it is the task of Israel on earth to give glory to God on high. The sixth heaven is an uncanny spot; there originate most of the trials and visitations ordained for the earth and its inhabitants. Snow lies heaped up there and hail; there are lofts full of noxious dew, magazines stocked with storms, and cellars holding reserves of smoke. Doors of fire separate these celestial chambers, which are under the supervision of the archangel Metatron. Their pernicious contents defiled the heavens until David’s time. The pious king prayed God to purge His exalted dwelling of whatever was pregnant with evil; it was not becoming that such things should exist near the Merciful One. Only then they were removed to the earth.
The seventh heaven, on the other hand, contains naught but what is good and beautiful: right, justice, and mercy, the storehouses of life, peace, and blessing, the souls of the pious, the souls and spirits of unborn generations, the dew with which God will revive the dead on the resurrection day, and, above all, the Divine Throne, surrounded by the seraphim, the ofanim, the holy Hayyot, and the ministering angels.[22]
Corresponding to the seven heavens, God created seven earths, each separated from the next by five layers. Over the lowest earth, the seventh, called Erez, lie in succession the abyss, the Tohu, the Bohu, a sea, and waters.[23] Then the sixth[24] earth is reached, the Adamah, the scene of the magnificence of God. In the same way the Adamah is separated from the fifth earth, the Arka, which contains Gehenna, and Sha’are Mawet, and Sha’are Zalmawet, and Beer Shahat, and Tit ha-Yawen, and Abaddon, and Sheol,[25] and there the souls of the wicked are guarded by the Angels of Destruction. In the same way Arka is followed by Harabah, the dry, the place of brooks and streams in spite of its name, as the next, called Yabbashah, the mainland, contains the rivers and the springs. Tebel, the second earth, is the first mainland inhabited by living creatures, three hundred and sixty-five species,[26] all essentially different from those of our own earth. Some have human heads set on the body of a lion, or a serpent, or an ox; others have human bodies topped by the head of one of these animals. Besides, Tebel is inhabited by human beings with two heads and four hands and feet, in fact with all their organs doubled excepting only the trunk.[27] It happens sometimes that the parts of these double persons quarrel with each other, especially while eating and drinking, when each claims the best and largest portions for himself. This species of mankind is distinguished for great piety, another difference between it and the inhabitants of our earth.
Our own earth is called Heled, and, like the others, it is separated from the Tebel by an abyss, the Tohu, the Bohu, a sea, and waters.
Thus one earth rises above the other, from the first to the seventh, and over the seventh earth the heavens are vaulted, from the first to the seventh, the last of them attached to the arm of God. The seven heavens form a unity, the seven kinds of earth form a unity, and the heavens and the earth together also form a unity.[28]
When God made our present heavens and our present earth, “the new heavens and the new earth”[29] were also brought forth, yea, and the hundred and ninety-six thousand worlds which God created unto His Own glory.[30]
It takes five hundred years to walk from the earth to the heavens, and from one end of a heaven to the other, and also from one heaven to the next,[31] and it takes the same length of time to travel from the east to the west, or from the south to the north.[32] Of all this vast world only one-third is inhabited, the other two-thirds being equally divided between water and waste desert land.
Beyond the inhabited parts to the east is Paradise[33] with its seven divisions, each assigned to the pious of a certain degree. The ocean is situated to the west, and it is dotted with islands upon islands, inhabited by many different peoples. Beyond it, in turn, are the boundless steppes full of serpents and scorpions, and destitute of every sort of vegetation, whether herbs or trees. To the north are the supplies of hell-fire, of snow, hail, smoke, ice, darkness, and windstorms, and in that vicinity sojourn all sorts of devils, demons, and malign spirits. Their dwelling-place is a great stretch of land, it would take five hundred years to traverse it. Beyond lies hell. To the south is the chamber containing reserves of fire, the cave of smoke, and the forge of blasts and hurricanes.[34] Thus it comes that the wind blowing from the south brings heat and sultriness to the earth. Were it not for the angel Ben Nez, the Winged, who keeps the south wind back with his pinions, the world would be consumed.[35] Besides, the fury of its blast is tempered by the north wind, which always appears as moderator, whatever other wind may be blowing.[36]
In the east, the west, and the south, heaven and earth touch each other, but the north God left unfinished, that any man who announced himself as a god might be set the task of supplying the deficiency, and stand convicted as a pretender.[37]
The construction of the earth was begun at the centre, with the foundation stone of the Temple, the Eben Shetiyah,[38] for the Holy Land is at the central point of the surface of the earth, Jerusalem is at the central point of Palestine, and the Temple is situated at the centre of the Holy City. In the sanctuary itself the Hekal is the centre, and the holy Ark occupies the centre of the Hekal, built on the foundation stone, which thus is at the centre of the earth.[39] Thence issued the first ray of light, piercing to the Holy Land, and from there illuminating the whole earth.[40] The creation of the world, however, could not take place until God had banished the ruler of the dark.[41] “Retire,” God said to him, “for I desire to create the world by means of light.” Only after the light had been fashioned, darkness arose, the light ruling in the sky, the darkness on the earth.[42] The power of God displayed itself not only in the creation of the world of things, but equally in the limitations which He imposed upon each. The heavens and the earth stretched themselves out in length and breadth as though they aspired to infinitude, and it required the word of God to call a halt to their encroachments.[43]
On the second day God brought forth four creations, the firmament, hell, fire, and the angels.[44] The firmament is not the same as the heavens of the first day. It is the crystal stretched forth over the heads of the Hayyot, from which the heavens derive their light, as the earth derives its light from the sun. This firmament saves the earth from being engulfed by the waters of the heavens; it forms the partition between the waters above and the waters below.[45] It was made to crystallize into the solid it is by the heavenly fire, which broke its bounds, and condensed the surface of the firmament. Thus fire made a division between the celestial and the terrestrial at the time of creation, as it did at the revelation on Mount Sinai.[46] The firmament is not more than three fingers thick,[47] nevertheless it divides two such heavy bodies as the waters below, which are the foundations for the nether world, and the waters above, which are the foundations for the seven heavens, the Divine Throne, and the abode of the angels.[48]
The separation of the waters into upper and lower waters was the only act of the sort done by God in connection with the work of creation.[49] All other acts were unifying. It therefore caused some difficulties. When God commanded, “Let the waters be gathered together, unto one place, and let the dry land appear,” certain parts refused to obey. They embraced each other all the more closely. In His wrath at the waters, God determined to let the whole of creation resolve itself into chaos again. He summoned the Angel of the Face, and ordered him to destroy the world. The angel opened his eyes wide, and scorching fires and thick clouds rolled forth from them, while he cried out, “He who divides the Red Sea in sunder!”–and the rebellious waters stood. The all, however, was still in danger of destruction. Then began the singer of God’s praises: “O Lord of the world, in days to come Thy creatures will sing praises without end to Thee, they will bless Thee boundlessly, and they will glorify Thee without measure. Thou wilt set Abraham apart from all mankind as Thine own; one of his sons Thou wilt call ‘My first-born’; and his descendants will take the yoke of Thy kingdom upon themselves. In holiness and purity Thou wilt bestow Thy Torah upon them, with the words, ‘I am the Lord your God,’ whereunto they will make answer, ‘All that God hath spoken we will do.’ And now I beseech Thee, have pity upon Thy world, destroy it not, for if Thou destroyest it, who will fulfil Thy will?” God was pacified; He withdrew the command ordaining the destruction of the world, but the waters He put under the mountains, to remain there forever.[50] The objection of the lower waters to division and Separation[51] was not their only reason for rebelling. The waters had been the first to give praise to God, and when their separation into upper and lower was decreed, the waters above rejoiced, saying, “Blessed are we who are privileged to abide near our Creator and near His Holy Throne.” Jubilating thus, they flew upward, and uttered song and praise to the Creator of the world. Sadness fell upon the waters below. They lamented: “Woe unto us, we have not been found worthy to dwell in the presence of God, and praise Him together with our companions.” Therefore they attempted to rise upward, until God repulsed them, and pressed them under the earth.[52] Yet they were not left unrewarded for their loyalty. Whenever the waters above desire to give praise to God, they must first seek permission from the waters below.[53]
The second day of creation was an untoward day in more than the one respect that it introduced a breach where before there had been nothing but unity; for it was the day that saw also the creation of hell. Therefore God could not say of this day as of the others, that He “saw that it was good.” A division may be necessary, but it cannot be called good, and hell surely does not deserve the attribute of good.[54] Hell[55] has seven divisions,[36] one beneath the other. They are called Sheol, Abaddon, Beer Shahat, Tit ha-Yawen, Sha’are Mawet, Sha’are Zalmawet: and Gehenna. It requires three hundred years to traverse the height, or the width, or the depth of each division, and it would take six thousand three hundred[37] years to go over a tract of land equal in extent to the seven divisions.[38]
Each of the seven divisions in turn has seven subdivisions, and in each compartment there are seven rivers of fire and seven of hail. The width of each is one thousand ells, its depth one thousand, and its length three hundred, and they flow one from the other, and are supervised by ninety thousand Angels of Destruction. There are, besides, in every compartment seven thousand caves, in every cave there are seven thousand crevices, and in every crevice seven thousand scorpions. Every scorpion has three hundred rings, and in every ring seven thousand pouches of venom, from which flow seven rivers of deadly poison. If a man handles it, he immediately bursts, every limb is torn from his body, his bowels are cleft asunder, and he falls upon his face.[56] There are also five different kinds of fire in hell. One devours and absorbs, another devours and does not absorb, while the third absorbs and does not devour, and there is still another fire, which neither devours nor absorbs, and furthermore a fire which devours fire. There are coals big as mountains, and coals big as hills, and coals as large as the Dead Sea, and coals like huge stones, and there are rivers of pitch and sulphur flowing and seething like live coals.[60]
The third creation of the second day was the angel hosts, both the ministering angels and the angels of praise. The reason they had not been called into being on the first day was, lest men believe that the angels assisted God in the creation of the heavens and the earth.[61] The angels that are fashioned from fire have forms of fire,[62] but only so long as they remain in heaven. When they descend to earth, to do the bidding of God here below, either they are changed into wind, or they assume the guise of men.[63] There are ten ranks or degrees among the angels.[64]
The most exalted in rank are those surrounding the Divine Throne on all sides, to the right, to the left, in front, and behind, under the leadership of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael.[65]
All the celestial beings praise God with the words, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,” but men take precedence of the angels herein. They may not begin their song of praise until the earthly beings have brought their homage to God.[66] Especially Israel is preferred to the angels. When they encircle the Divine Throne in the form of fiery mountains and flaming hills, and attempt to raise their voices in adoration of the Creator, God silences them with the words, “Keep quiet until I have heard the songs, praises, prayers, and sweet melodies of Israel.” Accordingly, the ministering angels and all the other celestial hosts wait until the last tones of Israel’s doxologies rising aloft from earth have died away, and then they proclaim in a loud voice, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.” When the hour for the glorification of God by the angels draws nigh, the august Divine herald, the angel Sham’iel, steps to the windows[67] of the lowest heaven to hearken to the songs, prayers, and praises that ascend from the synagogues and the houses of learning, and when they are finished, he announces the end to the angels in all the heavens. The ministering angels, those who come in contact with the sublunary world,[68] now repair to their chambers to take their purification bath. They dive into a stream of fire and flame seven times, and three hundred and sixty-five times they examine themselves carefully, to make sure that no taint clings to their bodies.[69] Only then they feel privileged to mount the fiery ladder and join the angels of the seventh heaven, and surround the throne of God with Hashmal and all the holy Hayyot. Adorned with millions of fiery crowns, arrayed in fiery garments, all the angels in unison, in the same words, and with the same melody, intone songs of praise to God.[70]
Up to this time the earth was a plain, and wholly covered with water. Scarcely had the words of God, “Let the waters be gathered together,” made themselves heard, when mountains appeared all over and hills,[71] and the water collected in the deep-lying basins. But the water was recalcitrant, it resisted the order to occupy the lowly spots, and threatened to overflow the earth, until God forced it back into the sea, and encircled the sea with sand. Now, whenever the water is tempted to transgress its bounds, it beholds the sand, and recoils.[72]
The waters did but imitate their chief Rahab, the Angel of the Sea, who rebelled at the creation of the world. God had commanded Rahab to take in the water. But he refused, saying, “I have enough.” The punishment for his disobedience was death. His body rests in the depths of the sea, the water dispelling the foul odor that emanates from it.[73]
The main creation of the third day was the realm of plants, the terrestrial plants as well as the plants of Paradise. First of all the cedars of Lebanon and the other great trees were made. In their pride at having been put first, they shot up high in the air. They considered themselves the favored among plants. Then God spake, “I hate arrogance and pride, for I alone am exalted, and none beside,” and He created the iron on the same day, the substance with which trees are felled down. The trees began to weep, and when God asked the reason of their tears, they said: “We cry because Thou hast created the iron to uproot us therewith. All the while we had thought ourselves the highest of the earth, and now the iron, our destroyer, has been called into existence.” God replied: “You yourselves will furnish the axe with a handle. Without your assistance the iron will not be able to do aught against you.”[74]
The command to bear seed after their kind was given to the trees alone. But the various sorts of grass reasoned, that if God had not desired divisions according to classes, He would not have instructed the trees to bear fruit after their kind with the seed thereof in it, especially as trees are inclined of their own accord to divide themselves into species. The grasses therefore reproduced themselves also after their kinds. This prompted the exclamation of the Prince of the World, “Let the glory of the Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works.”[75]
The most important work done on the third day was the creation of Paradise. Two gates of carbuncle form the entrance to Paradise,[76] and sixty myriads of ministering angels keep watch over them. Each of these angels shines with the lustre of the heavens. When the just man appears before the gates, the clothes in which he was buried are taken off him, and the angels array him in seven garments of clouds of glory, and place upon his head two crowns, one of precious stones and pearls, the other of gold of Parvaim,[77] and they put eight myrtles in his hand, and they utter praises before him and say to him, “Go thy way, and eat thy bread with joy.” And they lead him to a place full of rivers, surrounded by eight hundred kinds of roses and myrtles. Each one has a canopy according to his merits,[78] and under it flow four rivers, one of milk, the other of balsam, the third of wine, and the fourth of honey. Every canopy is overgrown by a vine of gold, and thirty pearls hang from it, each of them shining like Venus. Under each canopy there is a table of precious stones and pearls, and sixty angels stand at the head of every just man, saying unto him: “Go and eat with joy of the honey, for thou hast busied thyself with the Torah, and she is sweeter than honey, and drink of the wine preserved in the grape since the six days of creation,[79] for thou hast busied thyself with the Torah, and she is compared to wine.” The least fair of the just is beautiful as Joseph and Rabbi Johanan, and as the grains of a silver pomegranate upon which fall the rays of the sun.[80] There is no light, “for the light of the righteous is the shining light.” And they undergo four transformations every day, passing through four states. In the first the righteous is changed into a child. He enters the division for children, and tastes the joys of childhood. Then he is changed into a youth, and enters the division for the youths, with whom he enjoys the delights of youth. Next he becomes an adult, in the prime of life, and he enters the division of men, and enjoys the pleasures of manhood. Finally, he is changed into an old man. He enters the division for the old, and enjoys the pleasures of age.
There are eighty myriads of trees in every corner of Paradise, the meanest among them choicer than all the spice trees. In every corner there are sixty myriads of angels singing with sweet voices, and the tree of life stands in the middle and shades the whole of Paradise.[81] It has fifteen thousand tastes, each different from the other, and the perfumes thereof vary likewise. Over it hang seven clouds of glory, and winds blow upon it from all four sides,[82] so that its odor is wafted from one end of the world to the other. Underneath sit the scholars and explain the Torah. Over each of them two canopies are spread, one of stars, the other of sun and moon, and a curtain of clouds of glory separates the one canopy from the other.[83] Beyond Paradise begins Eden, containing three hundred and ten worlds[84] and seven compartments for seven different classes of the pious. In the first are “the martyr victims of the government,” like Rabbi Akiba and his colleagues;[85] in the second those who were drowned;[86] in the third[87] Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai and his disciples; in the fourth those who were carried off in the cloud of glory;[88] in the fifth the penitents, who occupy a place which even a perfectly pious man cannot obtain; in the sixth are the youths[89] who have not tasted of sin in their lives; in the seventh are those poor who studied Bible and Mishnah, and led a life of self-respecting decency. And God sits in the midst of them and expounds the Torah to them.[90]
As for the seven divisions of Paradise, each of them is twelve myriads of miles in width and twelve myriads of miles in length. In the first division dwell the proselytes who embraced Judaism of their own free will, not from compulsion. The walls are of glass and the wainscoting of cedar. The prophet Obadiah,[91] himself a proselyte, is the overseer of this first division. The second division is built of silver, and the wainscoting thereof is of cedar. Here dwell those who have repented, and Manasseh, the penitent son of Hezekiah, presides over them. The third division is built of silver and gold. Here dwell Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Israelites who came out of Egypt, and the whole generation that lived in the desert.[92] Also David is there, together with all his sons[93] except Absalom, one of them, Chileab, still alive. And all the kings of Judah are there, with the exception of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who presides in the second division, over the penitents. Moses and Aaron preside over the third division. Here are precious vessels of silver and gold and jewels and canopies and beds and thrones and lamps, of gold, of precious stones, and of pearls, the best of everything there is in heaven.[94] The fourth division is built of beautiful rubies,[95] and its wainscoting is of olive wood. Here dwell the perfect and the steadfast in faith, and their wainscoting is of olive wood, because their lives were bitter as olives to them. The fifth division is built of silver and gold and refined gold,[96] and the finest of gold and glass and bdellium, and through the midst of it flows the river Gihon. The wainscoting is of silver and gold, and a perfume breathes through it more exquisite than the perfume of Lebanon. The coverings of the silver and gold beds are made of purple and blue, woven by Eve, and of scarlet and the hair of goats, woven by angels. Here dwells the Messiah on a palanquin made of the wood of Lebanon, “the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom of gold, the seat of it purple.” With him is Elijah. He takes the head of Messiah, and places it in his bosom, and says to him, “Be quiet, for the end draweth nigh.” On every Monday and Thursday and on Sabbaths and holidays, the Patriarchs come to him, and the twelve sons of Jacob, and Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, and all the kings of Israel and of Judah, and they weep with him and comfort him, and say unto him, “Be quiet and put trust in thy Creator, for the end draweth nigh. “Also Korah and his company, and Dathan, Abiram, and Absalom come to him on every Wednesday, and ask him: “How long before the end comes full of wonders? When wilt thou bring us life again, and from the abysses of the earth lift us?” The Messiah answers them, “Go to your fathers and ask them”; and when they hear this, they are ashamed, and do not ask their fathers.
In the sixth division dwell those who died in performing a pious act, and in the seventh division those who died from illness inflicted as an expiation for the sins of Israel.[97]
The fourth day of creation produced the sun, the moon, and the stars. These heavenly spheres were not actually fashioned on this day; they were created on the first day, and merely were assigned their places in the heavens on the fourth.[98] At first the sun and the moon enjoyed equal powers and prerogatives.[99] The moon spoke to God, and said: “O Lord, why didst Thou create the world with the letter Bet?” God replied: “That it might be made known unto My creatures that there are two worlds.” The moon: “O Lord: which of the two worlds is the larger, this world or the world to come?” God: “The world to come is the larger.” The moon: “O Lord, Thou didst create two worlds, a greater and a lesser world; Thou didst create the heaven and the earth, the heaven exceeding the earth; Thou didst create fire and water, the water stronger than the fire, because it can quench the fire; and now Thou hast created the sun and the moon, and it is becoming that one of them should be greater than the other.” Then spake God to the moon: “I know well, thou wouldst have me make Thee greater than the sun. As a punishment I decree that thou mayest keep but one-sixtieth of thy light.” The moon made supplication: “Shall I be punished so severely for having spoken a single word?” God relented: “In the future world I will restore thy light, so that thy light may again be as the light of the sun.” The moon was not yet satisfied. “O Lord,” she said, “and the light of the sun, how great will it be in that day?” Then the wrath of God was once more enkindled: “What, thou still plottest against the sun? As thou livest, in the world to come his light shall be sevenfold the light he now sheds.”[100] The Sun runs his course like a bridegroom. He sits upon a throne with a garland on his head.[101] Ninety-six angels accompany him on his daily journey, in relays of eight every hour, two to the left of him, and two to the right, two before Him, and two behind. Strong as he is, he could complete his course from south to north in a single instant, but three hundred and sixty-five angels restrain him by means of as many grappling-irons. Every day one looses his hold, and the sun must thus spend three hundred and sixty-five days on his course. The progress of the sun in his circuit is an uninterrupted song of praise to God. And this song alone makes his motion possible. Therefore, when Joshua wanted to bid the sun stand still, he had to command him to be silent. His song of praise hushed, the sun stood still.[102]
The sun is double-faced; one face, of fire, is directed toward the earth, and one of hail, toward heaven, to cool off the prodigious heat that streams from the other face, else the earth would catch afire. In winter the sun turns his fiery face upward, and thus the cold is produced.[103] When the sun descends in the west in the evening, he dips down into the ocean and takes a bath, his fire is extinguished, and therefore he dispenses neither light nor warmth during the night. But as soon as he reaches the east in the morning, he laves himself in a stream of flame, which imparts warmth and light to him, and these he sheds over the earth. In the same way the moon and the stars take a bath in a stream of hail before they enter upon their service for the night.[104]
When the sun and the moon are ready to start upon their round of duties, they appear before God, and beseech him to relieve them of their task, so that they may be spared the sight of sinning mankind. Only upon compulsion they proceed with their daily course. Coming from the presence of God, they are blinded by the radiance in the heavens, and they cannot find their way. God, therefore, shoots off arrows, by the glittering light of which they are guided. It is on account of the sinfulness of man, which the sun is forced to contemplate on his rounds, that he grows weaker as the time of his going down approaches, for sins have a defiling and enfeebling effect, and he drops from the horizon as a sphere of blood, for blood is the sign of corruption.[105] As the sun sets forth on his course in the morning, his wings touch the leaves on the trees of Paradise, and their vibration is communicated to the angels and the holy Hayyot, to the other plants, and also to the trees and plants on earth, and to all the beings on earth and in heaven. It is the signal for them all to cast their eyes upward. As soon as they see the Ineffable Name, which is engraved in the sun, they raise their voices in songs of praise to God. At the same moment a heavenly voice is heard to say, “Woe to the sons of men that consider not the honor of God like unto these creatures whose voices now rise aloft in adoration.”[106] These words, naturally, are not heard by men; as little as they perceive the grating of the sun against the wheel to which all the celestial bodies are attached, although the noise it makes is extraordinarily loud.[107] This friction of the sun and the wheel produces the motes dancing about in the sunbeams. They are the carriers of healing to the sick,[108] the only health-giving creations of the fourth day, on the whole an unfortunate day, especially for children, afflicting them with disease.[109] When God punished the envious moon by diminishing her light and splendor, so that she ceased to be the equal of the sun as she had been originally,[110] she fell,[111] and tiny threads were loosed from her body. These are the stars.[112]
On the fifth day of creation God took fire[118] and water, and out of these two elements He made the fishes of the sea.[114] The animals in the water are much more numerous than those on land. For every species on land, excepting only the weasel, there is a corresponding species in the water, and, besides, there are many found only in the water.[115]
The ruler over the sea-animals is leviathan.[116] With all the other fishes he was made on the fifth day.[117] Originally he was created male and female like all the other animals. But when it appeared that a pair of these monsters might annihilate the whole earth with their united strength, God killed the female.[119] So enormous is leviathan that to quench his thirst he needs all the water that flows from the Jordan into the sea.[119] His food consists of the fish which go between his jaws of their own accord.[120] When he is hungry, a hot breath blows from his nostrils, and it makes the waters of the great sea seething hot. Formidable though behemot, the other monster, is, he feels insecure until he is certain that leviathan has satisfied his thirst.[121] The only thing that can keep him in check is the stickleback, a little fish which was created for the purpose, and of which he stands in great awe.[122] But leviathan is more than merely large and strong; he is wonderfully made besides. His fins radiate brilliant light, the very sun is obscured by it,[123] and also his eyes shed such splendor that frequently the sea is illuminated suddenly by it.[121] No wonder that this marvellous beast is the plaything of God, in whom He takes His pastime.[124]
There is but one thing that makes leviathan repulsive, his foul smell: which is so strong that if it penetrated thither, it would render Paradise itself an impossible abode.[125]
The real purpose of leviathan is to be served up as a dainty to the pious in the world to come. The female was put into brine as soon as she was killed, to be preserved against the time when her flesh will be needed.[126] The male is destined to offer a delectable sight to all beholders before he is consumed. When his last hour arrives, God will summon the angels to enter into combat with the monster. But no sooner will leviathan cast his glance at them than they will flee in fear and dismay from the field of battle. They will return to the charge with swords, but in vain, for his scales can turn back steel like straw. They will be equally unsuccessful when they attempt to kill him by throwing darts and slinging stones; such missiles will rebound without leaving the least impression on his body. Disheartened, the angels will give up the combat, and God will command leviathan and behemot to enter into a duel with each other. The issue will be that both will drop dead, behemot slaughtered by a blow of leviathan’s fins, and leviathan killed by a lash of behemot’s tail. From the skin of leviathan God will construct tents to shelter companies of the pious while they enjoy the dishes made of his flesh. The amount assigned to each of the pious will be in proportion to his deserts, and none will envy or begrudge the other his better share. What is left of leviathan’s skin will be stretched out over Jerusalem as a canopy, and the light streaming from it will illumine the whole world, and what is left of his flesh after the pious have appeased their appetite, will be distributed among the rest of men, to carry on traffic therewith.[127]
On the same day with the fishes, the birds were created, for these two kinds of animals are closely related to each other. Fish are fashioned out of water, and birds out of marshy ground saturated with water.[128]
As leviathan is the king of fishes, so the ziz is appointed to rule over the birds.[129] His name comes from the variety of tastes his flesh has; it tastes like this, zeh, and like that, zeh.[130] The ziz is as monstrous of size as leviathan himself. His ankles rest on the earth, and his head reaches to the very sky.[121]
It once happened that travellers on a vessel noticed a bird. As he stood in the water, it merely covered his feet, and his head knocked against the sky. The onlookers thought the water could not have any depth at that point, and they prepared to take a bath there. A heavenly voice warned them: “Alight not here! Once a carpenter’s axe slipped from his hand at this spot, and it took it seven years to touch bottom.” The bird the travellers saw was none other than the ziz.[132] His wings are so huge that unfurled they darken the sun.[133] They protect the earth against the storms of the south; without their aid the earth would not be able to resist the winds blowing thence.[134] Once an egg of the ziz fell to the ground and broke. The fluid from it flooded sixty cities, and the shock crushed three hundred cedars. Fortunately such accidents do not occur frequently. As a rule the bird lets her eggs slide gently into her nest. This one mishap was due to the fact that the egg was rotten, and the bird cast it away carelessly. The ziz has another name, Renanin,[135] because he is the celestial singer.[136] On account of his relation to the heavenly regions he is also called Sekwi, the seer, and, besides, he is called “son of the nest,”[137] because his fledgling birds break away from the shell without being hatched by the mother bird; they spring directly from the nest, as it were.[138] Like leviathan, so ziz is a delicacy to be served to the pious at the end of time, to compensate them for the privations which abstaining from the unclean fowls imposed upon them.[139]
As the fish were formed out of water, and the birds out of boggy earth well mixed with water, so the mammals were formed out of solid earth,[140] and as leviathan is the most notable representative of the fish kind, and ziz of the bird kind, so behemot is the most notable representative of the mammal kind. Behemot matches leviathan in strength, and he had to be prevented, like leviathan, from multiplying and increasing, else the world could not have continued to exist; after God had created him male and female, He at once deprived him of the desire to propagate his kind.[141] He is so monstrous that he requires the produce of a thousand mountains for his daily food. All the water that flows through the bed of the Jordan in a year suffices him exactly for one gulp. It therefore was necessary to give him one stream entirely for his own use, a stream flowing forth from Paradise, called Yubal.[142] Behemot, too, is destined to be served to the pious as an appetizing dainty, but before they enjoy his flesh, they will be permitted to view the mortal combat between leviathan and behemot, as a reward for having denied themselves the pleasures of the circus and its gladiatorial contests.[143]
Leviathan, ziz, and behemot are not the only monsters; there are many others, and marvellous ones, like the reem, a giant animal, of which only one couple, male and female, is in existence. Had there been more, the world could hardly have maintained itself against them. The act of copulation occurs but once in seventy years between them, for God has so ordered it that the male and female reem are at opposite ends of the earth, the one in the east, the other in the west. The act of copulation results in the death of the male. He is bitten by the female and dies of the bite. The female becomes pregnant and remains in this state for no less than twelve years. At the end of this long period she gives birth to twins, a male and a female. The year preceding her delivery she is not able to move. She would die of hunger, were it not that her own spittle flowing copiously from her mouth waters and fructifies the earth near her, and causes it to bring forth enough for her maintenance. For a whole year the animal can but roll from side to side, until finally her belly bursts, and the twins issue forth. Their appearance is thus the signal for the death of the mother reem. She makes room for the new generation, which in turn is destined to suffer the same fate as the generation that went before. Immediately after birth, the one goes eastward and the other westward, to meet only after the lapse of seventy years, propagate themselves, and perish.[144] A traveller who once saw a reem one day old described its height to be four parasangs, and the length of its head one parasang and a half.[145] Its horns measure one hundred ells, and their height is a great deal more.[146]
One of the most remarkable creatures is the “man of the mountain,” Adne Sadeh, or, briefly, Adam.[147] His form is exactly that of a human being, but he is fastened to the ground by means of a navel-string, upon which his life depends. The cord once snapped, he dies. This animal keeps himself alive with what is produced by the soil around about him as far as his tether permits him to crawl. No creature may venture to approach within the radius of his cord, for he seizes and demolishes whatever comes in his reach. To kill him, one may not go near to him, the navel-string must be severed from a distance by means of a dart, and then he dies amid groans and moans.[143] Once upon a time a traveller happened in the region where this animal is found. He overheard his host consult his wife as to what to do to honor their guest, and resolve to serve “our man,” as he said. Thinking he had fallen among cannibals, the stranger ran as fast as his feet could carry him from his entertainer, who sought vainly to restrain him. Afterward, he found out that there had been no intention of regaling him with human flesh, but only with the flesh of the strange animal called “man.”[146] As the “man of the mountain” is fixed to the ground by his navel-string, so the barnacle-goose is grown to a tree by its bill. It is hard to say whether it is an animal and must be slaughtered to be fit for food, or whether it is a plant and no ritual ceremony is necessary before eating it.[150]
Among the birds the phoenix is the most wonderful. When Eve gave all the animals some of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, the phoenix was the only bird that refused to eat thereof, and he was rewarded with eternal life. When he has lived a thousand years, his body shrinks, and the feathers drop from it, until he is as small as an egg. This is the nucleus of the new bird.[151]
The phoenix is also called “the guardian of the terrestrial sphere.” He runs with the sun on his circuit, and he spreads out his wings and catches up the fiery rays of the sun.[152] If he were not there to intercept them, neither man nor any other animate being would keep alive. On his right wing the following words are inscribed in huge letters,[153] about four thousand stadia high: “Neither the earth produces me, nor the heavens, but only the wings of fire.” His food consists of the manna of heaven and the dew of the earth. His excrement is a worm, whose excrement in turn is the cinnamon used by kings and princes.[152] Enoch, who saw the phoenix birds when he was translated, describes them as flying creatures, wonderful and strange in appearance, with the feet and tails of lions, and the heads of crocodiles; their appearance is of a purple color like the rainbow; their size nine hundred measures. Their wings are like those of angels, each having twelve, and they attend the chariot of the sun and go with him, bringing heat and dew as they are ordered by God. In the morning when the sun starts on his daily course, the phoenixes and the chalkidri[154] sing, and every bird flaps its wings, rejoicing the Giver of light, and they sing a song at the command of the Lord.[155] Among reptiles the salamander and the shamir are the most marvellous. The salamander originates from a fire of myrtle wood[156] which has been kept burning for seven years steadily by means of magic arts. Not bigger than a mouse, it yet is invested with peculiar properties. One who smears himself with its blood is invulnerable,[157] and the web woven by it is a talisman against fire.[158] The people who lived at the deluge boasted that, were a fire flood to come, they would protect themselves with the blood of the salamander.[159]
King Hezekiah owes his life to the salamander. His wicked father, King Ahaz, had delivered him to the fires of Moloch, and he would have been burnt, had his mother not painted him with the blood of the salamander, so that the fire could do him no harm.[160]
The shamir was made at twilight on the sixth day of creation together with other extraordinary things.[161] It is about as large as a barley corn, and it possesses the remarkable property of cutting the hardest of diamonds. For this reason it was used for the stones in the breastplate worn by the high priest. First the names of the twelve tribes were traced with ink on the stones to be set into the breastplate, then the shamir was passed over the lines, and thus they were graven. The wonderful circumstance was that the friction wore no particles from the stones. The shamir was also used for hewing into shape the stones from which the Temple was built, because the law prohibited iron tools to be used for the work in the Temple.[162] The shamir may not be put in an iron vessel for safe-keeping, nor in any metal vessel, it would burst such a receptacle asunder. It is kept wrapped up in a woollen cloth, and this in turn is placed in a lead basket filled with barley bran.[163] The shamir was guarded in Paradise until Solomon needed it. He sent the eagle thither to fetch the worm.[164] With the destruction of the Temple the shamir vanished.[165] A similar fate overtook the tahash, which had been created only that its skin might be used for the Tabernacle. Once the Tabernacle was completed, the tahash disappeared. It had a horn on its forehead, was gaily colored like the turkey-cock, and belonged to the class of clean animals.[166] Among the fishes there are also wonderful creatures, the sea-goats and the dolphins, not to mention leviathan. A sea-faring man once saw a sea-goat on whose horns the words were inscribed: “I am a little sea-animal, yet I traversed three hundred parasangs to offer myself as food to the leviathan.”[167] The dolphins are half man and half fish; they even have sexual intercourse with human beings; therefore they are called also “sons of the sea,” for in a sense they represent the human kind in the waters.[163]
Though every species in the animal world was created during the last two days of the six of creation,[169] yet many characteristics of certain animals appeared later. Cats and mice, foes now, were friends originally. Their later enmity had a distinct cause. On one occasion the mouse appeared before God and spoke: “I and the cat are partners, but now we have nothing to eat.” The Lord answered: “Thou art intriguing against thy companion, only that thou mayest devour her. As a punishment, she shall devour thee.” Thereupon the mouse: “O Lord of the world, wherein have I done wrong?” God replied: “O thou unclean reptile, thou shouldst have been warned by the example of the moon, who lost a part of her light, because she spake ill of the sun, and what she lost was given to her opponent.[170] The evil intentions thou didst harbor against thy companion shall be punished in the same way. Instead of thy devouring her, she shall devour thee.” The mouse: “O Lord of the world! Shall my whole kind be destroyed?” God: “I will take care that a remnant of thee is spared.” In her rage the mouse bit the cat, and the cat in turn threw herself upon the mouse, and hacked into her with her teeth until she lay dead. Since that moment the mouse stands in such awe of the cat that she does not even attempt to defend herself against her enemy’s attacks, and always keeps herself in hiding.[171] Similarly dogs and cats maintained a friendly relation to each other, and only later on became enemies. A dog and a cat were partners, and they shared with each other whatever they had. It once happened that neither could find anything to eat for three days. Thereupon the dog proposed that they dissolve their partnership. The cat should go to Adam, in whose house there would surely be enough for her to eat, while the dog should seek his fortune elsewhere. Before they separated, they took an oath never to go to the same master. The cat took up her abode with Adam, and she found sufficient mice in his house to satisfy her appetite. Seeing how useful she was in driving away and extirpating mice, Adam treated her most kindly. The dog, on the other hand, saw bad times. The first night after their separation he spent in the cave of the wolf, who had granted him a night’s lodging. At night the dog caught the sound of steps, and he reported it to his host, who bade him repulse the intruders. They were wild animals. Little lacked and the dog would have lost his life. Dismayed, the dog fled from the house of the wolf, and took refuge with the monkey. But he would not grant him even a single night’s lodging; and the fugitive was forced to appeal to the hospitality of the sheep. Again the dog heard steps in the middle of the night. Obeying the bidding of his host, he arose to chase away the marauders, who turned out to be wolves. The barking of the dog apprised the wolves of the presence of sheep, so that the dog innocently caused the sheep’s death. Now he had lost his last friend. Night after night he begged for shelter, without ever finding a home. Finally, he decided to repair to the house of Adam, who also granted him refuge for one night. When wild animals approached the house under cover of darkness, the dog began to bark, Adam awoke, and with his bow and arrow he drove them away. Recognizing the dog’s usefulness, he bade him remain with him always. But as soon as the cat espied the dog in Adam’s house, she began to quarrel with him, and reproach him with having broken his oath to her. Adam did his best to pacify the cat. He told her he had himself invited the dog to make his home there, and he assured her she would in no wise be the loser by the dog’s presence; he wanted both to stay with him. But it was impossible to appease the cat. The dog promised her not to touch anything intended for her. She insisted that she could not live in one and the same house with a thief like the dog. Bickerings between the dog and the cat became the order of the day. Finally the dog could stand it no longer, and he left Adam’s house, and betook himself to Seth’s. By Seth he was welcomed kindly, and from Seth’s house, he continued to make efforts at reconciliation with the cat. In vain. Yes, the enmity between the first dog and the first cat was transmitted to all their descendants until this very day.[172]
Even the physical peculiarities of certain animals were not original features with them, but owed their existence to something that occurred subsequent to the days of creation. The mouse at first had quite a different mouth from its present mouth. In Noah’s ark, in which all animals, to ensure the preservation of every kind, lived together peaceably, the pair of mice were once sitting next to the cat. Suddenly the latter remembered that her father was in the habit of devouring mice, and thinking there was no harm in following his example, she jumped at the mouse, who vainly looked for a hole into which to slip out of sight. Then a miracle happened; a hole appeared where none had been before, and the mouse sought refuge in it. The cat pursued the mouse, and though she could not follow her into the hole, she could insert her paw and try to pull the mouse out of her covert. Quickly the mouse opened her mouth in the hope that the paw would go into it, and the cat would be prevented from fastening her claws in her flesh. But as the cavity of the mouth was not big enough, the cat succeeded in clawing the cheeks of the mouse. Not that this helped her much, it merely widened the mouth of the mouse, and her prey after all escaped the cat.[173] After her happy escape, the mouse betook herself to Noah and said to him, “O pious man, be good enough to sew up my cheek where my enemy, the cat, has torn a rent in it.” Noah bade her fetch a hair out of the tail of the swine, and with this he repaired the damage. Thence the little seam-like line next to the mouth of every mouse to this very day.[174]
The raven is another animal that changed its appearance during its sojourn in the ark. When Noah desired to send him forth to find out about the state of the waters, he hid under the wings of the eagle. Noah found him, however, and said to him, “Go and see whether the waters have diminished.” The raven pleaded: “Hast thou none other among all the birds to send on this errand?” Noah: “My power extends no further than over thee and the dove.”[175] But the raven was not satisfied. He said to Noah with great insolence: “Thou sendest me forth only that I may meet my death, and thou wishest my death that my wife may be at thy service.”[176] Thereupon Noah cursed the raven thus: “May thy mouth, which has spoken evil against me, be accursed, and thy intercourse with thy wife be only through it.”[177] All the animals in the ark said Amen. And this is the reason why a mass of spittle runs from the mouth of the male raven into the mouth of the female during the act of copulation, and only thus the female is impregnated.[178] Altogether the raven is an unattractive animal. He is unkind toward his own young so long as their bodies are not covered with black feathers,[179] though as a rule ravens love one another.[180] God therefore takes the young ravens under His special protection. From their own excrement maggots come forth,[181] which serve as their food during the three days that elapse after their birth, until their white feathers turn black and their parents recognize them as their offspring and care for them.[182]
The raven has himself to blame also for the awkward hop in his gait. He observed the graceful step of the dove, and envious of her tried to enmulate it. The outcome was that he almost broke his bones without in the least succeeding in making himself resemble the dove, not to mention that he brought the scorn of the other animals down upon himself. His failure excited their ridicule. Then he decided to return to his own original gait, but in the interval he had unlearnt it, and he could walk neither the one way nor the other properly. His step had become a hop betwixt and between. Thus we see how true it is, that he who is dissatisfied with his small portion loses the little he has in striving for more and better things.[163]
The steer is also one of the animals that have suffered a change in the course of time. Originally his face was entirely overgrown with hair, but now there is none on his nose, and that is because Joshua kissed him on his nose during the siege of Jericho. Joshua was an exceedingly heavy man. Horses, donkeys, and mules, none could bear him, they all broke down under his weight. What they could not do, the steer accomplished. On his back Joshua rode to the siege of Jericho, and in gratitude he bestowed a kiss upon his nose.[134]
The serpent, too, is other than it was at first. Before the fall of man it was the cleverest of all animals created, and in form it resembled man closely. It stood upright, and was of extraordinary size.[185] Afterward, it lost the mental advantages it had possessed as compared with other animals, and it degenerated physically, too; it was deprived of its feet, so that it could not pursue other animals and kill them. The mole and the frog had to be made harmless in similar ways; the former has no eyes, else it were irresistible, and the frog has no teeth, else no animal in the water were sure of its life.[186]
While the cunning of the serpent wrought its own undoing, the cunning of the fox stood him in good stead in many an embarrassing situation. After Adam had committed the sin of disobedience, God delivered the whole of the animal world into the power of the Angel of Death, and He ordered him to cast one pair of each kind into the water. He and leviathan together thus have dominion over all that has life. When the Angel of Death was in the act of executing the Divine command upon the fox, he began to weep bitterly. The Angel of Death asked him the reason of his tears, and the fox replied that he was mourning the sad fate of his friend. At the same time he pointed to the figure of a fox in the sea, which was nothing but his own reflection. The Angel of Death, persuaded that a representative of the fox family had been cast into the water, let him go free. The fox told his trick to the cat, and she in turn played it on the Angel of Death.[187] So it happened that neither cats nor foxes are represented in the water, while all other animals are.[188]
When leviathan passed the animals in review, and missing the fox was informed of the sly way in which he had eluded his authority, he dispatched great and powerful fish on the errand of enticing the truant into the water. The fox walking along the shore espied the large number of fish, and he exclaimed, “How happy he who may always satisfy his hunger with the flesh of such as these.” The fish told him, if he would but follow them, his appetite could easily be appeased. At the same time they informed him that a great honor awaited him. Leviathan, they said, was at death’s door, and he had commissioned them to install the fox as his successor. They were ready to carry him on their backs, so that he had no need to fear the water, and thus they would convey him to the throne, which stood upon a huge rock. The fox yielded to these persuasions, and descended into the water. Presently an uncomfortable feeling took possession of him. He began to suspect that the tables were turned; he was being made game of instead of making game of others as usual. He urged the fish to tell him the truth, and they admitted that they had been sent out to secure his person for leviathan, who wanted his heart,[189] that he might become as knowing as the fox, whose wisdom he had heard many extol. The fox said reproachfully: “Why did you not tell me the truth at once? Then I could have brought my heart along with me for King Leviathan, who would have showered honors upon me. As it is, you will surely suffer punishment for bringing me without my heart. The foxes, you see,” he continued, “do not carry their hearts around with them. They keep them in a safe place, and when they have need of them, they fetch them thence.” The fish quickly swam to shore, and landed the fox, so that he might go for his heart. No sooner did he feel dry land under his feet than he began to jump and shout, and when they urged him to go in search of his heart, and follow them, he said: “O ye fools, could I have followed you into the water, if I had not had my heart with me? Or exists there a creature able to go abroad without his heart?” The fish replied: “Come, come, thou art fooling us.” Whereupon the fox: “O ye fools, if I could play a trick on the Angel of Death, how much easier was it to make game of you?” So they had to return, their errand undone, and leviathan could not but confirm the taunting judgment of the fox: “In very truth, the fox is wise of heart, and ye are fools.”[190]
Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 6 October 16, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Creation, Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Bible, The Holy Spirit
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6. The fifth day
The creation of fish and fowl
1:20-23
1. The waters are filled with fish
2. The air is filled with birds.
3. We see by the end of the fifth day that God saw all that He had created and pronounced it as being good.
7. The sixth day
The creation of land creatures and man
1:24-25
1. Cattle most likely refers to domesticated type animals
2. Beasts of the earth:
Large carnivore like lions, beasts, elephants, and most likely dinosaurs
3. Creeping things:
Worms and insects, Bats and rats
4. In Genesis 1:27-31 God tells us about our origins and responsibilities
God and man
Exodus 4:10-11, Psalms 139, Jeremiah 17:9, Matthew 12:30-33, Mark 7:1-23, John 4:24 Romans 12:2, Ephesians 2:1-3, 4:21 -24, Colossians 3:10
1) Man was created in the image of God
Genesis 1:26-28, 11:7, 2:4-7, 5:1-4
We are all created in His image, like a king who creates statues to show his reign over a certain religion. We are Gods likeness, created to show His reign over the world. He created us to be in fellowship with Him but that fellowship was broken through the sin of Adam. Jesus came in the flesh to save us from our sins and make us one with God again. Psalms 96, Romans 11:33-34
2) Man in the last days without God
Titus 1:10-16, 3:9-11
Psalms 58:1-5
Mark 7:1-32
Luke 16:19-31
Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-19, 14:23
1Timothy 1:3-10
2Timothy 3:1-13
James 4:17
3) Man with God in fellowship
Psalms 91, 119:9-16, 139, 147:5-6
Ecclesiastes 12:12-14
Isaiah 40:28-31
Ezekiel 33:7-20
Romans 3:23
1Timothy 2:1-6
2Timothy2:15-16, 21-26
Titus 2
A) A Godly prayer
Psalms 119:25-40
B) God hates
Proverbs 6:16-19
1) Fear God Hebrews 3:12-15
2) Stay with God Hebrews 5:12-1 4, 6:1-7
3) Love God through trials
James 1:8-13
The old natural man is corrupt from birth (the flesh)
Our conscience is bad through sin brought on by Adam and we are all born under sin.
The new man (spiritual) is created after God. Created in righteousness and true holiness
Romans 3 – 6
Ephesians 2:1-18
8.The seventh day
God rests
2:1-3
His divine resting indicates the end of His special creation acts.
All is good and in order
His work is complete.
The seventh day is God’s sabbath.
A day set aside as holy unto Himself. Later on God introduces this concept to Israel as an element of His covenant(Ex 20:8-11)
This day of rest is also setting an example for man. Man needs to have at least one day of rest, the precise day does not matter. We should have at least one day for rest not because we are commanded but because God introduced it for our own good. It would seem unbiblical to work seven days a week all of the time and we should understand it was made for man not the other way around.
Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 5 October 16, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Creation, Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Bible, The Holy Spirit
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The Heavens and the Earth
Heaven
(1.) Definitions., The phrase “heaven and earth” is used to indicate the whole universe (Gen_1:1; Jer_23:24; Act_17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens,
2. There are three heavens mentioned in the Bible.
(a) The fist heaven or The firmament, as “fowls of the heaven” (Gen_2:19; Gen_7:3, Gen_7:23; Psa_8:8, etc.), “the eagles of heaven”
This heaven is described as the home of the birds and clouds – Daniel 4:12
(b) The second heaven or The starry heavens (Deu_17:3; Jer_8:2; Mat_24:29).
This heaven is described as the home of the sun, moon, and stars – Psalm 19:1
(c) The third heaven or The heaven of heavens (Deu_10:14; 1Ki_8:27; Psa_115:16; Psa_148:4; 2Co_12:2).
This heaven is described as the home of the angels or departed saints. – 2 Corinth 12:2
The usual Hebrew word for “heavens” is shamayim, a plural form meaning “heights,” “elevations” “Over there”
(Gen_1:1; Gen_2:1).
It simply states that God created “The down here and the up there”
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
The Solar system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The solar system comprises the Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it: nine planets and their 158 currently known moons, as well as asteroids, meteoroids, planetoids, comets, and interplanetary dust. Astronomers are debating the classification of a potential tenth planet and other trans-Neptunian objects.
The principal component of the solar system is the Sun (astronomical symbol ☉); a main sequence G2 star that contains 99.86% of the system’s known mass and dominates it gravitationally. Because of its large mass, the Sun has an interior density high enough to sustain nuclear fusion, releasing enormous amounts of energy, most of which is radiated into space in the form of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light. The Sun’s two largest orbiting bodies, Jupiter and Saturn, together account for more than 90% of the system’s remaining mass. (The Oort cloud too might hold a substantial percentage, but as yet its existence is unconfirmed). [1]
In broad terms, the charted regions of the solar system consist of the Sun, four rocky bodies close to it called the terrestrial planets, an inner belt of rocky asteroids, four gas giant planets, and an outer belt of small, icy bodies known as the Kuiper belt. One planet, Pluto, is also a member of the Kuiper belt. The major planets are, in order, Mercury (☿), Venus (♀), Earth (♁), Mars (♂), Jupiter (♃), Saturn (♄), Uranus (♅/), Neptune (♆), and Pluto (♇). Many planets have moons orbiting them, and the largest are encircled by planetary rings of dust and other particles. The planets (with the exception of Earth) are named after gods and goddesses from Greco-Roman mythology.
Most objects in orbit round the Sun lie within the same shallow plane, called the ecliptic plane, which is roughly parallel to the Sun’s equator. The major planets, with the exception of Pluto, lie very close to the plane, while comets and kuiper belt objects often lie at extreme angles to it. The majority of solar system objects also orbit in the same direction in which the Sun rotates. Although no major planet’s orbit is a true circle, all save Pluto have roughly circular orbits.
The Sun
The Sun is the solar system’s parent star, and far and away its chief component. It is classed as a moderately large yellow dwarf; however, this name is misleading, as on the scale of stars in our galaxy, the Sun is rather large and bright. The Sun is placed near the middle of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, but stars larger and hotter than it are rare, whereas stars dimmer and cooler than it are very common. The vast majority of stars are red dwarfs, though their inherent dimness means they are under-represented in star catalogues, as we can observe only those few that are very near the Sun in space.
The Sun lies on the main sequence of the H-R diagram, which means, according to current theories of stellar evolution, that it is in the “prime of life” for a star, in that it has not yet exhausted its store of hydrogen for nuclear fusion, and been forced, as older red giants must, to fuse more inefficient elements such as helium and carbon. The Sun is growing increasingly bright as it ages. Early in its history, it was roughly 75 percent as bright as it is today. Calculations of the ratios of hydrogen and helium within the Sun suggest it is roughly halfway though its life cycle, and will eventually begin moving off the main sequence, becoming larger, brighter and redder, until, about five billion years from now, it too will become a red giant.
The Sun is a population I star, meaning that it is fairly new in galactic terms, having been born in the later stages of the universe’s evolution. As such, it contains far more elements heavier than hydrogen and helium (“metals” in astronomical parlance) than older population II stars such as those found in globular clusters. Since elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were formed in the cores of ancient and exploding stars, the first generation of stars had to die before the universe could become enriched with them. For this reason, the very oldest stars contain very little “metal”, while stars born later have more. This high “metallicity” is thought to have been crucial in the Sun’s developing a planetary system, since planets form from accretion of metals. [3]
The heliospheric current sheet
The Sun radiates a continuous stream of charged particles, a plasma known as solar wind, ejecting it outwards at speeds of over 2 million kilometres per hour, creating a very tenuous “atmosphere” (the heliosphere), that permiates the solar system for at least 100 AU. This environment is known as the interplanetary medium. Small quantities of cosmic dust (some of it arguably interstellar in origin) are also present in the interplanetary medium and are responsible for the phenomenon of zodiacal light. The influence of the Sun’s rotating magnetic field on the interplanetary medium creates the largest structure in the solar system, the heliospheric current sheet. [4]
Earth’s magnetic field protects its atmosphere from interacting with the solar wind; however, Venus and Mars do not have magnetic fields, and the solar wind causes their atmospheres to gradually bleed away into space.
The Inner planets
The four inner or terrestrial planets are characterised by their dense, rocky composition, lack of primary atmospheres, and few or no moons or ring systems. They are composed largely of minerals with high melting points such as silicates to form the planets’ solid crusts and semi-liquid mantles, and metallic dust grains such as iron, which forms their cores. All have impact craters and many possess tectonic surface features, such as rift valleys and volcanoes. The term inner planet should not be confused with inferior planet, which designates those planets which are closer to the Sun than the Earth is (i.e. Mercury and Venus).
The four inner planets are:
Mercury
Mercury (0.4 AU), the closest planet to the Sun, is also the smallest and most atypical of the inner planets, having no atmosphere and, to date, no observed geological activity save that produced by impacts. Its relatively large iron core and thin mantle have not yet been adequately explained, though hypotheses include that its outer layers were stripped off by a giant impact, or that it was prevented from fully accreting by the Sun’s gravity. The upcoming MESSENGER probe should aid in resolving this issue.The Romans named the planet after the fleet-footed messenger god Mercury, probably for its fast apparent motion in the twilight sky
Venus
0.7 AU), the first truly terrestrial planet, is of comparable mass to the Earth, and, like Earth, possesses a thick silicate mantle around an iron core, as well as a substantial atmosphere and evidence of one-time internal geological activity, such as volcanoes. However, It is much drier than Earth and its atmosphere is 90 times as dense and composed overwhelmingly of carbon dioxide with traces of sulfuric acid. Unlike Earth, Venus’s crust is not divided into tectonic plates but instead comprises a single, very thick rind. Distribution of impact craters suggests that Venus’s surface features are all of the same, relatively young age, suggesting that they are periodically erased by sudden, massive volcanism. However, recent computer remodelling suggests the resurfacing could have been as gradual as 2 billion years. [5] The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and most of its surface features are named after famous and mythological women.
Earth and Moon
The largest and densest of the inner planets, Earth (1 AU) is also the only one to demonstrate unequivocal evidence of ongoing geological activity. Its liquid hydrosphere, unique among the terrestrials, is probably the reason why Earth is also the only planet where multi-plate tectonics has been observed, since water acts as a lubricant for subduction. [6] Its atmosphere is radically different from the other terrestrials, having been altered by the presence of life to contain 21 percent free oxygen. Its satellite, the Moon, is sometimes considered a terrestrial planet in a co-orbit with its partner, since its orbit around the Sun never actually loops back on itself when observed from above. [7] The Moon possesses many of the features in common with other terrestrial planets, though it lacks an iron core.
Mars
(1.5 AU), smaller than the Earth or Venus, possesses a tenuous atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Its surface, peppered with vast volcanoes and rift valleys such as Valles Marineris, shows that it was once geologically active and recent evidence[8] suggests this may have been true until very recently. Mars possesses two tiny moons (Deimos and Phobos) thought to be captured asteroids. It is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars is also known as “The Red Planet” due to its reddish nighttime appearance when seen from Earth. The prefix areo-, from the Greek god of war, Ares, refers to Mars in the same way geo- refers to Earth — for example, areology versus geology.
Outer planets
The four outer planets, or gas giants, (sometimes called Jovian planets) are so large they collectively make up 99 percent of the mass known to orbit the Sun. Jupiter and Saturn are true giants, at 318 and 95 Earth masses, respectively, and composed largely of hydrogen and helium. Uranus and Neptune are both substantially smaller, being only 14 and 17 Earth masses, respectively. Their atmospheres contain a smaller percentage of hydrogen and helium, and a higher percentage of “ices”, such as water, ammonia and methane. For this reason some astronomers suggested that they belong in their own category, “Uranian planets,” or “ice giants.” The term outer planet should not be confused with superior planet, which designates those planets which lie outside Earth’s orbit (thus consisting of the outer planets plus Mars).
Jupiter
at 318 Earth masses, is 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets put together. Its composition of largely hydrogen and helium is not very different from that of the Sun. Jupiter’s atmosphere possesses a number of semi-permanent features, such as cloud bands and the great red spot. Three of its 63 satellites, Ganymede, Io and Europa, share elements in common with the terrestrial planets, such as volcanism and internal heating. Jupiter has a faint, smoky ring. Jupiter’s intense gravitational pull attracts many comets, and may have played a role in lowering the number of impacts Earth has experienced in its history.[12] Jupiter has been known since ancient times and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. The Romans named the planet after the Roman god Jupiter (also called Jove).
Saturn
famous for its extensive ring system, has many qualities in common with Jupiter, including its atmospheric composition, though it is far less massive, being only 95 Earth masses. Two of its 49 moons, Titan and Enceladus, show signs of geological activity, though they are largely made of ice. Titan is the only satellite in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere.It was named after the Roman god Saturn. Its symbol is a stylized representation of the god’s sickle
Uranus
at 14 Earth masses, is the smallest of the outer planets. Uniquely among the planets, it orbits the Sun on its side; its axial tilt lies at over ninety degrees to the ecliptic. Its core is remarkably cold, radiating almost no heat into space. This has led some to speculate that, unlike the similar Neptune, Uranus is undifferentiated and has no core. The lack of internal heat means that Uranus’s surface features are relatively bland, with little in the way of cloud bands. Uranus has 27 moons, five of which are relatively large, though none show any evidence of geological activity. Its ring system is dark and insubstantial, and composed of sparse fragments larger than 50 m in diameter. It is named after Uranus, the Greek god of the sky and progenitor of the other gods
Neptune
Neptune is slightly larger than Uranus, at 17 Earth masses, and radiates far more internal heat. Its peculiar ring system is composed of a number of dense “arcs” of material separated by gaps. Neptune’s largest moon, Triton, is geologically active, with geysers of liquid nitrogen. The heat at Neptune’s core drive some of the fastest winds in the solar system. Neptune possesses marked surface features and cloud bands, though they appear far more changeable than those of Jupiter. The planet is named after the Roman god of the sea.
Pluto
the solar system’s smallest planet, is considered to be part of the Kuiper Belt population. In fact more and more astronomers are beginning to believe Pluto should no longer be classified as a planet, but only a Kuiper Belt object because of the fact the there have been objects found larger then Pluto, orbiting further then Pluto. If this is the case then either Pluto should be downgraded from its planet status, or all of these objects need to be classified as planets, such as Sedna- some would argue. If Pluto were placed near the Sun, it would develop a tail, like comets do. Although accepted by the public as a planet since its discovery in 1930, debates about Pluto’s identity within the scientific community are still unresolved. Pluto has a large moon (the largest in the solar system relative to its own size), called Charon, as well as two much smaller moons called Nix and Hydra. Like the Earth/Moon, Pluto and Charon are often considered a double planet. The name retained for the planet is that of the Roman god Pluto, and it is also intended to evoke the initials of the astronomer Percival Lowell, who predicted that a planet would be found beyond Neptune. The name was first suggested by Venetia Phair (née Burney), at the time an eleven-year-old girl from Oxford, England.[2] Over the breakfast table one morning her grandfather, who worked at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, was reading about the discovery of the new planet in the Times newspaper. He asked his granddaughter to suggest a good name for it. Venetia, who was quite interested in Greek and Roman myths and legends, suggested the name of the Roman god of the underworld.
If these other galaxies are not for our benefit, why did God create them? Why did God create such a large universe? Is there some special purpose for such a large universe or did the blueprint for a quality “Grade A” universe come in only one size?
Before we discovered that the universe was so huge, it was easy for us to think that we were probably alone in the universe. It was easy to think that the few thousand small dots in the sky were only there to provide us light at night. However, when we now see that over 99.999999…% of the universe was not created for “our benefit,” we have to wonder why God made it so large. With a universe this size, it becomes easier to believe that maybe God has other special creations out there. Maybe God has hundreds or even trillions of planets inhabited with life.
If there are other life forms out there, what are they like? What are their levels of intelligence and complexity? Do they have a “soul?” Does God take a personal interest in them like He does with us? If they have sinned, has God provided a special redemption for them like He has for us? Will their “redeemed” spend eternity in the same Heaven with us? Will their “lost” go to our Hell? Will their redeemed have the special privilege of being the “Bride of Christ” along with us?
Obviously, the answers to these questions are beyond our reach. Technology is too limited to verify the existence (or non-existence) of life and the Bible doesn’t even address this subject. Therefore, as I present my view on this subject, keep in mind it is only my opinion and is not Biblical dogma. Do I believe there is extraterrestrial life on other planets? No. You may be surprised with this answer considering what I have already said. I believe that our tiny insignificant planet is the only planet in this humongous universe that has life. As incredulous and arrogant as this may sound, I believe that God built this humongous universe just for the human creation package.
There are a couple minor reasons why I believe this, but the main reason is the limited time frame God has placed on the universe. It appears that the universe has only been in existence for about 6,000 years and will probably be destroyed in one or two thousand years. This means that the universe will probably not reach the age of 8,000 years. (See footnote #2 below for an explanation on how these figures were derived.)
If the universe has a maximum life of less than 8,000 years, then all of the worlds that it contains will also have a maximum life of less than 8,000 years. As the footnote below shows, God will bring our society to its final culmination just before He ends the universe. Likewise, if there are other worlds out there, God will have to bring their societies to a final culmination before He ends the universe. If you are only talking about a couple planets with life, I can see (statistically) how this might be probable. Remember, a main argument some Christians have used to support the existence of extraterrestrial life is the “apparent” lack of need for these other galaxies. It is reasoned that if these galaxies have zero impact on us (or on each other) they must have been created to support other creation projects. Therefore, if supporting extraterrestrial life were the only reason for their existence, we would then have to assume that all of these galaxies have planets with life. If all of these galaxies don’t have life, we are back to our original question of, “Why did God create all of these unneeded galaxies?”
Assuming that there is only one planet with life per galaxy, there would be over 100 billion planets with life. If, however, every star in each galaxy has a planet with life, you will have to multiply the above number by at least another 100 billion. It seems very improbable (statistically) that all of these other societies will have their final culmination at the exact same time as us. Our God could do that, of course, but it seems highly unlikely.
If the purpose of this large universe was not to accommodate other life forms, why then did God create it so large? I see four main reasons why God made this universe as large as He did. First, it seems that almost everything God does is a first-class major production. I think God likes creating spectacular and awesome things and He enjoys looking at the finished product.
Second, I think God wanted to give our world a surrounding that has no visible end, a surrounding that seems complete. God could have created our world the same way Hollywood creates a city street for a movie: Fake fronts on all of the buildings. When you walk down a Hollywood street, you see a city that looks complete. However, when you take a closer look and peek behind the doors and windows, you find that the buildings are not real. I think God wanted to create a surrounding for us that could withstand as much scrutiny as we could give.
Obviously, up until the past couple hundred years, the depth of our scrutiny had not been very deep. However, all of this has changed. We now have technology that allows us to “peek behind the doors and windows” of our surroundings. For example, we used to think that atoms were the smallest building block elements. (Of course, this was after we discovered that “fire, water, wind, and dirt” were not the basic building block elements.)
As technology increased, we discovered that atoms were made up of neutrons, protons, and electrons. Later, we discovered that these small particles were made up of smaller particles called quarks. I personally don’t think we will ever find the smallest building block particles. Likewise, I don’t think we will ever find the final limits of outer space. I believe God knew that we would eventually break out of the shell of our immediate surroundings and He wanted something out there that we could see and explore.
What would have happened if God made our surrounding boundaries much smaller? I’ll try to give you an example. Let’s say that God created a brand new world and populated it with a colony of 1,000 people. These people were placed in the middle of a territory that looked like one of our deserts. As far as they could see in all directions, there was nothing but sand, cactus, rocky hills, etc. Since the only water supply was in the middle of this desert, this primitive community could not travel more than 20 miles in any direction.
A thousand years later the community is still centered around the water supply. The faces have changed and their population has fluctuated, but the community is still tied to their water supply. Then, one day someone discovered that glass can be made by super-heating the desert sand. Before long, large water jugs were made and people began to travel and explore. As people reached distances of 100 miles, they discovered something unusual. They find that the “endless” desert suddenly stops. About 100 miles in all directions from the watering hole they find a gigantic wall surrounding the desert. Since this wall was blue in color, it blended in well with the background. Even the rocky hills suddenly stopped with no back sides to them. Since this wall seemed infinitely tall and indestructible, exploration stopped at this point.
This discovery, of course, would not alter their belief in God. It would not change their life significantly. Life would carry on as usual up to that 100 mile boundary. I do believe, however, that this discovery would be rather confusing and disconcerting. I think they would wonder why God chose to put the boundaries where He did. They would wonder why God put the “end of the world” so easily within their grasp. Somehow their world would probably seem incomplete.
The third reason that I think God created our universe so large was for the sake of those in eternity (both the angels and believers in Heaven). God is obviously mightier, more complex, and more magnificent than the universe He created. This immense universe provides others a tangible glimpse of His greatness and power. It displays His wisdom, majesty, and creativity. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”
The fourth reason I think God created our universe so large was to give those of us on Earth a glimpse of His power and majesty. I think He wanted to demonstrate that He truly is Lord of lords and King of kings. If the universe consisted of only our planet, we would think God was great, but His true greatness would still be hidden from us. Now, that we have a glimpse of the magnitude of the universe, we have a better appreciation of God’s true greatness. We learn more about God as we learn more about His creation. Yet, with all we have seen, I still don’t think we even come close to understanding God’s true magnitude.
As I said before, we were unaware of the immense size of the universe until this last century. Therefore, some people say that this gigantic universe was not created to show us (those here on Earth) His glory. I have two responses to this. First, God’s revelation of Himself is progressive. Mankind has learned more about God as the centuries have unfolded. Moses knew more about God than Abraham. King David knew more than Moses and the Apostle Paul knew more than King David. Therefore, I don’t find it surprising that we know more about God than our predecessors.
My second response is I think God continually reveals more about Himself to keep us humble. As we (mankind) make educational and scientific advances, we begin to get delusions of grandeur. Our “great” technological advances tend to make us proud, arrogant, and overconfident. As we begin to harness incredible powers through technology, we begin to think we can control almost anything. I think God continually reveals more about Himself (through His creation) to help us keep our “great” advances in proper perspective.
Although I do not believe there are other life forms in our universe, I do believe God is currently working on other creation projects. Our God is a creative God and I believe He always has and always will be creating things. I don’t believe, however, that they are part of our realm or dimension. It is quite possible that God is currently working on dozens of other creation projects in other realms.
Obviously, we have no idea how many other realms or dimensions God has created. We shouldn’t be surprised that an Almighty God (a being who has no beginning nor end) would be restricted by our simple four dimensions (height, width, depth, and time). The Bible briefly mentions some of these other realms. For example, we know Heaven and Hell are not part of our realm because they won’t be destroyed when our universe is destroyed.
Heaven and Hell are eternal in nature, whereas our universe is in a continual state of deterioration. When you buy a new car it doesn’t take too many years for entropy (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) to turn it into rust. Even if God doesn’t destroy our universe in a couple thousand years, it would eventually come to an end on its own. Our universe is like a big clock that has been wound up; it will eventually unwind itself.
Angels and demons are creatures of multiple realms. Not only can these beings operate fully in our realm, they can also operate invisibly behind the scenes. Our laws of physics do not bind them and they can traverse back and forth between our realm and Heaven.
Our souls are another example of multiple realms. Although our current bodies are made of flesh and blood (“carbon-based life forms”) our true identity is spiritual in nature. When our body dies, our soul will leave its earthly vessel and continue living. Our souls are not made up of the materials from this dimension. That is why a person’s body could be completely vaporized by a nuclear bomb and his soul will depart totally unscathed.
Am I convinced that we are alone in this universe? No, of course not. I may be completely wrong in my speculations on this subject. It wouldn’t bother me, however, if I am wrong about this. It wouldn’t shake my faith or theology if we do find life out there. As I mentioned before, these are my opinions, not Biblical dogma.
As I contemplate the immense size of our universe, I usually do not wonder about extraterrestrial life. Rather, I spend my time pondering the age-old question of why would such an awesome God care so much for mortal man? Why would God Almighty seek our friendship?
From Biblehelp.Org Copyright © 1987 -2005 Michael Bronson
Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 4 October 16, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Creation, Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Bible, The Holy Spirit
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The seven days of creation
1. The two-fold account of these days:
a. The flood light account
A general description of the creation account
b. The spotlight account
A specific description of the creation of man
Genesis 1:1 refutes all other philosophies dreamt up by man.
1. Atheism – There is a God
2. Polytheism – There is but one God
3. Evolution – God created all things
4. Pantheism – He is apart from His creation
5. Materialism – There was a beginning to creation
6. Fatalism – There was a purpose to creation
7. The Gap theory – There was not one
8. The 2 creations – There is only one
Let the Bible speak for itself. It means what it says and says what it means.
The heavens and the earth
Heaven
(1.) Definitions., The phrase “heaven and earth” is used to indicate the whole universe (Gen_1:1; Jer_23:24; Act_17:24). According to the Jewish notion there were three heavens,
2. There are three heavens mentioned in the Bible.
(a) The fist heaven or The firmament, as “fowls of the heaven” (Gen_2:19; Gen_7:3, Gen_7:23; Psa_8:8, etc.), “the eagles of heaven”
This heaven is described as the home of the birds and clouds – Daniel 4:12
(b) The second heaven or The starry heavens (Deu_17:3; Jer_8:2; Mat_24:29).
This heaven is described as the home of the sun, moon, and stars – Psalm 19:1
(c) The third heaven or The heaven of heavens (Deu_10:14; 1Ki_8:27; Psa_115:16; Psa_148:4; 2Co_12:2).
This heaven is described as the home of the angels or departed saints. – 2 Corinth 12:2
The usual Hebrew word for “heavens” is shamayim, a plural form meaning “heights,” “elevations” “Over there”
(Gen_1:1; Gen_2:1).
It simply states that God created “The down here and the up there”
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
2. The first day.
The creation of light
1:2-5
God brought light into the darkness
Isaiah 9:1-2
He produced physical light. The New Testament records God sending His Son to be the light of the world
John 1:1-9, 8:12
One day there will be no darkness
Revelation 21:23
Why was light created first?
Perhaps it was the first need
3. The second day
The seperation of the waters
1:6-10
(6-8) Atmospheric waters in the form of translucent vapor called the heavens.
“Firmament” means heavens and it literally means “something stretched out”
Psalms 19:1,150:1
(9-10) The earth and sea
These are regular land based waters in the form of shallow water, oceans, rivers, and lake heads.
4. The third day
The creation of plant life
1:9-13
There are three natural divisions of plant kingdoms:
1. Grasses
2. Herbs
3. Trees
God’s purpose for vegetation:
1. To supply food for living creatures
2. For beauty
3. Utility uses (shelters)
5. The fourth day
The creation of the sun,moon,and stars
1:14-19
Job 38:4-11
They were special light sources
God’s three-fold purpose for these special light sources:
1. To distinguish between day and night.
2. To serve as signs for man
Romans 1:19-20
Seasons
Providing man with a calender
Dividing seasons
3. To serve as permanent repositories of light
“He made the stars” This is a significant statement. In those ancient times, other religions worshipped, deified, and mystified the stars. These pagan nations revered the stars and looked to them for guidance.
The creation account only gives the stars the briefest of mentions and is a direct show of contempt for ancient Babylonian astrology. (Ps29)
We must remember that Moses is writing to Hebrews who had just recently come out of slavery in Egypt. Egyptians had worshipped Re, the sun god or one of their chief deities. The Israelites needed to know that God and Re were not similar gods, but that God, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews was the sole creator of the universe. This brief mention of the stars also has two other possible intended meanings:1) To show that there was nothing that had not been created by God. 2) To prevent the Hebrews from following the heathen practices of astrology and star worship.
Why was the earth created before the sun?
A. Priority – Because the earth was the most important in His mind. He would soon put His most important creation here – man – and one day His Son would reconcile all this back to Him.
B. Prevention – Almost every ancient civilization has worshipped the sun and through this way God is informing man that life and light existed before the sun and it came through the Son.
Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 3 October 16, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Creation, Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Bible, The Holy Spirit
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The Bible is written for the inhabitants of earth.
As we begin to read the Genesis account of creation we can note that it is from an earthly perspective.
It is written from the point of view of one who is standing on earth looking up.
We read about sunrise, sunsets, seasons, years, interstellar orbits and rotating planets.
Only thing specifically concerning man were placed in the Bible. God’s Word is not a book about angels, demons, or Satan, though they have a passing reference only as they interact with God’s dealings toward man.
This is not a book about geography, biology, archeology, or astronomy. It is a book about God’s grace to fallen man.
This book is not inferior to man or his science.
It is God’s Word! The very mind of Christ!
It is completely without error.
Doctrinal purposes for God’s creation
1. The sovereignty of God
God’s creation of the natural world was according to His own will and ordained for His purpose.
Gen 1:5 – The naming of the elements of creation shows His sovereignty. naming something in the Middle East was a mark of power or lordship. Names were not merely labels but descriptions with some force to them
2. The omnipotence of God
“Bara” (created) This shows God’s will and shows Him to be the only Creator of the universe.
3. The purpose for creation
The purpose for creation was to have fellowship with man. Christ was the means by which creation was formed and by which it is held together(Col 1:15-18)
4. The providence of God
This illustrates the character of God by His ongoing care and concern for creation.
Theories of creation.
1. Supernatural vs. evolutionary.
The super naturalist says the creation occurred in a way that is completely foreign to anything we might see today.
Genesis 1:31-2:4 indicate that God completed His creative work.
There are also those Christians who believe that God may have acted through evolutionary means to bring about creation. While it is true that God often works through what we think of as a “natural process” man was never a part of this kind of process. Man was created. He did not flop out of some scum filled water hole to develop into what he is today. The very fact of the evolutionist argument should show its fallacy. For example, if it is true that man eventually evolved from a monkey, then why are there not naked people who have evolved wandering out of some jungle somewhere fully evolved. For that matter why have we not found people who are partially evolved. A friend of mine from the Dominican Republic told me that at a young age someone told him that monkeys were created by the devil. Although untrue, because Satan could never create, only manipulate, this theory of evolution is straight from his lips.
An appearance of history
The description we have of God’s creative work seems to imply a creation with an appearance of age. This is really seen in the creation of man. On the day that Adam was created, he was one day old, but scripture seems to define him as a full grown man rather than a baby. The implication is that he was created with an appearance of age. The same is seen in animals and plant life. we are told that God created trees yielding fruit that had with hem the seeds for reproduction. This obviously answers the age old question of “who came first?” and in this sense the answer is the chicken came first. The Biblical answer would be that God created egg laying chickens who looked and acted like those who had been hatched and grown to adulthood.
2. A conclusion
There is only one God and that is the God who created us. He is the God of every man even if every man refuses to acknowledge it.
We should also realize that He is currently involved with His creation. We see this especially in the picture of His Spirit given to all His children on conversion. Our great God having one planet, in all this vast galaxies, and star systems full of stars and dead planets (which I feel are another example of His love for man) God is concerned with this one little blue planet and what happens on it. We have all heard the theories: That if the earth was one or two degrees off its axis we would float into space. The fact that this planet just happened to be the right mixture for man and plant life. That this planet just happened to be the right distance from the sun. Look at all the other planets around us, they scream at us the wondrous works of our loving Father.
Yes there was a big bang. God said it and bang it was.
God created everything. It is never questioned. It is never debated by Moses.
Genesis 1:2-5
Like the earth, we were once in darkness. We were once without form or void, without God in our lives and without hope.
God sent His Son to be the Light of the world
This Light saves from the darkness
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Joh 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Joh 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
Joh 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
This Light delivers from the darkness
Psa 107:10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
Psa 107:11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psa 107:12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Psa 107:15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
Isa 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
This Light condemns
We were once in that darkness. Without hope (void) The unsaved man can’t comprehend this Light. The unsaaved man wants no part of this Light
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
because the unsaved man has been blinded
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
This Light exposes the darkness
God divided the light from the darkness. We are called to keep ourselves seperated from the darkness. We can’t leave the world but we can keep the world out of us.
1Jo 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1Jo 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
We are also called to walk in the Light
Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
This Light calls His chosen
1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
The Spirit of God hovers over us like a mother hen, waiting for us. He will not force Himself upon us
Jesus Christ came to die for us. He died for all but not all will accept Him.
Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 2 October 16, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Creation, Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Bible, The Holy Spirit
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Creationism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Creationism or creation theology encompasses the belief that human beings, the world and the universe were created by a supreme being or deity. The event itself may be seen as either ex nihilo or order from preexisting chaos (see demiurge).
Many who hold such beliefs consider them to be compatible with science. They may say, for example, that a certain scriptural account of creation is a metaphor. Or they may say that scientific mechanisms were created by supernatural intervention (see evolutionary creationism).
It should be noted that many Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran faiths have now rejected “Creationism” outright. Liberal theology considers Genesis a poetic work, that human knowledge of God expands over time and that the early biblical stories show only the most primitive understanding of what was to become known as the Christian deity. Indeed, comparing the God of the early Jewish tribes to the God revealed in the figure of Christ clearly depicts how much theological understanding evolved in between the writing of the various books that came to be collected in the Bible.
Many creationists adopt a literal interpretation of religious or supernatural creation accounts, and say that a particular one is a factual account that supersedes mainstream science (see Young Earth Creationism, for example). Such interpretations are rejected by scientists, who say that evidence from many scientific disciplines are the only empirical source for information on natural history, and literal interpretations of scriptures are not considered reliable forms of scientific evidence. (Refer to creation science).
Those holding these more literal views tend to be the ones who dispute scientific theories the most, and take particular issue with the implication from evolutionary biology of common descent — that humans are descended from “lesser creatures”. There are creationists who also dispute the scientific accounts of the initial creation of life, the geological history of Earth, the formation of the solar system, the origin of the physical universe, and a few even support such ideas as geocentrism and a flat earth.
Religious context
The term creationism is most often used to describe the belief that creation occurred literally as described in the book of Genesis (for Jews and Christians) or literally as described in the Qur’an (for Muslims.) Although the Hebrew Bible does not provide an account of creatio ex nihilo and, according to scholars, may even suggest different accounts of creation, some Jews and Christians claim to use Genesis exclusively as a support of their beliefs about origins. Refer to creation according to Genesis.
In the secular sense, “creationism” refers to a political doctrine which asserts the validity and superiority of a particular religiously-based origin belief over those of other belief systems, including those in particular espoused through secular or scientific rationale—i.e. “creationism versus evolution.” The meaning of the term “creationism” depends upon the context wherein it is used, as it refers to a particular origin belief within a particular political culture.
Theists believe that the universe and life was created by God. The idea could equally be applied by Deists, who believe that there was a God who originally created the universe, and that God then either ceased to actively interfere with its operation, or simply ceased to exist. Similarly, proponents of an alternative type of creationism might rely on a belief that the universe was created by many deities, in accordance with a polytheistic faith, or by Vishnu, the Titans of Greek mythology or any of the host of other such beings.
To distinguish the notion that the Universe as a whole (and hence all its contents) was created by God from the notion that individual species were created by divine intervention in the natural order, the latter view is sometimes referred to as special creation.
The terms creationism and creationist have become particularly associated with beliefs conflicting with the theory of evolution by natural selection. This conflict is most prevalent in the United States, where there has been sustained creation-evolution controversy in the public arena. On the other hand, many faiths which believe in divine creation accept evolution by natural selection as well as, to a greater or lesser extent, scientific explanations of the origins and development of the universe, the Earth, and life – such beliefs have been given the name evolutionary creationism, though others call them “theistic evolution”.
Types of creationism
Creationism covers a spectrum of beliefs which have been categorised into the broad types listed below. Not all creationists are in dispute with scientific theories, though very few modern scientists are creationists.
· Flat Earth creationism — God created the world with a flat surface 6,000 years ago. All that modern science says about shape, size, and age of the Earth is wrong, and evolution does not occur. Very few people today maintain such a belief.
· Modern geocentrism — God recently created a spherical world, and placed it in the center of the universe. The Sun, planets and everything else in the universe revolve around it. All scientific claims about the age of the Earth are lies; evolution does not occur. Very few people today maintain such a belief. See, for example, the Creation Science Association for Mid-America (http://www.csama.org/), in Cleveland, MO, USA.
· Young-Earth Creationism — The belief that the Earth was created by God a few thousand years ago, literally as described in Creation according to Genesis, within the approximate timeframe of the Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar or somewhat more according to the interpretation of biblical genealogies. (They may or may not believe that the Universe is the same age.) As such, it rejects not only radiometric and isochron dating of the age of the Earth, arguing that they are based on debatable assumptions, but also approaches such as ice core dating and dendrochronology, which make the barest of assumptions of uniformitarianism, and which hint that the Earth is far older than the Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar suggests. Instead, it interprets the geologic record largely as a result of a global flood. This view is held by many Protestant Christians in the USA, and by many Haredi Jews. For Christian groups promoting this view, see the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), El Cajon, California, USA, and the Creation Research Society (CRS), St. Joseph, MO, USA.
Because Young Earth creationists believe in the literal truth of the description in Genesis of divine creation of every “kind” of plant and creature during a week about 6,000 years ago, they dispute parts of evolution (specifically Universal Common Ancestry) which describes all species developing from a common ancestor without a need for divine intervention over a much longer time. Different young-earth creationists offer different explanations for the fossil record, which gives the appearance that the Earth is much older:
· God created the Earth only recently, but made it appear much older. This is the belief of a small subgroup of Young Earth creationists, which is sometimes termed the Omphalos hypothesis. This argument was first made by Philip Henry Gosse in 1857. He held that because the world operates in cycles (chicken to egg to chicken on so on), certain physical and biological processes need the appearance of age to function. It is termed the Omphalos hypothesis because it is based on the question of whether or not Adam had a belly button. Gosse postulated that Adam did have a belly button because it is how humans are formed. So the appearance of history (the belly button) is there, even though he was just created. He likewise postulated that for the earth to work, it must have been established with the appearance of age to function correctly. While many creationists hold this view for some smaller aspects of creation, for the existance of the fossil record the argument has been largely superceded.
· God created the Earth only recently, and the fossil record is the record of the destruction of the global flood recorded in Genesis. The present diversity of land animals are all descendants of the animals on the ark, having heavily diversified after the flood. There are a variety of mechanisms believed to be involved, including genomic modularity — the ability for animals to reorganize their genome in response to stress or other outside influence, heterozygous fractionation (heterozygous genes in parents can lead to speciation by having multiple homozygous genes in children), and standard evolution.
· Old-Earth Creationism — which maintains that the physical universe was created by God, but that the creation event of Genesis is not to be taken strictly literally. This group generally believes that the Universe and the Earth are as described by astronomers and geologists, but that details of the evolutionary theory are questionable.
Old-Earth creationism itself comes in at least three types:
· Gap creationism, also called Restitution creationism — the view that life was immediately created on a pre-existing old Earth. This group generally translates Genesis 1:2 as “The earth became without form and void,” indicating a destruction of the original creation by some unspecified cataclysm. This was popularized in the Scofield Reference Bible, but has little support from Hebrew scholars.
· Day-age creationism — the view that the “six days” of Genesis are not ordinary twenty-four-hour days, but rather much longer periods (for instance, each “day” could be the equivalent of millions of years of modern time). Another theory states that the Hebrew word was mistranslated, and it’s supposed to be seven ages. Some adherents claim we are still living in the seventh age (“seventh day”), while opponents say that the seventh day of creation must be the same type of day as the Sabbath for the Sabbath command to make sense.
· Progressive creationism — the view that species have changed or evolved in a process continuously guided by God, with various ideas as to how the process operates. This accepts most of modern physical science including the age of the earth, but rejects much of modern biology or looks to it for evidence that evolution by natural selection is incorrect.
· Evolutionary creationism/Theistic evolutionism — the general belief that some or all classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the scientific theory of evolution, It views evolution as a tool used by God and can synthesize with gap or day-age creationism, although most adherents deny that Genesis was meant to be interpreted as history at all. It can still be described as “creationism” in holding that divine intervention brought about the origin of life or that divine Laws govern formation of species, but in the creation-evolution controversy its proponents generally take the “evolutionist” side while disputing that some scientists’ methodological assumption of materialism can be taken as ontological as well. Many creationists would deny that this is creationism at all, and should rather be called “theistic evolution”, just as many scientists allow voice to their spiritual side. In particular, this view rejects the doctrine of special creation.
· Intelligent Design movement — The main proponents of Intelligent Design have intentionally distanced themselves from other forms of creationism, preferring to be known as wholly separate from creationism as a philosophy. One of the chief websites of the movement defines it thus: “The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as [Darwinian] natural selection.” Intelligent Design styles itself as a philosophical approach to the origin of information and complexity within nature, and, its adherents claim, is not concerned with religion, or the identity or nature, whether natural or supernatural, of any possible designer(s). In and of itself, Intelligent Design does not oppose the theory of evolution. However, many proponents of Intelligent Design are Christian theists who do oppose evolution leading critics to charge that the movement, despite the protestations of its adherents, is simply creationism in new clothing (see Wedge strategy).
Jewish creationism
Jewish creationism includes a continuum of views about creationism, on aspects including the origin of life and the role of evolution in the formation of species as debated in the creation-evolution controversy. In general, the major Jewish denominations accept evolutionary creationism or theistic evolution, with the exception of certain Orthodox Jewish groups. The contemporary general approach of Judaism, excepting some Orthodox traditions, is to not take the Torah as a literal text, but rather as a symbolic or open-ended work.
God as absolute origin
All denominations of Christianity assert that God is the origin, the first cause. The Roman Catholic Church holds as an unchangeable tenet of Christian faith, that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. Here, clearly, creation is described as an absolute beginning, which includes the assertion that the very existence of the universe is contingent upon a necessary higher being, a God who is not himself created. Therefore the doctrine of biblical creation places the knowledge of God central in the pursuit of the knowledge of anything, for everything comes from God. Nevertheless, this view does not mandate the concept of special creation; it says nothing about the mechanism by which any thing was created.
Although phrased differently, this doctrine of creation is common in many branches of other religions. The strictness to which adherents are required to accept these views, and the sense in which these definitions are official, vary widely.
Prevalence of creationism
United States
In the United States, creationism is popular among the general Christian population, but considered to be scientifically irrelevant in many academic and scientific communities. According to a 2001 Gallup evolution poll on the origins of humans, 72% of Americans believe in some form of creationism (as defined above). About 45% of Americans assented to the statement that “God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000 years.”
Among the scientific community, the Big Bang, abiogenesis, and biological evolution are generally considered to be the correct description of the origins of the universe and life on Earth. According to a 1997 Gallup poll, 55% of scientists ascribe to a completely atheistic evolution, with a total rejection of any deistic involvement. In 1987, Newsweek reported: “By one count there are some 700 scientists with respectable academic credentials (out of a total of 480,000 U.S. earth and life scientists) who ascribed to Biblically literal creationism”. However, science is not established by public opinion polls but rather by consistency and explanatory ability.
In 2000, a People for the American Way poll found that:
20% of Americans believe public schools should teach evolution only;
17% of Americans believe that only evolution should be taught in science classes — religious explanations should be taught in another class;
29% of Americans believe that Creationism should be discussed in science class as a ‘belief,’ not a scientific theory;
13% of Americans believe that Creationism and evolution should be taught as ’scientific theories’ in science class;
16% of Americans believe that only Creationism should be taught;
Less-direct anecdotal evidence of the popularity of creationism is reflected in the response of IMAX theaters to the availability of Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, an IMAX film which makes a connection between human DNA and microbes inside undersea volcanoes. The film’s distributor reported that the only U.S. states with theaters which chose not to show the film were Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina:
We’ve got to pick a film that’s going to sell in our area. If it’s not going to sell, we’re not going to take it,” said the director of an IMAX theater in Charleston that is not showing the movie. “Many people here believe in creationism, not evolution.” [1] (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/23/volcano.movie.ap/index.html)
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The western world outside the United States
Most vocal creationists are from the United States, and creationist views are much less common elsewhere in the Western World.
According to a PBS documentary on evolution, Australian Young Earth Creationists claimed that “five percent of the Australian population now believe that Earth is thousands, rather than billions, of years old.” The documentary further states that “Australia is a particular stronghold of the creationist movement.” Taking these claims at face value, Young Earth Creationism is very much a minority position in Western countries.
In Europe, creationism is a less well-defined phenomenon, and regular polls are not available. However, evolution is taught as scientific fact in most schools. In countries with a Roman Catholic majority, papal acceptance of evolution as worthy of study has essentially ended debate on the matter for many people. Nevertheless, creationist groups such as the German Studiengemeinschaft Wort und Wissen (Study group ‘word and knowing’)[2] (http://www.wort-und-wissen.de/) are actively lobbying in Germany. In the United Kingdom the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously the Vardy Foundation), which owns two colleges in the north of England (out of several thousand in the country) and plans to open several more, teaches that creationism and evolution are equally valid “faith positions”. In Italy, the prime minister Silvio Berlusconi wanted to retire evolution from schools in the middle level; after one week of massive protests, he reversed his opinion. [3] (http://www2.onnachrichten.t-online.de/dyn/c/19/01/33/1901336.html)
Of particular note for Eastern Europe, Serbia suspended the teaching of evolution for one week in 2004, under education minister Ljiljana Colic, only allowing schools to reintroduce evolution into the curriculum if they also taught creationism. [4] (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/09/wdarw09.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/09/ixworld.html) “After a deluge of protest from scientists, teachers and opposition parties,” says the BBC report, Ms Colic’s deputy made the statement, “I have come here to confirm Charles Darwin is still alive,” and announced that the decision was reversed. [5] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3642460.stm) Ms. Colic resigned after the government said that she had caused “problems that had started to reflect on the work of the entire government”. [6] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3663196.stm)
The Christian critique of creationism
Many Christians support evolutionary creationism rather than young earth creationism. In “Intelligent Design as a Theological Problem,” Episcopalian theologian George Murphy argues against the common view that life on Earth in all its forms is direct evidence of God’s act of creation (Murphy quotes Phillip Johnson’s claim that he is speaking “of a God who acted openly and left his fingerprints on all the evidence.”). Murphy argues that this view of God is incompatible with the Christian understanding of God as “the one revealed in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.” The basis of this theology is Isaiah 45:15, “Truly, thou art a God who hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior.” This verse inspired Pascal to write, “What meets our eyes denotes neither a total absence nor a manifest presence of the divine, but the presence of a God who conceals himself.” In the Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther referred to the same Biblical verse to propose his “theology of the cross”: “That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible in those things which have actually happened … He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross.”
Luther opposes his theology of the cross to what he called the “theology of glory”:
A theologian of glory does not recognize, along with the Apostle, the crucified and hidden God alone [I Cor. 2:2]. He sees and speaks of God’s glorious manifestation among the heathen, how his invisible nature can be known from the things which are visible [Cf. Rom. 1:20] and how he is present and powerful in all things everywhere.
For Murphy, Creationists are modern-day theologians of glory. Following Luther, Murphy argues that a true Christian cannot discover God from clues in creation, but only from the crucified Christ.
Murphy observes that the execution of a Jewish carpenter by Roman authorities is in and of itself an ordinary event and did not require Divine action. On the contrary, for the crucifixion to occur, God had to limit or “empty” Himself. It was for this reason that Paul wrote, in Philippians 2:5-8,
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Murphy concludes that,
Just as the son of God limited himself by taking human form and dying on the cross, God limits divine action in the world to be in accord with rational laws God has chosen. This enables us to understand the world on its own terms, but it also means that natural processes hide God from scientific observation.
For Murphy, a theology of the cross requires that Christians accept a methodological naturalism, meaning that one cannot invoke God to explain natural phenomena, while recognizing that such acceptance does not require one to accept a metaphysical naturalism, which proposes that nature is all that there is.
According to theologian Emil Brunner, “God does not wish to occupy the whole of space Himself, but that He wills to make room for other forms of existence … In so doing, He limits Himself.” It is where God has limited Himself that humans must use their own intelligence to understand the world — to understand the laws of gravity as well as evolution – without relying on God as an explanation. It is only through the cross and the resurrection that one may find God.
“IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
God created the heavens and the earth.
Isa 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
The creation account includes everything. From the smallest animal to the biggest galaxies. From Adam (1:26-27) to angels (Job 38:4-11)
Genesis Chapter 1: God – The “When” of Creation -God and the Earth Part 1 October 16, 2008
Posted by Clint Rodgers in Genesis Bible Study.Tags: Creation, Genesis, Genesis Bible Study, God, God and the earth, Jesus Christ, The Bible, The Holy Spirit
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God and the Earth
“Genesis 1, 2:4-9,(Psalm 33)”
Job 36:24-33
Job 38-41
Ever wonder why we get so attached to animals?
We recently lost a puppy that I was very attached too. I really didn’t realize just how much until the day after she was hit by a motorcycle. I was the first to get to her and even though I was relieved that she died instantly, I still have moments where I relive those few minutes over and over again in my head. I see all the little things that I just seemed to notice quickly as I picked her up to bury her in the yard. I am glad though that I was the only one who saw her there on the street because I would not want my wife or my children having that thought of her in their heads. I would like them to see her still living when they think of her.
She just darted out from under the fence and in the span of a few minutes she was dead. I realize I am talking about a dog. An animal, something that would not seem to be as important as a human in the whole scheme of things.
Yet why did we all cry when she died?
Why does it seem that I am mourning her passing?
Why does it seem that our other dog is mourning her?
She was just a dog?
Maybe it is the fact that man is so close to nature in that he named each animal. (Genesis 2:19-20)
We know that animals can communicate in some way. we also know that they all communicated possibly by speech.
Genesis 3:1-6 – It might just be me but notice that Eve never questioned why or how this serpent was speaking to her.
Numbers 21:21-31
We know that the creation of animals was seen as good by God and that He prolonged animals with Noah and his family through the flood (Genesis 6:13-22) We also know that God speaks to animals. Noah did not have to go get each animal, God brought them to him
We know that all things on this earth are for God’s glory and after looking at the circumstances that surrounded what had happened to our little pup we could see that she did not die in vain. She died for a reason. She died for the glory of God in that my wife and I knew that the young fellow who hit her was brought to our doorstep. He needed something. We are not sure if it was just comfort or to know Jesus but we will soon find out.
One day all creation will glorify God. That means each animal, plant, tree, rock. Everything on this earth will praise Him when the curse is lifted.
Revelation 5:13
Will I see our little pup again?
I would like to think so but in the end that is for God to decide what is in heaven. For now I will mourn her passing, but I will also glorify God that He used her for His purpose.
Man was originally put here on earth to rule over it (Genesis 1:26-28) He was placed here in the image of God as God’s ambassador to reflect His dominion over all creation.
