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Without Form and Void
Genesis 1:2 says that the Earth started out "without form, and void." Interpretations differ as to precisely what this means, but, taking the phrase at face value, it seems to indicate that the Earth began its planetary "life" as an unformed, chaotic mass of material that coalesced into the solid world on which we now live. If this is the correct interpretation, then the writer of Genesis 1 possessed a remarkable insight into the formation of our planet. Over the past few decades, as their telescopes have gotten more and more powerful, astronomers have been witness to the formation of stars and planets from gargantuan, chaotic clouds of dust and gas floating in the dark reaches of space. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is one example of these highly powerful telescopes that have allowed scientists to witness the formation of celestial bodies from a "formless and void" state. According to the December 2005 issue of National Geographic, the Spitzer uses infrared wavelengths to view "gravity squeez[ing] the denser clumps [of dust and gas] until stars burst into life. " The Spitzer "has opened up half the universe to us," said Robert Kennicutt, an astronomer at the University of Arizona. "In the process," reports National Geographic, "it [the Spitzer] has exposed cosmic birthplaces. Stars take shape in clouds of gas and dust, and planets emerge in disks of debris around new stars. Already the telescope has gleaned clues about how and where planets form, and even spotted two of them by picking up their infrared glow". If the Biblical term "without form, and void" does indeed mean that the planet Earth began its celestial "life" as an unformed, chaotic mass of dust and gas, then the implications are truly humbling and awe-inspiring. Looking through the Spitzer Space Telescope might very well be like looking at Genesis 1:2 taking place. With this all said gives wonder to the Bible! Obviously, no mortal person witnessed that event and would have even been capable of writing about it; yet, it was documented in the Bible in Genesis 1:2. The First Earth Age Science has proven repeatedly that this Earth is millions of years old. However, in most religious communities it is taught that the Earth is only about seven thousand years old. Who is right, and who is wrong? Well, what does the Bible have to say about this? The Bible teaches that this Earth is indeed millions of years old, and it is only this Earth age that is not quite as old. You will see that there are at least three earth ages spoken of in the Bible. There is the age that was, the age that is, and the age that will be. The age that is now is of course, the age that we are living in now. The age that will be, is called "eternity". This study covers the age that happened before the time of Genesis 1:2. That's right, the first Earth age is spoken of in the very first verse of the Bible, and we will cover it soon enough. As with all studies, check it out for yourself. God Almighty gave you a brain and He expects you to exercise it in His word. Study the Word of God for yourself. Check out the scriptures. Follow the subjects and objects. Most of all question what man teaches. Especially if they preach for hours at a time and never open the Bible. Please, do more than just read, or listen to, the Word of God. Your eternal soul could very well depend on it. With that said, let's begin at the beginning. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Note carefully what that verse said, yet didn't say. In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth, period. The word "beginning", is the Hebrew "reshiyth", which means, first in place, time, order or rank. The creation here was the First Earth age. What happened to it? That is fully and accurately described by the next verse. Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Now, to read this at face value, it says that the earth was without form. Which must mean it was created without form. However, when you look at the Hebrew, you see something totally different. "Was" is "hayah", which means, became, come to pass. The word "Hayah" is always emphatic. That is to say, put the emphasis on the word "became". This same word was also used in Genesis 2:7. Check it out and see how it is worded there. "Without form" is "tohuw", which means, to lie waste, a desolation. "Void" is "bohuw", which means, a vacuity, an indistinguishable ruin. It will do you good to remember those words. We will see them again. Nevertheless, what is being said here is that the Earth was created. Then, it became a desolation and an undistinguishable ruin. It was destroyed. Then through the rest of chapter one in Genesis, the second Earth age was created. You see, Genesis 1:1 is timeless. There are no restrictions in the Bible for how old that age was. How about we take a look at this in a different place in the word? Isaiah 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." The word "vain" here is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:2. It is "tohuw", a desolation. God did not create the world as a desolation. It became one. God created this world to be inhabited, and it was inhabited. In spite of this, it is taught that the world was created void. That is a false teaching devised by the imaginations of man. The Word clearly states that the Earth was created, destroyed, and refashioned in the form you are living in today. This is not that hard to understand. However, you do have to study the original languages to understand it. Let's examine this in yet another place. II Peter 3:5 "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water." People are willingly ignorant of this, because they don't study the Word. "Willingly" is "thelo", which means, to choose or prefer. They choose to believe what they are taught, and prefer to be ignorant of the truth. These are not my words. They are God's. The Heavens are of old or better said, ancient. The Earth standing in and out of the water would be continents and oceans. Again, the Earth was created to be inhabited. We will get to who inhabited it later. II Peter 3:6 "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." Yes, the world that was. That more than implies there is more than one Earth age."Overflowed" is "katakluzo", which means, to deluge. "Perished" is "apollumi", and as you have heard so many times before, it means to destroy fully. The first earth age was flooded with water, and destroyed. Then Genesis 1:3 picks up the narrative where the Second Earth Age starts to take form. II Peter 3:7 "But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
The current Earth age is reserved
unto fire for the day of judgment. The first Earth age has
already been destroyed by water. Wait a minute. Isn't this speaking
of Noah's flood? Jeremiah 4:23 "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." Sound familiar? It should. The phrase, [it was], was added by man. This would better read as, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, without form and void;". This is taking a look at the Earth just after it was destroyed, and describes the aftermath. "Without form, and void", is again, "tohuw va bohuw", just as it is in Genesis. It became a desolated wasteland. Jeremiah 4:24 "I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly." This is describing one major earthquake. "Trembled" is "raash", which means, to undulate. Well, what does the word undulate mean? It means to rise and fall or move from side to side in a smooth wave like motion. Mountains are pretty solid and it would take one powerful shaking to give them a "wave like" motion. "Moved lightly" is "qalal", which means, to be light in the sense of weight. Imagine if the mountains were moving like the ocean, the hills were being tossed around like featherweights. It was probably everything those little hills could do just to hang on! There were not any earthquakes recorded during Noah's flood. So this verse is talking about something else entirely. Actually this describes what might have been the reaction of the Earth's thin surface crust floating on the surface of a molten sphere (not much different than it is today) if a large meteor hit it. The scientific community now believes this is exactly what happened in the Yucatan Peninsula that caused the extinction of all the Dinosaurs Jeremiah 4:25 "I beheld, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled." Let's get the full idea of this. No one survived. In Noah's flood there were at least eight survivors, with evidence for many more survivors, including birds. Noah sent out many birds for proof of the receding floodwaters. Granted, Noah's flood was still a devastating flood. However, it was no where near the destruction described here. But wait, how could man not survive, if they had not yet been created? As we will learn deeper in this study, man had been created before. However, the angels and men were there, and so were some of the biggest animals known to man. We will get to that later. For now, let's continue. Jeremiah 4:26 "I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger." Yes, there were fruitful places in the world that was. There were also cities. What happened to them? They were destroyed. They became "tohuw va bohuw". You don't need to believe me that cities existed millions of years ago, ask an archaeologist. In the realm of science it is believed that this Earth met up with a disastrous event, but it is heavily debated what that event was. You are reading of that event now. However, If this was Noah's flood, then how did the dove bring back a branch from an olive tree? It takes many years for an olive tree to grow. If the fruitful places were destroyed, there would have been nothing but a stick to bring back. The event described is an Earth shaking upheaval of the crust and oceans of the Earth not just a flood caused by rain. A forty day rain doesn't deposit fossils of seashells on the tops of mountains. Jeremiah 4:27 "For thus hath the Lord said, "The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end." It was a full end of that Earth age. However, it was not a full end of the Earth. The end of this verse would be where Genesis 1:3 picks up. The world was totally obliterated. All life on the face of this Earth was destroyed, then re-created. The same thing will happen again at the end of this Earth age. It will be destroyed by fire, and again refurbished for the eternity. 2 Peter 3:10-13, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." What has happened before, will happen again. There is nothing new under the sun, (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10). So now that we have documented that there was an Earth age before this current one, let's see who lived in that earth age. Pick it up at the ending of the book of Job, where God is putting all the "wisdom of man" to shame. Job 40:15 "Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee, he eateth grass as an ox." Right off the bat, this passage of scripture is speaking about dinosaurs. Most people believe that it is in reference to a hippopotamus. To me, this describes a real specific dinosaur. However, you make up your own mind as to what animal this passage describes. Granted, there is no reference to time given here, but modern science has already proven when dinosaurs existed. "Behemoth" is behemowth" in the Hebrew. It is the plural of "behemah", which is simply a large dumb beast. "Grass" is "chatsiyr", which means, the greenness of a courtyard. It has also been translated as hay, herb, and leek. So the picture we have so far, is one of a large dumb beast that is a herbivore, or plant eater. Let's continue.
Job 40:16-17 "Lo now, his strength is in his loins, an his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together." The word "loins" is "mothen", which is the waist or the small of the back. "Navel" is "shariyr", which is a cord, sinew. The strength of this animal lies in its waist, and the power is in the sinews of its belly. In other words, it is a very powerful animal in the mid-section of its body. "Moveth" is "chadhets", which means, to bend. This tail would bend like a cedar. To make this more clear, have you ever seen a tail as big as a cedar tree slung on a hippo? A hippo's tail is a mere noodle compared to what is described here. Also, a hippo's tail would bend more like a willow reed. Whereas, if you picture a dinosaur in your mind, it makes a tad more sense. The last part of that verse would better translate as; "the tendons of his testicles are intertwined tightly". Now, I am not a biologist, so I really can't begin to imagine what is meant here. Got any ideas? Job 40:18 "His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron." "Bones" is "etsem", which means the body, substance. "Strong pieces" is "aqhiyq", which means, containing. The word "aqhiyq" has a play on a riverbed or valley of a stream, in the sense that the riverbed is strong to hold the river. The body of this creature is a strong as brass, and would need to be if it were as big as a dinosaur. The second time "bones" is used it is "gerem", which is the skeleton. The skeletal structure of this large beast is as strong as bars of iron. Only a very large animal would need these strong bones to support its sheer bulk. Job 40:19 "He is the chief of the ways of God: He that made him can make His sword to approach unto him." "Chief" is the same word "reshiyth" that was used earlier in this study. Again, it means, first in place, time, or order. "Ways" is "derek", which is a road as trodden, a course of life. Now let's simplify this so you may better understand. Millions of years ago, behemoth was the first flesh creatures created by God. (Remember now, "behemoth" is plural in the Hebrew.) The last part of that verse has reverence to the destruction of Behemoth. Feel free to check it out for yourself. For the purpose of space, we need to skip forward and cover one more verse. I will state that Job 40:20-22 describes a creature that lives in swampy water, yet eats from the mountaintops. What creature do you think that could be?" Job 40:23 "Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth." "Drinketh" is "ashaq", which means to press upon, i.e. oppress. "Hasteth" is "chaphaz", which means to start up suddenly. What is being said here in different words is that though the river should swell with floodwaters, Behemoth is not worried about it. The sheer bulk of a dinosaur will keep him put, while the flood surges around him. The rest of the verse translates just fine on its own. However, check it out for yourself. This animal believes he could drink the entire Jordan if he wanted to. I have yet to see an animal living on this Earth with such a huge thirst. This passage of scripture is speaking of only one type of creature, a dinosaur. So, now we have the first Earth age, and dinosaurs were living in it. Not only is there Biblical proof of this, but there is also scientific proof. Visit your local Museum to see the scientific proof. Now, let's see who else inhabited the first Earth age. We will pick it up in the book of John, where Christ was praying to God just before He was delivered up to be crucified. John 17:24 "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world." Yes, Christ was in that world that was. It would be rather obvious since Christ is God, and He created the world. However, there is something more detailed here we need to look at. "Foundation" is "katabole", which means, to throw down, to overthrow. God loved Christ since before the overthrow of the world. Now, you should be asking yourself a question. We know that there was a world age before this one. We also know of that age's destruction. Why was the first Earth age overthrown? To find that answer, we need to examine who else was in that age. We pick it up in Ezekiel, where God is describing Satan in the first earth age. The entire reference is Ezekiel 28:12-19. It is speaking about the king of Tyrus. Yet, by the description, it can only be Satan. Study the entire passage. Ezekiel 28:14 "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." Earlier, it was saying that Satan had been in Eden, the garden of God. It described his beauty and perfection. Here we see that Satan was the anointed Cherub that covereth. Now what was that? I'm sure most of you have seen a replication of the Ark of the Covenant. On top of that ark are two cherubim that cover the mercy seat with their wings. "Anointed" is "mimsach", which means, outspread, (i.e. with outstretched wings.) "Covereth" is "cakak", which means, to entwine, to fence in, and to protect. Satan was created to be one of those protecting cherubim. He was a protector of the mercy seat, which is the throne of Christ. The "stones of fire" is the fire on the altar of God. Satan was in a very high office in the temple of God. Ezekiel 28:15 "Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee." The day that Lucifer was created, was the first Earth age. He was perfect there. "Perfect"is "tamiym", which means, entire, without blemish, complete. Lucifer was created to be the whole pattern of perfection. I assure you, no one in this Earth was created as perfect as Lucifer was in the first Earth age. When Lucifer became filled with pride concerning his perfection, was when iniquity was found in him. He became jealous and tried to take that mercy seat for himself. That is why that Earth age was destroyed. That is also why as Satan, he will come back to. He wants that throne for himself, and will do whatever he can to obtain it. One third of the angels followed Lucifer (Satan) during his first attempt to overthrow God. Jude 6 "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." These are the fallen angels. Their first estate, their own habitation, was heaven. All the angels were created in that first Earth age. They were all with God then. These fallen angels left their habitation when they followed Lucifer as he rebelled in that first Earth age. They all decided to follow Lucifer instead of God. So we know that the angels were with God in the first earth age. Isaiah 14:12-17, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" What nations (peoples) did Lucifer weaken? the word weaken is "chalash" and it means to "waste away" or cause to go prostrate. The word tremble is "ragaz" and means shake and the word "shake" is "ra`ash" and means quake. Lucifer caused the Earth to shake and quake and is responsible for the destruction of the first Earth Age along with every creature, including people and all of their cities. Because of this Lucifer was cast down to Earth and his name changed to Satan. In the New Testament this event is often refered to. Matthew 13:35, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" Luke 11:50, "That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;" "Foundation" is the same word "katabole" we covered earlier. It means to throw down, to overthrow. It comes from the word "kataballo" which means to throw to the ground, prostrate. Sounds familiar doesn't it. John 17:24, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." Christ states that the Father has loved him since before the "katabole", before the First Earth Age was overthrown. 1 Peter 1:20, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," Revelation 13:8, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation 17:8, "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." Ephesians 1:4 "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:" The first earth age had to be destroyed because of Satan's plot to take over the throne of God. He will try to take the place of God again. What will you be doing when that happens? Let's sum things up for a moment. There was an Earth age before the one we are living in now. It was the age of dinosaurs, of angels and man. Satan was in that Earth age, and he was created perfect. He was originally one of the highest ranking angels in the kingdom of Heaven. That high office and perfection filled him with pride. He began to desire God's glory for himself. He rebelled, and there was a war. God's elect overcame. The fallen angels followed Satan. The Second Earth Age begins with Genesis Chapter one verse three where God takes a lightless, deluged, chaotic planet and begins to bring order back to it. On the sixth day God (Elohiym) created mankind. Genesis 1:26-31, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth, And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." I guess most Christians have read these verses many times and yet because of popular teachings don't really see what is written here. By the end of the sixth day God has spoken into existence all the order of the planet, all the trees and vegetation, all the animals and above all, mankind (both male and female). Every living creature has been given the command to "be fruitful and multiply". The second chapter starts with the seventh day and the Bible says God rested. The next part of chapter two is where there is much confusion because it appears to retell the same story again. However there is a difference between this account and that of chapter one. In this account the first big departure is the timeline. First of all no longer are "days" mentioned and at the end God doesn't rest. In fact the interaction between God and man flows on throughout the rest of the Bible. In the chapter two account it appears to say that it is going to tell us how the chapter one story unfolds but it does not. Genesis 2:1-3, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (At this point Creation is finished in the general sense). Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens," This is the verse that gives many the sense that Chapter two is trying to explain how Chapter one unfolds. Many seem to think that the words "the generations" mean "the chronological order of events". In reality it means "what follows" or "the results of" these events. Definitely implying something that came later or after the Genesis Chapter one account. generations is the Strong's Concordance #08435 towl@dah {to-led-aw'} or tol@dah {to-led-aw'}and it literally means:
Is there any other evidence in the Chapter two account that would also imply this? The answer is definitely yes. If Chapter two is suppose to be a step by step explanation of Chapter one there is a major flaw. In Chapter One the animals are created before Man is created: Genesis 1:20-25, "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good." Then man is created and is created both male and female. Genesis 1:26-27, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Man or mankind is created as were the animals male and female after their kind and at the same time. Then God said: Genesis 1:31, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." It is clear that at the end if the sixth day everything is finished and everything is good. In striking contrast, Genesis Chapter Two, this so called detailed explanation has man created by God's own hand, out of clay and taught by him to till the ground and it was still not good. Then after man is in the Garden and tilled the soil, God creates animals in the Garden to keep him company and after a while, time passed and Adam (man) had named all these newly created animals he became lonely again and God said that that wasn't good so God created a woman for him.Genesis 2:15-23, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress (till) it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." So what is really going on here? It appears that by every test, these are two totally different events both in their order and their purpose. God has a plan that necessitates the deliberate sequestering of a man, personally formed by his hand, not one spoken into an impersonal existence as in Chapter One. This man is placed into a fenced plot of land and surrounded only by plants that are pleasing to the eye and good eating. No thorns and thistles, no noxious or poisonous fruit. He is preparing a special man for a special purpose. This plan was fashioned from the "foundation" of the Earth and the focal point would put Christ on the cross to see it accomplished. 1 Peter 1:20, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," There is more evidence of the two separate man creations. As we see after the "fall" of Adam and Eve, they are evicted from the Garden and bare two sons, Cain and Able. Immediately after Cain murders his brother Able, God banishes Cain to a distant land but before he leaves Cain makes a statement to God. Genesis 4:13-15, "And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." Who are the everyone and the anyone?
Genesis 4:16-17, "And
Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of
Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she
conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called
the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." Where
did Cain's wife come from? Boy, how I hated it when people use to
ask me this question. The answer was there all along. They were the
ones of Chapter one the "mankind". The ones that were
created before God built the Garden (the enclosure) and before the
formed Adam with his own hands. The people whose daughters in Genesis
chapter six are called "the daughters of men"
that marry the "sons of God" the descendants of Adam
and Eve and Seth.
They were the same people,
according to extra-biblical records, who inhabited the city of Enoch.
If only Cain and his wife lived there he would have lived in a cave
or a tent. Instead there was a great number of people there and
because of Cain's invulnerability he became their leader and a great King.
(Genesis 4:16-17, " . . . and he builded a city,
and called the name of the city, after the name of his son,
Enoch.") He
was called Sargon the Magnificent the first and greatest King in
Babylonian history in 3800 B.C. Sargon being translated "King
Cain" and the city he built being "Erech" (translated
as) "Enoch" which was named after his son, according to
Assyrian and Babylonian historical writings. According to many Biblical Commentators including Archbishop Ussher*, Adam was formed and breathed into life in 4004 BC. If this is anywhere near accurate then the timeline of separation between the first Man of Genesis Chapter one and the Adam creation in the Garden is very large indeed. This could also account for the disparity between the Creationists view of history and that of the archeological record. The scientists say that man has been here in one form or another for as much as a million years or more. Neanderthal and modern human DNA comparisons suggest that our common ancestors existed about 550,000 to 690,000 years ago. Too recent for First Earth Age man but timely for Second Earth Age man if in fact Man was created shortly after modern animals as in the Genesis chapter one account. *(James Ussher (1581-1656), Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland, and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College in Dublin was highly regarded in his day as a churchman and as a scholar. Of his many works, his treatise on chronology has proved the most durable. Based on an intricate correlation of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean histories and Holy writ, it was incorporated into an authorized version of the Bible printed in 1701, and thus came to be regarded with almost as much unquestioning reverence as the Bible itself. Craig, G. Y. and E. J. Jones. A Geological Miscellany. Princeton University Press, 1982) The popular teachings of many Christian Denominations is that the Earth is only seven to nine thousand years old depending on which group you have heard teach. It is no wonder that in this time of DNA and Carbon 14 testing, with Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon skeletons being unearthed yearly, that thinking people are being driven away from the Church because it all doesn't make any sense to them. They more and more view the Bible as fiction and not fact by these absurd Creation teachings. The truth is that the Bible actually is extremely accurate as both a historical and spiritual communication between God and Man. Why was it necessary for God to wait so long to create Adam. At some point in time God desired a son. A special being like himself that could love him as he loves, understand Him as he understands, to know as we are known. 1 Corinthians 13:12, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." To accomplish this the "man" Adam must be in a position where he is content, in a nice safe place and without outside pressure to please anyone, especially God. A person who out of his free will would love God because of who He is, not what He is. Most Biblical scholars agree that without the temptation that eventually takes place at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, free will would not and could not be tested or exercised and was necessary to fulfil the plan of God. Remember the Garden was also a place where God could walk with the man, and possibly it even opened to what is to us an invisible realm where fellowship with God was not by faith but in fact. Adam and Eve fell spiritually and where they found themselves (while still in the Garden) no longer able to see in the same way. That realm was no longer visible and all they could see was their physical nakedness and they could only hear God's voice and footsteps . God is surely going to return man to that earlier relationship where we will be able to walk with Him in the "cool of the day".
As I stated before, I believe in God and I believe in The Bible; I just feel that we are not being told all that there is to know.
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