Genesis 1:1 – What happened in the Beginning of Time?
Genesis 1:1 – The First Verse of the First Chapter of the First Book of the Bible.
Such a short verse of Scripture, with so much meaning, time and history behind it.
Let us explore the mysteries of this verse in great detail.
[sc:”small_separator”](Genesis 1:1)
English:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Hebrew:
בראשׁית ברא אלהים את השׁמים ואת הארץ׃
“In the beginnig”
Hebrew-7225
ראשׁית
rê’shîyth
ray-sheeth’
From the same as Hebrew-7218; the first, in place, time, order or rank (specifically a firstfruit): – beginning, chief (-est), first (-fruits, part, time), principal thing.
“God”
Hebrew-430
אלהים
‘elôhîym
el-o-heem’
Plural of Hebrew-433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: – angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.
“created”
Hebrew-1254
בּרא
bârâ’
baw-raw’
A primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes): – choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).
“the heaven”
Hebrew-8064
שׁמה שׁמים
shâmayim shâmeh
shaw-mah’-yim, shaw-meh’
The second form being dual of an unused singular; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve): – air, X astrologer, heaven (-s).
“and the earth”
Hebrew-776
ארץ
‘erets
eh’-rets
From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land): – X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X nations, way, + wilderness, world.
The usual concept of Genesis 1:1
“In the the Beginning of Time, God created the Universe (Heaven and Earth).”
Various interpretations of this verse lead people to have different thoughts on the timing of evens that took place.
It is popularly believed that Genesis 1:1 describes an event that happened the time-frame of:
1) 1 day
2) An instant
3) An indefinite period of time (can be millions of years).
It is commonly believed that God created a Universe that was (without form and void) as “described” in Genesis 1:2.
That God created a Universe that was out of Order, without shape or structure.
This is what people usually interpret to happen between the Genesis Chapter 1: verses 1 and 2.
But so much more goes on between these 2 verses that has gone untold.
In this teaching, we will discover how much more history and truth lies within the time frame of this one verse of the Bible.
The Three Heavens and Earths
The words “In the beginning” means “origin”, bereshith in Hebrew, and or gennesis in Greek.
The word “God”, Elohim in that context is plural to emphasize his greatness.
The word “Heaven” is shamayim and is in plural form to represent its vastness.-
This verse is referring to the creation of the first ‘heaven and earth’ of the three that is to exist in God’s foreknowledge.
(The biblical significance of the number 3 is complete.)
In Peter II, it explains that there are three Heavens and Earths.
(2 Peter 3:5 KJVR)
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:
(2 Peter 3:6 KJVR)
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.
(2 Peter 3:7 KJVR)
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.
This extract talks about the original Heaven and Earth, which existed in Genesis 1:1.
Then it mentions the Heaven and Earth which exist now, this one will last until the Judgment day.
And the third Heaven and Earth…
(2 Peter 3:13 KJVR)
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
-In Revelation-
(Revelation 21:1 KJVR)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Where it reads, ‘first’ heaven and the ‘first’ earth, may be better translated as: ‘former’ heaven and the ‘former’ earth .
(Revelation 21:1)
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the [former] heaven and the [former] earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
The second Heaven and Earth begins with Genesis 1:3 and it’s formation is completed when it states in Genesis 2:1:
(Genesis 2:1 KJVR)
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Was the Earth made without form, and void?
To further understand Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:2-3 must also be included to understand what is taking place.
(Genesis 1:2 KJVR)
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.
When God Created the first Heaven and Earth, the earth was not made “without form and void”.
(Isaiah 45:18 KJVR)
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.
This “destructive state of the Earth” was the work of Satan in his rebellion against God.
God does NOT create disorderly things.
God said…
(1 Corithians 14:40 KJVR)
Let all things be done decently and in order.
God would not create the Earth in such a destructive state
(1 Corinthians 14:33 KJVR)
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Satan is the author of confusion.
In the original Estrangelo Aramaic and Hebrew, there was no verb “to be”; but instead there was the verb “to become”. Also in Genesis 1:2, notice that the second “was” is italicized, because it was added and was not in the original text.
This gives the verse a totally different meaning than it should.
The second “was” does however serve to make the verse grammatically correct in English.
The first “was”, was improperly translated,
“was”
Hebrew-1961
היה
hâyâh
haw-yaw’
A primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, that is, be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary): – beacon, X altogether, be (-come, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), continue, do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, X use.
The word used in place of “was” in Genesis 1:2 should be “became”
The verse Genesis 1:2 should be better read:
(Genesis 1:2 KJVR)
And the earth [became] 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.
This then suggests that the earth was not made without form, and void, but it became that way afterwards.
If the verse was supposed to mean what is usually thought, then Genesis 1:1 would have probably written…
(Genesis 1:1)
In the beginning God created the heavens, and the earth without form, and void.
But the verses should be correctly separated, as the time frame between the two verses could be many years apart, but we do not know exactly how long this period was.
I will properly discuss this matter in the topic (Genesis 1:2)
Note that a completely new heaven and earth was never formed.
In all three Heavens and Earths, this planet Earth we are on right now, is probably the same earth as the first one was and the last one will be.
I guess God would simple be doing some renovations. 😉
When was light first created?
(Genesis 1:3 KJVR)
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In Genesis 1:3, God never said that he had just created light at that point, he only said “Let there be light”
(1 John 1:5 KJVR)
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.
God himself may have provided the light in the first Heaven and Earth.
If our God is a God of light, he would not create such a dark and dismantled world.
(Genesis 1:4 KJVR)
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
(Genesis 1:5 KJVR)
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
God had a purpose for this new source of light which was the sun, it would allow for a “Day time” and a “Night time”.
We do not know, but God’s light could have been everlasting. Hence there may not have been a Day and Night period before and only then gave it a name.
“Replenish the earth”
This is a very important phrase to notice in our study!
“Replenish”
Hebrew-1961
היה
hâyâh
haw-yaw’
Only Twice in the entire Bible is the word “Replenish” used. In both cases God says the same phrase: “replenish the earth”.
#1) (Genesis 1:28 KJVR)
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.
#2) (Genesis 9:1 KJVR)
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Notice firstly how the phrase is used in context with Noah (#2).
God tells Noah to replenish the earth just after it has been wiped out of life (by The Great Flood).
He tells Noah to replenish the earth because there was life on earth before, Noah would only be “re-filling” the earth with more life.
In Adam’s case (#1), if God tells Adam to replenish the earth, that would thus mean that there were living things on the earth before.
He cannot replenish the earth if there was never anything living on the earth before him. Otherwise, God may have simply said, “fill the earth”.
If God is telling Adam to replenish the earth, what does this mean?…
It means, that there were living things on this Earth BEFORE Adam was born.
It has been established by many Biblical Scholars already, that Adam Existed only about 6000 years ago.
Yet…
Science Proves that live existed on this very earth, Millions of years ago!
Having looked at why there were probably living creatures on this earth before God created Adam and Eve (in this second heaven and Earth), this leaves us with evidence that Dinosaurs may have truly existed back then.
We do not know what lived on the earth before Adam and Eve were created, but what ever it was, by scientific proof, there were creatures that existed millions of years ago. That would be a much longer time ago than when God created Adam and Eve.
There may have even been “cave men” in what ever form they looked like, but they surely were not human beings like us.
“And the earth brought forth grass”
(Genesis 1:11 KJVR)
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
(Genesis 1:12 KJVR)
And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
In these 2 Verses above, the Bible does not say that God is creating Grass for the first time.
The Earth is being Replenished after its destruction.
As opposed to:
“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth,”
“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind,”
“So God created man in his own image,”
Where Modern day Animals and Humans are being created for the first time.
This suggests that he is bringing forth grass that once existed before.
That grass could have been one of the food supplies for Dinosaurs, or other creatures that may have existed in Genesis 1:1.
Scientific research is very accurate at many times; this then could fit both the Bible and Science in its corrective place of not contradicting each other.
In the topic (Genesis 1:2), I shall explain that the earth was actually frozen over.
The “darkness that was upon the face of the deep” caused the earth to be without light, thus it froze up, killing probably all forms of life on earth.
This would also perfectly explain why scientist in research discovered that there was a devastating “Ice Age” that killed out the Prehistoric beasts.
If this “Ice Age” was so powerful to kill out all living things on the earth, would cavemen have survived to be able to evolve into human beings?…
Most likely not.
Thanks for reading! 😀
God Bless You!
-Andrew Emmanuel Davis
In the time period when the King James Version was
written, the word “replenish” meant to fill, not to
refill. If you read Matthew Henry’s commentary,
you will see the same meaning for replenish, fill , not
refill. And scientists have to rely on suppositions to
make their arguments for long periods of time in
Genesis 1, 5, and 11. The Hebrew grammar doesn’t
allow for gaps of time in any of these chapters.
Good evening, Is there anyway they can establish the time between Genesis 1:1 to 1:2?
Thank you. I have believed that there is no contradiction with Science for sometime, yet in my Bible Study I have many who oppose this and I have discovered in is deeper than I had previously believed. The great part is that regardless God is the Creator and how He did it has nothing to do with our Salvation. I do believe we must recognize that God is our Creator and Jesus Christ His only begotten Son (who also is mentioned as Creator) is our Savior.
Andrew,
I must say this is one teaching I disagree with you about. I think that the “dinosaurs or great beasts like dragons were around 6000 years ago. So many cultures have carvings in their architecture and sculptures, etc. and the bible mentions dragons and leviathons and behemoths. The earth is “NOT” millions of years old. This has not been “proven” by science. Just like it doesn’t take millions of years to create oil under the earth, only heat, pressure and a short time. This has been proven. It has also been proven that the carbon dating techniques are very flawed. Stick with scriptures brother!! God bless you …don’t stray to the god of science.
Hello Andrew 12/20/2020
The text, “The earth was without form and void,” does not mean there was chaos there, but that the author could not see the shape of the earth because it was completely covered with water and darkness. Void means empty, not inhabited.
Satan had nothing to do with creation, besides, he does not have the power to change something that God had just created.
Thanks for listening! Tony