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NASB | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth. [Heb 11:3] |
Subject: How old is the earth scripturally? |
Bible Note: You write "In this verse, the heavens and the earth refer to the whole universe created by God, out of nothing, in the distant past" However, there is no time distinction between verses one and two of Gen. 1. So any suggestion that there is a great gap of time between these verses is nothing more than speculation, and ungrounded speculation at that. You write "So beyond Gen.1: 1 God is revealing to man only about the earth. " This is simply unscriptural. Genesis 1:14-19 clearly tell of the creation (not the appearing as some claim) of the sun, moon, and stars, events which clearly took place in space. You write "In Gen. 1: 2 the second verse, we see clearly that the earth existing in a ruined condition." No, we do not. We see in Genesis 1:2 a world that was (not became) formless and void, that is, it had just been made, and, therefore, lacked the features such as plants, that existed a week later. You write "1) The EARTH ALONE is mentioned from this verse onwards." As I demonstrated above, this is untrue. You write "2) God did not start His creative activity from such a ruined condition. The word CREATED, in the first verse means creation OUT OF NOTHING. So it is clear that an unrevealed length of time has elapsed between Gen.1: 1 and Gen.1: 2. This period of time may be a number of ages." The Hebrew word in Gen. 1:1 is indeed "bara." And most of the creative events int he rest of the chapter are from the Hebrew "asah." However, there are two more instances of "bara" in chapter 1. The sea creatures are created ("bara") not made. So by your reckoning, God created the universe from nothing in the distant past, then made the earth and everything else from pre-existing material. But for some reason he decided to create the fish out of nothing. Doesn't make much sense. Moreover, Gen. 1:26-27 reports that God both created (bara) and made (asah) man. So by your reckoning God both created man from pre-existing material and out of nothing. Is this the case, or are you just recognizing a distinction between Hebrew synonyms that God Himself does not recognize. Yopu write "3) In this verse we see that the earth was (became) in a ruined condition, without form, void, in darkness and filled with waters (death)." No, we don't. This is nowhere suggested in Genesis. And please, show me one other instance in Scripture where waters symbolize death. You write "4) The Spirit of God moved (fluttered) without rest in relation to the ruined condition of the earth."" "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." How exactly did you discern the Spirit's thoughts and attitudes at this time, seeing they are not mentioned in the passage? In conclusion, I cannot allow for a gap in Scripture where one does not exist. It is not Scripture that suggests a gap. It is the system of faith and pseudo-science known as evolution. True Christianity and evolution are mutually exclusive. They cannot both be true. To paraphrase Patrick Henry, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, I will believe in the Scriptures alone, or I will believe in nothing at all. God bless, In Christ, koinekid Upholding Scripural Accuracy, Integrity, Immutability, and Relevancy: Working towards the glory of God and the salvation of man |