The Gap Between Genesis One One and Genesis One Two

 

The Gap Between Genesis One One and Genesis One Two

 

In the course of a recent Bible study, one of my teachers (Les Feldick Ministries) was discussing the Scripture related to the Creation. Part of his message was initiated by the “apparent gap” between the events in  Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1: 2.  There have been different theories about what might have happened in that apparent time span between God’s perfect creation of the heaven and the Earth as noted in Verse One, and the dreadful appearance of the Earth  (without mention of the “heaven”) in Verse Two.

As Pastor Feldick gave his thoughts, he introduced the audience to a publication titled: “We Are Not the First”, by Andrew Tomas. That publication presented logical arguments that seemingly contradict the Bible. [Pastor Feldick later did not attempt to address all those “logical / scientific findings”, but rather offered other perspectives.] 

Many Bible skeptics and others have pointed to archaeological evidence that they say proves that man and many animal species lived on the Earth long before the Bible records seem to indicate. Their evidence suggests man was on the Earth as long as millions of years ago, rather than the approximate 6,000 years indicated by scholars from the Nation of Israel whose ancestors recorded the Lord’s words as expressed in the Bible.  Therefore some, if not many skeptics  have concluded that none of the words of the Bible Scripture should be believed.  

What those skeptics and others have not done is to read the Bible in its entirety with clarity and understanding.  As with many other “controversial” issues, the Bible itself provides many answers.  Further, what the skeptics and some others don’t accept is that our Christianity is based on the concept of “Faith”.  The Bible defines “faith” as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11: 1) For Christians, the single most important question is in what or in whom do we place our faith.

The answer to that question is the key to Christianity itself.  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I raise this point because it is important to stress that unless the Bible Scripture is taken as a whole, critical parts of what God wants us to know about Jesus can be easily lost. The “gap” in time between Genesis 1: 1 and Genesis 1: 2, points to an area of potential interest to many scientists and others.  However, that “gap” is not crucial to what God wants man to understand about Jesus at this critical point in our history. Otherwise, He would have addressed it in more detail. The focus of man’s understanding of the Scripture should be to gain the knowledge of not only who Jesus is, but also to have faith in what He has accomplished for us.

·       Note From the teachings of Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles:  ¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  ¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3: 16-17);

Note also the words of the Apostle Peter to Jesus’ followers who had been scattered from the Jerusalem Church:   ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.   ¹⁵ And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (2 Peter 3: 9, 15)

The terms “repentance” and “salvation” mean changing men’s minds so that they do not have to suffer the penalty of death that was passed on to all mankind due to the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. (Romans 3: 22-25)  That “good news / Gospel was given to man through the Apostle Paul’s Bible Scripture found in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-, and Romans 10: 9-13.

True Christian believers don’t require “absolute proof of the authenticity” of the Scripture being the “Word of God”. There is  enough in the history of mankind that we know has come true, that we can accept the rest (prophecy and otherwise) by faith.

Even so, let’s see some of what the Bible does say (with BOLD and other emphasis added):

·       Our God keeps some things secret:  ²⁹ The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29: 29)

·       Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11: 1); ¹⁷ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10: 17)

Some language of the Bible Scripture might be deemed as “somewhat ambiguous”, such as that cited above relating to the time “gap” in the early verses of the Book of Genesis. However, Christians and other Bible students must remember that it would be impossible to address in detail every question that arises during study. Further, it would present a distraction from the primary message. Always try to identify the primary message! 

Even so, not every passage or chapter in the Bible is easily understood by many.  We don’t overlook the difficult parts, but sometimes there are other ways to approach them.

Remember the point raised by the Ethiopian Eunuch when he had difficulty understanding part of the Scripture related to our Lord Jesus.  He asked Philip (the messenger sent by God) “ How can I (understand), except some man should guide me?”  (Acts 8: 26-39)   At some point, each of us can learn and  benefit from the knowledge of others. 

Still another means of obtaining clarity from the Scripture is to continue reading!  There is a saying that: “The Bible Interprets Itself”.  I don’t know the identity of the first person who made that statement, but I’ve found it to be quite true.

Keeping that in mind, I’d like to share some additional information I generated while preparing this post.  You might find it interesting as it relates to the earlier discussion of the “gap” between the first two verses of the Book of Genesis.

From the Book of Job, (the oldest Book of the Bible), the Chapters critical to this discussion are those numbered 39, 40 and 41. In the prior chapter (38), the LORD had challenged Job regarding his knowledge of some characteristics of animals that God had created, including the lion and the raven.  Then in Chapter 39, the LORD continued to expose Job’s lack of such knowledge by expanding His list of animals to include wild goats, peacocks, ostrich, horse, and grasshoppers, among others. These were animals that were widely known to man both then and now. However, very notable among those animals listed, the LORD added the “unicorn”, whose existence has long been questioned by many.  Then in Chapters 40 and 41 respectively, the LORD questioned Job on his knowledge of the “behemoth” and the “leviathan”.  Today man would regard these two massive creatures as “dinosaurs” which had to have predated the creation of man as most would interpret our Bible Scripture.

An additional reference that you might find interesting and helpful when looking at this issue of “Time” in the Bible is: https://aish.com/the-age-of-the-universe-one-reality-viewed-from-two-different-perspectives/ . Some further perspective could also be gained:

·       From the scripture of King Solomon, known as the wisest man to have lived:   ⁹ The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  ¹⁰ Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.  ¹¹ There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. (Ecclesiastes 1: 9-11)

·       Also from the scripture of King Solomon,: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ¹⁰ I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. ¹¹ He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. ⁴ I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.  ¹⁵ That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 10-11, 14-15)

I share these Bible verses because the Scripture includes them to be part of our overall knowledge base.  When God spoke to Job (as noted above), and when King Solomon wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes, there was no apparent link to the time “gap” noted in the title of this post.  Or perhaps we were to consider them in that context as we continued to read.  That is part of what makes Bible study so interesting.

However, my major point in sharing this latter information is to stress that there will invariably be differences in the interpretation of what is stated in Bible Scripture…and what is not.   We must consider that God may not answer every question that we might have, but He will tell us everything that we need to know to be restored to Him.  His priority is the redemption and restoration to Himself of as many of humanity as who are willing to believe Him. Our pathway to that salvation is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 10: 9-13)

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com

God's Grace is Not Mercy

 

God’s Grace is Not Mercy

 

Introduction:

In our previous post on this blog the subject of the Ark of the Covenant was raised.  It was revered as the most sacred item in Israel’s Tabernacle and Temple and placed in the Holy of Holies behind the vail.  The LORD’s instructions for constructing the Ark included the following: “²² And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 25: 22)(Bold added)

Israel had not only the “Ten Commandments”, also known as the Moral Law.  It also had Civil Laws instructing how to live with others, and the Ecumenical Laws showing how they were to worship God.  Collectively they totaled 613 Commandments, and expressed God’s standards for human behavior. . (See: https://www.jewfaq.org/613_commandments ) 

As you might recall, Israel’s High Priest would go behind the vail once a year to sprinkle the blood of sacrificial animals to atone for his and the Nation’s sins over the past year.  (Leviticus Chapter 16; see also: https://www.gotquestions.org/Day-Atonement-Yom-Kippur.html ) The blood was sprinkled on the appropriately named “Mercy Seat” located on top of the Ark of the Covenant.

Mercy:

According to the Strong’s Expanded Concordance, the word “mercy” and its derivatives appear more than 300 times in the Bible, with the large majority in the Old Testament. The most common usage (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary # 2617; and the New Testament Greek Dictionary #1653, #1656) refers to “having compassion” or “feeling sympathy with the misery of another.” Many times the meaning is expressed in the word “mercy” itself, and commonly as “loving-kindness in strength and steadfastness”.

Because of the people of Israel’s continued violations of God’s Laws, they had to repeatedly seek His mercy and forgiveness for their offenses…both as individuals and as a Nation. Importantly, “mercy” means not receiving the punishment that one deserves for their sin.

Often Christians forget to address the status of the Gentiles who were living at the same time. Remember, the Bible tells us that they lived without the knowledge of God’s Law (as expressed in the Torah). As a result their ability to be compliant with God’s Law was limited to their conscience / “knowledge of good and evil” as mankind inherited it following Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2: 15-17, 3: 1-6; Romans 2: 11-16)

For further context, I recommend your reading the full Scripture found in Romans Chapter Three, that contains the following selected verses:

^“9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

¹¹ There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Bold Added)

Pay particular attention to the statements above that say the Law was given specifically to Israel, but it applies to all the world (Gentiles included). Further, the purpose of the Law was to give man the knowledge of “sin”, so that no question could remain as to whether an offense against God had been committed.  Remember, these were His Commandments. Many people will be seeking “Mercy” at the future Great White Throne Judgment. (Revelation 20: 11-15)

Now, as a point of transition, I’d like to refer to the Scripture found in Exodus  Chapter 33:  I encourage you to read the entire chapter for context, but please focus on the following words from the LORD to Moses as He declared His Supremacy as God:

v. 19 – ^{19 “} … I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” (Bold added)

The keys are that our God can be both full of Mercy and full of Grace, and can dispense them at His will.

Grace:

According to the Strong’s Expanded Concordance, the word “grace” and its derivatives appear more than 200 times in the Bible, with the large majority in the New Testament. The most common usage (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary # 2580, #2587, #2603; and the New Testament Greek Dictionary #5485,) refers to  “having favor, loving-kindness or being pleasant and agreeable.” Many times the meaning of “grace” is expressed in the word “grace” itself. “Commonly it indicates favor on the part of the giver (as a gift), and thanks on the part of the receiver.” The Strong’s definition also adds: “…God’s (Grace), the free gift for the forgiveness of sins, is related to the misery that sin brings.” 

The Bible shows that there were several notable examples of the LORD’s having found “favor / grace” in those who believed in Him and obeyed Him. They included Noah, (Genesis 6: 18), Moses (Exodus 33: 17), King David (Acts 7: 46), and Mary the Mother of Jesus (Luke 1: 30). Further, I believe the Holy Spirit directed the author of the Book of Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, to provide the names of other individuals who should be recognized for their having had faith in / believed the LORD, and obeyed Him.  That Chapter has been notably recognized as “The Faith Chapter” of our Bible.

Note that the concepts of “faith”, “believing God”, and “trusting and obeying Him” are various attributes that the LORD / God has always been seeking from His created being man. As noted above, those named above were all “sinners”, just as the rest of mankind. However, they were able to receive the grace / favor of God and will not face judgment at the Great White Throne as those who likely have to plead for “mercy”.

Some might argue that God’s use of His Grace vs His Mercy could seemingly be interpreted as arbitrary.  However, because He is God, He must be totally fair in His Judgments. That is why He has given man the opportunity to choose whether or not to believe and have faith in Him. That opportunity for free choice began with the first man Adam and continues with us today.

For some additional context on the concepts of free choice” and “grace”,  consider the words of the Book of John, Chapter Three.   There our Lord Jesus spoke saying:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life..” (John 3: 16)

That verse is telling man that through His Grace, God has made the free gift of eternal life possible and available for “whosoever believes in Him”, the Son of God / Jesus Himself.

Remember, that since “all have sinned” (as noted above), all are therefore eligible to benefit from God’s offer of His Grace. However, each person has to know / understand what they are to believe about the Son of God, Jesus.  The Bible gives us the answer.

The answer is the “good news” or Gospel of Grace. Because of His love for mankind, God made the requirement for a person to receive the gift of eternal life both brief and relatively simple. As Christians we are to know that the requirement is to know and understand that:

·       Jesus Christ is the Son of God;

·       He died to pay the death penalty for our sins;

·       He was buried; and

·       He rose again / was resurrected on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4)

To confirm their understanding of this Gospel, the person should be willing to speak it. (Romans 10: 9-13)  Most importantly we must recognize that Jesus Himself paid the death penalty that was to have fallen on believers.  It is not necessary for man to know all the specific details that led up to those events, nor all that the Bible tells us about what followed.  

Christians and other Bible students should remember a basic tenet that echoes throughout the Scripture:

^“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (1 Peter 3: 9)

His gift of Grace to us today should never be ignored. But, it is the individual man’s choice.

 

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com

The Bible Story of One Veil and One Vail

 

The Bible Story of One Veil and One Vail

 

Introduction:

It is not a coincidence that the two key words in the title of this post (veil and vail) are pronounced the same way.  According to my Strong’s Expanded Concordance, in both the translations from the Hebrew and the Greek, although each can be used in a different context they have the same meaning. Each represents a form of separation; a “curtain”; or a “screen / divider”.

The First Vail / Veil was worn by Moses (Note especially the context):

Exodus 34: 27-35: “²⁷ And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.  ²⁸ And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

²⁹ And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.  ³⁰ And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

³¹ And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.  ³² And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

³³ And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.  ³⁴ But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.  ³⁵ And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” (Bold and Underline added)

Note the repetition in the Scripture as the Holy Spirit uses it to place emphasis.  As we study the Bible, we continue to look for significance when something very unusual happens. Moses’ needing to place a vail upon his face is one of those events. The only other mention of Moses’ vail in the Old Testament was a statement made by the Prophet Isaiah as he prophesied regarding the eventual removal of the vail from Israel, related to the LORD’s Second Coming. (Isaiah 25: 7)

 

 

 

Many Bible teachers have said: “What is concealed in the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament.”  One of my teachers (Les Feldick Ministries) taught the related Scripture that says:  ^“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29: 29)    With that background, we turn to the New Testament to see how the experience with the vail between Moses and the people of Israel might have had additional meaning, including for Christians.

The discussion of the “veil / vail” did resume in the New Testament in the Book of Second Corinthians.  The Apostle Paul was explaining to his new Gentile believers the more glorious life given by the Holy Spirit under the Gospel of Grace. (1 Corinthians 15: 1-4)  He said this in contrast to the “letters of condemnation”  / the Ten Commandments (written on the two tables of stone as noted above), which no man could keep.  Remember that Paul had already revealed to them the Gospel of Grace through which they had received the salvation of their souls.

Now Paul was giving a different perspective of the reasons why Moses had to wear the vail.  I encourage you to read the entirety of Paul’s message in 2 Corinthians Chapter Three, but I want to highlight Verses 7-16, and ask you to note especially Verses 13-16.

^“7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

⁸ How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?  ⁹ For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.  ¹⁰ For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.  ¹¹ For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.  ¹² Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

¹³ And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: (Bold added for emphasis)

¹⁴ But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.  ¹⁵ But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.  ¹⁶ Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.”

Those statements by the Apostle Paul add perspective to other scripture that explains how Israel had “become blinded”.  More on that subject will be addressed in a future post.

 

The Second Veil / Vail had prominence in Israel’s Tabernacle and Temple

This “Second Vail” is the “curtain” that most Christians and other Bible students more easily recognize. In Israel’s Tabernacle and Temple it was the large ”divider” that separated the “Holy Place” and the Most Holy Place / “Holy of Holies”. (Exodus 26: 30-35)  For the sake of brevity, I suggest that look to internet searches for more information on these places which were sacred in Judaism, such as the following: https://www.gotquestions.org/Most-Holy-Place.html  They describe the holy items that the LORD directed Moses to have constructed to be placed on either side of the vail.

Even many non-Bible students are familiar with the sacred item that the LORD instructed Israel to place behind the vail in the Holy of Holies.  That item was the “Ark of the Covenant”,  which was made even more widely recognizable by the movies with that subject / theme.  (See: Exodus 25: 8-22; and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenant )

The three contents of the most sacred Ark were symbols of Israel’s rebellious nature against God after the LORD had liberated them from more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt. The top of the Ark was appropriately named the “Mercy Seat”. In the Scripture the LORD  says: “²² And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 25: 22) Emphasis added.

Once a year, Israel’s High Priest would go behind the vail and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificial animal on the Mercy Seat, seeking to atone for the Nation’s sins that year.  I strongly recommend that every Christian read the Scripture of the Book of Hebrews, Chapter Nine. It explains how through His shed blood and death, our Lord Jesus eliminated the need for those annual animal sacrifices.

The other major point related to this “second vail” is that at the end of His Crucifixion, the Lord Jesus accomplished another critical step in God’s Plan for man’s salvation. Remember that when Israel was conceived as a Nation, they were to be a “kingdom of priests” who would serve God to serve as a “light” to evangelize the Gentile world. (Exodus 19: 1-8; Isaiah 42: 6, 49: 6; Acts 13: 47) However, because of Israel’s rejection of Jesus as their Messiah and King, that prospect must await the Lord’s Second Coming.

In the meantime, God’s Plan was and is  to offer salvation directly to the Gentiles. To accomplish that, the Scripture says that as Jesus was dying on the Cross, the vail of the Temple was rent / torn from top to bottom. (Matthew 27: 50-51; Mark 15: 37-38; Luke 23: 44-45)  Emphasis added. With the removal of the vail as a barrier, man now had direct access to God in the Holy of Holies.  

Further, the Scripture reports that the removal of the Temple vail resulted in the removal of the barrier between Jews and Gentiles that had separated them . (1 Corinthians 12: 12-14; Ephesians 2: 8-22; Hebrews 6: 17-20, 10: 1-22) Through His “flesh”, Jesus now represents the new “vail”. (Hebrews 10: 20)

Just before His death on the Cross, before He “gave up the ghost” He said: “It is Finished” (John 19: 30)  He was reminding us that there was no longer a need for a vail. When the Lord Jesus comes the next time, the people will not see Moses or another “messenger” bringing His standards for human behavior. The Law will be written in their hearts. (Jeremiah 31: 31-34)

Dr. W. A. (Bill) Robinson

https://christianityandbiblestudy.blogspot.com