LIFE IN HEAVEN – PART FIVE
Saturday – May 26, 2018, Sivan 12, 5778
Welcome back to this fascinating study of life in Heaven. There would be no way for us to examine, think about this, imagine things about this, except that we know that God does not change, that we are in His image and likeness, and of like kind. Today I am picking up with the second time period of our study and also for some a controversial time period. Let’s go ahead and jump right in.
Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
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.
Who was in the abode of God (third heaven) from Genesis 1:1 until we arrive at Genesis 1:2. We know that people like ourselves were not in Heaven during this time period nor on the earth, nor in the second heaven (what we call outer space). I reviewed in Part Three of this study how we know that to be so. There is great controversy about the age of the current earth, all of this current creation. Many people will go to the mat arguing that this creation including the earth is about six thousand years old. There is no physical evidence to support that view and there is no Biblical evidence to support that view either. On the other hand, there is much Biblical and physical evidence to support a very old earth, likely in the billions of years. As I move forward I will discuss the controversy about whether Genesis 1:2 describes the condition of the earth at the earliest stage of creation or if it became that way. Let’s address that and then move back toward Genesis 1:1.
Genesis 1:2 (KJV)
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.
Part of the controversy swirls about the word ‘was’ in the foregoing passage. This Hebrew word occurs 75 times in Scripture and is translated as; ‘was’ 7 times, ‘come to pass’ 21 times, ‘came’ 4 times, ‘has been’ 5 times, ‘were happened’ 6 times, ‘become’ 32 times, ‘pertained’ 1 time, and ‘better for thee’ 1 time according to Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. It is plain to see that this word “was” is more commonly translated as a process meaning the earth became something it was not originally. Isaiah writes that God created the earth to be inhabited but the earth of Genesis 1:2 is not inhabited, appears uninhabitable, but there is evidence it had been inhabited.
Isaiah 45:18 (KJV)
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 preceding verse seems to be addressing Genesis 1:1 indicating there was a purpose for that creation. The heavens and the earth were created to be inhabited. It is interesting to note the use of the word “LORD” and “God” in the preceding verse. LORD refers to Jehovah, the one we now call Father. The word “God” on the other hand is Elohim, plural God and refers to the Triune persons of God or at the least The Word and the Holy Spirit. In addition, God does nothing half way.
Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
Let’s dive in and see what this creation including Heaven was like in the time period of Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2 which likely represents billions of years. The archeological record is overwhelming concerning the existence of life on earth before Genesis 1:3 and the time of Adam (this current creation). There is much however that confuses this archeological record which likely creates scientific confusion and perhaps confusion among Christians to which we are a witness. Among the events that were disruptive of the physical archeological record is the devastation brought by the fall of Lucifer and the ensuing flood of Genesis 1:2, second, was the upheaval necessary to the dividing of the earth in the time of Peleg, and third, there were the massive upheavals associated with the flood of Noah’s time.
There have been any number of creatures in the earth including creatures that appeared much as we appear today. Science ignorant of Scripture and rebellious against God have pushed an evolutionary picture to explain modern man. This is of course pure foolishness on a physical, scientific, and a spiritual level. We know that in the physical realm, in order for organized things to persist like a garden or living things to continue there must be a continuous repair, reordering, and energy input. Otherwise things deteriorate to their lowest elemental form. Every man knows the lawn does not get better and better if it is not cared for and the same goes for the interior of the home. There is no question about genetic drift and adaptation in the period before Genesis 1:3 or after. However, there is zero evidence of one species becoming another. The theory that we started in the slime as one cell creatures, then multi-cellular, then an ape, and finally a man. Pure poppycock for any serious person, Christian or not. This does not happen in nature without a creative hand.
So, what about Heaven? What was going on in Heaven between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? I suspect things were much the same as in eternity past before Genesis 1:1. Jehovah, the Word, and the Holy Spirit were present as well as a multitude of various types of created angelic creatures. Still no man like us. Could there have been other types of creatures which God created similar to man who were and perhaps are in Heaven today? I suspect there were and are an abundance of creatures in Heaven but none like us. There is no Bible evidence that God had children at any time in eternity past, we are God’s only children. That is not to say that God did not create creatures that appear physically much as we appear but they were not of the same spiritual stuff of God as was Adam or as we are today and will be in eternity future. That is to say, they were not in His image and likeness or of like kind. God has likely had a very interesting array of creatures in heaven and elsewhere much like we might have cats, dogs, cattle, and so on. As we come to a close for this Saturday let me ask a question. Did God plan all of eternity past and has He planned all of eternity future? Do God’s plans always unfold exactly as planned? Of course, with regard to us His plan and His Word will never change but within that are an infinite set of possibilities. The creatures of the Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 1:2 period was destroyed subsequent to the rebellion of Lucifer much as the destruction that occurred with the flood of Noah and what will occur at the end of this age with a new heaven and a new earth. I will end with what God showed the Prophet Jeremiah concerning Genesis 1:2.
Jeremiah 4:23-27 (KJV)
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
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.
27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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