The Genesis account of creation (Gen. 1:1) Part 2. Roy Matlock

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1 Roy Matlock The Monthly Mission Messenger Volume I, No. 7 March Roy Matlock Ministries The Messenger is free for those who love to study God s Word. The Messenger is supported by free love offerings from those who wish to help spread the Word. May God Bless You. My friends, Please send this link to all your contacts. The Monthly Mission Messenger is available on site with all other materials written by Pastor Matlock. The Genesis account of creation (Gen. 1:1) Part 2 Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The Genesis account of creation makes one emphatic statement - that God created the earth. If there were no other passages in the Bible that spoke of the creation, that would be enough for those of us who are believers to accept the fact that God created it. There are many other supporting passages in the Bible about the creation. We must accept the statements in God s Word by faith and disregard all the unholy, worldly teachings about evolution. Let s look at numerous other Scriptures that teach about the creation. Last month we were looking at the time span that unbelievers of the Bible say that the earth has been here. I mentioned the names of eras they have applied to the age of the earth and concluded with the second era called the Archeozoic Era. This word is from two Greek words, pronounced, ARCHA, meaning, Beginning. And pronounced ZOA, meaning Life. Placed together these two words mean, Beginning of Life. But they say the earth had been here for three billion years before life began. They have found fossils that date back to this time of something that had life, then died and was preserved in a fossil. We have already found that God created the earth to be inhabited (Isa. 45:18). Traces of animals, vegetation, coal, fossil fuels, etc. have been brought over into our time, which do show that the earth was inhabited and seemingly all perished as the result of some great catastrophic event. This no doubt happened when Lucifer rebelled and was cast back into the Earth (Isa. 14: Luke 10:18). Isaiah 14:12-14 How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how are you cut down to the ground, who did weaken the nations! For you have said in your 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 farthest sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Jesus was there and saw his fall and commented:...i beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Luke 10:18 The evolutionists list four other Chapters of time which cover another approximately two billion years. You can look in your encyclopedia and find pictures of how they think man evolved during this time. Of course the Bible tells us how man got here. Gen. 1:27. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen. 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living Soul. This may have been two billion years after Lucifer rebelled against God. If that is true and the timing is right, then Lucifer and his angels lived here worshiping God for the first three billion years before he sinned and death occurred. So the timing may be right but their idea of what went on in the earth during that time is all false. Bible dates show 1

2 that man has been on the earth for only about 6,000 years. We believe that God spoke the original creation into existence, (Psalms 33:6-9. Heb. 11:3), but we need to look at the Reconstruction of the earth that brought it into the condition it is in today. This writer is fully aware that there are different opinions among Bible commentators about all this. Therefore, there has to be different beliefs among Christians about it. It mostly depends on what your pastor, or your reading some books, or watching videos on the subject has taught you. Some have titled it Belief in an old earth or belief in a young earth. If you have facts and scripture to show why you believe what you believe about it, then you are content in your own mind about what you believe until someone comes along and presents other facts and scriptures. This writer has studied both sides of the subject and has no ill feelings toward those who disagree with his conclusion. But I believe that everyone should study the subject from both perspectives. I know we all agree that God is the Creator and He placed it in the universe and, as Job said Job 38:6 On what are its foundations fastened? or who laid its cornerstone; Job 26:7 He stretched out the north over the empty place, and hung the earth upon nothing. Plainly stated, this writer believes that the original creation of the earth was given to Lucifer and his angles. I believe it was the only planet in the universe, and all the universe was light. There was no darkness until Lucifer sinned. Afterward, God created lights to divide the light from the darkness as we find on the fourth day of the reconstruction. THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE EARTH: Gen. 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. Jeremiah had a vision of the earth in its condition before the re-construction. Jer. 4:23-27 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, (There has never been a time on earth since Adam was created that there was no man on the earth) and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. For thus has the LORD said, the whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. The Psalmist is meditating upon the power of God in Psalms 104:1-7,30 where He said: 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with honor and majesty. 2 Who covers yourself with light as with a garment: who stretches out the heavens like a curtain: 3 Who lays the beams of his chambers in the waters: who makes the clouds his chariot: who walks upon the wings of the wind: 4 Who makes his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: 5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke they fled; at the voice of your thunder they hastened away. 30 You send forth your Spirit, they are CREATED and you RENEW the face of the earth. The word Renew means to reconstruct or to make over. I want to call your attention to the two words: CREATE and MADE as we continue our study here. The Revolt of Satan took place at the time period of the dating of the first fossil. If this is true, the earth was in darkness and covered by water for the two billion years before the Spirit of God 2

3 moved upon the waters and God said Let there be light. Satan and his angels were here for that period of time in misery and darkness. When God is through next time, Satan and his angels will be cast into a fiery hell to be tormented forever (Matt. 25:41). The evolutionists may have the timing correct. This could be scriptural as we have seen. If they do have the timing correct, they have a completely unscriptural explanation of what went on in the earth during that time Some have quoted Gen. 1:1 and Ex. 20:11 to show that God took six regular days to create the Earth. Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: The following is the definition from the Strong s Concordance as listed in the Sword Search program with the Hebrew words and English equivalent. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning tcahd<re'shiyth> God szehla <'elohiym> created adbha <bara'> the heaven Mymv <shamayim> and the earth Ura, <'erets>. We have already learned what the Hebrew word BARA means. It means: To cut, form, shape and fashion. This is the original creation of the Cosmos which means An orderly, harmonious, systematic Universe. Exodus 20:11 is a quote from the fourth of the Ten Commandments. It states Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. The following is the definition from the Strong s Concordance as listed in the Sword Search program with the Hebrew words and English equivalent. For in six vv shesh days Mwy yome the LORD hwhy Yehhovaw made hvse awsaw heaven Mymv shamayim and earthue Ura, erets, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested xwn the seventh yeybv day Mwy: wherefore the LORD hwhy blessed Krb the sabbath tbv day Mwy, and hallowed vdq it. (KJVSL) Gen. 1:2-31. 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. And God said, let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: 4 and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. The darkness caused by the revolt and sin of Lucifer is now lighted up by the voice and presence of God as He moves upon the waters and He divided the light from the darkness. 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. This is what the Psalmist is referring to when he said in Ps. 104:7 At your rebuke they fled; at the voice of your thunder they hastened away. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth vegetation, the plants yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth vegetation, and plants yielding seed after their kind, and the tree 3

4 yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. On this fourth day of the reconstruction God created the Sun, Moon and the stars as lights in the firmament to give light on the earth as the result of sin and darkness caused by Satan. They would be for days and for years, for signs and for seasons. 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Jeremiah saw it when there were none. There has never been a time when there were no birds since the re-construction. 21 And God CREATED great sea creatures, and every living thing that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kinds, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kinds: and it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth after their kinds, and cattle after their kinds, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after its kind: and God saw that it was good. 26 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 creeps upon the earth. 27 So God CREATED man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 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 moves upon the earth. 29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every plant bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, which has seed in its fruit; to you it shall be for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green plant for food: and it was so. You will note the difference in the wording here. In Gen. 1:1 it is GOD (ELEHOIM) CREATED (BARA). In Exodus 20:11 it is THE LORD (JEHOVAH) MADE, (AWSAW). Two completely different Hebrew words with two completely different meanings. The Hebrew word for Create in Gen. 1:1 is adbha BARA which means: To cut, form, shape or fashion. This is the beautiful COSMOS that existed before Jeremiah saw it in its chaotic condition. The Hebrew word for Made in Exodus 20:11 is hvse AWSAW which means: To advance, to be busy, to deal with, to prepare, to finish. All this was going to be done after what Jeremiah saw. This 4

5 is denoting the re-construction as described in Gen. 1:2-31. This is the six day period which is a re-construction as described in Psalms 104:30. You send forth your Spirit, they are created: and you renew the face of the earth. God is exalted here and given praise for creating the earth and then covering it with water. He is also praised for speaking and dividing the water as is found in Gen. 1:6. He did not dry it up after the flood of Noah that way. The remaining verses in Genesis Chapter One describe what God did at this time and how He renewed the face of the earth. Verse 31 states, And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning was the sixth day. God created man at this time and that was only about 6,000 years ago. Genesis Chapter five gives the generations of Adam from the time of his creation to the flood of Noah s time 1656 years. Man became so sinful during this time that God determined to destroy him. Had it not been for the promise which God made in Gen. 3:15, that the seed of woman would bruise the head of Satan, He would have completely destroyed man from the face of the Earth. Gen. 6:5-7 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for I am sorry that I have made them. But God had made that promise of the seed of woman destroying Satan. Therefore, He could not completely destroy man from the earth. So He told Noah to prepare the Ark. He then brought about the flood which, at its conclusion, formed the continents and oceans and shaped the earth as it is today. DO YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN? I am persuaded that it is the desire of all human beings to go to heaven when this life is over. The one way to know that you are on the right track is to study the Bible and find out what God wants you to know about His plans.we have a total of 953 names and addresses on our mailing list for this month. Thanks to all who have supplied new names and addresses. Keep up the good work. We want the M.M.M. to be used in God s work in reaching people for Him. It s easy for a person to pick up a small paper such as this and read a little in it. Where that same person might not pick up the Bible to read it. Yet when you read about some of the things in the M.M.M., you might pick up the Bible to see if it teaches the same thing on the subject. This is the aim of the editor. Study the Bible to see what God wants you to know. I ll do my best to guide you to the truth in all teachings. Please stay with me. I want to dwell on the subject of Personal Salvation in this issue. God wants all people to be saved during their lifetime on the Earth. (II Pet. 3:9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. If a person is not saved during his lifetime here, when he dies he will go to hell. Therefore, Personal Salvation is a very important subject. Let me ask you, Have you ever been saved? If you can t answer that question in the affirmative, then there is one of two things wrong. Either you haven t studied the Bible enough to know for sure what the plan of Salvation is, or you have never been saved and you are still lost. Let me ask the question in another way. If you should die today, or if the Second Coming of Christ should take place, would you go to heaven? If you have to answer this question with, Well I hope I would, or I don t really know, then you still haven t studied enough to be sure. Would you like to be sure? I m sure you would. Let me assure you, you can know. 5

6 It is hoped that by your reading the M.M.M. each month that you will gain the Bible knowledge to have the security that you need in this matter. Let s look at a few Scriptures about Personal Salvation at this point. Acts 16:30 is the only place in the Bible where a man asks the simple question, What must I do to be saved? The very next verse gives a simple answer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. That is, every individual in your house who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. A man cannot believe for his wife and children. Each individual must exercise belief himself, (Rom. 14:12). Let s talk a little about this word, Believe. This kind of belief is much deeper than we usually think. This doesn t mean to just believe that Jesus existed as a good man, or even a prophet. You must understand that He existed in heaven with God the Father before the world was, (John 17:5), and that He came to the earth to make a sacrifice for our sins (John 1:10. 1 Tim. 1:15), as the seed of woman promised in Gen. 3:15. The word Believe as used here was translated into the English language from the Greek word, spelled, PISTEUO in English. The meaning of this Greek word, according to the Greek Scholar, Bullenger, in his work, A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, published by, Samuel Bagster and Sons Limited, London, is, Be persuaded, rely upon, to trust, fully convinced acknowledgment, a fully assured and unswerving confidence, Repose and reliance. With this kind of belief you have placed your soul in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and you know that there is nothing else that you can do. You just leave it up to Him. When you exercise this kind of belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are Born Again, (I John 5:1). That means a new life is now within you. This is the eternal life of the Holy Spirit. God seals up your personal salvation at this point, (Eph. 4:30). There are many teachings in the Bible about this. You ll find it in almost any subject you begin to study. That golden text of the Bible, John 3:16, teaches it. 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. Let s go through the steps that every person on earth must go through to be saved. You must first realize that you are a sinner and need a Savior. Rom. 3:23. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This Scripture shows that every person is a sinner and all sinners need to be saved. If they are never saved they will go to hell when this life is over. Step number two is described in Rom. 6:23. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have already learned that we are sinners. This scripture teaches us that we get paid for sinning. Our wage is Death. If people were not sinners there would be no death. Death and eternal life are both spoken of in this scripture. They are referred to as a Wage and a Gift. There is a vast difference in these two subjects. You work for the wage. A gift is free. For it to be yours you only have to accept it. Note that the Gift of Eternal Life comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. God did this for you in order to offer the gift. He let Jesus die for you. Rom. 5:8. But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This Scripture shows that God loved us, as sinners, enough to sacrifice His Son for the atonement of our sins. All we can do is accept His sacrifice by faith and trust Him to do what He said He would do about our Salvation.We have learned that all are sinners and the wages of sin is death: but that God has a gift of eternal life for all who will accept it. We also learned that God loved us, while we were lost sinners, enough to sacrifice His Son for the atonement of our sins. Now what is left that we should do? Rom. 10:9-10,13. This Scripture tells you how to accept the sacrifice that God made for the atonement of your sins. 6

7 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. V, 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. To sum it up, you must acknowledge that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus made the sacrifice for your sins. (Actually believe in your heart that He died and rose again. Then accept the fact that God loves you even if you are a sinner.) Exercise you faith in Jesus as your Savior and call upon Him to forgive your sins and to save you. If the M.M.M. should help you find the peace with God that you are seeking we rejoice with you. May God Bless * * * * * * * BIBLE QUIZ FOR THIS MONTH In Acts 19:9-10 Paul taught the Word of God in the school of Tyrannus in Ephesus. How often and for how long did he teach there? ANSWER TO LAST MONTH S QUIZ Acts 12:31 states that Jesus was seen many days after His resurrection. For how many days was Jesus seen after His resurrection? 40 Acts 1:3-4 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, you have heard of me. V,9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Who also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. * * * * * * * THE GIVER AND THE TAKER The Sea of Galilee is 689 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea is 1337 feet below sea level which is the lowest spot on earth. This gives a decline of 648 feet from the point where the River Jordan flows out of the Sea of Galilee to the point where it empties into the Dead Sea. The distance between these two points in a straight line is approximately 65 miles. The river bed, of course, zigzags back and forth across the country almost tripling the distance between these two points. Imagine if the river were straight how fast the water would flow from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. It would flow so fast that there would be no opportunity to deposit the rich minerals and moisture on the farm lands. But instead of this fast non giving flow, it meanders slowly back and forth across the country leaving behind many great blessings for those who live along the way. The Sea of Galilee receives from the mountains on up north all the water and minerals then gives them to the Jordan valley between the two bodies of water. The valley produces a variety of farm food stuff from the rich minerals and moister that sustains life for the many people who live in the land. The Dead Sea receives a great abundance of these minerals but has no outlet for them to water and enrich the land below it. Therefore, it is called the Dead Sea. It receives but does not give. May we be as the Sea of Galilee, receive and give. We can give of our material things to support the Lord s work. We can give our testimony to help others to be saved. We can give comfort to those who are sick or lonely. We can give our brotherly love to each other as we enjoy Christian fellowship worshiping together in the Lord s churches. Be a receiver and a giver. Remember, Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. God made the Sun, it gives. God made the moon, it gives. God made the plan of salvation, He gives. God made man, he

8 HELPS AND HENTS FOR DEEPER STUDY OR YOUR SPIRIUAL ENJOYMENT Order info on web page C D I LL SEE YOU SOON Your editor plays the guitar and sings Country Gospel. We have completed our first recording of a CD entitled I ll See You Soon. This is the first of a series of Country Gospel songs written by your Editor. It somewhat tells the story of me and my wife who went to be with the Lord on March 27, THE WORKING MAN S DEER HUNT A true to life account of a one man deer hunt with pictures of your editor and the deer that was taken. Contains a great testimony of a spiritual experience that happened with just me and God in the deep woods. REVELATION COMMENTARY A description of the evil beast. The Antichrist exposed. The woman on the scarlet colored beast explained. Second Coming of Christ. Battle of Armageddon. The Millennial Kingdom. The Holy City and the glories of heaven. THE BIBLE QUIZ Hundreds of Bible questions with an answer section that will guide you to the answers to many things of the Bible. Sharpen your Bible skills. Increase your Bible knowledge. A BIBLICAL CHRONOLOGY OF MAN A detailed study of the scriptural links with dates from Adam to the birth of Jesus. HEAVEN, WHERE IT IS AND HOW TO GET THERE Hell, where it is and how to avoid going there A study about the eternal Holy City and the New Earth, about hell, that place that all unsaved people wish, or hope, doesn t exist. THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY a STUDY OF God s plan for younger children who, for some reason may die from infancy through a very young age when they have not made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A must for all parents wish young children. THE MOST POWERFUL FOUR BIBLE DOCTRINES There are certain fundamental P doctrines taught in the Bible that are very important and should be known by all believers. This study covers the four most important doctrines for mankind to know in order to have perfect peace with God. MIRACLES AND TONGUES These teachings go into deep detail about what the Bible teaches on these subjects. They give the Old Testament prophecies concerning them and the New Testament fulfillment of them. There is much confusion in religious circles today about these subjects. A good Bible knowledge about them will remove such confusion. MY JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE Roy Matlock This will begin when and where I was born and covers the highlights of my life. It covers the growth of my family with pictures all through life; somewhat of an Autobiography. 106 pages, many color pictures: